Chapter 30 Daisy Ann

Daisy Ann had flown back to Texas last night, and it was after midnight when she finally crawled into bed next to a sleeping Mason. She'd been relieved that he hadn't waited up—she'd been too tired to continue their argument about her renewed investigation into Amber. When she woke up, his side of the bed was empty, and she could hear the shower going. Yawning, she got out of bed and slipped on a robe. Coffee. She desperately needed coffee. On her way downstairs, she peeked into each of the boys' bedrooms and, as she suspected, they were both still fast asleep. Both dogs jumped from Tucker's bed and slipped past her through the open door.

"I guess you're ready for breakfast," she said, as they padded down the hallway. After feeding them, she made a pot of coffee and sat down at the breakfast bar with her phone. Still no voicemail or text message from Frank Winters, the man who'd taught Amber how to shoot back in Gunnison. Despite not having learned anything that proved Amber's guilt, she had learned plenty about her character or lack thereof. She was now more determined than ever to bring Amber to justice. Amber had murdered Jake in cold blood, and Daisy Ann wasn't going to rest until she had what she needed to make her pay. What was she missing? The answer had to be back in Colorado.

"Hey." Mason walked over to the counter and poured them each a cup of coffee, then came and sat next to Daisy Ann.

"Morning," she said, not missing the fact that he hadn't leaned in to kiss her. "You're still mad?" she asked.

He sighed. "I'm not mad, I'm worried. I don't want to see you get lost chasing this down again. It almost broke us before."

She reached out and squeezed his hand. "I know. And I won't let that happen again. I promise. It's just…seeing her that night in her designer duds, looking all smug and arrogant, it was like no time had gone by at all. She's a grifter. I know it, and everyone I talked to confirmed it. Amber's not even her real name. It's Lana Crump. And there's a warrant out for her arrest back in Blue Springs, Missouri."

"A warrant? What for?"

"Accused some poor boy of rape, and he went to prison. She was lying because he wouldn't marry her after she got pregnant." She filled him in on the details she'd learned from Mrs. Crump. "Her own mother turned her in. That's when she stole money from her parents and left her son with them. What kind of person does that?"

Mason's brows shot up. "That's unbelievable! Well, there you go. You can call the authorities, and they'll arrest her."

"And then what? She gets a year or two for perjury and skipping bail? No. The woman's a total sociopath, and I'm going to prove that she murdered my father. She had to slip up somehow. There has to be a witness somewhere or something the police missed. I'm going to have to go back to Gunnison again. Possibly back to Nebraska too. This Matthew, the one she sent to prison, might be able to shed some more light on things for me."

Mason's face turned red. "Have you forgotten that we have two children who need your attention? Between this thing with Amber and all your hours working, you're never here. Not to mention, me. I'd like to have my wife back. You can't keep running all over the place playing detective."

"Mason, what would you do? If someone killed one of your parents, would you just forget about it? You loved Daddy too. Come on. I tried to move on. It's fate, her coming back into my life. A reminder that I should have never let this go."

His tone softened. "Honey, I'm sorry. I know how hard this is for you, but you've exhausted every avenue. I don't want you to make yourself sick over this." He raised his brows. "There's something else I wanted to talk to you about. Wade called me."

She felt the heat rise to her face. What the hell was Wade calling Mason for? It was her business not Mason's. "What did he want?"

"He told me you put another three million into Orchid."

"It's my money, Mason, and it's none of your business."

"Back up now. What affects you is definitely my business. The stress of a struggling business on top of everything else is too much."

She was going to give Wade hell for dragging Mason into this. "It's not struggling. We're having to recover from lost sales during the pandemic and rising materials costs, but we'll be back in the black soon. People are out and about again."

"I'm just saying, maybe you take a break for a while. Slow things down."

"Do I tell you how to run your business? I have people depending on their jobs. I'm not going to start firing folks to save a buck."

Mason shrugged. "I get that, but if the business doesn't support itself…And you know what your daddy always said. Only a fool invests their own money into a business."

"Don't you dare quote my daddy to me! My daddy also cared about the folks who worked for him. Loyalty. That's what he taught me. And, not that I owe you any explanations, but I've given the company a business loan. It'll pay me back with interest. Now that's the last I want to hear about it."

He shook his head and stood up. "Fine. I have to get to work, anyhow. The boys have been looking forward to staying home from camp today to spend some time with you. You're still taking them to the Frontiers of Flight Museum, right?"

Shit. She'd forgotten. She was supposed to meet with Wade today. She'd have to cancel him. "Yeah, of course. Looking forward to it."

"Good." He drained his mug and set it down, looking at her as if he was trying to decide to speak. "You know, I can see you're under way too much pressure right now. This Amber thing has become an obsession—"

She started to object, but he kept on talking.

"You need to focus on our family. You missed Tucker's tennis match while you were gone, and he was pretty upset. I think your priorities are out of order."

"Easy now! I've been to more of his games than you can shake a stick at. How many have you gone to? Not many, I can tell you that." Her voice rose. "I can't debate with you right now. I need to get the boys up. Get breakfast for them and get on the road. Get! Go on, get out of here."

Buck ran over to Daisy Ann and put a paw on her leg, looking up with big brown eyes. He was a sensitive pooch and hated hearing raised voices. She reached down and stroked his head absentmindedly while still glaring at Mason.

Mason shook his head and marched off.

After he left, Daisy Ann sent a quick text to Wade letting him know she had to reschedule. Her thoughts full of Amber, she went upstairs to get dressed and wake the boys.

She'd had a great time with the boys at the museum, but her exhaustion was catching up to her. It was close to four and she hadn't given any thought to dinner. Rosalie was off today, and even though Daisy Ann knew she'd only have to say the word and Zena, her full-time house manager, would rustle something up, she said nothing. Zena had enough to do with the accounts and managing the rest of the staff. Oh well, pizza was always a favorite with the boys, and Mason wouldn't be home until after dinner, so it was perfect. Her phone rang and she looked at the screen. Wade. Again. She'd ignored all five of his calls when she'd been at the museum. She poked the green answer icon and spoke.

"Where in the hell do you get off talking to Mason about my business?"

"Well, hello to you too. Sorry, Daisy Ann, but I'm just looking out for you. I only did what your daddy would've done."

"You're not my daddy, and I'll thank you to remember that."

"Fine. Fine. But now that we're on the subject, I really think we ought to see what these potential investors have to say."

Her business was the last thing on her mind right now. Although she'd never admit it to him, Mason was right, her vendetta against Amber was becoming all-consuming again. "I haven't given it much thought, Wade. Can't it wait a little longer?"

"Not too much. They could lose interest. They have some great ideas for expansion. I think it could be a mighty fine deal. It could mean lots more business and could pay you back at the same time. Guy named Hugo Bennett, with Delancey-Flynn, wants to meet."

"You've vetted them?"

"Naturally."

"I'm not sure, but I guess a meeting can't hurt. Set it up."

"It may have to be virtual. He's traveling in Europe right now."

"That's fine, just schedule it."

"Will do."

The sound of a car driving up surprised her, and she walked to the living room and looked out the window. She sighed in exasperation when she saw the white Mercedes sedan. What was Birdie doing here? Taking a deep breath, Daisy Ann walked to the front door and opened it, pasting a smile on her face as her mother-in-law walked toward her.

"What a nice surprise."

Birdie gave her a peck on the cheek. "My apologies, dear, you know I'd normally never drop by unannounced, but Mason asked me to come."

Daisy Ann felt her stomach clench. "You're welcome anytime, please come in."

She started to take a few steps across the hall and Daisy Ann made a point of looking at her shoes.

Birdie stopped and sighed. "I forgot. Your generation is so germophobic." She slipped off her Emmy London pumps and placed them on the custom shoe cabinet Mason had built for the hallway.

"Thank you," Daisy Ann said.

Suddenly, Buck and Shot dashed into the entry hall, tails wagging, and ran up to Birdie. Before she could stop him, Shot jumped up, both paws on Birdie's chest.

"Shot, down," Daisy Ann commanded, but he ignored her.

Birdie laughed and ruffled his head. "All right, boy, down now." The dog immediately sat.

"I'm glad he listens to someone," Daisy Ann said, rolling her eyes.

"You have to be stern, darlin'. They have to know you mean business."

The women made their way into the kitchen.

"Can I get you some coffee or tea?"

"No, thank you. I'm not staying long. I'm sure you'll be having supper soon." Birdie sniffed the air. "Although I don't smell anything cooking."

Daisy Ann thought back to when Birdie had come to stay for a week after Tucker was born. The first thing she did every morning was plan the menu for that evening. Daisy Ann was more of a fly-by-the-seat-of-her-pants gal, and fortunately in recent years Rosalie was here five days a week and did all the cooking.

"Dinner plans got away from me, so I'm ordering pizza."

Birdie pursed her lips. "It's a good habit to decide the day before what you'll be having for dinner. Good planning is the key to running an efficient household."

That and a huge household staff,Daisy Ann wanted to say. "I'll keep that in mind," she said, fighting to keep the sarcasm from her voice. She ran a hand through her hair and sighed. "It's been a day," she said, leading Birdie to the living room where they sat together.

Birdie folded her hands in her lap. "Well, that's what I'm here to talk to you about. Mason told me that you've been traipsing all over the country trying to get evidence against that horrid woman."

Daisy Ann took a deep breath, telling herself to stay calm. Why did everyone have to stick their nose in her business? It was maddening. "Did he tell you that she came to my trunk show in New York?"

Birdie nodded. "Yes. I can't imagine how awful that must have been. But, Daisy Ann, honey, you've already looked into this, and it was fruitless. What makes you think you'll find anything now, other than heartache?"

"I've found out her real name and her background. Brenda remembered something that put me in touch with a man who gave her a new identity. Don't you see, I've actually been able to find out a lot." She filled Birdie in on everyone she'd spoken with.

"I understand you've confirmed this woman is a liar and a fraud. I agree with Mason; turn her in and let the authorities deal with her and then move on. None of this will amount to a hill of beans in regard to your poor daddy's murder."

"You don't know that." Daisy Ann's voice rose despite her attempts to stay calm. "Who knows what else I might find? I'm waiting to hear back from the man who taught her to shoot. He may know something…"

Birdie put a hand up. "Enough. You're getting all riled up. None of this will bring your daddy back, and he wouldn't want you to be consumed by this. You have a family depending on you. It's time to put this to rest once and for all."

Daisy Ann stood up. "Birdie, I love you, but respectfully, you have no right telling me what to do. My daddy should still be alive. He should be watching his grandchildren grow up. He should be coming to Sunday supper. He should be hunting and fishing and doing all the things he loved. And I will never stop until I make her pay for taking him from me." Hot tears rolled down her cheeks. "Besides, what if she does this to her next husband? I have a duty to stop her. Now, if you don't mind, I need to go and see about ordering that pizza."

After Birdie left, her phone rang and she saw Frank Winters's name on the screen. Finally, she thought. After they exchanged pleasantries, she explained the reason for her call.

"My father was Jake Crawford. You may remember, he was killed in a hunting accident?"

"Of course. Everyone knew Mr. Crawford. Terrible tragedy."

"I wanted to find out some information on Amber, his wife." She stumbled on the word. "I understand she took shooting lessons from you."

"Yes, ma'am. She was a novice, but it didn't take her too long to get comfortable with a gun."

"Did she say why she wanted to learn?"

"Just that she might want to start hunting."

"Hmm. I think she was hunting for fortune. I believe she shot my father on purpose." Daisy Ann felt the heat spread across her face as the old fury overcame her. Frank didn't respond immediately but cleared his throat then spoke.

"I'm not saying I'm the best judge of character, but she was a cold one. Very determined, very single-minded. By the time her lessons were finished, she was a good shot. I'll admit, when I heard about what happened it didn't ring true. I was very clear with her about safety protocol. She knew better than to shoot with her husband being out in front of her."

"I just wish there was some way to prove it," Daisy Ann said.

"Well, did the authorities check to see if there were any trail cams in the area?"

"Eventually they did. At the time I was too upset and didn't think to tell them, but later, I called and reminded them about the cams. Daddy was always furious about the poachers, and I know he had plenty of cameras set up. I went to the police station myself and spent hours looking through them all. Nothing."

"That's the only thing I can think of. I'm mighty sorry."

When the call ended, Daisy Ann sat thinking about her next move, trying to decide whether or not to use what she'd learned about Amber's arrest warrant and have her picked up for her crimes back in Missouri and be done with it all. It wasn't the same as a murder charge but at least it would disrupt her cushy life in Bishops Harbor. She went to her office for some peace and quiet to try to sort things out.