would he guess?
There was no use shying away from it.
“Esther mentioned she saw something shiny in the water, Reuben. When she was first cutting flowers, it’s what drew her eyes to the body.” Shane stepped forward, placed the key on the wooden table that stood between them. “Apparently the girl had thisclutched in her hand, or she might have been wearing it around her neck. Sometime between when Esther spied the body and when our crime techs arrived, the key sank to the bottom. It took us a while to dredge it up. Look familiar to you?”
“Don’t answer that, Reuben. You don’t have to answer any of his questions.” Tobias now moved forward to the end of the table, his shadow casting a straight line across the room as the evening’s last light fell through the window. “That key could have been in the pond for years.”
“Yeah, I suppose it could have. The string would have rotted though. I suspect Reuben knows that.”
Reuben joined them at the table, put his hand on Tobias as if he could keep him out of the middle of this, as if he could move him back out of the house where he wouldn’t have to hear what was coming. “Say what you intend to say, Mr. Black.”
“I want to know what this key was doing in the bottom of your pond? Why did the girl have it in her possession?”
Reuben didn’t answer.
He’d decided when they’d first shown up this morning that if his answer would require him to lie, he’d remain silent. A nod could be interpreted any number of ways, but an outright lie he would avoid. It was a fine line, but the best he could do under the circumstances.
“We’ve already tried the key, Reuben. We know it unlocks your grandfather’s house. Was she staying there?”
“You had no right!” Tobias practically exploded. “The pond, yes. But you had no right to go into my
grossdaddi
’s house.” His face turned red in the light of the setting sun, and Reuben had to look down, look away.
The pain on Tobias’ face was nearly more than he could stomach.
“We had every right. When Judge Stearns cleared a search warrant for the area surrounding the body, it included the entire murder site — “
“You don’t know it’s a murder. The girl could have fallen. She could have slipped. She could have even jumped in and drowned herself.” Tobias’ hands went up and out in frustration, finally settled on his head and yanked at hair that was already an unruly mess. He pulled with both hands, causing it to stand out like the horns of the old bull in the back pasture. It was a habit he’d had since they were boys.
Reuben wanted to reach over and calm him, but instead he waited.
As much as it hurt him, he waited.
Shane stood up straighter, pushed his hands into his pockets. “Drowned in water she could have stood up in? Not likely. Then there’s that nasty head injury. We’ve established an approximate time of death. As I said before, your alibi is good and the folks at the feed store have backed you up, but Reuben has yet to answer my questions.”
“I hear no questions — only accusations.”
“Did you drag her around the pond, Reuben?”
“Why would he drag anything? He can easily carry a hundred-pound sack of feed.”
Shane sighed and ran his hand up and around his neck. “Tell me what happened. Reuben, I’ve known you for years. You can trust me to do the right thing, but you have to tell me what happened here, and regardless, I have to collect the evidence.”
Reuben remained silent, and Tobias continued to rant.
“So you have the right to tramp all over our place?”
“Yes, I do, and he will have to start answering my questions.” Shane jerked a thumb toward Reuben. “I’ll search your grandfather’s place, your barns, this place — I see you’ve fixed it up quite nicely. Is there some reason you didn’t want to live in the house? Something you were hiding there?”
“That’s ridiculous.” Tobias shook his head and clutched the back of the chair in
There was no use shying away from it.
“Esther mentioned she saw something shiny in the water, Reuben. When she was first cutting flowers, it’s what drew her eyes to the body.” Shane stepped forward, placed the key on the wooden table that stood between them. “Apparently the girl had thisclutched in her hand, or she might have been wearing it around her neck. Sometime between when Esther spied the body and when our crime techs arrived, the key sank to the bottom. It took us a while to dredge it up. Look familiar to you?”
“Don’t answer that, Reuben. You don’t have to answer any of his questions.” Tobias now moved forward to the end of the table, his shadow casting a straight line across the room as the evening’s last light fell through the window. “That key could have been in the pond for years.”
“Yeah, I suppose it could have. The string would have rotted though. I suspect Reuben knows that.”
Reuben joined them at the table, put his hand on Tobias as if he could keep him out of the middle of this, as if he could move him back out of the house where he wouldn’t have to hear what was coming. “Say what you intend to say, Mr. Black.”
“I want to know what this key was doing in the bottom of your pond? Why did the girl have it in her possession?”
Reuben didn’t answer.
He’d decided when they’d first shown up this morning that if his answer would require him to lie, he’d remain silent. A nod could be interpreted any number of ways, but an outright lie he would avoid. It was a fine line, but the best he could do under the circumstances.
“We’ve already tried the key, Reuben. We know it unlocks your grandfather’s house. Was she staying there?”
“You had no right!” Tobias practically exploded. “The pond, yes. But you had no right to go into my
grossdaddi
’s house.” His face turned red in the light of the setting sun, and Reuben had to look down, look away.
The pain on Tobias’ face was nearly more than he could stomach.
“We had every right. When Judge Stearns cleared a search warrant for the area surrounding the body, it included the entire murder site — “
“You don’t know it’s a murder. The girl could have fallen. She could have slipped. She could have even jumped in and drowned herself.” Tobias’ hands went up and out in frustration, finally settled on his head and yanked at hair that was already an unruly mess. He pulled with both hands, causing it to stand out like the horns of the old bull in the back pasture. It was a habit he’d had since they were boys.
Reuben wanted to reach over and calm him, but instead he waited.
As much as it hurt him, he waited.
Shane stood up straighter, pushed his hands into his pockets. “Drowned in water she could have stood up in? Not likely. Then there’s that nasty head injury. We’ve established an approximate time of death. As I said before, your alibi is good and the folks at the feed store have backed you up, but Reuben has yet to answer my questions.”
“I hear no questions — only accusations.”
“Did you drag her around the pond, Reuben?”
“Why would he drag anything? He can easily carry a hundred-pound sack of feed.”
Shane sighed and ran his hand up and around his neck. “Tell me what happened. Reuben, I’ve known you for years. You can trust me to do the right thing, but you have to tell me what happened here, and regardless, I have to collect the evidence.”
Reuben remained silent, and Tobias continued to rant.
“So you have the right to tramp all over our place?”
“Yes, I do, and he will have to start answering my questions.” Shane jerked a thumb toward Reuben. “I’ll search your grandfather’s place, your barns, this place — I see you’ve fixed it up quite nicely. Is there some reason you didn’t want to live in the house? Something you were hiding there?”
“That’s ridiculous.” Tobias shook his head and clutched the back of the chair in
Similar Books
