Forged (Gail McCarthy Mystery) by Laura Crum Read Free Book Online Page A

Carlos Castillo."
    "Dom and Sophy are his two kids with Lee," I said slowly. "I don't know who Carlos is."
    "As for people who've been involved with him," I could hear Jeri grimace over the wires, "the sky's the limit."
    "Ain't that the truth. Detective Johnson was trying to pry the current gossip out of me, but I stonewalled him. For God's sake, where was I going to begin? Or end?"
    "I'd be careful stonewalling Matt," Jeri warned. "He's very tenacious; he can make your life miserable."
    "How much more grilling can I expect?" I asked.
    "Who knows? As much as he wants to do. If I were working this case, I'd be very interested in the timeline. Where exactly everybody was at what time. It's got to be a pretty narrow window. Dominic arrives at your place and someone drives in and shoots him and leaves before you arrive? See what I mean?"
    "I do," I said.
    "So I imagine old Matt's liable to grill you a little more."
    "I'm picturing myself as a well-done steak. Thanks, Jeri."
    "You're welcome. But if I were you, I wouldn't mention my name or let on that you know anything about the investigation. It'll just piss him off."
    "I get you," I said. "Thanks again,"
    Setting the phone down in its cradle, I frowned at the blinking light on the answering machine. If Jeri was right, which she surely was, I was liable to spend a good deal more time closeted with Detective Johnson. Not an appealing prospect. Maybe I could stave it off a bit.
    Erasing all the messages, I went back down to the barn.
    Blue had just finished feeding the horses and was pouring some crumble into the barn cats' bowl. I could see the moleskin-colored Mama Cat lurking up in the brush; the tip of black Jiji's nose was just visible behind the haystack. Baxter sat in plain sight in the driveway and mewed plaintively; he was definitely the friendliest one of the family. Familiarity made me glance up into a nearby oak tree for Woodrow. Sure enough, there he was, perched on a branch. My tree-dwelling cat.
    Blue followed my eyes and smiled. "It's like one of those complicated pictures where you're supposed to pick out so many of one kind of object. Find four cats in this barnyard."
    "That's it," I agreed.
    We both stepped back away from the bowl so that the cats would feel comfortable and watched them come in to eat. First Baxter, then Mama and Jiji, and last, like a puff of drifting smoke, little Woodrow.
    I stared at the crime scene tape in its role as absurd backdrop to this bucolic scene. Then I looked at Blue. "You once said that Dominic might have lied to protect his killer. Is that what you think?"
    "I'm not sure." Blue watched me closely. "It seems possible."
    "Why would he do that?"
    "Perhaps it was someone he cared about."
    "But the person had just finished shooting him in the guts."
    Blue's long, slender fingers selected a hay stalk and began to twist it. Without looking up, he said, "Perhaps he felt that he deserved being shot."
    "Well," I said. "That's a thought. In some ways, I think he did deserve to be shot. But I can hardly imagine that Dominic would buy into that idea."
    "Men can have odd ideas of what's noble or heroic."
    I considered this. "Dominic was being chivalrous? In some ways, that does sound like him. Or an idea that would appeal to him, anyway. By the way," I added, "Jeri Ward says Dominic had money, which I wouldn't have guessed, and a collection of pistols, which I might have."
    I filled Blue in on my conversation with Jeri and finished up with, "And the only sure thing about it all is, I'm bound to be grilled numerous more times by that god-awful Matt Johnson."
    "Poor you." Blue put his arm around my shoulders and began to walk me back up to the house. "How about I make you a drink and cook you some dinner?"
    "Sounds great, but you did all the work last night."
    "Doesn't mean I can't do it again. Remember, I'm trying to convince you to marry me. Once the knot's tied, all bets are off."
    I laughed and gave him a quick hug. "That doesn't sound like