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Grime Family (Grime Fighter Mystery Series) (Volume 4)

By Marji Laine

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Matthew Donaldson’s name on her phone ID meant trouble. No, more like impending doom.

Dani Foster put the phone to her ear, trying to assume a light tone. After all, her boyfriend, Jay, shared the front seat of his new Tahoe with her. “I didn’t expect to hear from you, especially not this weekend.” She pressed her volume button down, hoping Jay hadn’t heard even a hint of the other man’s voice.

“You have to come in.” Matt’s typical monotone was brusque, all-business.

“Yes, I’m enjoying the break. Nice to get away from work for a few days.” Matt had given permission. Surely he remembered where she had gone.

“Never mind that. There’s been a slight change.” His tenor voice wiggled a bit.

This wasn’t good, but with Jay maneuvering the driveway of his parents’ property in East Texas, there wasn’t a lot she could do about changes. And hardly anything she could utter out loud. “That’s right, I’ll be here until Tuesday, so I really can’t visit with you until then.”

Jay pulled to a stop and glanced at her. “Everything all right?”

She nodded. “Insurance salesman.” She muffled her whisper with her hand over the phone’s speaker. Lying had become way too easy, but it still pinged her with regret.

Matthew blew his exhale through the speaker. “Fine. Have it your own way. But you need to know that our mutual friend is no longer at his current residence.”

Ice slipped all the way up her spine and spread across her shoulders. God, please don’t let this start again. “Well, okay. Um… I guess I’ll have to get back to you on that. Maybe as I’m coming back into town.”

“Make sure you let me know before you get here. Better yet, you stay in… Mayberry… until you hear from me.”

She couldn’t stay here. Couldn’t put Jay’s family in danger. And what if they learned about…? “That’s going to be tight.”

“Not playing with you. Do as I say.” Matthew hung up the phone.

She let the phone droop from her ear and stared at a nameplate on the black dashboard of Jay’s new car. “Sure will… I’ll call you as soon as I’m back in town…. Yes, sir. And thank you.” She slipped her phone into her over-sized bag and glanced at Jay. “Sorry about that.” Sorry on so many levels.

“It’s all right.” He pointed to the end of the drive. A sprawling brick home complete with wraparound porch, gables, and a cobblestone walkway. “The folks sold my grandfather’s farm and bought the place a few years ago.”

“This is beautiful.” She caught her breath at the iconic flower beds as she climbed out on her side. Pine trees grew along the fence line about fifty yards away. A manicured lawn sloped downward to a boathouse. “Private lake, even?”

He nodded. “Dad calls it a ranch because he has a few cows, but I think of it as more of a retreat.”

“Do the cows make it a ranch?” She joined him at the back of the SUV and pulled her lightweight suitcase from the hold.

He chuckled. “Grandpa had at least a dozen, but it was still a farm. I think Dad just likes the sound of it.”

A man with Jay’s Native American coloring approached the porch rail and waved.

Jay returned the gesture. “That’s my dad.” He put his hand to her back.
“You don’t look much like him. Well, except the obvious.”

“I look exactly like my grandpa, my mom’s father, except for my Comanche coloring.” He escorted her up the steps where a woman about her height with curly, salt-and-pepper hair came out the front door. She had Jay’s eyes—a much lighter version—but they were easy to recognize. “There’s my boy.” She reached to kiss his cheek.

Dani’s heart warmed. This was what having a mom was about.

“Caroline Hunter.” She turned to Dani and took both of her hands and gave them a squeeze. “And you must be Danielle.”

“Dan…” Dani halted the correction. “It’s so nice to meet you, Mrs. Hunter.”

“And this is my dad, John Hunter.” Jay gave the man a half hug.

“I’m glad you were able to visit us.” He offered a tight smile and shook her hand before ushering her toward the front door.

“Thank you so much for extending the invitation for your Fourth of July party. I’ve never actually been to a place like this.” She and her dad had lived in a condo, before his death, on the edge of a large downtown area.
And now she shared an apartment in the suburbs. Rural homes like this made her think of pioneer stories.

Mrs. Hunter led her into the entry hall. “A ranch, or East Texas in general?”

“Both.” She admired the chandelier hanging from the vaulted ceiling. Jay had never mentioned his parents being wealthy, but homes like this, at least where she’d been raised, were only available to celebs and the ultra-rich. “I had a pony ride at a friend’s birthday party one time, but I’ve never been anywhere that would remotely be called country.”

“Hopefully this won’t seem strange for long, though you’ll find it uncomfortably quiet if you’re a true city girl.” She took Dani’s elbow. “How ’bout the nickel tour?”

She walked Dani through the lower floor, identifying Jay in family photos in the great room and showing her grandmother’s china in the dining room. She merely pointed in the direction of the master suite, then led her through a formal living room to the large kitchen. “I could practically live in this room.” Mrs. Hunter clearly loved cooking. She breezed around the large room as she shared details of her stove and the built-in appliances.

Dani attempted the correct responses, but cooking meant little to her. She did like the view, though. Broad windows showed an outdoor kitchen of stainless steel and stone in a covered patio.

The beauty of the house didn’t seem to have an end. Three suites upstairs along with a media room gave way to a finished attic with a large office. Dani followed her to the lower floor. “What an amazing home. Did you have it custom built?” And how did a country sheriff make enough for a mansion of this caliber?

“Oh, my, no.” Mrs. Hunter led her back into the kitchen where she set up a tray with lemonade and ice-filled glasses. “The couple who built it had made a fortune in real estate. They wanted to raise race horses, but the man was murdered not long after they moved here.”

“That’s so sad.”

“What’s worse is that all of the evidence pointed toward his wife.”

That would be the most obvious option. “Had she killed him?”

“No. Even though the evidence leaned that way, John gave her the benefit of the doubt and kept looking for other options.” She added a plateful of cookies and picked up the tray. “Let’s go out onto the front porch. Good breeze out there this time of day.”

Downright windy in Dani’s opinion, but she followed. Her thoughts went back to Mrs. Hunter’s story. “So your husband found the real killer.”

Mrs. Hunter nodded. “Was the man who had been his business partner, trying to obtain a loan from him. He lost his temper when the answer was no.”

“Wow.” How had he figured all of that out?

“The wife was so grateful, she offered her home to us for less than half of what it’s worth. Probably closer to a third of its value. She only wanted to return to her friends and family in California.”

“I bet. Get as far away from the tragedy as possible.” Certainly what Dani would do. What she had done, in fact. She took a seat on a cushioned divan as her man strolled with his dad across the yard.

Her phone conversation with Matthew came back into mind. If what he’d said was true, her whole life might be in for another permanent change. One that wouldn’t include Jay Hunter.

* * * *

Jay glanced to where his mom and Dani had settled on the porch. Perfect. Mom was her charming self as always. God, please work through this visit.

Dani still had trust issues. Still had secrets, too, as far as he could tell. He’d tried backing off and letting her get to know him, but she resisted fully confiding in him. Hopefully a dose of hometown comfort and the embrace from his parents would convince her to release her doubts.

No matter what pain she’d had in the past, he would never hurt her and would do his best to protect her. Though he hadn’t always succeeded in that.
He scanned her beautiful face. It had only been a week, but the swelling and bruises were all-but erased from her cheeks. Her rich, brown hair curled slightly over her forehead and hung long in waves on the sides of her face. While he liked the cute ponytail she usually wore, especially on the job, he preferred this enticing look. He jogged up the steps to join them.

“Your mom told me how they came to own their ranch.” She smiled, yet he could sense her nerves.

“That was an amazing blessing.” Jay stroked his fingers through her hair hanging down her back.

“An intriguing mystery as well.” Dad leaned against the rail behind his wife.

“Dad has a ton of stories. I still don’t know why you stepped down from the sheriff’s office.”

“I would love to hear more of your stories, Mr. Hunter.”

“Dani has a deep curious streak.” He rubbed her back again and chuckled. “If you have any unsolved mysteries, she’ll probably be able to help you out.”

Dad shifted in his seat. Something like an invisible wall went up along with his stiffened shoulders. That was odd.

“I don’t have anything needing her skills. I’m only a rancher, now.” He pulled his phone from his pocket and wandered toward the edge of the porch with the cell to his ear.

Jay cleared his throat, feeling heat on his neck. What was with Dad? Even Mom had reddened. After an awkward pause, he turned toward her. She’d engage easier anyway. “Tell me the news, Mom.” He moved to sit on the wicker couch between her and Dani and picked up a glass of lemonade. “You know you want to share all the gossip.”

She gave a nervous laugh. “Oh, you know Marseilles. Always some scandal going on.” Her eyes flitted to the left as she lifted her lemonade. “And I don’t want Dani to believe I’m a gossip. You should take her to the town and introduce her to your friends. She’ll hear plenty there.”

In time, but he’d rather Dani get comfortable right here. “Maybe tonight.”

“That reminds me. I’m short a few bags of chips.” She set down her glass and looked up at him. “Will y’all run an errand for me?”

He glanced from her to Dani and back. “I don’t mind making a run, but I’d kinda like you and Dani to get to know each other.

“You’re right of course.” She stood and turned, wiping the rail with her napkin. “You only just arrived, and here I am shooing you off. You haven’t even seen the property yet.”

“I can’t wait to see it all.” Dani patted his hand and flashed him a smile. “We’ll be fine.”

Good. About time two of his favorite girls had the chance to get to know one another. “Then it’s settled. I’ll get a few bags. Text me if there’s anything else.” He pulled out his keys and made for his SUV.

This weekend was going to be perfect.

* * * *

Dani waved as Jay left and took another bite of one of Mrs. Hunter’s shortbread cookies. Delicious.

“Would you like another dear?”

“No, thank you, but they are wonderful.” Buttery and crisp. She could make a meal out of them, but then she’d have trouble fitting into Jay’s truck.

“My grandmother’s recipe. She never came for a visit without some type of special treat.” Mrs. Hunter tapped her fingers against the wicker arm of her chair. “I can’t imagine who John is speaking to.”

“Jay said he’s been sheriff for 23 years straight. Sounds like some type of record.” She must be very proud of her husband.

Her warm smile faltered a tad. “It wasn’t easy for him to give it up, but necessary.”

Dani’s alarms went off. He wasn’t ill or something, was he? “Why so?” Shoot. That wasn’t any of her business. And she had determined to control her thoughtless questions and comments during this trip.

Mrs. Hunter shifted in her seat, scanning the yard from one side to the other. “The time was right, that’s all.” Her eyes shifted to the right.
Dani internally kicked herself. New topic. “How far along is your daughter? Is it Tori?”

Mrs. Hunter brightened. “She’s officially due in two weeks, but from the looks of her, I can’t imagine that she will last that long.”

“How exciting.” Dani wiped the crumbs from the table and sprinkled them on her plate. She took another sip from her glass.

“Are you interested in having children?” His mother poured herself another glass of lemonade from the chilled pitcher. “Jay’s always wanted a big family.”

Whoa. Gasping, she kept the lemonade from spewing out her nose but had to cover her mouth to force a swallow before erupting into a fit of coughing.
“Yes.” The word was more whisper than voice, but it proved she had airflow.

“I’m so sorry. Are you all right?”

“Yes.” She swallowed hard.

“You must come to the baby shower.” His mom didn’t exactly shift gears but came close. “We’ve had to put it off for a few weekends, details of life you know, but we’re having it on the back patio, rain or shine, next Saturday.
You’ll come?”

Lemonade burned going down the wrong way. She cleared her throat once more. “I’m afraid I’m scheduled to work next weekend. I’m so sorry.”

“No matter. Though I would have loved you getting to meet all of Jay’s old friends. He’s terribly missed out here.”

“That doesn’t surprise me one bit. I know you must be very proud of him. Following his father’s footsteps, so to speak.”

“Oh, we are.”

“You have a lovely home.” Dani focused on the wind-chimes dangling from a hook over the porch rail. With all of the metal tubes thoroughly tangled in the strings, the chimes swayed in the breeze as a single unit. A shame.

Mrs. Hunter patted her arm and stood. “Are you up for a walk?”

“I’d like that.”

Mrs. Hunter glanced down. “Maybe you have a little country in you after all. You know what shoes to wear.” She chuckled. “Let me get my garden boots, and I’ll be right back.”

Dani touched a single chime, dangling from the knot of all the others. In the breeze of the day, they should be dancing with song. Oh, well.

She wandered to the end of the porch toward the back of the house. Three steps down took her to a stone pathway that led to that covered, outdoor kitchen that would be the venue for the baby shower. Their home was amazing. And fields spread out as far as she could see on all sides.

No, wait, there was a vehicle off in the distance. Must be a road blocked from view by the vegetation.

She followed the path to the entertainment area where a wide fireplace formed one corner, and an outdoor kitchen made up an opposite wall. Perfect for parties, the patio contained wrought iron chairs and couches with thick cushions. A fan spun slowly overhead, and even a flat-screened TV hung above the fireplace, thoroughly protected from the elements.

Dani wandered to the far edge where a small fountain that looked like a series of cowboy boots and hats trickled into a broad pond with flicking colors of sunfish swimming around in it. Little treasures hid around every corner.

“You’re out of your mind if you think I’m going to stand for this.” A man’s voice, almost a growl, erupted from somewhere beyond the west wing of the house. A big garage with three open doors took up the end of the broad driveway.

Someone replied, a low timbre, but no words came through.

“You’ve got your money. Be on your way before I do something you’ll regret.” Sounded like Mr. Hunter.

She continued the length of the building and stopped at the corner. An old, faded-black SUV sat in front of one of the raised doors on the separate garage. After another wordless rumble, a stocky man in a red baseball cap marched from the open space and climbed into the vehicle.

Mr. Hunter followed and stopped at the doorway. “You heard my answer. You can….” He glanced in her direction. His glare darkened. Wheeling around, he re-entered the building.

Well, she was a delightful house guest. What was she thinking, sneaking around corners? If Mr. Hunter hadn’t already disliked her, he sure would now that he’d caught her eavesdropping. Why couldn’t she control her curiosity once?

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