his exercises. I make
sure he does them and does them right. I confer with a physical therapist, mind
you, so—"
"Is this relevant?" He didn't need to know a damn thing
about Branch Callahan's daily life.
She let out a huff. "I brought him some mushrooms. I thought
your father's cooks might have a use for them, but the Garza sisters didn't
like the looks of them, so they threw them away. I was in Branch's kitchen when
a friend of mine, a nurse, called me from the hospital, and said Gus had been
admitted and was asking for me."
Maddie repeated Gus's cautions to her and explained how he'd
become so worked up, his blood pressure skyrocketed and the nurses chased her
away. "I went to his house to pick up his robe and toiletries, and that's
when I found it ransacked. I was trying to decide what to do about it when my
cell rang again and my friend told me Gus had died."
"Of a heart attack," Luke clarified.
She nodded. "The doctors were shocked, but when I asked my
friend if they were sure it was natural causes, she assured me it had to have
been. But he'd had visitors, Luke. What would have stopped someone from giving
him something to cause a heart attack?"
"That's a stretch."
"Maybe, but I don't think I want to risk my life on it."
Luke grimaced and raked his fingers through his hair. "So,
how did you end up at Caddo Bayou Marina?"
"I left Brazos Bend on the run just to get out of town. I'd
been on the road for hours, pretty much driving aimlessly, when Branch called
and suggested I come to Terry for help."
What a mess. Luke smothered a sigh. "Where are the mushrooms
now?"
"In my trunk. Well, not the trunk. I don't have a trunk. I
drive a minivan because of my work. I think you saw it in the parking lot.
They're in the back of my van." After a moment's pause, she frowned and
added, "You know, they're liable to cook in this heat. I probably should
have cracked a window."
He stared up at the ceiling. "So, let me see if I have this
straight. Yesterday morning you loaded your minivan with mushrooms from Gus
Grevas's lake house, then you went about your workday until Gus summoned you to
his hospital room where he warned you about the cops."
"That's right."
"Then you found his house searched, Gus died, and you took
off headed... where?"
"Just away. I told you all this already. I didn't have a
destination in mind until your father called and told me to go to Caddo
Bayou."
"And you drove all night, parked your car at the marina,
trespassed on my boat, and fell asleep."
"Basically, yes."
Luke rubbed the back of his neck. "So the minivan back at the
marina is filled with six million dollars' worth of sun-cooked psilocybin
mushrooms?"
Maddie shook her head. "Not six million. Remember, I threw
some of them away. I'm guessing four."
"And the growers just might be cops who may have murdered a
helpless old man in Brazos Bend and who are now after you."
"That's right."
Wrong. Her story was unbelievable, like something out of a bad
B-movie. Like one of the scenarios Branch Callahan had cooked up in his futile
efforts to reconcile with Luke, Matt, and Mark. It reminded Luke of that time
Branch sent a gorgeous hooker disguised as a kindergarten teacher to Matt's
place with some cockamamy story about Matt's providing the prize for the
teacher-of-the-year winner. Or his salvo at Mark, some complicated scenario
involving stolen family jewels and a lady detective wanting to check those of
his brother.
No, Maddie's story was just another Branch Callahan fantasy tale.
Luke's gaze swept her from head to toe once again, lingered on her
bosom once again; then his features flattened into a grim expression of
disgust. Mushrooms and murder. Crooked cops and a runaway damsel in distress.
It was simply too damned far-fetched for a sleepy little place like Brazos
Bend, Texas.
Branch must have been watching the afternoon soaps again to come
up with a fairy tale like this one.
The fact that Branch had conned Maddie into weaving a story
sure he does them and does them right. I confer with a physical therapist, mind
you, so—"
"Is this relevant?" He didn't need to know a damn thing
about Branch Callahan's daily life.
She let out a huff. "I brought him some mushrooms. I thought
your father's cooks might have a use for them, but the Garza sisters didn't
like the looks of them, so they threw them away. I was in Branch's kitchen when
a friend of mine, a nurse, called me from the hospital, and said Gus had been
admitted and was asking for me."
Maddie repeated Gus's cautions to her and explained how he'd
become so worked up, his blood pressure skyrocketed and the nurses chased her
away. "I went to his house to pick up his robe and toiletries, and that's
when I found it ransacked. I was trying to decide what to do about it when my
cell rang again and my friend told me Gus had died."
"Of a heart attack," Luke clarified.
She nodded. "The doctors were shocked, but when I asked my
friend if they were sure it was natural causes, she assured me it had to have
been. But he'd had visitors, Luke. What would have stopped someone from giving
him something to cause a heart attack?"
"That's a stretch."
"Maybe, but I don't think I want to risk my life on it."
Luke grimaced and raked his fingers through his hair. "So,
how did you end up at Caddo Bayou Marina?"
"I left Brazos Bend on the run just to get out of town. I'd
been on the road for hours, pretty much driving aimlessly, when Branch called
and suggested I come to Terry for help."
What a mess. Luke smothered a sigh. "Where are the mushrooms
now?"
"In my trunk. Well, not the trunk. I don't have a trunk. I
drive a minivan because of my work. I think you saw it in the parking lot.
They're in the back of my van." After a moment's pause, she frowned and
added, "You know, they're liable to cook in this heat. I probably should
have cracked a window."
He stared up at the ceiling. "So, let me see if I have this
straight. Yesterday morning you loaded your minivan with mushrooms from Gus
Grevas's lake house, then you went about your workday until Gus summoned you to
his hospital room where he warned you about the cops."
"That's right."
"Then you found his house searched, Gus died, and you took
off headed... where?"
"Just away. I told you all this already. I didn't have a
destination in mind until your father called and told me to go to Caddo
Bayou."
"And you drove all night, parked your car at the marina,
trespassed on my boat, and fell asleep."
"Basically, yes."
Luke rubbed the back of his neck. "So the minivan back at the
marina is filled with six million dollars' worth of sun-cooked psilocybin
mushrooms?"
Maddie shook her head. "Not six million. Remember, I threw
some of them away. I'm guessing four."
"And the growers just might be cops who may have murdered a
helpless old man in Brazos Bend and who are now after you."
"That's right."
Wrong. Her story was unbelievable, like something out of a bad
B-movie. Like one of the scenarios Branch Callahan had cooked up in his futile
efforts to reconcile with Luke, Matt, and Mark. It reminded Luke of that time
Branch sent a gorgeous hooker disguised as a kindergarten teacher to Matt's
place with some cockamamy story about Matt's providing the prize for the
teacher-of-the-year winner. Or his salvo at Mark, some complicated scenario
involving stolen family jewels and a lady detective wanting to check those of
his brother.
No, Maddie's story was just another Branch Callahan fantasy tale.
Luke's gaze swept her from head to toe once again, lingered on her
bosom once again; then his features flattened into a grim expression of
disgust. Mushrooms and murder. Crooked cops and a runaway damsel in distress.
It was simply too damned far-fetched for a sleepy little place like Brazos
Bend, Texas.
Branch must have been watching the afternoon soaps again to come
up with a fairy tale like this one.
The fact that Branch had conned Maddie into weaving a story
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