Five Card Murder by Bruce Hammack

Author:Bruce Hammack [Hammack, Bruce]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781735030289
Publisher: Jubilee Publishing LLC

18

The extra-long shower not only washed away lake water and the smell of smoke, but gave Heather an opportunity to organize her thoughts. After blow drying her hair, she replaced the fluffy white robe she'd purchased in the hotel's gift shop with a football jersey and sleep shorts. The first thing she reconsidered was Steve's silence on the boat ride back to the marina. He rode in a seat near the bow with the full force of the wind pinning back his hair. He must have been so deep in thought he forgot to turn his hat around. It flew into the darkening waters and he hollered to not go back for it.

What did his seeing pink at the spot Charley Voss died mean? Perhaps Steve wasn't standing close enough to the site. Maybe it wasn't murder, but manslaughter. After all, Charley had an explosive temper. If so, who could be the suspect? Rance? Try as she might, she couldn't see him killing his father.

She kept pondering, allowing her imagination to run free. The only other person who should have been at the ranch when Charley died was Hector. She whispered the name aloud. Why not? All the Voss children said Charley had a mean streak in him, wider than the lake was long. Did Hector receive his wrath too? Heather stood looking at clothes hanging in the closet but not seeing them. Her theory of Hector being the killer didn't match the descriptions they'd received of a gentle soul with a happy-go-lucky disposition. She'd spent enough time as a cop and detective in Boston to see plenty of cruel husbands, and the occasional violent wife, who didn't live up to their peaceful reputations. After all, everyone has their breaking point. Did Charley find Hector's and then pay the price?

Her training as an attorney kicked in and she argued the case from the standpoint of the defense. She remembered Steve saying he called Sheriff Blake and asked about the alibis of all the suspects. According to Rance, he and Hector were making their bi-weekly rounds of working cattle on some more remote tracts of land in the county. For three days and two nights they'd slept under the stars on bedrolls, much like cowboys of old. Each gave the other an alibi. Unless they'd agreed to a conspiracy, or someone came forward that had seen them on or near the main property, no proof of opportunity existed.

One other thing bothered her. Why hadn't the forensic report shown traces of the murder weapon in the wound? Heather had to admit her imagination couldn't stretch far enough to come up with a single answer, so she reached for her phone.

"Where do you want to eat supper?" she asked.

Steve's answer came after a yawn. "I'm beat. I'll call room service tonight."

"Are you sure? I thought we might talk about the possibility of Hector killing Charley."

"He didn't kill Charley."

Heather plopped on the bed. "Are you positive? I know there's no evidence, but—"

"Listen to me. Hector did not kill Charley.

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