“Am I a suspect?” His voice tight and controlled, Billy glared at Coop. “Is that what this is about?”
Coop waited.
“Dammit, Coop.” Bill swatted the air, and huffed out a breath. “You’ve known me all my life. How could you even think I’d be involved in shit like that?”
“What time, Bill?”
The strained silence lingered as Coop watched his friend struggle for control.
He sagged a little in his chair, then stared at a spot over Coop’s right shoulder. “I don’t know. Eleven or so. Didn’t check the time.”
“Were you alone?”
Bill’s face flushed a deep red, and he looked away.
“Who was she, Bill?”
Coop thought for a moment he wouldn’t answer and mentally geared up to push harder.
“Ruby,” he snapped at last. “I left with Ruby.”
Coop thought he hid his surprise well. Ruby was grown and free to make her own decisions, good, bad and otherwise. But, hook up with Billy Ray Thomas—the king of one-night-stands? No way did he expect that. He pushed personal feelings aside, and slid the other photo across the table. “How about this woman?”
Billy’s eyes narrowed, and his jaw tightened before he snatched the photo off the desk. He glanced at it and shook his head. “I don’t know. Something about the hair. I might have seen her before.” He tossed the photo back onto the desk. “Anything else, Sheriff Delaney?”
Coop steeled himself against the raw hurt emanating from Billy’s hoarse voice. “That’s all for now.”
Silent, Billy stood in front of Coop’s desk, hands on his hips, feet spread apart, face scrunched up in a heavy scowl. His mouth opened, then closed before he whirled around and stomped out.
Coop watched his best friend leave knowing he had shoved a huge wedge between them. But he had no choice. He had to find out who killed two innocent women. If it cost him Bill’s friendship…well, he hoped it wouldn’t come to that. But at the same time, he couldn’t help but wonder why he had not come forward on his own. And did he have something to hide?
Coop rubbed the back of his neck, unable to ignore the instinct shouting Billy didn’t give him the whole story. He pushed aside the worrying thought and stared at the phone on his desk, debating a call to Ruby versus in person to verify Bill’s story. He gave a disgusted sigh and pushed up from his chair. It had to be in person. If he went now, he might have it over with before the lunch rush started.
Shit. Why did it have to be her?
Ten minutes later, he stared out the window of Ruby’s tiny office waiting for her to return from the bank. The door opened, and she hurried in, a smile of welcome on her face.
“Hey, Coop. Two visits in one day. How did I get so lucky?”
He removed his hat and laid it on the desk. “I’ll try and make this quick. I know you get pretty busy about this time.”
She sat in the chair behind the desk and faced him. “My goodness. That scowl is serious. What’s up?”
Warmth flooded his cheeks as he sank into an ancient straight-backed chair. “This is hard for me to ask, Ruby, but I have to.”
Eyes guarded, she remained silent.
“Were you at Teddy’s last Sunday night?”
She twitched, and drew in a deep breath. “Obviously you know I was or you wouldn’t ask. But, if you need it official, then, yes, I was there. Marla convinced me I needed some adult time.”
“What time did you leave?”
One shoulder rose, then fell. “Around eleven.”
Muscles flexed in his jaw as he considered the next question, unable to avoid embarrassing his friend. “Alone?”
She gasped, and looked down, bright spots of red on each cheek. “Again, you know the answer or you wouldn’t ask.”
“Did you leave Teddy’s alone Sunday night?”
“…No.”
“Who did you leave with?”
Her head snapped up so fast a hair clip came undone and fell to the floor. She ignored it. Voice laced with humiliation and indignation, she stared him down. “So, just because you don’t think I’m worthy of your attention, you think every man will feel the same way.”
“That’s not –”
Arms folded across her chest, her voice shook. “Then what is it?”
He heaved a heavy sigh. “A woman was murdered, Ruby, and I have a job to do.”
She gaped at him. “You think I had something to do with that?”
“Of course not. I just need to know who you left with….and what time you parted ways.”
She clasped her hands on top of the desk so tightly, the knuckles turned white. “Fine,” she snapped. “I left with Billy Ray. We went back to my place.”
