“I really don’t like the idea of you going in there by yourself,” my mother told me, her reluctance obvious in every syllable.
“I won’t be going by myself,” I reassured her. “I’ll have my friend Hazel with me.”
That was nothing more than the truth. I’d already gotten in touch with Hazel and asked if she could come with me on my fact-finding mission. In fact, I’d also asked her if she could bring Chuck along, because I figured having six feet, two inches of solid cowboy muscle on standby couldn’t hurt.
But she’d told me he was going down to Willcox for the day for a cattle auction, so that put the kibosh on my clever idea. Still, I thought that going back to the mansion with a friend in tow — and going there in broad daylight — would make the whole situation a lot safer.
“We-ell….” Alth
