Chapter 10
Case
Jed’s new girlfriend was a terrible witness. She was strung out, jittery as hell, and rambled in a completely nonsensical way. She did, however, swear up one side and down the other that Jed had been with her at the time of the shooting, and unfortunately, she had several neighbors who witnessed them arguing at her car around the time Jed insisted she drop him off. She couldn’t remember where he was the day of the break-in and fire, so I kept the younger Coleman on the top of my suspects list for those infractions and went to find Jed’s brother to ask about the guns.
Jethro was almost as unhelpful as the girlfriend and just as unpleasant as his brother, which was expected. I got another cigarette flicked at me and was told to piss off once again. When I told Jethro Coleman he could be charged as an accessory if he didn’t cooperate, he begrudgingly produced the pawn ticket I asked for and insisted there wasn’t a single weapon left in his brother’s possession. Unsurprisingly, Jethro also had some choice words about Aspen and Jed’s soon-to-be ex-wife. When I asked if he had any weapons inside his trailer, I got a door slammed in my face while he told me I could come back with a warrant. That was the thing about tangling with a former cop; Jethro knew all the tricks of the trade.
I was going to have to touch base with the county district attorney and see if I had enough circumstantial evidence to scare up a warrant for Jethro’s place. Something wasn’t sitting right where the brothers were concerned, and I wasn’t going to be able to let it go until I figured out what it was.
I was hoping to get back to the house fairly early so I could talk to Aspen about that shockingly hot mistake of a kiss. I appreciated her waving it off and acting like it was nothing, but I still needed words between us. She had to know I wasn’t the type to take advantage of anyone in a vulnerable position. I had to promise her it wouldn’t happen again and let her know I’d simply lost my head in the moment because I felt protective and she felt so small in my arms. It never occurred to me that once I touched her, I wouldn’t want to stop. I was honestly stunned at how good she felt when I held her. It had been a very long time since I had experienced that level of intimacy with another person. Kissing Aspen had left me shaken and stripped down to the bone in a way the quick, emotionless sex I typically indulged in never did. I wasn’t numb where she was concerned, never had been. She always made me feel something, unlike the way I was with every other female who crossed my path after my divorce.
Sadly, my plans to visit my kid before I went home to check on Aspen and eat chicken and dumplings were shot to hell in about a second flat. I had to respond to a call about a brawl at my sister’s bar, which led to two arrests. Then I got a call out for a possible intruder, which turned out to be a loose chicken setting off the neighbor’s floodlights. And just as I was finally walking out of the station, a call came about a multicar pileup on the highway leading into town. That was a real nightmare and took several hours to get cleaned up. One of the drivers was DOA, and unfortunately one of the passengers died on the way to the hospital. By the time I finally dragged my ass back to my house, the last thing I wanted to do was go toe to toe with Aspen or mediate a conversation between her and Hill. All I wanted to do was take a shower, change the bandage on my shoulder—which was itchy as hell and constantly reminding me I’d taken a bullet recently—and go to bed. But that wasn’t going to be an option anytime soon, since Hill was already parked in front of my house and looked like he’d been waiting there for a while.
I left the SUV parked in the driveway and waited for Hill to join me. His gaze slid over me in an assessing way, and his tone was sympathetic when he muttered, “You look like shit.”
I rubbed a hand over my tired face and blinked gritty eyes. “It was a long day. Unlike you, I don’t get to focus on one case at a time.”
Hill clapped me on my bad shoulder, and I had to fight back a wince. “Let’s go talk to Aspen so you can go to bed, old man.”
I nodded. There was no way for me to contact Aspen, since she hadn’t replaced the cell phone she’d lost in the fire yet, so I could only hope she was still awake and remembered Hill wanted to speak with her.
The house was quiet when we entered, but I could hear the soft murmur of the TV coming from the living room. Following the sound, I cleared my throat loudly so as not to startle the woman posted up on my couch, laptop balanced on her legs, a glass of wine in her hand, as she watched something I didn’t recognize on my flat-screen. It looked like Aspen had made herself right at home and wasn’t losing her mind over that kiss the way I was.
Her eyes widened when she caught sight of me, and before I could tell her I wasn’t alone she muttered, “You look tired. Did you have a rough day at work?”
The only person who ever asked about my day was Hayes. I wasn’t used to the way her quiet concern hit me squarely in the center of my chest. She actually cared how my day was and it warmed me all the way to my toes. I nodded at her, “Unfortunately, it isn’t over yet. The Ranger I told you about is here to talk to you.”
Her dark gaze immediately flashed to a point over my shoulder, the soft concern for me instantly changing to wariness as she took in the space where I knew Hill was silently waiting. He was the same height as me but looked more like a Texas version of a Disney prince with his blond hair and pale gray eyes. He also had a face that leaned toward being classically handsome. I remembered being glad when he finally graduated so I could take his place as the heartthrob of Loveless. It irritated me to no end that Aspen couldn’t seem to take her eyes off the other man as he cautiously approached her with an extended hand. Hill even took his hat off, all gentlemanly and shit. My back teeth clamped together so tightly it made my jaw ache.
“Special Agent Hill Gamble, ma’am. Thank you for agreeing to speak with me on such short notice and so late in the evening. I only have a couple of questions for you, and then I’ll get out of your hair.” Hill was all practiced charm and studied southern graciousness. No wonder he was such a good investigator. How could anyone resist that smile and the dimple that dug into his cheek? Good-looking bastard.
“Uh, no problem. Case said you were here to help find out who shot at me outside the hospital. I just want to get back to my day-to-day routine, so whatever gets me home and out of Sheriff Lawton’s hair as quickly as possible, I’m happy to help with.” Aspen shut the computer she had open on her lap and leaned forward to balance her wineglass on my coffee table. I knew for a fact I didn’t have wine anywhere in this house. The closest thing I owned was a bottle of expensive scotch I kept for special occasions and for the time I had really bad days on the job. I was going to have to figure out where it came from when Hill was done giving her the third degree.
Hill let Aspen’s hand drop and moved farther into the room, taking a spot on the couch closer to the woman than I thought was appropriate. Crossing my arms over my chest, I propped a hip on the back of the sofa and narrowed my eyes at my old friend.
“I know you gave Case a list of people in your professional life who might be holding a grudge against you or wish to see you harmed, but how about your personal life? You’re in the process of getting divorced?” He asked it as a question even though he knew the answer.
Aspen cocked her head to the side, and I saw her assessing the other man carefully. It would do Hill well to remember she was an attorney and spent a lot of her time asking the questions. She wasn’t your run-of-the-mill victim.
“Yes, I’m in the process of getting divorced. It’s taking a little longer than I would like, but the split from my husband has been amicable.” Aspen kept her voice calm, but I watched her good hand tighten into a fist where it was resting on top of her thigh.
I snorted from behind her and received a dirty look in return as she tilted her head back to glare at me. “What? David Barlow is fighting you tooth and nail on the divorce. That’s hardly amicable.”
Aspen sighed. “The separation was my idea. I’m the one who asked for a divorce. David has
been reluctant to accept the change in our relationship status.”
“Did you have a prenup?” Hill kept his tone calm and even, but I could hear something else underlying the false friendliness.
Aspen gave a small shake of her head. “No, no prenup, but I didn’t ask him for anything. I didn’t want the house or any of his retirement. I had enough money to get my own place, and I have my own retirement fund. I wanted to leave the marriage with exactly what I went in with.” She reached up to fiddle nervously with her hair. “You know David was standing right next to me when the shooter starting firing, right? He very easily could have been shot.”
“You think it’s possible your husband was the target and not you?” The question caught both Aspen and me off guard. It never occurred to me that she wasn’t the intended victim. Not after what had happened to her office and home.
Aspen shifted her gaze in my direction and sat up a little straighter. “I honestly don’t know. David practices criminal law, so I suppose it would be more likely that he has violent enemies out to get him than I do.”
Hill made a humming noise and flashed his disarming grin once again. “Can you tell me about the tens of thousands of dollars you and your husband spent a few years ago? That’s a lot of money to not be discussed in the process of separation.”
I watched as Aspen balked and went white as a sheet. She lifted a shaking hand to her throat and blinked too wide eyes at Hill. “Why are you asking me about that?”
I was confused by the utter devastation that was suddenly tainting her voice and stamped so clearly on her pale face.
Hill shrugged a shoulder. “Because money is always a motivation, and this is a lot of money we’re talking about.”
Aspen narrowed her eyes at the blond man. I couldn’t stop myself from reaching out and putting a reassuring hand on her shoulder. She was so tense under my palm, it felt like she was made of stone.
“I had a hard time conceiving when David and I started trying to have a baby. I suffered through four miscarriages and was eventually told I would never likely be able to carry a baby to full term. David wanted to try in virto fertilization. It’s incredibly expensive, and we went through several rounds. After the initial failure, I wanted to look at adoption or surrogacy, but David insisted we didn’t just give up on in vitro. So, I agreed to try again. He agreed to pay. There is no way he would ask for me to reimburse him for that. I already put my body and my mental well-being on the line.”
Hill nodded solemnly. “I see.”
I narrowed my eyes at my old friend and moved my hand so I could gently smooth it down Aspen’s long, dark hair. I was stunned by the revelation. Sure, there had been speculation around town as to why the young, successful couple didn’t have kids. Most just assumed it was due to their growing business and busy schedules. A few, of course, claimed Aspen didn’t want kids so she could focus on her career. They scoffed and claimed she kept that attitude from the city, even though there were plenty of young women and men in Loveless who also decided having children wasn’t for them. I never gave it much thought because I was too busy fighting for my own kid, but now that I’d spent some significant time with her, there was no doubt in my mind Aspen would make a wonderful mother.
Aspen did such a good job putting on a brave face considering everything she’d been through lately, but I could tell Hill’s line of questioning was poking at old wounds and rattling her to her core. I didn’t like it, not one bit. It was obvious she was upset by having this information dragged out into the light, and that made me hurt for her. I shot a warning look at the other man, which he promptly ignored. The surge of protectiveness toward the tiny woman, silently leaning into my touch for comfort, was no longer as surprising. Something undefinable had shifted between us after that kiss. I didn’t like the idea of her being hurt and wanted to stand between her and whatever was causing her such obvious pain.
Aspen leaned forward slightly, making my hand drop. She was practically vibrating off the couch in front of me. “Do you? Do you see how rude it is for you to bring up something so personal and painful with no warning? Do you have any clue how difficult it was for me to agree to go through such an emotionally and physically painful process for the sake of my marriage? How awful it was to push through disappointment and heartbreak time and time again?”
Hill didn’t say anything after her outburst, but his pale eyes were sharp and calculating. Aspen’s sincerity was obvious in every word ripped out of her.
“I’m sorry if I touched a nerve, Mrs. Barlow. I’m just trying to see all the angles. For instance, did you know it was actually your father-in-law who paid for the continued treatments? You and your husband both made a very good living, but for some reason, Mr. Barlow doesn’t seem to have much of a nest egg to fall back on. Daddy Barlow is also paying for the mortgage on the big house behind the gate where your husband lives. Do you have any idea where all your husband’s liquid assets are going?”
Aspen slowly shook her head, disbelief clear in every stiff line of her body. “No. I have no idea. He never said anything to me about borrowing money from his dad, and we never lived like we were having financial issues. In fact, I send money to my mother fairly regularly since she remarried, mostly to keep her off my back, and David never once asked me to stop or told me we were stretched too thin. I honestly believe he would have talked to me if we were in financial trouble.” But there was a tiny waver in her voice, indicating maybe she wasn’t as certain of David as she claimed to be.
Hill leaned forward, all traces of affability and charm long gone. “You sure about that? Heading for divorce was bound to bring it up. He’d have to turn his financials over to the court, regardless of you not asking for much.”
“Well, I…honestly I’m not sure of anything at the moment. I was positive someone was shooting at me, not David, and I was confident we lived a comfortable life, until a minute ago. But maybe I’m wrong.” She shifted back, and I immediately reached out so I could squeeze her shoulder. I was helpless against the urge to touch her, to let her know she wasn’t alone as the rug was being ripped out from underneath her. I thought I heard her release a sigh of relief, but it was lost when Hill cleared his throat.
“It’s my job to ask the unsettling questions, ma’am. Especially when we have an active shooter on the loose and no clear target.” There was no apology in Hill’s voice. While I understood rattling someone in order to get an honest reaction out of them was part of the job, I resented the hell out of him being so forceful with Aspen. When he was gone, I needed to look at exactly why I was fighting the urge to put my fist in his face for being so harsh with her, when I’d questioned countless victims and witnesses the same way myself.
Aspen narrowed her eyes. “I understand that. I’m not sure how I can help you though.”
The disarming grin was back on his face, and he rose to his full height. “You were more help than you realized. Once you get a new phone, I’d appreciate you getting my number from Case and giving me a call so I can contact you if anything else comes up. I appreciate your time, and I do sincerely apologize if any of my questions made you uncomfortable.”
He stuck out his hand again, only this time Aspen ignored it.
“I believe the point was to make me as uncomfortable as possible, Special Agent Gamble.” She sniffed slightly and reached for her discarded glass of wine. I couldn’t hold back a grin at the return of her sass. It looked so much better on her than the stark sadness she wore when she spoke of her difficulties trying to have a baby.
Hill chuckled softly and plopped his Stetson back on his head. He shot me a sharp, pointed look and inclined his head in the direction of the entryway. I squeezed Aspen’s shoulder once more and got to my feet so I could follow my friend out. Once we were standing on the front steps, I gave him a level look and warned softly, “If I didn’t trust that you were doing your job to the best of your ability, I would lay you out right about now. Did you have to spring all of that on her with no wa
rning?”
“I did. I wanted to see if she was going to lie about what the money went to. If she lied, then it wouldn’t come as a surprise if she tried to help David Barlow hide his money troubles. She didn’t lie, and I believe she was genuinely surprised when I told her who was paying for her lavish lifestyle.” He took a step down and tossed his keys in the air. “Might want to let her know David Barlow hadn’t exactly been faithful. It seems she didn’t really know the man she was married to as well as she thought. Some of the missing money went to pay off mistresses, another big chunk of it went to pay for strippers and escorts in Austin. Doesn’t totally explain why a successful lawyer with family money is broke, or why he pushed for a baby so hard, but it might help her move the divorce forward. She’s way better off without him.” Hill winked at me and turned to walk away but not before tossing over his shoulder, “She’s been through a lot, Case. I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone who needs someone to lean on more than that woman sitting in your living room. Whoever gets to be the person holding her up should consider themselves lucky. Look how long she stood by that idiot husband, and how much she put herself through for him because she loved him. Imagine how good she’d be to someone who actually appreciated her. Imagine being loved like that.” He flicked his fingers at the brim of his hat and left with those words hanging heavily in the air.
Not wanting to leave Aspen alone for too long after the emotional upheaval Hill had put her through, I went back into the house. I checked all the windows and doors on my way. After I did my nightly walk-through, I eventually found Aspen in the kitchen topping off her glass of wine. When she caught me looking accusingly at the bottle, she lifted a shoulder and let it fall carelessly.
“I had a couple of visitors today. Your son scared the hell out of me, and your sister stopped by with dinner and the wine. She told me to wait until I was off the painkillers to drink it, but then she winked. I’m pretty sure she’s angling to be my first bad influence. I really need to get a phone so people can get ahold of me. Being cut off from the entire world isn’t working for me.” She was trying to sound blasé and unaffected, but I could see she was raw and on edge from the meeting with Hill.
Justified Page 13
