Free Delivering Justice by Barb Han

would do no good arguing with a cowboy whose mind seemed made up, so she resigned herself to accepting his help.
    “Tell me one thing, though,” he said as she started to leave the room. “How’d you sneak out this morning? I mean, you were on the second floor and I didn’t hear you leave.”
    “I couldn’t sleep, so I heard the sheriff when he pulled in. The alarm code was easy because I watched you enter it last night. You seemed like a nice person but after being with Milton I had no plans to take that chance. I slipped out the side door.”
    She kept to herself how relieved she was that she hadn’t gotten away for exactly the reasons he’d mentioned earlier. She was broke, alone, and had no means of communication. Not to mention the fact that she had no idea where she was and there would be all manner of wildlife outside that door. Plus, she was barefoot.
    She was also desperate and she had a bad feeling about her sister’s current situation. “Jenn might be trying to reach me on my cell. Can we go to the motel room and check if it’s still there or is there no way now that it’s a crime scene?”
    “We can do whatever you want. But first, we’re heading into the station so you can give a statement to one of the sheriff’s deputies,” he said matter-of-factly. “And if you want to stay above suspicion you’d better act like an unhappy fiancée.”

Chapter Six
    “Do you think he believed me?” Giving her statement to the deputy had taken Jessica all of fifteen minutes, mostly because she didn’t know anything. She’d played the shocked fiancée as best she could, forcing tears that came only when she let herself think about her sister.
    “You didn’t give him a reason not to,” Tyler said.
    Jessica sank into the tan leather seat of the SUV as they drove to the motel room she’d shared with Milton. An involuntary shiver rocked her body at thinking about being in that place with him.
    She should’ve been able to see right through that fake smile of his. Milton had charm in spades when he wanted to turn it on, and she could see why her twin would’ve been attracted to him. He was good-looking and had a professional job with what Jennifer would see as plenty of earning potential.
    Jennifer had always wanted more out of life than the meager childhood they’d had in Shreveport. Both of their parents had worked low-wage jobs to support the family. Their mother had owned a cleaning service, her father had made a living doing seasonal yard work, and all three kids had had to pitch in to help summers. Jennifer had always imagined herself living in one of the grand Southern colonials they’d cleaned while Jessica had always been the more practical sister. She’d been able to see right through the men who dated Jennifer for superficial reasons and then dumped her when it was time to find a proper wife.
    Tyler steered onto the highway. All makes and models of trucks blazed past them.
    “I was remembering my last conversation with my sister. She said that she was involved in something and she needed to figure a way out, to clear things up. Or at least, I think that’s what she said.” Jessica gingerly fingered the wrap on her forehead.
    “Which could mean that she is guilty of taking the necklace,” Tyler said, and she couldn’t argue with his reasoning. That’s exactly what this would look like to an outsider. Except that she knew her sister better than that. Jennifer could be flighty and she definitely liked a good party and hanging out with the highbrow crowd, but she was honest.
    Convincing the handsome cowboy of that was a whole different story. She couldn’t prove that her sister wasn’t involved. All she had to go on was how well she knew Jenn. Twins for life! had been their mantra since they were little girls and most of the time it felt like they could read each other’s thoughts. Jessica had no such magic now and the silence was terrifying because she feared her sister was in grave