expected to see her soon.
Rowe sucked in an audible breath. “You’re coming here?”
Jed maneuvered the van onto the slick off-ramp to Miller’s Valley. Each mile closer to Isobel brought him farther from Rowe and his sister. “Not yet.”
“Damn it, Jed—”
“You will see me soon,” he promised, earning another inquisitive glance from Erica. “But you need to get some information for me first.”
“I’m already picking up the case files from your lawyer’s office tomorrow.”
For years Jed had wanted to get his hands on those files, specifically on the ledgers that had provided the motive for killing his business partner. Embezzlement. But he hadn’t taken his clients’ money. And if he’d been able to go over those ledgers, he might have figured out who had.
“You’re too late,” Jed informed him. “The files are gone.”
Rowe groaned. “Please tell me that you didn’t break into his office and take them…”
“I didn’t have to break in,” Jed replied. “His killer left the door open—”
Rowe cursed now—fervently. “And you walked right into a trap.”
“If it was intended as that, I didn’t get caught.” Or so he hoped; he would find out for certain when they returned to Erica’s apartment. “Whoever killed Leighton must have also taken my file from his office.”
And just what the hell had Marcus detailed in his file? Erica’s address? The fact that she’d been pregnant during the trial?
Leighton had told Jed that he’d never tracked her down, but he hadn’t told Jed the truth about anything. Why would he have admitted to knowing her location? He wouldn’t have wanted Jed to send someone else to talk to her and learn what Jed had tonight, that Marcus had actually convinced her not to testify.
Despite the heat blowing out of the vents, she wrapped her arms around herself as if she was cold. Or scared.
“This is really bad, Jed,” Rowe said, his raspy voice pitched low, probably so that Macy wouldn’t overhear him. “You’re going to be the number-one suspect for his murder.”
He sighed. “I know.”
He had been set up. Again.
“Did you…?”
“Hell, no.” But he couldn’t swear that he wouldn’t have killed his lawyer if he had been right about Marcus framing him for murders that his old fraternity brother had actually committed himself.
“I’m sorry, man, that I had to ask and I’m sorry that it happened,” Rowe said. “This is a tough break.”
“Maybe not,” Jed replied. “Although I didn’t get to talk to Marcus before he died and find out who paid him to help frame me—”
“What!” The phone cracked with Rowe’s exclamation. He’d obviously forgotten to be quiet.
Erica startled as if she’d heard his shout, too.
“Leighton helped set me up,” Jed said. His death was proof enough for Jed of his involvement. Marcus’s duplicity also explained how Jed had been convicted on just circumstantial evidence and eyewitness testimony that should have been easily discredited. “His partner must have killed him tonight.”
Rowe’s mind followed the path Jed’s had taken. “The killer was worried that Leighton would give him up.”
Or her .
He glanced at Erica now. Of course she had had no more opportunity to kill Marcus than he had. But another woman could have been involved—Brandon’s girlfriend who’d lied in her testimony. Had she been covering up her own guilt? She had really been the last one to see Brandon alive.
She wouldn’t have had access to his clients’ funds, but Brandon had. He could have embezzled it, and then she killed him to keep the money all to herself. Except for what she’d paid his lawyer.
Then she’d killed him.
Regret tugged at Jed that Marcus was gone now. “He would have told me who’d betrayed me,” Jed insisted. He would have either coerced or guilted a confession out of his old friend.
And the killer must have known that, too.
How well did the killer know Marcus? And Jed? Was this about revenge or had he just
Rowe sucked in an audible breath. “You’re coming here?”
Jed maneuvered the van onto the slick off-ramp to Miller’s Valley. Each mile closer to Isobel brought him farther from Rowe and his sister. “Not yet.”
“Damn it, Jed—”
“You will see me soon,” he promised, earning another inquisitive glance from Erica. “But you need to get some information for me first.”
“I’m already picking up the case files from your lawyer’s office tomorrow.”
For years Jed had wanted to get his hands on those files, specifically on the ledgers that had provided the motive for killing his business partner. Embezzlement. But he hadn’t taken his clients’ money. And if he’d been able to go over those ledgers, he might have figured out who had.
“You’re too late,” Jed informed him. “The files are gone.”
Rowe groaned. “Please tell me that you didn’t break into his office and take them…”
“I didn’t have to break in,” Jed replied. “His killer left the door open—”
Rowe cursed now—fervently. “And you walked right into a trap.”
“If it was intended as that, I didn’t get caught.” Or so he hoped; he would find out for certain when they returned to Erica’s apartment. “Whoever killed Leighton must have also taken my file from his office.”
And just what the hell had Marcus detailed in his file? Erica’s address? The fact that she’d been pregnant during the trial?
Leighton had told Jed that he’d never tracked her down, but he hadn’t told Jed the truth about anything. Why would he have admitted to knowing her location? He wouldn’t have wanted Jed to send someone else to talk to her and learn what Jed had tonight, that Marcus had actually convinced her not to testify.
Despite the heat blowing out of the vents, she wrapped her arms around herself as if she was cold. Or scared.
“This is really bad, Jed,” Rowe said, his raspy voice pitched low, probably so that Macy wouldn’t overhear him. “You’re going to be the number-one suspect for his murder.”
He sighed. “I know.”
He had been set up. Again.
“Did you…?”
“Hell, no.” But he couldn’t swear that he wouldn’t have killed his lawyer if he had been right about Marcus framing him for murders that his old fraternity brother had actually committed himself.
“I’m sorry, man, that I had to ask and I’m sorry that it happened,” Rowe said. “This is a tough break.”
“Maybe not,” Jed replied. “Although I didn’t get to talk to Marcus before he died and find out who paid him to help frame me—”
“What!” The phone cracked with Rowe’s exclamation. He’d obviously forgotten to be quiet.
Erica startled as if she’d heard his shout, too.
“Leighton helped set me up,” Jed said. His death was proof enough for Jed of his involvement. Marcus’s duplicity also explained how Jed had been convicted on just circumstantial evidence and eyewitness testimony that should have been easily discredited. “His partner must have killed him tonight.”
Rowe’s mind followed the path Jed’s had taken. “The killer was worried that Leighton would give him up.”
Or her .
He glanced at Erica now. Of course she had had no more opportunity to kill Marcus than he had. But another woman could have been involved—Brandon’s girlfriend who’d lied in her testimony. Had she been covering up her own guilt? She had really been the last one to see Brandon alive.
She wouldn’t have had access to his clients’ funds, but Brandon had. He could have embezzled it, and then she killed him to keep the money all to herself. Except for what she’d paid his lawyer.
Then she’d killed him.
Regret tugged at Jed that Marcus was gone now. “He would have told me who’d betrayed me,” Jed insisted. He would have either coerced or guilted a confession out of his old friend.
And the killer must have known that, too.
How well did the killer know Marcus? And Jed? Was this about revenge or had he just
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