Page 48 of One in a Million
Jasmine breaststroked the length of the pool, feeling the chilly water glide over her skin. At this early hour, with the rising sun still low in the sky, the cold was a shock to her system. But it awakened the full alertness she would need to face the day ahead.
She’d spoken with Mariah earlier. A trooper had come by late last night, wanting to question her. Mariah had managed to convince him that Miss Jasmine had gone with friends to an overnight party in Abilene. The names of her friends and the location of the party? Mariah had no idea, she’d told him. She was only the cook.
With luck, he wouldn’t follow through. The Culhanes were a powerful family. The local lawmen knew better than to bother them without good cause, especially now, in their time of mourning.
At the pool’s far end, she dove underwater and swam back the other way holding her breath. As her muscles warmed, the water began to feel good. Lungs bursting, she kicked her strong legs, propelling herself upward until she broke the surface with a gasp.
There, standing next to the pool, was her mother. She held an open beach towel between her outstretched hands. “Come on out, dear,” she said. “I thought this might be a good time to talk.”
Whatever Madeleine wanted to discuss, Jasmine sensed that it wouldn’t be pleasant. “Just a few more laps,” she said, stalling for time. “I’m barely getting warmed up. And the water feels so good this morning.”
“Now, Jasmine.” The sweetness had gone from her voice. “While we have a few minutes to ourselves. Come on.”
Knowing better than to argue, Jasmine pulled her dripping body up the ladder to be enfolded in the towel. The light morning breeze raised goose bumps on her exposed skin. “I’m all yours, Mother.”
“Let’s sit over here.” Madeleine led her to a bench that was out of view from the upstairs windows. Jasmine huddled in the towel, waiting.
“Now that the memorial is over, the real battle for your father’s ranch is about to start,” Madeleine said. “I want you to think about the promise you made on Frank’s grave—that you would obey me without question.”
“The oath, you mean?”
“Call it what you will, as long as you keep it. Here’s the first thing I want you to do.”
“I’m all ears.”
“Enough of your sarcasm, Missy. That FBI agent—I can tell he’s taken with you. I want you to encourage him. Get him on our side any way you can. Seduce him. Sleep with him if that’s what it takes.”
“I understand.” Jasmine’s voice betrayed nothing.
“I happen to know,” Madeleine said, “that in most law enforcement agencies, like the FBI, getting romantically involved with someone who’s part of your case, especially a possible suspect, is grounds for dismissal, or at least demotion. If Agent Rafferty becomes compromised, we can force him to work with us against Lila.”
“That’s called extortion, Mother. Or blackmail, to use a simpler word. By any name, it’s illegal.”
“It is what it is. You took an oath, remember?”
“I remember.” Her mother had always been controlling, which was one reason Jasmine had chosen not to live with her after the divorce. But now it was as if she’d crossed an invisible line. Was something wrong with her? Jasmine wondered. Should she share her concern with her brother?
“I have a question for you,” she said. “If Lila is guilty of murder—”
“We both know she is, don’t we, dear?”
“Let me finish. If she’s guilty, why not just let her get caught? Why should we have to break the law and threaten a man’s career to prove it?”
Madeleine snorted, flashing her daughter a contemptuous look. “Don’t be a fool. Our family’s future on this ranch is at stake. We can’t afford any slipups. We have to make sure she’s arrested and charged on solid evidence. If that means we help things along, so be it.”
“What if somebody else murdered Dad, and Lila is innocent?”
Madeleine shrugged. “She would still be guilty of breaking up a solid marriage and destroying our family. If your father hadn’t married her, he might still be alive. I’d say she deserves whatever punishment she gets, including prison. So, what’s it to be? I need to know I can depend on you to keep your promise.”
Huddled in the towel, Jasmine gazed across the sun-dappled surface of the pool. Last night with Sam, she’d felt something good and real—something she hadn’t known in a long, long time. The last thing she wanted was to share their lovemaking with her mother, let alone use it as a threat. For now she would keep their secret, locked inside like a treasure. But she couldn’t allow herself near Sam again. She’d already damaged him enough.
“Well, what’s it to be?” Her mother’s voice was sharp, like the call of a crow on a frigid morning. “Betray me, and you know I can cut you off without a cent.”
Jasmine sighed. “I know, Mother. And don’t worry. You can count on me.” The last words were lies, but what else could she say?
Disgusted with herself, she threw off the towel, walked to the deep end of the pool, and took an angled dive into the water. Down and down she swam until her lungs could no longer hold air.
When she surfaced, gasping for breath, her mother was gone.