“As I said, I’m your brother—actually your half brother. As for what I want, you’ll find out in time, when we get to know each other better.”
“But how can I trust you? How do I know whether you’re telling the truth?”
“We have the same father—Frank Culhane. His name isn’t on my birth certificate because my mother was married and so was Frank. But she told me the truth before she died. And I have the DNA test results to prove it. I can show you when we meet.”
“I know my father was no saint. But before I accept your story, I’ll want to have those DNA results examined by an expert.”
“That’s no problem. I’ve already prepared a copy. I’ll give it to you when we meet.”
“Not so fast. Before I agree to meet you, I need to know why you’re calling me now, in secret, in the middle of the night. Tell me what you want, or this stops now.”
“What I want is to help you. I know about your legal fight with Lila Culhane over the house and stables. Lila’s got the will. That gives her the upper hand. I can fix that for you—something you’ve had no luck doing yourself.”
“You mean—?” Darrin’s pulse lurched.
“I hope I don’t need to draw you a picture.”
“So what’s in this for you?”
“As someone who shares your Culhane blood, I think I’m entitled to a piece of the pie. Say, a partnership?”
Darrin had begun to perspire. Sweat oozed between his shoulder blades and trickled down his back. “What if I’m not interested?” he asked.
“Oh, but I think you will be. Especially when I tell you that I’ve looked into your business affairs and know enough about your tax evasion and investment scams to put you behind bars. We can talk more when we meet. But we’ll have to be careful. For now, we mustn’t be seen together.”
“Do you have someplace in mind?” Darrin could scarcely believe he was getting pulled into this scheme. The man was probably a con artist. But he needed to know more.
“Yes, a place and a time. If we go now, we’ll have the place to ourselves.”
“Now? But it’s after two in the morning!”
“So much the better.” The mysterious caller gave Darrin directions, which sounded simple enough. “Call me at this number when you get there. I’ll be close by. What about your wife?”
“She’s not part of this.”
“You’ve got the directions?”
“I’ve got them.” Darrin repeated the ones he’d been given. “One question. Why all the secrecy?”
“You’ll understand when you meet me. All right?”
“Fine. I should be there in about twenty minutes.” Darrin ended the call, turned off the tap, and flushed the toilet for good measure.
Simone had gotten out of bed to pee, only to find the bathroom door locked. From the other side, she could hear running water and her husband’s voice, evidently talking on his phone. At first, the one-sided conversation made no sense. But as she pressed closer to the door, she could hear enough to discern what was being said. Darrin was arranging to meet someone in the barn of the South Point complex, outside the stall where the Culhane horses were kept.
Was it a woman? She wouldn’t put it past Darrin to cheat, but his tone suggested he was speaking to a man. So why the closed door and the running faucet—unless he was keeping something from her?
Simone would make it her business to find out.
The water had stopped running, and now she heard the toilet flush. She raced back to the bed, burrowed under the covers, and pretended to be asleep while Darrin dressed and left the room.
As soon as he was safely gone, Simone sprang out of bed, threw on her sweats and shoes, grabbed her purse, and followed him.
Several taxis were lined up outside the main entrance to the Excalibur. Darrin took one to South Point. By the time he arrived, the sweat was dripping down his body. His pulse was a loud drumming in his ears. What if he was making a dangerous mistake?
Though he hadn’t been here before, the barn was easy to find, and he knew the stall number. The security guard recognized the Culhane name and let him in the gate. The earthy smell of horses assaulted his senses as he walked past the rows, looking for the right number in the dim glow of the security lights. Darrin hated horses and wanted nothing to do with them. The hours his father had forced him to spend in the saddle were among the worst memories of his life. Had his mysterious so-called brother known that when he chose the barn for a meeting place?
After a couple of wrong turns, Darrin found the correct row and headed down it, following the stall numbers in the dim glow of the security lights.