in the state system, of course. But in the meantime, I wondered if you could answer a few questions.”
Lori blinked. “Um, sure. But I wasn’t here when the acci—when he was hurt.”
“I just mean some general thoughts. Did your dad have any enemies? I don’t mean Capulet-Montague kind of stuff. Just some guy he never got along with. Maybe a garage owner in Grand Valley he was stealing business from. A customer accusing him of fraud or theft.”
“Oh, I don’t think so.”
“A woman? Was he dating someone, or maybe a few someones?”
She blinked again, struck by how strange the idea was. “Not that I know of.”
“Okay. That’s fine. It’s nothing urgent. I just want you to keep these questions simmering in the back of your mind. Write down anything you think of. Any reason at all someone could’ve been after your father. Money and passion are the two most common denominators in these situations.”
“Yeah, but…” Lori closed her eyes and rubbed her free hand over her face. “Ben, I’m sure it was just some stupid barroom brawl. Nobody wanted anything from him. He didn’t have anything.”
“You’re probably right, but I wouldn’t be doing my job if I didn’t consider every angle. I don’t mean to upset you—”
“No, I’m sorry. I can’t say I’m happy about this, but it means a lot that you’re looking into it. I’ll help any way I can.”
“Thanks, Lori. Call me if you think of anything, or if you just need to talk, all right?”
Just after she hung up, Joe roared into the lot with a suddenness that made Lori jump. Dust floated up in his wake while she rubbed her eyes.
“Nothing serious?” she called hoarsely when he descended from the cab.
“Flat tire. Nobody can change a flat tire anymore, you ever notice that?”
Yes, of course she’d noticed, and had said as much the first thousand times they’d had this conversation. Still, the auto clubs paid them thirty dollars a pop to fix a flat, so the decline of manly civilization was just fine with Lori. Joe inclined his head toward the phone.
“Another run?”
“No, just a personal call.” She eyed him as he pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and wiped sweat from the nape of his neck. He looked old, suddenly. He’d been older than her father by a few years, but they’d been as close as brothers. And Joe had been like a second father to her.
He’d worked in the garage since before Lori was born. But he’d been more than an employee.
Joe had picked her up from school countless times, applauded her achievements, lectured her about boys and drinking. She wouldn’t have been able to care for her father if Joe hadn’t been there to pick up the slack in the garage. She hadn’t been able to pay him enough for essentially running the garage for those first few years, but Joe had never complained. Not once.
And he’d known her dad better than anyone.
“Joe, can I ask you something?”
He shrugged and dropped into a chair. “You know you can ask me anything. Shoot.”
“I’ve been thinking about my dad lately. I wasn’t here those last few months before his accident. What was his life like after I left?”
Joe shrugged. “Same as always, really. Work. Fish. Grab a beer.”
“Was he dating anyone?”
She must have surprised him. Joe tucked his chin in. “Dating? Nothing serious that he ever mentioned. There was a waitress over in Grand Valley he stepped out with sometimes, even when you were still here. A woman over in Eagle he saw once or twice. But he was a loner. After your mom left…” He squinted up at her. “He wasn’t much on relationships after that.”
Lori cringed. Her mother had run off when Lori was five. She’d left both of them behind and never looked back. She’d died about eight years ago from liver failure. Hepatitis C. So Lori was officially an orphan.
“She wrote me once,” Joe said, shocking Lori so much that she gasped.
“What?”
“Your mom. She wrote to me. You were probably fifteen by then. She wanted to know how you were doing.”
“But…why did she write to you? ”
Leaning forward, he rested his forearms on his knees and stared at the floor. “She was too ashamed to write to your dad, maybe. I wrote back to tell her how amazing you were. Smart and hardworking. I never heard nothing after that.”
Lori cleared her throat. “You don’t think she ever got in touch with my dad?”
His eyes rose quickly to meet hers. He held her gaze for a long moment. “He never said anything about it.”
“Yeah.” Nodding, she kicked the cement with her boot. “I guess she never did. Thanks for telling me, Joe.”
“You bet, darlin’. Anything else you want to know?”
“No. I’m gonna head up to Quinn Jennings’s place. If there aren’t any calls in the next thirty minutes, you can go. Just forward the phone to my cell.” She grabbed her book to head for the door, but Joe cleared his throat and stopped her.
“Say, before you go…Have you thought anymore about selling your dad’s lot?”
Lori managed not to groan. What was it with that piece of land? Sure, it bordered a good stretch of the river, but it didn’t hide access to an old silver mine. Or maybe it did. “Joe, I’m sorry. I’m just not ready. I know it’s been a year now, but my dad was so happy when he bought it. You know what I mean.”
Joe held up his hands and offered a sad smile, the sympathy in his eyes a familiar comfort. He’d made an offer on the land soon after the accident when he’d realized she was having financial problems, and if she was going to sell to anyone, it would be to Joe. He loved that place and fished there all the time, even though his fishing buddy was gone.
She joined him sometimes, and it was as if her father was there with them, too. Just like the old days. Her two favorite people in the world.
Joe’s scarred fingers closed over her elbow. “No pressure, Lori. You just say the word when you’re ready to discuss it. Say, whatcha reading there?” He stood, starting to reach for the book, but Lori danced out of his way.
“I’ll see you Monday!” she called, grabbing her keys to head for Quinn’s cabin.
After rolling down the window and speeding out of the lot, Lori shoved a CD into the player and turned it up way too loud. The wind wreaked havoc on her hair, but for once, Lori didn’t care. The loud music and the beautiful day chased away her ghosts, mostly because she wanted them to.
Whatever had happened in her life, whoever she was, she needed to be free of it, just for a moment. Her hair, the one thing she loved about her looks, bounced
