Ruthie set her book aside. “So six women’s names. Was mine one of them?”

“Nope. So far, I don’t think this has anything to do with you.”

“You know who they are?”

“The first two are Shirley Ann Kastle and Lenore Redfern, both from Burning Oaks. The third is Phyllis Joplin, who’s either from Perdido or currently living there. The fourth is a psychologist named Taryn Sizemore. I talked to her. Number five is a woman named Susan Telford in Henderson, Nevada. The last name is Janet Macy in Tucson, Arizona. Four are definitely connected to Ned Lowe, and I suspect the other two are as well.”

“Ned Lowe’s the guy whose daughter got married? What’s that about?”

“I’m not sure. I had a chat with Taryn this afternoon. She’s the one who pointed out the link.”

“Name’s familiar, but refresh my memory.”

“Oh, sorry. She’s the gal who sued Ned Lowe back in 1978.”

“Right. I remember now.”

“Lenore Redfern was Ned’s first wife. Phyllis Joplin was his second. Taryn said she knew about Shirley Ann Kastle, but that’s as far as she’d go. I haven’t identified the other two, and Taryn didn’t recognize the names. I’m curious why Pete put together the list of names and why he encrypted them.”

“Don’t look at me. He never said a word about any of this,” she said. “You have a theory?”

“I do, but you won’t like it.”

“Why is that relevant?”

“I don’t want to get your dander up. I’m just playing with ideas.”

“Fine. Duly noted. Now get on with it.”

“I think Pete was collecting hush money.”

“Oh, for heaven’s sake. Blackmail?”

“I knew you wouldn’t like it.”

“Of course not. So who’s he blackmailing now? And don’t say Ned Lowe.”

“I won’t say Ned Lowe, but that’s what I’m thinking.”

“Bullshit.”

“Don’t be so defensive. Suppose it was Ned Lowe and Pete was pressuring him. Pete’s killed and at first the guy thinks he’s safe and everything’s good. Then he gets worried Pete had something that would prove incriminating if it ever came to light.”

“But why Ned Lowe in particular? As far as I know, Pete never even met the man.”

“You can’t be sure of that, and neither can I. Pete kept a lot of information to himself. The point is, he was working for Byrd-Shine when the lawsuit was filed. It was their job to find dirt on Taryn Sizemore, which apparently they did. Pete might have learned something just as damning about Ned Lowe. The list is a roster of women, and I believe all of them are tied to Ned Lowe in some way. Girlfriends, wives—romantic interests would be my guess. What I don’t know is why the list constitutes a threat.”

“Pure speculation.”

“Of course it is. On the other hand, if Pete blackmailed one victim, why not two?”

“Why are you always so quick to put him in the wrong?”

“I’m not. I’m just trying to construct an explanation for all the bits and pieces.”