Macy picked up her glass of water and sipped. “Too bad they didn’t have a system like that in place when my mother was killed.”
Nick caught the bitterness in her voice and understood it completely. Compassion surged through him for this woman who had lost so much. “Things are different today, I guess. More people, more crime. But the police were convinced they had the killer. There was evidence to back up that decision.”
Macy gave him a stern look, as if daring him to dispute her words. “The police were wrong. My father wasn’t a killer. He was a good, decent man who was sent to prison for a crime he didn’t commit. And he died there.”
Nick stared at her, caught by the conviction in her voice. So that was what she believed. Maybe Sam was right. Her coming could stir up trouble they might not be able to control. Start talk like that and people would line up taking sides.
“Do you have any proof of what you’re saying?”
“No, but I’m going to find it, even if I have to turn this town on its ear.”
Judging from the green fire burning in her eyes, he figured she just might do that. According to Sam, passions still ran high over what had happened back then, but most of what he’d heard had been about the election. A woman had been killed. Surely that should have been everyone’s first concern. Had the murder of Megan Douglas gotten lost in the uproar over a failed election? Some people seemed to lose what little sense they had when it came to politics.
Nick glanced at his watch, hating to end this conversation, but they had to go.
“Are you through? If you are, we need to leave. It’s almost time for you to meet with Sam.”
He dropped some bills on the table, enough to pay for breakfast and provide a tip, and followed her outside. “I’ll lead the way. It’s just a short distance from here.”
Macy didn’t look happy, but she nodded and got in her car, and he did the same.
He wasn’t sure what Sam had in mind, but whatever it was, he intended to keep an eye on Macy Douglas. Judging from the mood she was in, there was no telling what kind of trouble she might stir up.
Nick parked in front of the police station and waited for Macy to join him. Their conversation in the restaurant had been puzzling. He guessed it was normal for her to hope her father wasn’t guilty, but she had sounded so sure. Did she have evidence of some kind that led her to believe in his innocence? If she did, where had she found it, and why had it surfaced after all these years?
They entered the building, and Nick led her into the police chief’s office and at Sam’s instruction, took a chair against the wall.
Macy sat down across the desk from Sam, looking a little intimidated. Most people felt nervous at being summoned to a police station, whether or not they had done anything wrong. And here he was sitting behind her, as if he was blocking her from leaving. He guessed he could understand how she felt.
Sam leaned forward, resting his arms on the desktop. Medium height, carrying about ten pounds more than he needed, and his hair thinning on top, he didn’t look as intimidating as he had last night. Nick hoped that would help Macy relax.
The police chief eyed her intently. “You had a rough welcome to Walnut Grove. I hope it goes better from here on out.”
“Thank you.”
He waited, staring at her as if he wanted more. “How long are you planning to stay?”
Nick had a hunch she probably didn’t want to answer Sam’s question.
“I’m not sure. I haven’t talked to my grandmother’s lawyer yet, and I haven’t had a chance to inspect the house. Depending on what I learn, I might be here for an extended visit.”
Sam nodded, his expression and tone of voice sending a clear message that he wasn’t happy with her answer, or with her presence in Walnut Grove. “What do you know about your mother’s death?”
Macy looked like she didn’t want to answer that, either, and Nick wanted to jump in and ask a few questions of his own, but this was Sam’s show, so he made an effort to keep quiet.
After taking a deep breath, she said, “Just that she was murdered in that house. I was very young and my grandmother Douglas never talked about it, but she was convinced my father was innocent.”
Sam pressed his lips together as if she had just confirmed what he suspected. When he spoke, his voice was stern, almost condemning. “This is a quiet little place. Oh, we have crime, but nothing like murder, as a general rule. What happened hurt the town and I’d hate to see it all stirred up again.”
Macy bristled as if she was getting a little of her spunk back. “I believe it hurt my family more than it hurt the town. And if stirring things up again—as you put it—can clear my father’s name and bring my mother’s killer to justice, then that’s the way it has to be.”
“Your parents are both dead. Nothing you can do now will help them. But ripping this town apart over something that happened years ago can do a lot of damage. I won’t allow that to happen.”
She stood, apparently ready to leave whether he liked it or not. “I have no intention of damaging anything or anyone, but I will do everything in my power to find out what happened to my family and who was responsible. I’ll be living in my grandmother’s house until I learn the truth.”
Sam shoved his chair back and got to his feet. “You may be putting yourself in danger. Have you thought of that?”
“Of course I’ve thought about it, and since you’ve made it clear I can’t expect any help from the police, it looks like I’m on my own.”
She gripped the back of the chair. “Let me ask you something. You say someone is trying to break into my grandmother’s house. What do you think they hope to find? And what do you plan to do about it?”
She whirled and stalked out before he could answer, not even glancing at Nick to see how he took her confrontation with his boss.
He watched Macy stride from the room before glancing across the desk at Sam. “What was that all about?”
Sam shrugged. “That woman is trouble. The sooner she leaves town, the better.”
“If she owns a house in Walnut Grove, I’d say she has a right to be here.”
“She’s up to something and I don’t want this department mixed up in it. You stay away from everything connected to Macy Douglas if you know what’s good for you.”
He walked out of the office, leaving Nick to stare after him. He had to be kidding.
First Sam hinted the police might have been involved in something dirty back when Megan Douglas was murdered. Then he ordered him to just drop it, stay away from the woman who was stirring things up? Regardless of how Sam felt, Nick would keep an eye on Macy Douglas. Someone had to, and it looked like it was up to him.
Macy drove to the motel, paid her bill and loaded her suitcase in the car. The meeting with the attorney had just been more of the same behavior she’d experienced from Sam Halston—she needed to sell the house and leave town.
She’d learned a couple of things, though. Her grandmother hadn’t left her the house. Her parents had left it to her. Opal Lassiter moved into the house where her daughter had died when her own husband, distraught over Megan’s death, committed suicide and left her bankrupt. Apparently she’d done well because she’d left Macy a good-size sum of money. Something she could definitely use. According to the attorney Opal had worked in the bank, she’d moved up to a good position and she had been thrifty. She’d also been a quiet woman, keeping to herself a lot of the time. Church and friends had been