Read Online Her Grave Secrets (Rogue River Novella Book 3) by Kendra Elliot - Free Book Online

used to hide candy in there for us kids. He called it his secret stash. I didn’t think of it when we searched the other day, but it occurred to me during lunch today. I wanted to see if I was right before I told you.”
    “Anything else in there?”
    “No. I called county to come process it. That’s what took me so long.”
    Zane sighed. “While you were gone I finished his banking stuff. It all looks very clean. He deposited his paychecks and paid bills. There weren’t any big cash deposits. He had two credit cards that were maxed out.”
    “Why didn’t he pay off the credit cards? Was it for more than eight thousand?”
    “It was for about ten thousand total. I suspect he didn’t want to deposit any of the money at the bank and create a trail.”
    “So it was easier to purchase toys with the cash?” Stevie asked.
    “I found the receipts for the boat and WaveRunners. Both were paid for with cash. He bought the boat in February and the WaveRunners in March. Same thing with all the other equipment. They were cash purchases.”
    Stevie’s head started to hurt. “How? How did he get involved in this? What exactly was he doing?”
    “There’s more.”
    “What?”
    “A lot of purchases were made on the credit cards at the casinos at the coast. Looks like he started staying there several weekends a month.”
    “That’s where he was going? When he said he needed some time off? Was he gambling?”
    “I made some inquiries. The casino hotel front desk people knew him really well. Said he was always upbeat and friendly. They considered him a good customer. Claimed he liked craps.”
    “I’ve never heard him talk about the casinos. I’ll have to ask Mom if he mentioned it to her.”
    “There aren’t any cash advances or ATM withdrawals at the casinos. He must have been gambling with more cash, but he needed to use the credit cards for the room. When I saw the charges I’d hoped that he was simply spending some time on the coast, maybe seeing some live music at the hotel, but since you found all that cash in addition to the conversations I had with the employees, he was definitely gambling. A lot.”
    “How did he hide this from everyone?”
    “I’ve asked myself that over and over. I saw him almost every day. I had no idea any of this was going on.”
    “Ladies and gentlemen! Please stand for our national anthem!”
    Stevie glanced back to the ring, where the announcer was handing his microphone to a small girl. She squinted. “Is that Brianna?”
    “Damned right it is. You didn’t know Brianna was going to sing the anthem?” Zane removed his cap.
    “No! Carly didn’t say a word.” She strode over to the rail, grabbing a free spot to get a clear view of her niece. Brianna’s sweet voice came through the speakers. It quivered momentarily, but she got her courage up and pushed through.
    “Go, sweetheart!” Stevie whispered. “She’s really good,” she said to Zane.
    He nodded, his gaze locked on Brianna.
    Stevie held her breath as the childish voice soared through the rocket’s red glare, perfectly nailing every note and drawing cheers from the crowd. “She did it! Carly’s going to be so proud!”
    “Good genes,” said Zane. “Glad to see it was passed to the next generation.” He put his cap back on as the crowd gave Brianna a standing ovation.
    She gave a deep curtsy, grinning at the attention, clearly enjoying the spotlight.
    Stevie’s heart wanted to burst with pride. She wiped at a tear. “I hope my mom caught that performance.”
    “I’m sure she’s here. The whole town is here. Look at the stands.”
    The risers were packed. Solitude liked nothing better than a town celebration.
    “Thank you, Brianna Harding! Let’s give her another hand, folks!”
    Stevie clapped until her hands stung.
    “Everyone ready for a rodeo?” Deafening cheers rose from the stands. “But first, let’s remember why we’re celebrating here today.”
    Stevie knew what was next. She’d been