“They argued?” Brinley asked, fascinated by the history of her home. “Did it ever get violent?”

Gail snorted as the waitress slid two sodas onto the table. “He didn’t have the guts. Never did.”

They quickly ordered and the waitress bustled to the next table. Jason leaned forward, his gaze intent on their guest.

“So you don’t think Wendell killed Gail?”

“As much as I didn’t like the selfish little weasel I don’t think he murdered her. He needed her to keep up the fiction of a happy family to the outside world.” Gail’s lips twisted in distaste. “My fear is that my sister’s own actions got her killed. You see, Linda was known to do stupid, harebrained things. God made her pretty but he didn’t make her smart.”

Brinley wasn’t sure how to take that statement. “I’m not sure what you mean, Mrs. Denton.”

“Call me Gail.” The woman waved her hand. “What I mean is that Linda had the looks but was dumb as a rock. Is that plain enough for you? She was my sister and I loved her, but I was not unaware of her shortcomings and I’m sure she could have cataloged all of mine as well. Linda lacked common sense and often had to be rescued from situations. That’s how she met Wendell. Do you have family like that?”

A picture of Dawn floated through Brinley’s mind but she dashed it away quickly. Dawn wasn’t stupid, just a trifle self-absorbed. Oblivious to what went on outside her bubble of a world. But she had a loving heart and cared about her family and friends even if she didn’t always notice what was going on in their lives.

“I’m afraid I don’t. What kind of situations are you talking about?”

“Men. Lots of them.” Gail took a sip of her iced tea and then slapped down the glass. “Linda was constantly leading men on and then shocked when they expected something. I imagine that’s what ended her life.”

“A disgruntled suitor?” Jason queried. “Did you tell the police this?”

Gail rolled her eyes. “Yes, but they were only interested in Wendell.”

It was a telling point that despite Gail’s animosity toward her ex-brother-in-law that she didn’t think him capable of murder.

“Do you have any names?” Jason reached into his breast pocket for his small notebook and pencil but Gail was shaking her head. “I’m afraid not. At that point we weren’t spending much time together since I didn’t get along with Dell.”

More hopes dashed away. Jason was right when he said they’d take two steps forward and one step back constantly during an investigation. Being a cop had to be full of frustration.

“But he gave you the house,” Brinley pointed out. “If you two didn’t like each other why would he do that?”

“I was in the process of divorcing my second husband and I think Dell was afraid I’d try and claim some of Linda’s property. She wasn’t destitute when she met Dell and she had jewelry and money of her own. He wanted to keep it and I needed a place to live so he offered me the house. I only took it to spite him but found that I liked living there. Until recently, of course. I hope you’re enjoying it.”

“It didn’t bother you that your sister had been murdered there?” Brinley asked. No one on the planet could convince her to live in a house where her sister had been shot and killed.

“No, but I’m a practical person who needed a place to live. I concentrated on making it my own rather than thinking about how Linda had lived and died there. Are you making changes to the house? I expect you want to update it quite a bit.”

Oh yes.

“I’ve pulled down all the wallpaper and tore up the carpeting. I finished painting the walls and the cabinets last week. Next are new floors. I’m hoping I can get away with just refinishing them but I think some spots are going to need to be replaced.” Brinley bit her lip in worry. “Does it bother you to hear about changes being made in your home?”

“As I said I’m not that sentimental.” Gail shook her head and reached across the table to pat Brinley’s hand. “Not to worry, dear. It’s your home now and you should do whatever you wish. I’m just sorry we didn’t meet before, but then the real estate agent handled the sale for me.”

“Me too.”

Although Brinley didn’t completely understand the older woman she did like her. Her blunt, no nonsense attitude was a nice change from so many people that Brinley had met in her life.

“I have one more question, Gail, if you don’t mind. Did you ever suspect Wendell of cheating?” Jason asked. “Specifically, was there a woman named Lynn? Someone who looked very much like Linda?”

“No, why do you ask?”

“When we talked to Wendell we found he had remarried. The woman’s name was Lynn and she could have been Linda’s sister. The house also looked exactly the same,” Brinley explained, glancing at Jason.

Gail was frowning, her brow scrunched in thought. “I’m not surprised he remarried, if only for the sake of the boy. As for things looking exactly the same, well, Dell was always an odd bird. But you don’t understand things if you think he was trying to recreate his life with Linda. He didn’t love her like that. He married my sister because she looked like his first wife, Donna. But of course Linda wasn’t and he never forgave her for that.”

One more reason for Wendell Barnes to be guilty as hell.

Chapter Twenty-One

‡

“So you think Barnes did it?” Logan asked when they were all together again that evening. Brinley and Jason had picked up pizza on the way home and they were all sharing what they’d learned that day while relaxing at Jason’s dinner table.

“His alibi sucks,” Jason said bluntly. “If he resented Linda for not being his first wife and their marital problems were real then he has the most motive.”

Brinley slid another slice onto her plate. “What about Linda’s boyfriends? Gail said that her sister was always leading men on. I can see where that would piss someone off.”

“Enough to kill?” Jason rubbed his chin. “I’m not sure about that. Besides, there’s nothing in the police file about any boyfriend and they talked to all the couple’s friends. Surely a girlfriend would have said something.”

Logan grinned and popped open a soda can. “I’m with Jason on this one. But then I’ve seen what Jared emailed over earlier today.”

“You better have the evidence to back up that look,” Jason warned, shaking a slice at Logan. “What did he send over?”

Logan reached behind him and dropped a file in the middle of the table. “Fascinating reading. Take a look at the photos of wife number one and two. They could be twins.”

Jason flipped open the folder and placed it between himself and Brinley. He wiped his hands on a napkin before piecing through the file. Near the top was a family photo of Wendell, his first wife, and their young son Damian who at the time was probably eight or nine years old. The smiles on their faces looked genuine but Jason knew from his law enforcement days that it could all be an elaborate facade. Underneath could have been rotten to the core.

Brinley pointed to the son. “Poor little guy. I bet the kids were really mean to him. I see that every day at school.”

Wendell’s son appeared to be the stereotypical geek. Thin and small, the blond haired tyke wore thick black-framed glasses along with a plaid vest and a bow tie. If any of his friends saw him in that outfit there was no way the little boy wasn’t going to be teased about it. Add in the fact Damian looked scrawny and small for his age and Jason felt for the kid. He’d probably had a terrible time with bullies.

“Did Jared have any luck finding Damian? I texted him the phone number that Barnes gave me.” Jason paged through the file to see if there were any later photos of the family but came up empty. “I would very much like to talk to the son.”

Logan shook his head. “He got the secretary so he left a message. Then he hunted down the house phone number and left a message there. Hopefully this Damian Barnes will call back tonight or tomorrow.”