Page 5 of Hell Hath No Fury

“He kept a close count of every cent. I doubt very much you’ll find anything.”

“You may be right about the coins. But—” Fran reached into her slicker’s pocket and came up with a rusty hoof pick. “I found this. Yours, I gather.”

The artifact from her younger years crushed her heart. Her entire life had once revolved around this place. Parents. A sister. Horses. A home. Now it was all gone, and the sight of a mere grooming tool nearly dropped her to her knees.

Matthias must’ve sensed it. He put a steadying arm around her waist. “When you last saw Eric,” he said to Fran, “did he happen to mention plans to leave town?”

“No.” She returned the hoof pick to her pocket.

Emma noted that Fran did not offer to give it back to its rightful owner but decided against mentioning it.

“Why?” Fran asked Matthias.

He didn’t reply. Instead, he asked, “Have you seen Emma’s sister around?”

“Nell?” Fran’s gaze flitted to Emma and back to Matthias. “Not in years.”

Emma didn’t have to wonder if Fran knew about Nell’s drug problems. Her suddenly hushed tone spoke volumes.

“How is she?” Fran whispered.

Again, Matthias dodged the question by asking his own. “How well do you know this Sonny Jones?”

Fran studied Matthias, and her gaze narrowed. “I have to say, you sound like a cop.”

He gave her an easy smile. “Do I?”

Emma covered her mouth to keep from laughing. She’d known him long enough to recognize the smile he used on suspects versus his real one. This was the former.

Fran held his gaze for a few more seconds before speaking. “I went to school with Sonny. Just like Emma did. From kindergarten through senior high.” Before risking further interrogation, Fran faced Emma with a wide grin. “It’s been great seeing you, but I should be getting home.”

Emma took the hint and moved clear of the car. Matthias extended an open palm toward Fran. She eyed it and started to reach toward it, to shake hands.

“I’ll take that hoof pick,” he said, his voice a low rumble, “and anything else you picked up on Emma’s property.”

“But—”

“She didn’t give you permission to be here.”

Emma considered stopping him. Eric had been acting on her behalf where the farm was concerned since last winter, after all. But she remained silent. If Fran had only found junk, Emma would return it to her.Aftershe inspected what was in Fran’s pockets.

Fran’s cheeks blazed. She dug her hands into her slicker and retrieved a fistful of small objects, which she reluctantly deposited onto Matthias’s palm, including the rusty hoof pick. He didn’t move, waiting.

“That’s all there is,” she said, squeaking. “Honest.”

He turned to Emma and dropped the items into her cupped hands.

She was aware that Fran was watching her, fists clenched. Besides the hoof pick, there was an old belt buckle, a plain silver ring, a horseshoe nail, and a skeleton key, possibly from one of the farmhouse’s doors.

Fran appeared ready to snatch her treasures from Emma’s hand, so Emma closed her fingers around them and lowered both arms to her sides.

Disgruntled, Fran turned to Matthias. “Can I go now?”

“Absolutely.” His bogus smile was back. “I’ll move my Jeep out of your way.”

She didn’t give him a chance to change his mind. With a quick nod at Emma, Fran jumped into her car. Instead of backing out or attempting a U-turn, she drove toward the barn where there was more space to turn without the risk of getting stuck in wet grass.

Once they were inside the Jeep, Emma deposited the metal detector finds on the floor and gestured for Matthias to follow the car. “I want to take a look inside the barn. See if the roof is still intact.”