“You think I don’t know that? Clare is the direct result of my own personal experience with a sudden storm. I don’t want her put into the same kind of position her mother found herself in all those years ago. Is that real clear, Salter?”
“Your concerns are noted.”
“Don’t give me that bullshit, damn you. This is my daughter we’re talking about.”
“Archer, I appreciate your point of view. But my personal life is just that. Personal. I don’t discuss it in depth with anyone.”
“The hell you don’t. You’re gonna damn well discuss it with me as long as your personal life involves Clare.”
Jake braked the cart to a halt. He sat quietly for a moment, studying the situation on the green.
“I’m going to tell you something, Archer. You’re not going to like it but maybe you’ll understand why I’ve got Clare living in my house.”
“I’m listening.”
“Clare is convinced that Brad McAllister was not the victim of a burglar he happened to interrupt in the course of a robbery. She thinks he was killed by someone who planned the murder very carefully in a way that would throw suspicion on her.”
Archer stiffened. “That’s crazy.”
“What’s more, she thinks that Valerie was murdered by the same person who killed McAllister. Someone who knew that if the authorities did have any questions about the death, they would be inclined to look at Clare, who just happened to be back in town.”
“Shit.”
“The reason she decided to hang around Stone Canyon for a few more days isn’t because she wants to consider your job offer. She’s staying because she plans to dig into the facts surrounding McAllister’s death. She needs to prove to herself, one way or another, if her conspiracy theory is valid.”
Archer looked as if he had taken a body blow. “Clare said that? She wants to find the killer?”
“Yes. I told her I’d help her.”
“That’s why you’ve got her staying with you?”
“Right.” And also because I want her in my bed, Jake thought. But he decided not to add that part.
“Sweet hell,” Archer whispered, sounding as if he had just been blindsided. “Talk about a major screwup.”
“She’s made up her mind. I can’t stop her, Archer. Neither can you. But at least this way I can keep an eye on her.”
“I never even thought about that possibility,” Archer said. His voice was so low he might have been talking to himself. “Never dawned on me that it was someone else. Thought I had it all figured out.”
“What are you talking about?” Understanding crackled through Jake. “Damn. I should have known. That’s why you steered the Jones & Jones analysts away from the McAllister situation. And they bought your take on the murder because they knew what a hell of a strategist you are. If you didn’t see a connection between McAllister and the other problem, everyone assumed there probably wasn’t one.”
“Yeah, well, even a superior strategist can make mistakes when there’s personal stuff involved. It was just that I had it figured, you see. Everything fell into place. When that happens—” Archer broke off, shrugging. “You know how it is.”
“When everything fits you stop looking for other answers.”
“Damn right. When Elizabeth came back from her stay in San Francisco and filed for divorce, she was a changed woman. She was normal again. You don’t recover from a nervous breakdown that fast. I realized then that McAllister had done something terrible to her.”
“Clare thinks he may have been a powerful hypnotist. In addition he had a doctor feeding Elizabeth drugs.”
Archer nodded somberly. “Didn’t think about the possibility that McAllister was a hypnotist but that would explain a lot.”
“Including why no one saw through him.”
“Except Clare,” Archer said.
“Except Clare.”
Jake turned slightly in the seat to look at Archer. “I see where this is going. You came to the conclusion that Elizabeth wasn’t going to be safe as long as Brad McAllister was alive.”
“Bastard was too damn clever. And he had targeted my family for some crazy reason. Once the scales fell from my eyes, I figured I had to get rid of him.”
“But when he turned up dead you assumed Clare got to him first, didn’t you?” Jake asked.
“I knew she was feeling very protective of Elizabeth. Knew she didn’t trust McAllister at all.”
Jake whistled softly. “All these months you used your influence to squelch the Stone Canyon police investigation and you stonewalled Jones & Jones, as well.”
Archer studied the green. “Didn’t see any option, to tell you the truth.”
“You thought Clare really did kill McAllister. You’ve been trying to protect her.”
“I reckon I leaped to the conclusion that she killed McAllister because I was already locked into the same strategy, myself. Once I realized what he was capable of, I figured it was the only way to be sure that he didn’t cause any more trouble for my family. But I was thinking of something more along the lines of a convenient accident.”
Jake smiled appreciatively. “Yeah, I’d expect that kind of plan from you. Never did like the notion of you gunning him down.”
Archer’s brows rose. “You figured I might have been the killer?”
“Crossed my mind a few times.”
Archer exhaled heavily. “Looks like I may have caused you some unnecessary problems, Jake. Didn’t mean to mess up your project.”
“You had your reasons. But it does leave us in an interesting situation.”
“What do you mean by ‘interesting’?” Archer asked, wary now.
“My gut tells me that the McAllister murder is related to my case here in Stone Canyon.”
“How the hell do you figure that?”
“It’s been bothering me from the beginning because it’s the only thing that stands out as an anomaly in this situation. But J&J was so damned sure there was no connection I’ve been looking at other possibilities, instead.” Jake shook his head, disgusted. “Waste of time.”
Archer frowned. “No luck with any of those late-night searches you’ve been doing, huh?”
“None. But from the moment Clare arrived the other night, my senses have been running a little hot. I’m half jacked up all the time. Know what I mean?”