“Asher liked you. More than a little, I think.” Lana smiled at Sadie. Didn’t seem to notice that Sadie looked like hell, wearing the same clothes she’d had on yesterday and without a shower. Or that she didn’t trust her one little bit. Or like her, for that matter.

“He was a good guy.” Sadie took a deep breath, ignored the desire for a drink of something stronger than beer. She wasn’t going there ever again. Instead, she sucked on her smoke.

“He trusted you.”

Sadie was relatively certain that was correct. He might not have shared everything with her, but Asher had his reasons.

“I want the person responsible for his death to be brought to justice, and I’m terrified that isn’t going to happen.”

Sadie didn’t bother telling her that if his death involved the Osorio cartel, then the person responsible—Carlos Osorio himself—might already be going down. Then again, maybe she was wrong. Maybe this woman was the one who’d given the order. Or soon-to-be ex-mayor Warren? Maybe it was McGill, though Sadie highly doubted that one.

“Asher believed what I had suspected for years,” Lana went on when Sadie said nothing. “His father and Naomi are involved. An affair, I think. But Asher wouldn’t tell me if he’d confirmed as much since moving to Birmingham. I didn’t want the idea to consume his life as it has mine, but I’m convinced he knew far more than he was telling me.”

Whoa. Okay. The lady had Sadie’s attention now. “He never mentioned anything about this to me. He didn’t talk about his father often, and, for the record, he was really close to his aunt.”

“He didn’t want to believe she would betray me,” Lana admitted, “but I’m certain of it. Either way, I fear Asher was determined to find the truth if for no other reason than to reassure me in the event he discovered I was wrong. I confronted Lee about my suspicions yesterday, and he walked out. I haven’t seen him since. I’ve driven by Naomi’s, but his car isn’t there. He isn’t answering his cell. God only knows where he is. Maybe he went back to Boston, but no one at his office or the house has seen him.”

Her voice sounded so weary, so sad.

Maybe she was telling the truth. Maybe her husband was involved with someone else. But it couldn’t be Naomi.

“There were things Asher didn’t tell me. I guess this was one of them.” Sadie had been aware he’d kept certain things from her. She just hadn’t expected it to be so personal. This lady wasn’t sharing everything either. Sadie recognized the tactic. She didn’t meet Sadie’s eyes for more than a moment. She kept her points vague rather than going into detail. But then, who did share everything? It was a self-defense mechanism. Survival instinct.

“I think,” Lana ventured, “Asher believed his father was involved in something more than simply an affair with my estranged sister.” She dared to meet Sadie’s gaze. “I could be wrong, and God, I hope I am, but this was the impression Asher gave me. He would never say as much, but I knew my son, Sadie. I believe he had found more. Far more. If this is true, I don’t want the bastard to get away with whatever it is. I’m certain Asher is dead because he felt that way too.” Her lips trembled as she fell silent.

Her words took Sadie aback. “Are you suggesting your husband was—is involved in something illegal, and this involvement is somehow relevant to Asher’s murder?” Sadie was relatively certain she hadn’t misunderstood.

“Whatever my husband is doing, I know in my heart he is the reason Asher is dead.”

Sadie thought about the way the woman had looked when her husband had stood next to the mayor, offering that big reward. Did she have an actual reason for hating her husband so much? Would Asher’s father really kill his own son? Or was the mother trying to play Sadie?

Sadie had a few questions. Now was as good a time as any to ask them, particularly if the woman wanted something from her. “Why have you been coming to Birmingham for a day or two once a month for more than a year?”

Lana was the one who looked taken aback now.

“If you expect me to be up front with you, you need to be up front with me,” Sadie warned.

Lana nodded. “Fair enough. In January of last year I discovered my husband had been coming to Birmingham in his private jet each month for ages.” She smiled at the subtle lift in Sadie’s eyebrows. “Yes, he has one of those. He thinks I don’t know, but I do. I couldn’t imagine why he would come to Alabama. He never had anything good to say about it when the subject came up, especially after Asher accepted the position here.”

“You suspected he was coming to see Naomi.” The idea was totally ridiculous. Naomi hated the guy.

“I believe so. I tried to catch them, but I wasn’t successful, so I hired a private investigator. You must have known him, Pauley Winters. He died about this time last year. His office was here.” She gestured to the loft above them. “He was a truly nice man.”

Sadie couldn’t respond immediately. Pauley had worked for this lady? For Asher’s mother? Why were there no notes in his files? Why hadn’t Sadie known?

“The last time I heard from Mr. Winters,” Lana went on, “he left a message on my cell phone, saying we needed to talk. This was the same day he died. I believe my husband had something to do with his death.”

Sadie snapped out of the shock. She shook her head. “Pauley died of a heart attack.”

“You did know him.”

“Yeah . . . he was . . . yes.”

“Then you know he was the best.”

Sadie did know. She also knew that he’d died of a heart attack . . . and that he hadn’t told her about or left any files related to a Lana Walsh case.

Focus, Sadie. She cleared her throat. “You have to understand, Mrs. Walsh, whatever your husband has been doing, I consider Naomi a friend. I can’t see her doing this.”

Okay, so maybe that wasn’t entirely true. Naomi might engage in an affair with her sister’s husband just to get even. But Sadie wasn’t ready to go there.

Lana pursed her lips and gave a single nod. “I understand.” She seemed to consider for a moment what she would say next. “I would ask that you do something—not for me, but for Asher.”

Still reeling with the bombshell that Pauley may have been working with this woman, Sadie managed an “All right.”