Forged (Gail McCarthy Mystery) by Laura Crum

Roey and Freckles behind us.
    I stopped to admire the climbing tea rose, Madame Alfred Carriere, festooning the grape stake fence that ringed my vegetable garden. Holding a blossom in one hand, I inhaled the sweet scent as I studied the color-cream flushed with mother-of-pearl; glowing yet pristine warmth.
    Looking back over my shoulder, I found I could no longer see the offensive yellow tape; the barn, shaded by the western ridge, was dark, even as the rose shone in the last, long, golden light.
    "It's hard to imagine a child murdering his or her father for money," I said, more or less to myself.
    "But you're wondering," Blue said.
    "Yeah, I'm wondering. Those kids seemed somehow off to me. And Lee's attitude-it was a little strange, too. But it's hard to picture any of these people driving up my driveway and shooting Dominic in the belly with his own gun."
    "How would they have known he was here?" Blue asked.
    "That's a good question. He would have to have told them. Of course, Barbara could just look at his schedule."
    "There you go."
    I could hear the phone ringing as we neared the house. "I'd better answer it," I told Blue. "I'm on call this week."
    Sure enough, the call was for me. "A Barbara King has a colicked horse," the answering service operator reported.
    "I'll be right there," I answered, and put the phone slowly back in its cradle.
    "That's odd," I told Blue. "Really odd. We were just talking about Barbara and now I get a call from her. It gives me a funny feeling. But I'd better go."
    "Gail, if you think there's anything wrong, let me go with you."
    I shook my head. "What could be wrong? She could hardly call me out to her place to murder me. A little too obvious, don't you think? Don't worry, I'll be fine. If you want to do me a favor, just fix up some dinner I can have when I get home. Anything. Sandwiches would be fine."
    "Will do." Blue kissed me briefly on the lips. "Be careful."
    "I will," I said, and then it was back in the truck.
    Barbara King lived only a few miles and a couple of ridges away from my home in the hills behind the little town of Corralitos. I drove to her place with my mind turning as busily as the wheels of my truck. Barbara was, as Blue had said, the most obvious suspect. Had she finally decided she'd just had enough of Dominic?
    I'm not sure what I expected, but Barbara King, when I greeted her, was a shock. For one thing, she wasn't out at her barn waiting for me. Lights were on in the house, though, and Barbara answered my knock.
    "Gail, come in," she said heavily.
    I stared at her in consternation. Tall and slim, Barbara could not exactly be called a pretty woman; her face was a little too masculine for that. Still, with her high cheekbones, big eyes, and wide mouth, she was attractive enough at first glance, despite an overly strong, square jaw and a heavy brow line. The severely bobbed, frosted hair didn't make her appear any more feminine, nor did her rather mannish way of striding along. Nonetheless, Barbara normally had a certain well-turned-out appeal.
    Not tonight. Tonight she looked an absolute wreck, her face lined and ashen, her clothes crumpled, her hair lank and greasy. Obvious tear marks streaked her cheeks and her eyes were red. I had never seen anyone who appeared more devastated.
    "I had to see you, Gail," she said.
    "You mean you don't have a colic?"
    "No, that was a lie."
    It was hard to muster up any anger, confronted with her ravaged face. "What can I do for you?" I asked quietly, though I thought I already knew.
    Barbara lit a cigarette with shaking hands. "You were with Dominic before he died," she said, seeming barely able to pronounce his name. "That detective said that Dominic spoke to you."
    "That's right," I said gently. "He did."
    "What did he say?"
    I watched Barbara closely but could see no sign of anything but natural curiosity. "That the gun went off when he was cleaning it. That it was an accident."
    Tears welled up in Barbara's eyes and ran down her