Almost Forever by Kathy Clark Page B

could plant the olive trees. They were supposed to carry it away, but maybe they dumped it here.”
    “Do you think they were trying to hide the grave?” Justin didn’t really believe in coincidences, but he could understand how a lazy contractor would choose to take a shortcut to save dump fees.
    “I honestly don’t know. I can give you the man’s name that came out and did the work, and you can check him out.”
    He nodded. “Definitely.”
    “Where was the ring found?” Her voice was stronger as she struggled to regain control.
    “Right where they found most of his…”
    “Bones,” she stated matter-of-factly.
    “Remains,” Justin corrected, compelled to soften it somewhat. “By the way, do you remember what he was wearing the day he left?”
    Her forehead wrinkled as she tried to retrieve that long-ago memory. Finally, she shook her head. “No, I’m sorry. I was so upset, and I had to pack Mackenzie’s things. You probably don’t know what it takes to travel somewhere with a baby, but it’s ridiculous. I wasn’t really paying attention to what Mark had on.”
    “Are his clothes still in the house?”
    Her face relaxed into a rueful smile. “They all got donated to the Salvation Army about six months after he left.”
    Again Justin hesitated, but in the hope she would be able to help, he admitted, “He was naked when he was buried. His clothes were dumped next to him in the grave.”
    Lori’s mouth dropped open. “Naked? What could that mean?”
    Justin shrugged. “No idea…yet. How about shoes? What kind would he have been wearing?”
    “Shoes?” She shook her head. “Mark never wore shoes unless he was at the gym. He preferred cowboy boots, expensive ones, handmade for him by a guy at his favorite shop in San Antonio.”
    Justin made mental notes. “I’ll need his name too.”
    “No problem. It was Two-Step Boots. I think the guy he usually dealt with was named Tom or Tim or something like that.”
    “Do you remember which pair was missing?”
    “Now that you mention it, he had just picked up a new pair. They had clusters of grapes and a longhorn steer standing in bluebonnets on each one. Plus, he always had his name sewn inside the bootstraps. And I don’t remember seeing them among the ones I packed up and gave away.”
    “Expensive?”
    “They were alligator, twelve-inch tops, cognac upper calf. They were expensive. Around three thousand dollars, I think.”
    “Three thousand!” he exclaimed.
    “Handcrafted are always more.”
    “I wouldn’t wear them outside for that kind of money.”
    “They were really nice. The cobbler created a mold of Mark’s feet and custom-made the boot just for him.”
    “Must have taken a while.”
    “Three months. They fit perfectly the first time Mark put them on.”
    Justin considered that information. “Why would someone steal his boots?”
    “It’s Cinderella, Texas style,” she retorted, the anger returning to her voice. “Check under all the beds in town. I can guarantee that they’re not under mine.”

Chapter 6
    Justin didn’t speak all the way back to the house, mostly because of the noise of the ATVs but also because he was deep in thought. He knew the boots could be a clue…or their absence could mean nothing. They were made of leather, and the ME had already said the feet were either exposed or near the surface, where the boots would have likely been dragged away or chewed up. It seemed possible that they would have been buried with the body and the rest of the clothing.
    They parked the ATVs back in the stable and shut the doors. As they turned to walk in opposite directions, Lori stopped.
    “Would you like to stay for dinner?” She ducked her head shyly. “I have lasagna already made, and Kenzie skipped out on me.”
    There was almost nothing he’d rather do than stay, but was that wise? He seriously doubted it was. Physically, emotionally, personally…absolutely. But was it too soon for her? Or maybe it wasn’t