Page 23 of Talon
“From news articles and the police report, Mrs.Morgan nee Fox, disappeared about six weeks before your dad passed away.You told me that it was a heart attack, but tell me more about what happened with him.Did he have a heart condition before that?”
She shook her head.“Not that we knew of.He was over at Billy’s helping him do something to his generator when Billy said he grabbed his chest and fell to the ground.He called 911 and started CPR, but the paramedics said it was too late.The doctors later said he’d had a massive heart attack.Of course that’s not the words they used.They used the long medical terms, but it means the same thing.The doctor told me he was gone before he hit the ground.He’d never had a chance to be saved.They didn’t say anything about a heart condition, even after he’d died.”
Talon frowned.“So this Morgan guy was the only one around when your dad died?”
She nodded.Then frowned and tilted her head.“That, with the harassing me since then, and that his wife disappeared just before, makes it even weirder.”
“If by weirder, you mean suspicious, then yes.It does.”Talon pulled out his phone and sent couple of messages, one to Gizmo and one to Jake.He hadn’t wanted to involve Gizmo, but after he’d talked to Jake, and enlisted his help with his investigation, Jake had insisted.He’d sworn that Gizmo would be able to find more than he would.Well, likely Gizmo and Krissi.Talon wasn’t sure about including the woman.She wasn’t a brother, even if she was married to one.Still.Jake said Gizmo would make that decision and they both swore she was as trustworthy as they came.He trusted his brothers so he’d given them the go ahead to include who they felt they should.Now, he was checking in to see if they’d found anything new.
“I’m just filling in my brothers who have been helping with my research in that Billy was the only one around when your dad died, and checking to see if they’ve found anything else,” he said, letting her know that he wasn’t ignoring her, but instead was checking on what others had.Message sent, he set the phone aside, picked up the foot he’d been working on and looked back at her.“Is there anything else you can think of?Did all of this,” he tilted the top of his head toward he table in front of the sofa where her laptop set, “trigger anything new?”
She stared at him with wide eyes for several seconds, then blinked.“Not that I can think of, at least not right now.”
Talon nodded once.“That’s okay.I figured you remembering more from hearing all this was maybe a fifty-fifty chance.I did find that he appears to be in South Dakota, and hasn’t left there for at least a week.At least from what my information is telling me.”
“Then how did he get the note on my truck?”She sat up a little straighter and frowned at him.
Talon lifted one shoulder and let it drop.“Several ways.He probably has someone he hires out for odd jobs, things he doesn’t have time to do or doesn’t want to be seen doing.If it were me that’s what I’d do.Not that I have any intentions of ever doing something like what he’s doing to you.”Talon lifted both hands in a surrender gesture for a moment then went back to working the tension from the bottom of her foot.
She watched him for a moment, as if suspicious, then nodded and relaxed a little.As if knowing that Billy hadn’t been around was a weight off her shoulders.
“But what now?If he’s not the one leaving the notes, then I have no clue who it is, or who to watch out for.”
“I’m not going to tell you not worry about it, even though that’s what I want to do.I want to tell you I’m here, I’ll do the worrying for both of us, but I respect you more than that.It’s your life and your safety, you need to be aware of what’s going on.Not only so that you know but so you can be aware, so if for some reason, I need to bring in some of my brothers to make sure you’re safe, I can do that.If it gets that far, you’ll know who they are,” he said, seeing that his mention of having his brothers come in had her wanting to argue.“But I’m hoping to get this wrapped up before we have to do that.Still, I’m not shutting down the idea, just in case.”
She nodded but didn’t say anything.Talon wondered if she was thinking about all this or if she was exhausted and wanted to move on to thinking about something more pleasant.He wouldn’t blame her if she did.It was a lot and sometimes you had to focus on something else.He thought now was probably one of those time and if it were him, focusing on something other than the big issue would let the back of his brain run through possibilities and maybe even find memories that he’d forgotten.
She was quiet for a few minutes, and he didn’t say anything for a while, trying to let everything he’d told her sink in for a moment.
“You ready to move on to something else?”he asked after a while.
She stared at him for a few seconds, apprehension clear on her face and tension returning to her shoulders.
“Sure.Hit me with it.”
Talon shrugged.“I didn’t have anything else planned.Certainly, no more bad news.I just thought you might want to talk about something else for a bit.Anything else.”
“Oh.”Her shoulders dropped as if she could relax now that he wasn’t dropping something else on her.“Other than looking up all the dirt on Billy, what did you do all day?”
“Not much.I stopped by the store on my way back from taking you to work.Then I spent most of the day either researching myself or on the phone with one or the other of the two brothers who are helping me find everything we can on him.Then I cooked dinner and went and picked you up.”He lifted one shoulder and let it fall.
It hadn’t been a strenuous day, but he’d been busy all day, so it had gone by quickly enough.He suspected tomorrow would too.
“Something to think about.I don’t need and answer now, but you’ll want to have one tomorrow,” he said, remembering the plan for her to work her two scheduled days, then for him to take her to the ranch for her days off.
“What?”She glanced over at him with a frown.
“Do you want to stay here after work tomorrow or head over to the ranch and spend the night there?”
“Oh.”Her brows shot up.Clearly, that wasn’t what she’d expected.“I hadn’t thought about that.When do you need to know?”
“Well, before I pick you up would be best.But ideally, before I drop you off would be better.That would give me your entire shift to make sure things are taken care of here and they’re ready for us at the ranch.”
“I don’t want to put anyone out.”
“You’re not putting anyone out.”Talon shook his head and wondered why that was always the first response when he wanted to do something for someone, anyone.“Taking you to the ranch will do a few things.It lets me pick up the equipment to make sure your truck’s not wired with some kind of bug.It lets you meet some of my brothers so that should something happen that I can’t make it for, if one of them comes in my place, you’ll know them.”
Madison frowned.“That sounds a lot like putting someone out.”
