Free Looking Through Darkness by Aimée Thurlo

police for a decade before transferring to the county sheriff’s department, wanting a smaller area to patrol. Although he hadn’t been involved in the investigation surrounding Kurt’s death, she knew he was familiar with everything that had happened.
    The tall, blond sergeant, out of uniform and wearing a dark blue polo shirt and jeans, stepped into the diner and Leigh Ann waved. In a moment he’d joined her at her table.
    â€œDay off?” Leigh Ann asked.
    â€œYeah and not just because it’s Sunday. I’ve been working the graveyard shift. Next week I go back to days again.” He ordered coffee, leaned back, then placed his arm across the booth’s low back. “What’s up, cuz?”
    â€œI’ve got a mess on my hands, Dale.” She told him what she’d found in her attic.
    â€œYou turned that stuff in, right?” Seeing her shake her head, he added, “You’ve got to do that, Leigh Ann, and be aware that once you do, things are going to get a lot tougher for you. You were Kurt’s wife, which means you’ll become an instant suspect in his embezzlement scheme. Did anyone ever ask you about Kurt and that missing money, or about the fake vendor, Frank Jones?”
    â€œWayne and Pierre have both asked me about business files pertaining to Frank Jones. They thought Kurt might have brought them home or transferred them to his home computer. I looked around, but I didn’t find anything at the time.”
    â€œIt sounds like they did suspect Kurt. Once officers go talk to both men, the partners may claim that you’ve been holding out on them.”
    â€œThat’s not true. I didn’t know anything about all this until I found that box.”
    â€œMaybe so, but look at it from a different perspective. It could be argued that you knew Kurt had been cheating on you. When you found out about the money, you decided to kill him, make it look like a hunting accident, and take the cash.”
    â€œOh, crap. I’m a pretty good shot, too,” she admitted in a muted voice, fear winding through her. “I used to go with him to the gun club and shoot the rifle he bought me for our anniversary. What a gift, right? Conveniently, it was the same rifle he’d wanted for himself for years.”
    â€œConsider getting a lawyer,” Dale said, looking serious.
    â€œAre you kidding me? I barely have enough to cover my bills.” She stared at her hands, lost in thought, trying to come up with a plan. After a moment, she looked up at him. “I realize that at first glance it may look bad for me, but if people stop to think it through they’ll see I’m not guilty. If I were, I wouldn’t have turned the box over to them.”
    â€œIt’s not that simple. You could have decided to shift the focus back to Kurt’s illegal activities, hoping that would protect you from his partners. Since they knew about Frank Jones and the embezzled money, it was only a matter of time before they came after you. At the very least, they might have sued Kurt’s estate for restitution.”
    â€œBut I almost got shot getting that box,” Leigh Ann said, trying not to lose it now.
    â€œThat shotgun booby trap could also work against you. Even if it could be proven that you didn’t fake it, it suggests Kurt was keeping the theft from you and was willing to risk you getting killed. That begs the question, why didn’t he trust you? Couple that with the fact that you didn’t have an alibi for the day he was killed and it doesn’t look good.”
    â€œI was at home that entire weekend,” she said, swallowing hard, her voice whisper thin, “but I shouldn’t have to prove my innocence. They have to prove my guilt.”
    â€œThat’s true, but while they look into things your life is going to get mighty complicated,” he said. “Here’s another question. When did you first learn that