She was quiet for so long I dared hope we'd lost our connection.

“Your father mentioned something.” Her admission was reluctant.

“Oh?”

“Graham took one of his clients to Fred for a loan. Graham vouched for the man.”

“Does that mean he co-signed the note?”

She barked a laugh. “No. Not remotely. Fred made the loan, and six weeks later, the man was bankrupt. Your father says the man’s legal bills were paid in full before he filed for bankruptcy with courts.”

Had Graham known? Had he arranged the loan so he could be paid, then left Fred holding the bag? If that wasn’t malpractice, it was at least an ethics violation. “I bet Fred was furious." Except, at no time during the weekend had he seemed angry.

I glanced out the window and spotted Misty standing next to a smoker the size of a small Honda. During Kansas City summers, barbeque was a way of life. Texas and Memphis and the Carolinas claimed the best barbeque, but they were wrong. Texans only cooked beef. The folks in Tennessee, who loved their dry rubs, didn’t understand sauces. And in the Carolinas, cooks favored pork. Only Kansas City did everything well.

“Ellison, are you there?”

“Sorry. I drifted.” The heat had cooked too many brain cells. “You were saying?”

“Fred is absolutely furious. A bank examiner has taken over his conference room.”

“Mel hasn’t said a thing.”

“Can you blame her? Do you air your dirty laundry in public?”

“No.”

“Yet, you think your friends want to share theirs with your husband?”

Obviously, Fred’s dirty laundry wasn’t as secret as he might hope. “Daddy can’t be the only one who knows about Fred’s bank.”

“That’s beside the point.”

“So, you’re worried Anarchy will discover poorly kept secrets?”

“Your new husband has plenty of faults, but stupidity isn’t one of them. He’ll discover their secrets. My worry is that your friends will blame you when he does.”

I thought it best not to mention that I was as good at ferreting out secrets as my husband. “I’ll survive.”

“You say that now. Just wait until you’re dropped from a committee.” That wasn’t much of a threat. “Or until Grace is excluded because Anarchy turned over too many rocks.”

That gave me pause. Grace had wanted justice when her father was murdered. Surely, she’d want justice for Graham. “I’ll discuss it with her.”

“Your father had lunch with Wright Gibson yesterday.”

“Oh?” Where was she going with this? Wright ran the largest bank in the region, and I couldn’t imagine he had anything to do with Graham’s death.

“He has an opening for a vice-president of security.”

I should have guessed. “Anarchy likes being a homicide detective. I’d never ask him to give up his career.”

“Has he considered sitting for the captain’s exam?”