Page 60 of Bent Out of Shade
Shoving aside my natural inclination to make up some excuse, I folded my hands on my stomach. She’d shared the secret of the library; I could reciprocate. “I want the name of McMurtry’s killer.”
Her eyes narrowed. “He died in a house fire.”
“No.” I leaned in, spreading my fingers over the table. “He really didn’t.”
She rocked back on her chair, her gaze drifting to the window. “It’s a bummer about the ring, but I like your moral code. You know how many people have turned down my offer of an easy way to get what they want with no repercussions to themselves?” She held up one finger. “Take my advice. You don’t want to poke around in McMurtry’s shit. Hell, I certainly wouldn’t.”
I held up my hands before she could rise, trusting my gut that now was the right time to share. “Twenty-seven years ago, my parents were murdered. Their necks were snapped before my home burned down. McMurtry covered up the truth, and when I got close to him to demand answers—”
Nora paled, the chair thunking back down on all four legs. “Someone took him out the same way.”
I leaned closer. “Did you know him?”
Shaking her head, she raised stricken eyes to mine. “My dad was a Lonestar. He died a couple years ago. Heart attack.”
“I’m sorry. He must have been young.”
“Late fifties.” Yikes. That was young. “He investigated your parents’ case.”
A shiver skittered up my spine. This was one coincidence with the young woman too many. Had he aided McMurtry in covering things up? Was that why Nora had warned me off? I fiddled with my purse strap, my gaze on my lap. Was my gut wrong about her or was I lapsing back into paranoia and her dad being on the case truly was a coincidence?
“Actually,” she amended, “that’s not entirely correct.”
I tensed. This was where she said that there was nothing nefarious to look into.
Nora traced her finger around one of the wood tiles that made up the tabletop. “To be more specific, Dad tried to investigate, but he was shut down.”
“Oh.” I untwisted the purse strap from my fist.
“I didn’t know about any of this until Mom went to McMurtry’s funeral. Dad hadn’t liked his former boss, but I figured small town and all, she had to pay her respects. I was home visiting so I went with her, but when we got graveside to pay our last condolences, my incredibly polite mother muttered that he’d finally gotten what he deserved.”
“How much did she know?”
“Not as much as you’d probably like. Dad was convinced it was a cover-up, and he hated that a magic family in our community wouldn’t get the justice they deserved. Also, McMurtry had been sick before the fire, then he went away on vacation and came back healthy.”
“I suspect a demon had a hand in that.”
Nora whistled. “Can I tell my mom that to add to the archive?”
“Go nuts.”
“That’s about it. The current head Lonestar who took over from Dad when he died was one of McMurtry’s people.” She spread her hands wide.
“He helped write off their deaths as house fire victims.”
She nodded. “You’re sure McMurtry’s neck was snapped?”
“Positive.”
Nora tapped her phone. “And you think this amulet is connected to it?” She bounced in her seat when I nodded. “My mom is going to freak when she hears all this. I can tell her, right?”
“Yeah. Especially if she’s willing to help me figure out what it all means.”
“She will. Mom loves her puzzles even more than I do.”
Smiling, I stood up. “Nora, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.”
Despite the fact that our meeting had gone wonderfully, by the time I got to the chiropractor’s office for my much-needed appointment, I was still so knotted up that the doctor kept murmuring “Oh my” as she worked on me.
My body felt somewhat better after the treatment, though it hadn’t boosted my mental state. Well, I had four hours to get my head in the game. With Vincenzo somewhere in the city impatiently waiting and Sabrina’s life on the line, failure was not an option.
