Page 6 of Killer on the Homestead
“And it’s not possible that it’s an honest mistake?”
Duncan’s mouth firmed. The slight flicker of anger and the ticking muscle in his jaw were far more attractive than they had a right to be.
Yeah, she had issues. She knew it.
“No,” he said firmly.
“Look, this isn’t the type of case I usually take on. I’ll do it for your mom. But I like my clients to know they might not like the answers they want me to find. That sometimes, the most obvious answer we don’t wantisthe answer.”
“My dad isn’t rustling his own cows, and he’s not careless.”
Rosalie shrugged. “It’ll be my job to determine that myself. You need to be prepared for it to be either of those things.”
“My father’s the most honest man I know.”
It left a pang in her heart. She would have said the same about her dad. But hero worship was a hell of a thing. It blinded a person to…everything. She pushed aside all that buried past.
“Look, I’m not saying I won’t take the case.”
He scowled. “For a price.”
She didn’t mind the hint of bitterness in his tone. She was too sure of herself and what she did to be hurt by someone else’s opinion of it. “It’s my job, Ace. And last I checked, you could afford it.”
“Yeah, when was the last time you checked?”
There were a lot of ways she could take that question. A lot of ways she could answer it. But in typical Rosalie fashion, she took the one that hurt. Besides, hehadcalled herRosie, and no doubt remembered that she hated that nickname. “Y’all had a heck of a postseason run.”
His expression became guarded. She’d somehow known it would. “Something like that.”
“You pitched a hell of a game one. Four wasn’t bad either.”
Now he scowled. “I know it.”
She didn’t mind putting that scowl there any more than she minded the pride, and maybe ego, that went into theI know it. First, because she was a little perverse and found a pissed-off man hotter than she should. Second, because she needed him to understand she wasn’t doing a favor, and this might not go the way he wanted.Shecertainly wouldn’t be putty in his hands like he was no doubt used to.
“I’ll dig around a little, see if there’s anything fishy going on. You only have to pay me for my time. I won’t hose you, even if you can afford it.”
He huffed out a bit of a laugh. “I guess we’ll see.”
Rosalie currently hadtwo cases going. One was simple enough. A woman had hired her to prove her husband’s philandering ways. The other one was a little bit more complicated, as it involved a verycarefulstalker who knew his victim had gone to the cops. It was a pretty full plate, and she shouldn’t take on Duncan’s case, but…
Mrs. Kirk had been more than kind to Rosalie and her family. Especially after Dad died. Natalie Kirk had even tried to convince Mom to stay. Rosalie knew the Kirks helped Audra a lot on the ranch side of things and never made it seem like a big deal or an inconvenience.
Maybe the current facts pointed to Mr. Kirk, in Rosalie’s estimation, but she supposed if she found that out, the Kirks could deal with it. They’d have to.
She knew all about uncomfortable truths.
On her way home, she decided to stop by Bent and kill a few birds with one stone. She parked her truck in the Bent County Sheriff’s Department lot, locked her gun away, then went inside.
Thomas Hart was manning the information desk. He looked up as she walked in. Normally a detective, he’d been shot in theline of duty last month, so he was chained to his desk for a while yet.
“Hey, Hart.”
“Hey, Rosalie.”
“How’s the arm?” she asked, leaning against the counter of the desk.
He scowled. “Horrible.”
