Cheyenne had mentioned a newspaper article. Sam hadpicked up a paper earlier, after breakfast. The paper lay folded on the bed. Opening it, he read the news item about Chet Barr’s fatal crash.
The pregnant fiancée.That could be another piece of the puzzle. Did Hayden feel that he was about to be replaced by a child of Chet’s own blood? Did he feel threatened enough to kill?
The puzzle was coming together, but every piece of it was conjecture. Before he took any action, he would need something solid. At least, before questioning Hayden, he should try to find out more about where he might have been on the night of the murder. If he had an ironclad alibi, everything else would be out the window.
The Barr ranch was near Wichita Falls, a couple of hours from the Culhane spread. A call to the sheriff there might be a good place to start.
Roper had promised not to see Lila until after the Run for a Million. He’d broken that promise once to sit with her at the hospital when her daughter was drugged with chloroform. Now he was about to break it again.
He knocked on the door of her hotel room, giving his name before Gemma would open it. The young woman was nothing if not protective. At least, by now, she was getting to know him.
“How’s your mother, Gemma?” he asked. “Is she awake?”
“I’m in here,” Lila called from the bedroom. “Just resting. With my good nurse to do everything for me, I’ve become a lazybones. Hang on, I’ll get up.”
“No, stay where you are. I’ll come in,” Roper said. “I’m just here to give you some news. Then I’ll be on my way.”
He walked into the bedroom. Lila, dressed in blue sweats, reclined on one of the two queen-sized beds. She was propped against a heap of pillows with her e-reader inher hand. Fresh from her shower, with no makeup and her hair twisted up in a scrunchie, she looked like a young girl. Roper’s pulse skipped at the sight of her. But he wasn’t sure how she would react to what he was about to tell her.
“I’ll give you some privacy.” Gemma backed away from the doorway.
“No, come on in, Gemma,” Roper said. “This news concerns you, too?”
As they waited for Gemma, he saw the slight change in Lila—the narrowing of her eyes, the tightening of her lips—as if she were preparing herself for a blow. Gemma sank onto the foot of the bed. Roper remained on his feet.
“Darrin Culhane died last night,” he said. “He was killed by a horse when he went into its stall.”
Lila stifled a gasp, her face paling as the news sank in. “What about Simone? What about the baby? Are they all right?”
“Simone was there. Once she gets over the shock, she and the baby should be fine. The important thing is, with Darrin gone, the danger to both of you should be over.”
Lila shook her head. “Darrin was my stepson. The baby will be my grandchild—in a way. I know how they hated me and what they tried to do, but I wouldn’t wish this tragedy on anyone.”
Roper held out his hand. She reached up and clasped it. Her fingers were cold. “You know that without Darrin, the legal battle for the ranch goes away,” he said.
“Simone could still contest the will for her baby. Jasmine, too, although I know she’s never wanted the property.”
“Don’t worry about it,” Roper said. “For now, you’ve got the upper hand. When you get home, you can take legal steps to protect your ownership.”
Roper knew better than to mention Darrin’s mysteriouscaller. Lila didn’t need that kind of stress. Hopefully, with Darrin gone, the man would give up on his scheme and disappear.
“I’ll be going,” he said. “Get some rest, both of you.”
“Don’t worry,” Lila said. “We’ll be front and center to watch you show One in a Million tomorrow night.”
He gave her a light kiss and headed for the elevator. It was time to focus entirely on getting the big bay roan ready for the performance of his life. But on the way down to the lobby, he couldn’t stop wondering about the caller who’d claimed to be Frank’s illegitimate son.
What if his claim was true?
What if he’d meant to kill Darrin and take over the fight for Lila’s ranch?
What if he was the one who’d murdered Frank?
Who was he?
Cheyenne checked her phone again as she waited in the lobby. There was a text message from Buck. His friend had agreed to load Fire Dance and take him to Ten Sleep.
The sheriff came by with a deputy, ready to put Fire Dance down. It took some fast talking to convince him that the horse would be gone within the hour. I hear Fergus’s truck outside now. I’ll keep you posted if I don’t see you later.