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“Then youas he’s around Julie, she’s in danger”

“Man, you have no idea what

kind of accusation you’re ht They’ve been friends since she was a little girl, and he thinks of her as his own daughter”

Sa of interest and Duke i the butt of the piece so he could draw the weapon if he had to

“I know you’ve got a pistol on your side, Duke,” Sa to help you”

“Oh yeah?” Duke said, tilting his head toward the paper Sam passed his way “What’s this?”

“Proof Frank doesn’t always have Julie’s best interest at heart That’s the bill of sale on that Thoroughbred he just purchased In the notes down at the bottoerous Damn beast put three different ranch hands in the hospital out in Texas The former oanted to put her down She’s just stark crazy”

Duke stared at the bill of sale There had to be some explanation for this Outside of the obvious—Frank knehat he was buying when he gave ten thousand dollars for a horse with a record for hare was hard to forge His signature was nothingline of chicken scratches

“Duke, that’s not all,” Sam continued “I’ve been real cautious about that car I haven’t told you, but I do routine checks on all your vehicles daily, on the chance Julie decides she wants to drive I wanted to be sure nothing rong, and well, I guess I’ve been a little obsessive about it Now, I knohy Sootten in her race car today, after hitting speeds of over ninety miles per hour, she wouldn’t have had any brakes”

Duke shook his head He tried to rationalize what he was being told, but there wasn’t any way he could explain the bill of sale How could Frank fake the kind of love and concern he seeht about the tiether, remembered the way Frank was so compassionate whenever he spoke about or to the one he called his little girl

“This doesn’t make sense Why would Frank want to hurt Julie?”

Saht now, that horse he bought her? It ain’t fit for a man, much less a woht on that I’ll get everything tuned up and repaired tonight I was just waiting until everyone went to bed so I could start repairs without an audience”

“Are you trying to tell me you didn’t fix them yet?”

“I didn’t see the point Julie wasn’t going to drive today She ith you all , there wasn’t any need to rush repairs”