Rory all but spit the water out of his mouth when Gale said that. Ford and Clay both smirked.
“Gale isn’t always a lady,” Clay said.
“So I see. I might have been thinking the same thing,” he said. “So we’ve got Daniel and Kane as the biggest suspects but no proof other than they wanted the trial over with and this behind them to stop disruption to any business dealings they had going on. That’s not enough motive with no proof.”
“No,” Ford said.
“They are both power-hungry dickheads, but that doesn’t mean they are guilty of murder or conspiracy to murder,” Clay said. “As much as I wish otherwise.”
“How about bribery?” she asked.
“I can and will talk to Daniel about the payments to Scott Denning, but since Scott can’t talk for himself, there could be many explanations that Daniel will or can come up with. Including the fact that Kane bought Scott’s house when he went into the nursing home.”
“Are you fucking kidding me?” Rory asked. Just like Gale said, shit stains everywhere.
“Nope. They don’t own it now. They bought and flipped it, then sold it,” Ford said. “Made a quick seventy thousand in three months and will say it was a business investment or something to that effect.”
“They are good at covering their tracks.”
“Who else could it be?” Gale asked. “It has to be someone tied to them.”
“That’s half the town or more,” Ford said. “Between employees, other business owners, political figures. We could be looking at this all wrong and focusing our energy on them.”
“That’s what I’m trying not to do,” Rory said. “We know they are part of the connection but nothing more. There are no clues as to who tampered with our brake lines other than someone’s foot tread is the same by my rented ranch and the pictures that Rene took.”
“Which means the person is still around. An average foot, a large stride, one that seems lighter on the right than the left,” Clay said.
“How did you find that out?”
“People I know,” Clay said. “So, this person puts more weight on their left foot or leg than right. Nothing noticeable except if you’re looking for it.”
“And we can’t go around asking everyone who knows the McGregors to walk on the sand for us,” she said.
“Not without a warrant and no judge is going to grant that.”
“Back to square one,” she said.
“No,” he said. “We aren’t. We are much closer than we’ve been before. He’s here. He’s in this town and he wants me gone. Gale was a warning for me to leave. They must know we are closing in.”
“And they’re watching,” Clay said. “You moving in with her might piss them off more. That is what I don’t like.”
“You’ll be watching on your phone,” she said. “As much as I hate it, but you will. You’ll know who is near my door at all times, who comes in and out.”
“But that doesn’t mean I can get there fast enough.”
“I can take care of Gale,” Rory said.
“I can take care of myself,” she said. “Don’t you all forget it.”
“No one is talking about Rory’s accident,” Ford said. “I’m not sure if there is a leak in my department, but I’m still working on it.”
“I know it’d kill you if it were there,” she said. “But you have to be open to it.”
“I’m open to everything. It’s you I’m worried about, Gale.”
“Please. I’m tougher than you all think I am. I’ve got this. More now because I’m going to get the fucker who messed with me and my man.”
“Your man?” Clay asked, lifting an eyebrow.
