Part 4 (1/2)
”Its a surprise for Maggie,” Mom said, looking proud. ”It was Bobbys suggestion, something to lift her spirits.”
”Good idea,” I said, thinking Mom looked cute when shes smitten.
”Ive got a full day at the office tomorrow,” Bobby said, explaining that his family business, Barker Oil, was getting into a bidding war over an oil company that had just recently gone up for sale. ”The company president died suddenly. I figured if your mom and I were going to do this for Maggie, we needed to do it tonight.”
”Well, it looks great. See you two at the house.” That said, I drove up the driveway, parked the Tahoe, and got out. Then I decided to walk back to the gate for a little talk.
”Which oil company?” I asked Bobby, who was bending over, picking up the remains of the packing materials from the lights.
”What?” he said, looking at me over his shoulder.
”Which company are you bidding on?” I asked. ”Is it Century Oil?”
”How did you know that?” he asked, standing beside me. He looked uneasy, as if called on something he found distasteful. ”I hated to pick it up like this, but with the whole place in chaos after Billie c.o.x went and shot herself, the two old guys who own it are selling, and companies are lining up to put in a bid. Oil as high as it is right now, its a no-brainer. But how did you know?”
Ignoring his question, I asked, ”Did you know c.o.x?”
”Sure,” he said. ”Great gal. Lots of fun, and a great businesswoman. I thought the world of Billie. Cant understand why shed do anything so blatantly stupid. Just not like her. That gal, why she was smart as a whip.”
”Whens the last time you saw her?”
”A couple of weeks ago,” he said. ”We were getting ready to do a deal together, buy up an old field in East Texas and co-develop it. Combining our a.s.sets made it easier. Now, Im looking at buying the field alone, for Barker Oil. Its a good investment. Theyre widow wells, abandoned decades ago because it was too expensive to get to the oil. But we figured with prices so high and new technology, we could cash in, big time.”
”Thats interesting, and Id love to hear about it sometime, maybe the same day we discuss the loan I need to take out to fill up my gas tank?” I interrupted.
”You know, finding more oil isnt a bad thing, Sarah,” Bobby said, patiently. ”More supply brings down prices, not raises them.”
He, of course, had a point.
”We can argue about oil prices later,” I offered. ”But for now just tell me what youre hearing from folks in the oil patch. Whatre folks in the business saying about c.o.xs death?”
Mom moved forward, as interested as I was in hearing what Bobby had to say. He looked at both of us and a small smile inched across his face. ”You know,” he said, with a chuckle, ”Ive been hoping to find a way to get this kind of attention from you two women. Didnt know all I had to do was spread a little gossip.”
”Dont think of it as gossip. I have reasons for wanting to know,” I told him. ”What are you hearing?”
”Most folks dont think she did it, Sarah-killed herself, I mean,” he said. ”She was a gung-ho kind of gal, Billie was, but not the kind to do anything rash. Billie was young and aggressive. Under her, Century pulled together one h.e.l.l of a portfolio, one of the best in the industry for a medium-size company. With its share of this field we were buying, the company would have been the envy of nearly every privately owned oil company in Texas.”
”Folks who arent questioning why she did it,” I said. ”What are they saying?”
Bobby sucked in a breath. It was obvious hed prefer not to talk about those rumors. My moms suitor was more the strong, quiet kind of man, one who offered a steady hand without a lot of fanfare. Id grown to believe that was what Mom saw in him, the same quality Id always recognized in her, someone there for the long haul, no matter what.
”Well, there are folks who say someone broke Billies heart,” he said. ”And there are others, a few, who, the way I hear it, are spreading rumors that shed been seeing a therapist, maybe because she was having a hard time splitting off from the guy. The way folks tell it, Billie had an affair of the heart that went wrong, because the man she was after was married.”
Mom scowled, and I figured talk of an adulterous relations.h.i.+p had crossed the line for her. Shed never been one to approve of what she called ”such shenanigans.” Of course, she didnt know the reason for my questions, and, at least at this juncture, I preferred that no one, not even Bobby and Mom, know that I was looking into Billie c.o.xs suicide as a possible murder. If the news broke, it would only add fodder to the swirl of gossip around her death.
Appearing intent on changing the subject, Mom said, ”Lets light this gate up and see how she looks.”
Figuring I had enough information for the time being, I didnt object. ”Good idea, Mom,” I said. ”It looks like I got here just in time for the grand unveiling.”
With that, Mom bent down and plugged the cord into an outlet under the coach light on the post next to the gate. The lights flared, covering the arch over the gate like a bright, white rainbow, and we stood there for just a moment enjoying the view. ”Beautiful,” I said. ”Just beautiful.”
”It is pretty,” Bobby agreed. ”Maybe itll help give Maggie some peace about Emma Lou.”
”You dont think the horse will make it, do you Bobby?” Mom said.
”I think the pinto will pull through, but that foal is in for one h.e.l.l of a fight,” he admitted. ”Id be willing to bring in a specialist, someone to treat the horses, if youd like, Nora?”
Mom thought about that a bit, but shook her head. ”I trust Doc Larson,” she said. ”Hes been watching over our livestock for years. And I dont want to give Maggie false hope. If the foal comes too early, no vets going to be able to keep it alive. Seeing some expert will only give the wrong impression. At least for the next few days, until the mares pregnancy hits three hundred days, that foal is in G.o.ds hands, not ours.”
”Youre right, of course,” he said, and I saw him slip his arm around Moms waist.
”Well be up at the house in a few minutes, Sarah,” Mom said, and I took that as my dismissal. As I headed toward the back door, I turned for another glimpse of the gate glowing in the night. Maggie would love it. Like the corral, the lights were another bit of heaven brought closer to earth. Mom looked happy, too. Bobby had her in his arms and they were locked into a long, slow kiss. I thought about how I missed those, and how I missed Bill, but I couldnt help but think that even with so much pain in the world, life had so much to cherish.
Inside the house, I found Maggie at the living room window, barefoot and in her nightgown, holding the blinds apart so she could see the gate. She must have expected me, because she didnt seem startled when I walked up behind her.
”Its wonderful, Mom. Dont you think so?” Maggie asked, staring out at the lights in the darkness.
”It is, Magpie,” I agreed. ”It truly is.”
In the kitchen, I made myself a cup of Moms chamomile tea, and then decided on one last phone call before I turned in for the night.
”Was your sister having an affair?” I asked Faith Roberts.
”No, at least not lately,” she said. ”I thought awhile back there was someone, but I was never sure. For a time she seemed busier than usual, and I didnt hear from her like I typically do. She never told me about any particular man, although we usually shared everything in our lives. That stopped before her death, maybe a couple of weeks. I saw more of her, and things got back to normal. But even if Billie had an affair, she didnt kill herself over it.”
”How do you know that?” I asked.
”Like I told you, those last weeks, Id never seen Billie look happier,” she said.
”One last question,” I said. ”Was your sister seeing a therapist?”
The phone went quiet. ”Well, I guess I should have told you about that,” Faith said, finally. ”But its not what you think. Shes not the usual kind of therapist. It wasnt because Billie was depressed.”
”What kind was she seeing?”
Again, silence.
”Faith, I cant help if youre not honest with me.”
She must have considered that and decided I was right. ”My sister and I shared a belief in the supernatural. Perhaps thats why Im so certain shes communicating with me,” Faith said. ”The therapist she saw deals primarily in hypnosis and past lives.”
”You want to say that again?” I asked.