Free Looking Through Darkness by Aimée Thurlo Page A

Kurt was cheating on you?”
    â€œNot until after he died.”
    â€œCan you prove that?” Seeing her shake her head, he continued. “Infidelity is a common motive for killing a spouse. Add to that the money Kurt stole, and you’ve got the makings of a pretty good circumstantial case. The detective in charge of the investigation will undoubtedly consider the possibility that you’ve got the money hidden somewhere right now, or have been spending it a little at a time.”
    â€œThis was a mistake. I shouldn’t have called you,” she said, almost in tears.
    â€œLeigh Ann, we’re family,” he said, patting her hand. “I had to let you know what you’re facing. I’ll do my best to protect you. In the meantime, you need to watch your back. Give straight answers, but don’t volunteer any information.”
    She felt sick but managed to nod. “Okay, let’s go to my place. All things considered, I’d rather hand the box over to you.” Everything except for the .38. It was loaded with six rounds, and she’d already put that somewhere safe. She had a feeling she might need it.
    *   *   *
    Leigh Ann sat just outside the French doors on the patio, looking into the garden. Dale had told her he’d pass the box along to the detective who’d investigated Kurt’s death. The white collar crimes division would also be informed. Someone in one or both of those divisions would call on her soon.
    On edge, she stood and paced, praying that Dale’s worst-case scenario would end up being nothing more than a scary story. She’d assumed the police would be on her side, but it seemed she might be in more danger than ever. If Kurt had been murdered, she’d just awakened a sleeping tiger, a dangerous adversary who, up ’til now, had gotten away with his crime.
    Last night, after dropping Melvin off, she could have sworn she’d seen a dark-colored sedan following her and had briefly wondered if it was the same one she’d seen when they’d left the storage facility. The car had veered off before she’d reached the turnoff to her home, so she’d stopped worrying about it. Now she wondered if she should have paid closer attention and tried to make note of its license plate.
    Rachel came out the French doors with two mugs of tea, handed one to Leigh Ann, then sat down in the other patio chair.
    Leigh Ann looked at her across the small bistro table in surprise. “What’s all this?”
    â€œI have something to tell you and I wanted you to have some of your favorite vanilla caramel tea while we talked.”
    â€œWhat’s up?”
    â€œSince you’re so intent on finding out what Kurt was up to, I decided to give you a hand. I made copies of everything that was in that box. I figured you might need to check that information and duplicates might come in handy somewhere along the way.”
    â€œThat wasn’t a bad idea at all,” she said, considering the circumstances. “Thanks.”
    â€œI also ran into Pierre Boone last night at the Bullfrog. I told you he hangs out there, remember?” At Leigh Ann’s nod, she continued. “He and Wayne were having a drink, and while the band was taking a break, I went over to talk to them.”
    â€œYou did what ?” Leigh Ann sat up. “Rachel, what exactly did you say to them?”
    â€œI was casual about it, but I told them that some of Kurt’s personal papers had raised some questions for you and that you’d probably be calling them to see if they could help you find answers.”
    â€œRachel, I really wish you hadn’t done that,” Leigh Ann said.
    â€œThose two have always liked me, so I wanted to open the door for you.”
    Leigh Ann thought back again to the sedan she’d seen last night. Didn’t Wayne drive a similar make and model? Then again, so did half the county. She took a deep