Free Butterfly Palace by Colleen Coble Page A

street at the park. A couple caught her attention, and she frowned. Was that the new kitchen maid with a man? Narrowing her eyes, she studied the two in the shadow of the great live oak. Surely that wasn’t Mr. Hawkes. She couldn’t bepositive with the sun in her eyes and the two of them half hidden by the leaves.
    The police approached her, and she answered their questions. When they were through, she rose. “I think I’ll take a walk in the park.”
    Her aunt caught at her hand. “Oh no, Belle. Not with that man still on the loose.”
    “I’ll stay in the open area. I’ll be back in fifteen minutes. Uncle Everett, you can have my gem. I haven’t eaten any of it yet, and it’s melting.”
    Shaking off her aunt’s hand, she stepped into the street and dodged a lorry. All she needed was to get a little closer to see.

EIGHT
    D rew remained seated when Lily sprang to her feet and paced the grassy space under the tree. She had never been good at hiding her emotions. He probably shouldn’t have told her the truth, but he couldn’t let her betray him to her employer.
    She spun around and stared at him. “The fire was set?”
    He nodded. That night was so embedded in his memory he could almost smell smoke right now. He well remembered the look on Lily’s face when she realized her father wasn’t walking out of that inferno, as well as her mother’s wails. A deep sense of responsibility still gnawed at him. The killer was still walking around. Justice had not been served.
    Lily clutched his forearm. “But why? Why would anyone kill them? How were they involved in this?”
    He stared at her hand on his arm. The familiar heat from her touch would only distract him. He stood up so her hand fell away. “A saddlebag of money was accidentally left in the livery. Your father was smart. He realized it was counterfeit and wrote a letter to the Secret Service. But before anything could be done, the money vanished and the fire occurred. That’s when I was pulled into it.”
    Her blue eyes shimmered, and she blinked rapidly. “How close are you to putting the men responsible behind bars? It’s been four years.”His gaze traveled over her perfect skin and luminous eyes. “Ballard has an uncanny ability to sniff us out. Every time I’ve gotten close, he’s vanished. I tracked him here three months ago.”
    “Has he seen you? Are you in danger?”
    He shook his head. “I’ve kept my distance. If he knew I was here, he’d vanish. The problem is I don’t have enough hard evidence to convict him.”
    “Not even of murder?”
    “Especially not of murder. What I’ve got is circumstantial. I need to catch him with the goods.”
    “Mr. Vesters is involved in the counterfeiting, so you’re trying to get close to him?”
    Her perception caught him off guard, but he wasn’t going to lie to her. “That’s right.”
    “Where is Ballard now?”
    He could see her thoughts churning. “I don’t want you anywhere near him, Lily. He’s ruthless and has no conscience.”
    “If you don’t tell me, I’ll ask Mr. Vesters myself.”
    “You’re going to tip my hand and put yourself at risk! Stay out of it,” he said, sitting down on the bench again.
    Her lips flattened, and she narrowed her eyes. “Then tell me where he is.”
    “Why? There’s nothing you can do about this.”
    “If he killed my father, I have a right to help bring Ballard to justice.”
    Maybe she had a point. He felt the same. But she didn’t know the type of man they were up against. Drew suspected Ballard had put more people in the grave than they knew. He didn’t intend for Lily to be another victim. “I’ll keep you informed, how’s that? It’s the best I can do, Lily.”
    She sank onto the bench beside him. “That’s not good enough,An—I mean, Mr. Hawkes. I want to help. I’m in a position to hear things. I could be of tremendous service to you.”
    He curled his hands into fists. The thought of her in harm’s way was unacceptable.