Out of Control by Stephanie Feagan Page B

talk to his cousin, and Harley
     was looking stoic in the opposite corner, listening to Deke’s grandma regale him with
     stories about alligators. I stood alone, holding a glass of watered down Hawaiian
     Punch, when a man came to stand next to me. I glanced to my right and sucked in a
     breath. Cole Fox. He was as good looking as I remembered. “What in God’s name are
     you doing here?”
    He looked straight at me. “Paying my respects. It’s the least I can do, considering
     what my brother did.”
    The man had very big cajones . “I suppose you heard they made an arrest?”
    His expression hardened. “I heard, but I’m convinced they got the wrong man.”
    “If he’s wrong, any ideas about who is the right man?”
    “Remember I told you about those friends of Parnell’s from boarding school?” At my
     nod, he continued, “One of them was Dylan Sharpe. That day I came out to the fire,
     I had no idea he and his father were financing that well. I didn’t know they’d gotten
     into the oil business. But as soon as I found out, I started thinking about it, about
     how it’s just too coincidental.” He stepped closer. “Parnell was sick, and he needed
     help, but he wasn’t that smart. I never believed he was behind what happened at school,
     that he talked Dylan and Hakeem into going along with him, which is how Dylan explained
     it.”
    “He was an engineer. Nobody becomes an engineer who isn’t smart.”
    “Math smart, maybe, but he had no common sense.”
    “Who’s Hakeem, again?”
    “The other friend who planted the school bomb.” He waved it off. “The thing is, Parnell
     wasn’t a big picture thinker, and whoever planned that fiasco gave it a lot of thought.”
     He set his cake plate on the table behind us. “Just like whoever dreamed up the blowouts
     gave it a lot of thought.”
    “You think Dylan is responsible?”
    His handsome face was hard and angry. “I think he wants those leases in Alaska and
     he’ll do anything to get them. He kept up with Parnell all these years, knew he was
     having a hard time keeping a job and needed money. I expect it was easy to get my
     brother to go along with him, to do anything he asked.”
    “Have you told the FBI?”
    “More than once. But they have a suspect, and evidence. They’re not interested in
     Dylan.”
    “Maybe you’re wrong. Maybe A.J. really did do it.”
    “Oh, he looks guilty, all right. Dylan made sure of that.”
    “Maybe they’re in it together.”
    “No doubt A.J. is aware of the Alaskan leases and was promised a piece of the pie
     if Arroyo wins the bid.” He shook his head. “But I’ll bet he had nothing to do with
     the blowouts. Dylan set him up to take the fall and get him out of the way.”
    Robichaud had said he thought A.J. had an inside guy who was going to leak the bids.
     That had to be why he’d been allowed into Arroyo in the first place. It certainly
     wasn’t because he knew jack about the oil business. So Dylan led him along, promising
     him he’d have a percentage of the Alaskan production in return for his contact with
     whomever was auctioning the mineral rights.
    I switched my gaze from Cole’s amazingly great face and looked across the room toward
     Robichaud, who was staring at me curiously. He’d been in the mesquites looking for
     rig motor parts the day Cole came out to location, so he hadn’t seen him. He was no
     doubt wondering who he was. And why he was talking to me so intently.
    Come to think of it, I wondered the same thing. Refocusing on Cole, I asked, “Why
     are you telling me all of this?”
    His anger subsided slightly and he seemed terribly earnest. “I hoped you’d help me
     find out if I’m right about Dylan. Call it a vendetta if you want, but I can’t stand
     the idea that he’s going to get away with it again, that my brother’s dead because
     of him.”
    “How do you expect me to help?”
    “I obviously can’t get anything out of him. He knows I hate his