Page 67 of For Always
“But why would your father have been stealing from himself?”
“He wasn’t,” Tyler said. “His ranch manager was.”
“Oh. Okay. So what does that mean?”
Tyler sighed heavily.
“I’d rather tell everyone at one time. I think this might be a major clue and like Jagger said earlier, we’re all involved now.”
Gabriella squinted in the sunlight as she looked up at him. “You think you know who the killer is don’t you?”
Tyler sighed again. Then he nodded slowly. “Yeah. I think I know who it is.”
Chapter 16
The newly designed back patio area was gorgeous. Immediately after dinner they’d gone out to have a look at it.
“This is a real transformation,” Dessie told Naomi and Gabriella.
Tyler had invited the ranch manager and his wife for dinner, because what he wanted to discuss afterwards involved Stephen too.
“It was so exciting to work on,” Naomi chimed in with a huge grin.
Stephen had stood proudly beside his wife as she talked about what she and Gabriella had accomplished.
“So we kept the original grill, adding a new covering of Quartzite to bring the design into the contemporary western feel going throughout the house,” she continued.
“That’s that glossy rock stuff,” Jagger had joked.
“Yes, it is,” Gabriella replied with an elbow to Jagger’s ribs.
His brother had undergone a transformation as well, Tyler noted. One that he was liking more and more each day.
“We used the Quartzite for the grill and the fire pit over there,” Gabriella said pointing to the other side of the patio where a circular fire pit was positioned. “And for the flooring we went with Travertine tiles, with a redwood natural stain on the newly built upper deck area. This same color wraps around to the side of the house for the back deck that’s accessible via the kitchen. And picks up on the new front porch for an even and consistent look to the outside of the house.”
“It’s gorgeous,” Monica said. “I’d love something like this in our backyard whenever we get around to buying a house.”
Alex agreed by wrapping an arm around Monica’s shoulders and surveying the work they discussed. “I agree. I especially like this covered area with the same rock materials on the beams and the outdoor lighting. This is like its own separate space, but it’s all still tied together.”
He was referring to where they all stood on the deck beneath the new structure that was part of Gabriella’s design. The beams on the ceiling of the enclosure met in the center with an ornate chandelier that matched the new one in the front foyer of the house. The patio furniture was a dark brown wicker that actually looked like it could pass for a wood finish, with deep burnt orange cushions and matching end tables. Gabriella said this was a way of bringing the inside, outside with a modern flare. Tyler agreed, it was a great space.
He just didn’t feel safe with all of them standing out there for too long. So, after a few more comments on the space, he announced coffee and nightcaps and waited until everyone had moved back inside before stepping into the house and closing and locking the new patio doors. He pushed the button to close the automated blinds and waited until the natural colored shield was completely fitted over the door and there was no way anyone could see from the outside into the house.
Dessie and Naomi insisted on everyone moving into the living room while they went to the kitchen to get trays of coffee, tea and whiskey.
Once they were situated in the living room, cups filled with the beverage of their choice in hand, Tyler cleared his throat.
“I wanted to bring us all together tonight to discuss some things that I’ve learned in the past few days,” he said. “For now, this is confidential information. I’m sharing it because it involves all of us on one level or another.”
Naomi moved closer to Stephen who sat on one of the two matching bannister leather sofas—Gabriella had told him the name when he’d complimented the new stately-looking furniture. She’d changed the paint in this room to a cream color which did wonders to brighten up the space. A coffee table that looked like a short dark wood dresser separated the matching couches while loveseats in the same design filled the two opposite ends.
Monica and Alex sat on the couch across from Naomi and Stephen. Clyde and Dessie were on one loveseat and Gabriella had joined Tyler on the other. Jagger favored the dark brown recliner that was situated closer to the window and was the closest seat to the bar. When this was all over, Tyler was going to have a talk with his brother about the drinking part of his transformation.
“What’s going on around here, Tyler?” Stephen asked. “The whole town is talking about Hannah’s murder. The sheriff stopped by my house earlier today. I was still here working, but he talked to Naomi for almost an hour. And he left a message that he wanted to see me as soon as possible.”
Tyler frowned. “Do you remember back to when you were a ranch hand here, Stephen?”
“Yeah,” Stephen replied. “It wasn’t that long ago. Two years and eight months to be exact. We were all shocked that old Jessie decided to retire. It was well known around the ranch that Jessie fully intended to croak here at Westwind, meaning we’d have to cart his dead body off the property.” Stephen shook his head. “That seemed a whole lot funnier before all this started happening.”
