“It’s all in the court records. A police detective talked to us.”
“But did you tell him everything?”
Dalton didn’t say anything for a minute, remembering the day of that interview. The man had been nice, but tenacious. However, no question the detective asked, no matter how he’d asked it, was going to make him break the oath he and his brothers had made the day before. “I told him what I thought he needed to know.”
“In other words, you didn’t tell him everything. I know for certain you didn’t mention seeing your mom with another man.”
No, he hadn’t. “Hell, if I hadn’t told my own father, I definitely wasn’t going to tell a cop whose job it was to find my dad guilty.”
“I’ve been a detective, Dalton, and that’s not the way things go.”
“That depends on what police force you’re working for. And why is Hannah’s picture up there? And Patrick’s and Clyde’s?”
Patrick Crestwood had been with Sutton Hills as ranch foreman for over forty years and had mentioned to Jace that he planned to retire next year. His son Clyde had already been groomed to take his place.
“All active employees of Sutton Hills at the time of your mother’s death could have important information,” Jules said evenly. “There’s no telling what they might know. Who knows? There might be even more secrets to discover.”
Her words made Dalton remember what had transpired earlier with Eve. He slid into the chair in front of Jules’s desk. “Have you talked to Shana since leaving the meeting today?”
“No. Why?”
“You missed the action with Evil Eve.”
“So she did come to town.”
“Boy, did she ever.”
Dalton then told Jules about their meeting with Eve and her extortion scheme. When he finished, Jules shook her head. “That’s unbelievable. Did she actually think she could get a million off you guys that easily?”
“I guess so, especially by throwing Hannah in the mix. She knows how we feel about her. Hannah helped my brothers and me retain our sanity through the craziness of my father’s trial. She means the world to us, and if you mess with Hannah, then you mess with all three of us.”
Jules nodded. “And to think Hannah and your grandfather were involved.”
Deciding he didn’t want to get into that discussion, Dalton cut her off. “Whatever. So what do you have planned for tonight?”
“Going home and watching a video or two.”
“What movies?”
“No movies. The video of Shana’s dinner party and the grand opening of Shiloh’s wine boutique.”
“Think you might notice something you haven’t seen before?”
“I might. It’s worth a shot.”
He didn’t say anything for a minute. “Mind if I join you?”
Jules clearly understood that watching a video with her wasn’t all he had in mind. Rather than call him out on it, she countered, “You might find the videos boring.”
He held her gaze, and she wondered what it was about him that made her ache inside whenever he looked at her that way. “I’ll take my chances, Jules.”
At that moment her cell phone rang, and she cringed when she saw it was her father calling.
“What’s wrong?” Dalton asked when he saw her reaction to the call.
“It’s Dad. I haven’t told him about my involvement in the investigation, and I should. I’d rather he heard it from me than someone else.” She quickly picked up the phone. “Hi, Dad. Yes, I’m fine. Dinner?” she asked after a few beats. “Tonight?”
She paused a minute. “Well, I had planned to stay in and watch a couple of videos,” she said, knowing he would think the same thing Dalton had.
“Pork chops? On the grill?” Jules’s mouth began tingling, and she subconsciously licked her lips. She glanced over at Dalton and saw how his gaze followed the movement of her tongue.