Page 92 of Mother-Daughter Murder Night

Lana jolted awake at the sound. For a moment her eyes flashed wide, hands grasping the couch cushions. She looked fragile and afraid. Then her eyes focused on her daughter, and her body relaxed.

“Beth.” Lana shook away a yawn. “You went to see Martin? Did you give him the envelope?”

“Yeah.” Beth decided it wouldn’t hurt to tell her mother what she’d seen. “It was a set of plans for some kind of compound, like—”

“Like this?” Lana swung the laptop onto her lap.

“How in the world did you . . . ?” Beth shook her head. “Yes, Ma. Exactly like that. But he didn’t seem to think they were a big deal.”

“He already knew about the project?” Lana sounded surprised.

“I don’t think so.” Beth rewound the evening in her head, trying to recall exactly what Martin had said about the plans. All she could remember was his distracted stare out the window, searching the shadows for the parents he’d lost.

“Lady Di acted shocked when I told her about it,” Lana said. “I think Hal was keeping the project from both of them.”

“I always thought of Mr. Rhoads as a straight arrow,” Beth said. “But it sounds like he didn’t tell his kids what he was planning, or even how sick he was. Maybe he was hiding other things as well.”

“Or he was trying to find the right way to tell them,” Lana said. “Maybe he was scared of how it might change their relationship.”

Beth looked quizzically at her mother. She wondered if Lana was still talking about the Rhoadses.

“Diana and Martin could be lying,” Jack said. “If they killed Ricardo to stop the project, they’d have to know about it.”

“I don’t think the two of them are close,” Beth said. “Martin was talking about Di like he resented her, or pitied her maybe.”

“Pitied?” Lana asked.

“I guess her husband cheats on her,” Beth said.

“Hm. I’m not surprised. Most men find strong women exhausting—especially when they’re married to them.”

Again Beth wondered who Lana was talking about. She yawned. “Is there a reason this chat couldn’t wait until the morning?”

Lana and Jack looked at each other.

“I think that Verdadera Libertad project is the key to all of this,” Lana said. “When Hal and Ricardo died, that project died too. Which would benefit Martin, if he wants to sell the ranch.”

“But Martin was in San Francisco when Ricardo was killed. And Diana wants the ranch too, right?”

“With a passion. It might’ve been her, Beth. I think she’s hiding something about Ricardo. But Martin could have been involved in some other way. And you were alone with him.”

Beth waved both of them off the couch so she could unlatch the sofa bed. “You don’t have to worry about me. I can take care of myself.”

“The Rubicon family motto,” Lana said. She stepped back and helped pull out the mattress. “We didn’t want to meddle, Beth. We just want you to know . . . we care.”

Jack got her blanket and fell into the pull-out. Once Jack had nestled in, Beth joined Lana at the door to the back bedroom.

“Do you think it’s possible Martin was pretending he hadn’t seen those plans before tonight?” Lana whispered.

“Ma, I’m not a mind reader. And the man’s a mess. He practically drank his weight in whiskey tonight. He’s under pressure at work, and from his sister. Not to mention his grief.” Beth looked at her daughter, already conked out on the sofa bed. “It must be hard, to lose a parent.”

Lana raised an eyebrow. “Even one who takes over your house and drives you crazy?”

“You’re getting stronger every day, Ma. You’ll be back running rings around those Beverly Hills bimbos before you know it.”

“But what if I . . .” Lana shifted her weight, reaching out to steady herself against the doorframe.

“Yeah?”