Hunter. He simply has bad timing.”
I waited.
“This is none of your business.” He threw his hands in the air. “I’m only telling you this to get you to shut up. You’re giving me a headache. Do you know who you learned that from? Your mother.”
He was trying to derail me, but I had no intention of letting that happen. “Tell me what happened between you and Roy.”
He let loose a sigh, the sound long and drawn out. It was almost as if he was being tortured. “So, it’s not a big deal, but ... well ... Roy cheated on his wife.”
I waited for him to continue. When he didn’t, I hiked an eyebrow. “You’re kidding. I never would’ve guessed.”
“Nobody needs the sarcasm, young lady,” he shot back.
“How do you know that was sarcastic?” I challenged. “I might be in the dark regarding Roy’s penchant for cheating on his wife.”
“Nobody is in the dark regarding Roy’s crap. That’s simply not how it works. He liked being brash and bold because he thought people would respect him if he acted like a buffoon. He didn’t realize how much people hated him. Or, maybe he did. It’s possible he acted that way because he was desperate for attention. Some people need the attention no matter what, and Roy was always one of those people.”
“You still haven’t told me what he did,” I pointed out.
Grandpa’s scowl only grew more pronounced. “There was this girl. Tina Thompkins. She was in your grade when you graduated from high school.”
Now it was my turn to frown. “I remember her.”
“Yeah? Well, she went to work for Roy about three years ago. She worked for me before that, but she was having trouble being on her feet all day. She was a good girl. I didn’t want to see her fall by the wayside.”
I didn’t say anything, instead allowing the space between sentences to fill with silence. I had the feeling I was about to learn something terrible.
“I suggested she work for Roy as a secretary,” Grandpa continued, refusing to meet my gaze. “He already had one secretary, but he was making noise about needing another. I suggested Tina and he agreed to hire her.
“At first it seemed like a good fit,” he continued. “Tina was happy and not having the same physical problems she had at the restaurant. I didn’t think much of it until I ran into Tina at the store in Gaylord one day. She was crying and we got to talking and ... well ... she mentioned she’d lost her job.”
The feeling of dread grew, but I remained silent.
“I asked her what happened and it all came spilling out.” Grandpa’s expression turned dark. “She said Roy pressured her for sex if she wanted to keep her job. She didn’t have any other options so she gave in. Then, after all that, Vera became suspicious, so he fired her anyway.”
I thought back to the story Bobby had told while drunk at the party. “She’s the reason Vera was talking to a divorce attorney. Roy was paying her off, draining the retirement fund he’d set up with Vera. There had to be a reason. Did she threaten to sue?”
Grandpa’s face was blank. “I don’t know. I didn’t even know Roy was paying her off. That’s not the way Tina made it sound.”
“I’m still confused about why you were hiding from Hunter,” I said. “Helping a young woman get a job is not illegal.”
“No, but I figured if I talked to him I would let it slip that Tina had a motive to kill Roy. I didn’t want to make things worse for her. We both know I can’t keep my mouth shut, no matter how hard I try.”
That was the truth ... and it kind of made sense. Still, there was a hint of doubt playing through my mind. “You didn’t go out of your way to help Tina because you were doing anything with her, did you?”
Grandpa looked scandalized. “I’m a married man!”
“So was Roy. That didn’t stop him from cheating.”
“Maybe not, but I’m not Roy.”
There was something he wasn’t telling me. I knew from studying the obstinate tilt of his chin that he was done opening up. If I wanted more information, I was going to have to find it myself.
“Just out of curiosity, what did Roy say when you called him on his actions?” I asked as I grabbed the coffee pot so I could make my rounds.
“He said that his needs were more