And yet, he had the sense she was holding back. Was she burdened with misplaced loyalty to an old friend or manipulating him? She knew both Rory and Sara had tried to commit suicide and the reasons behind the attempts. She wouldn’t be the first killer who’d pretended to help police.

He found his way back upstairs to Winchester’s office. On the phone, Winchester nodded for Bragg to enter as he scribbled details on a pad.

Plagued by restlessness, Bragg remained standing and did his best not to pace. His mind returned to his conversation with Greer and began to analyze it as if it had been a crime scene. He hated thinking of her as a killer, not only for Mitch’s sake, but his own.

When Winchester hung up, he rose, stretching the tight muscles of his back. “What do you have?”

Bragg never chatted idly and only stopped by to discuss business. “Just had a visit from Greer Templeton.”

“Really? Why’d she come into town?”

“She read about the woman that froze to death in the paper. She knew the woman. The victim, Rory, and Greer were all in the same camp for troubled teens.”

Winchester set his jaw. “Sara Wentworth’s parents said she never had any emotional problems.”

Awry smile lifted the edge of Bragg’s mouth. “They wouldn’t be the first people to lie to a Ranger.”

Winchester rested his hands on his hips. “They strike me as folks who put a lot of stock in appearance. A troubled daughter wouldn’t have done much for them in their social circles.”

Bragg rubbed the back of his neck with his hand. He thought about his own reluctance to take Mitch to counseling because he’d worried for the boy’s reputation. If Mitch had killed himself, would he have kept the boy’s past hidden out of loyalty? “They’ll have lawyered up by now. It’ll be tough getting any more information out of them.”

“I feel for them, but if they’re lying I don’t mind squeezing.”

“Neither do I. But they’ve been hiding secrets for over a decade. They’re not likely to give ’em up easily.”

“Even to catch their daughter’s killer?”

“Maybe they’re worried that it was suicide. That she killed Rory and then herself.”

“So did Greer have anything more to say?” Winchester asked.

He summoned images of Greer’s face as she’d met his gaze and told her story. Regardless of her motives, she had backbone. Not many men faced him as she’d done today. “Greer said Sara, who called herself Joan at camp, had a crush on Rory at the camp.”

“You believe her?”

He really wanted to believe Greer. And that insight surprised and concerned him. “At this point no reason not to believe her.”

Winchester arched a brow. “Mighty convenient Greer connected two dots for us so neatly.”

“Could it be as simple as Sara killing Rory and then herself?”

“Sometimes the answer is simple and easy. Sometimes a case comes together. But it’s not happened often enough for me to expect it or trust it.”

“Meaning?” Bragg challenged.

“Greer’s making a play to reenter the world. She’s made a big financial bet with her vineyard, and she knows any bad press would endanger that.”

Bragg, the man, didn’t like Winchester’s thinking. Bragg, the Ranger, recognized the logic. “Greer had all her dirt dragged through the media a dozen years ago.”

“A dozen years is a long time and folks tend to like second-chance stories. I think the time lapse would be enough for folks to be more accepting. But if there is more dirt . . .”

“Like what?”

“Hell if I know. I want to believe Greer but right now I trust her about as far as I can throw her.”

A half smile tugged the edge of Bragg’s mouth. “Guess we’ll see. In the meantime, I’ve a warrant to search Sara’s house.”

“Let’s do it.”

Minutes later the Rangers were in Bragg’s car driving toward the west end of town where lush trees lined rich green grass-covered lawns. It took money to keep landscaping alive and connections to get around water restrictions.

As it turned out Sara Wentworth lived about a mile from her parents’ place in a small, gated community. The homes weren’t as large as the estates in her parents’ area, but they were some kind of pricey. He could work a lifetime and not be able to afford this kind of neighborhood.

He’d never aspired to live in this world. There was something to be said for living simple and remaining flexible. He’d never worried or thought about roots. Until now. It could have been Mitch’s arrival, but he suspected it had more to do with Greer. She’d stirred feelings in him. He didn’t know if those feelings would settle, but he half hoped they’d keep churning.

They walked up to the large front door and found it locked. He glanced next door and spotted an older woman out on her front porch. She held a watering can but was more interested in the Rangers than her plants.

Bragg and Winchester made their way toward the gray-haired woman, who wore a pink sleeveless blouse, long black shorts, and a pink-and-black belt with matching shiny flats.

Touching the brim of his hat, Bragg reached for the star badge clipped to his belt. “My name is Ranger Bragg, ma’am, and this is Ranger Winchester. Was wondering if we could ask you a couple of questions, Mrs. . . . ?”

“Mrs. Vivian Thomas.” She set down her watering can and removed pristine gardening gloves. “I heard the news about Sara. Her mother was here this morning clearing out boxes. She was beside herself, poor woman.”

Frustration knifed Bragg. If the Wentworths had already been here, then they’d come right after his morning visit. “You know what was in those boxes?”

“She said it was clothes for the funeral. Sara’s mother is always controlled and an expert planner so I wasn’t surprised by her visit.”

“But the visit stuck in your mind for another reason?”

“Some of the boxes didn’t have clothes in them but papers. And they also took her laptop computer.”

“You know what kind of papers?”

“I asked but she pretended she didn’t hear. I wanted to press, but it didn’t seem right, considering.”

“Don’t suppose you have a spare key to Sara’s house, do you?” Bragg asked.

“I do. I would water her plants for her when she traveled, and she took care of mine when I was gone. We single girls have to stick together.” Her head tilted. “You have a warrant?”

Bragg reached in his back pocket and pulled out the order signed by the judge. “I do, as a matter of fact.”

She took the paper and read it carefully before handing it back. “If I don’t give you the spare key, how will you get into the house?”

“We’ll find a way.” Bragg smiled but suspected it didn’t look friendly.

“Rangers are resourceful,” Winchester added.

She considered the two. “You’re not going to break anything or tear things up while you search, are you?”

“We always do our best not to.”

Frowning, she considered them before nodding. “Wait a minute while I get the key.” She closed her front door and left them to wait on the front porch for a minute before she returned with a key hooked to a key chain with a tennis ball on the end. “This will get you in the front door.”

Bragg took the key. “Appreciate the help, Mrs. Thomas.”

“Least I can do. I’ve never known anyone to die like she did. Terrible. She had a lot to live for.”

Winchester nodded. “Did she ever give you a reason to suspect she’d want to end her life?”

“She was always smiling when I saw her. And she liked to date around. A lot. Until she met her fiancé a few months ago. A whirlwind relationship, but they were happy.”

“Any of those dates ever cause her trouble?” Bragg asked.

“Not that I saw. But it was hard to keep up. Different one or two each week until that Fenton boy. That’s her fiancé. He’s a lawyer.”

“How’d they get along?” Winchester asked.

“He’s polite. Helped me move a planter once, and he was always opening the door for Sara.”