“Let’s talk a little more about Linda,” Decker said. “I’ve been asking around, found out that Linda had a reputation. What do you know about that?”

Annette didn’t seem anxious to talk. She sipped her coffee, added two packs of sugar, and finally said, “Well, I heard things. But I didn’t know for sure, so I didn’t say anything. No sense spreading dirt.”

Decker asked her what kind of things she heard. Annette straightened up in her seat and explained that Linda and Carla were known as wild girls and some people talk.

“Like the people at Hell’s Heaven?”

“Especially the people at the Heaven.”

“Anyone in specific?”

“Carly had lots of boyfriends,” Annette said. She added disapprovingly, “Too many to count. And Linda? I can’t rightly say that I knew for sure if she was steppin’ out, except with Byron, of course. But I knew there were problems with the marriage, so the rumors kinda made some sense.”

“What kind of problems?”

“All sorts of problems.”

“Like?”

Annette ticked them off. “Money problems, in-law problems, baby-making problems.”

“Linda tell you all this?”

Annette nodded. “We used to talk, but not too often. After Byron, I…Darlene used to watch all of us, made me feel like a traitor if I talked to Linda. So I guess I just stopped. Family first…”

She seem burdened by that obligation.

Decker said, “Let’s talk about the problems one by one. What kind of money problems?”

Annette told him that Linda had always wanted fancier things than what Sagebrush could give her. She wanted to sell the land for quick cash. Honey farming’s a hard living unless you love it, and the land was probably worth more than the bees on it. But no way Pappy D would sell the land. He felt Linda was turning Luke against him.

She took another sip of coffee and said, “And it was sort of true. Everyone knew that Linda was trying to get Luke to sell out, move the cash into another business. Luke did a lot for Linda, things he might not of done for another girl, but he remained stubborn on the selling issue. Like Jeff and Byron, guess honey farming was in Luke’s blood, too.”

“Linda ever tell you how much she thought the land was worth?”

“No,” Annette said. “I don’t get involved in money affairs. Keeps me out of the family squabbles.” She stopped talking for a moment. “Money and family squabbles do seem related. Guess I answered both problems one and two with that.”

“Then let’s move on to problem three,” Decker said. “I’m assuming Linda had trouble getting pregnant.”

Annette nodded.

“Was it just Linda who had the problem?”

“I think it was both.” Annette turned scarlet, her voice dropped to a whisper. She leaned in close. “I think I recall Linda tellin’ me that Luke wasn’t really good in that department.”