up a knife? Raised the blade over Richard’s body? Plunged it down with so much rage, so much strength, that the tip had pierced straight through to his spine?
Slowly he moved toward her. “If you didn’t kill him,” he said, “who did?”
“I don’t know.”
“That’s a pretty disappointing answer.”
“He had enemies—”
“Angry enough to kill him?”
“He ran a newspaper. He knew things about certain people in this town. And he wasn’t afraid to print the truth.”
“Which people? What sort of scandal are we talking about?”
He saw her hesitate, wondered if she was dredging up some new lie.
“Richard was writing an article,” she said. “About a local developer named Tony Graffam. He runs a company called Stone Coast Trust. Richard said he had proof of fraud—”
“My brother had paid reporters on his staff. Why would he bother to do his own writing?”
“It was a personal crusade of his. He was set on ruining Stone Coast. He needed just one last piece of evidence. Then he was going to print.”
“And did he?”
“No. The article was supposed to appear two weeks ago. It never did.”
“Who stopped it?”
“I don’t know. You’d have to talk to Jill Vickery.”
“The managing editor?”
Miranda nodded. “She knew the article was in the works and she wasn’t crazy about the idea. Richard was the driving force behind the story. He was even willing to risk a libel suit. In fact, Tony Graffam has already threatened to sue.”
“So we have one convenient suspect. Tony Graffam. Anyone else?”
She hesitated. “Richard wasn’t a popular man.”
“Richard?” He shook his head. “I doubt that. I was the brother with the popularity problem.”
“Two months ago he cut salaries at the Herald. Laid off a third of the staff.”
“Ah. So we have more suspects.”
“He hurt people. Families—”
“Including his own.”
“You don’t know how hard it is these days! How desperate people are for work. Oh, he talked a good story. About how sorry he was to be laying people off. How it hurt him just as much as it hurt everyone else. It was garbage. I heard him talking about it later, to his accountant. He said, ‘I cut the deadwood, just as you advised.’ Deadwood. Those employees had been with the Herald for years. Richard had the money. He could have carried the loss.”
“He was a businessman.”
“Right. That’s exactly what he was.” Her hair, tossed by the wind, was like flames dancing. She was a wild and blazing fire, full of anger at him, at Richard, at the Tremains.
“So we’ve added to the pool of suspects,” he said. “All those poor souls who lost their jobs. And their families. Why don’t we toss in Richard’s children? His father-in-law? His wife?”
“Yes! Why not Evelyn?”
Chase snorted in disgust. “You’re very good, you know that? All that smoke and mirrors. But you haven’t convinced me. I hope the jury is just as smart. I hope to hell they see through you and make you pay.”
She looked at him mutely, all the fire, all the spirit suddenly drained from her body.
“I’ve already paid,” she whispered. “I’ll pay for the rest of my life. Because I’m guilty. Not of killing him. I didn’t kill him.” She swallowed and looked away. He could no longer see her face, but he could hear the anguish in her voice. “I’m guilty of being stupid. And naive. Guilty of having faith in the wrong man. I really thought I loved your brother. But that was before I knew him. And then, when I did know him, I tried to walk away. I wanted to do it while we were still...friends.”
He saw her hand come up and stroke quickly across her face. It suddenly struck him how very brave she was. Not brazen, as he’d first thought upon seeing her today, but truly, heartbreakingly courageous.
She raised her head again, her gaze drawing level to his. The tears she’d tried to wipe away were still glistening on her lashes. He had a sudden, crazy yearning to
Slowly he moved toward her. “If you didn’t kill him,” he said, “who did?”
“I don’t know.”
“That’s a pretty disappointing answer.”
“He had enemies—”
“Angry enough to kill him?”
“He ran a newspaper. He knew things about certain people in this town. And he wasn’t afraid to print the truth.”
“Which people? What sort of scandal are we talking about?”
He saw her hesitate, wondered if she was dredging up some new lie.
“Richard was writing an article,” she said. “About a local developer named Tony Graffam. He runs a company called Stone Coast Trust. Richard said he had proof of fraud—”
“My brother had paid reporters on his staff. Why would he bother to do his own writing?”
“It was a personal crusade of his. He was set on ruining Stone Coast. He needed just one last piece of evidence. Then he was going to print.”
“And did he?”
“No. The article was supposed to appear two weeks ago. It never did.”
“Who stopped it?”
“I don’t know. You’d have to talk to Jill Vickery.”
“The managing editor?”
Miranda nodded. “She knew the article was in the works and she wasn’t crazy about the idea. Richard was the driving force behind the story. He was even willing to risk a libel suit. In fact, Tony Graffam has already threatened to sue.”
“So we have one convenient suspect. Tony Graffam. Anyone else?”
She hesitated. “Richard wasn’t a popular man.”
“Richard?” He shook his head. “I doubt that. I was the brother with the popularity problem.”
“Two months ago he cut salaries at the Herald. Laid off a third of the staff.”
“Ah. So we have more suspects.”
“He hurt people. Families—”
“Including his own.”
“You don’t know how hard it is these days! How desperate people are for work. Oh, he talked a good story. About how sorry he was to be laying people off. How it hurt him just as much as it hurt everyone else. It was garbage. I heard him talking about it later, to his accountant. He said, ‘I cut the deadwood, just as you advised.’ Deadwood. Those employees had been with the Herald for years. Richard had the money. He could have carried the loss.”
“He was a businessman.”
“Right. That’s exactly what he was.” Her hair, tossed by the wind, was like flames dancing. She was a wild and blazing fire, full of anger at him, at Richard, at the Tremains.
“So we’ve added to the pool of suspects,” he said. “All those poor souls who lost their jobs. And their families. Why don’t we toss in Richard’s children? His father-in-law? His wife?”
“Yes! Why not Evelyn?”
Chase snorted in disgust. “You’re very good, you know that? All that smoke and mirrors. But you haven’t convinced me. I hope the jury is just as smart. I hope to hell they see through you and make you pay.”
She looked at him mutely, all the fire, all the spirit suddenly drained from her body.
“I’ve already paid,” she whispered. “I’ll pay for the rest of my life. Because I’m guilty. Not of killing him. I didn’t kill him.” She swallowed and looked away. He could no longer see her face, but he could hear the anguish in her voice. “I’m guilty of being stupid. And naive. Guilty of having faith in the wrong man. I really thought I loved your brother. But that was before I knew him. And then, when I did know him, I tried to walk away. I wanted to do it while we were still...friends.”
He saw her hand come up and stroke quickly across her face. It suddenly struck him how very brave she was. Not brazen, as he’d first thought upon seeing her today, but truly, heartbreakingly courageous.
She raised her head again, her gaze drawing level to his. The tears she’d tried to wipe away were still glistening on her lashes. He had a sudden, crazy yearning to
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