Lone Star Legacy by Roxanne Rustand Page B

dollars were missing, and they decided he did it. It sure was convenient, blaming a dead man who couldn’t defend himself.”
    He paused, giving her a chance to collect herself. “Did they question you about all of this?”
    “Of course they did,” she said bitterly. “They figured I must’ve helped him hide the money in a safe place, so therefore I could help them get it back.” She glared at Joel and backed away. “But if that were true, I sure wouldn’t be struggling to make ends meet, would I? I knew our house was mortgaged to the roof. But just before he died, Patrick emptied our bank accounts and maxed our credit cards on cash advances. I didn’t know any of that until after his death.”
    “The cops probably assumed you two were filtering it all into some offshore account so you could flee the country.”
    “Exactly. Pat called home from work on the day of the accident. Said he had a surprise weekend for the three of us, so I should pack quickly and be ready. But far as I knew, I was not getting ready to run. ”
    She turned on her heel to go back in the house, but Joel gently caught her arm. “Wait.”
    “To be tried and convicted by you? The authorities found no proof. I was never charged.” Her voice rose, laced with the pain of betrayal and humiliation. “If anything, they probably thought I was pathetically stupid for not knowing what was going on.”
    The dog took an aggressive stance at Joel’s feet, a low, threatening growl rumbling in its throat.
    “Tell your dog,” he said quietly, “to settle down. We need to talk, not get all upset.”
    “Upset?” Her eyes flashed fire. “How do you think I should feel when someone assumes the worst?”
    “Believe me, I just want to help.” He led her over to the porch swing and sat down next to her.
    The dog followed and glared up at him, clearly eager to take things to the next level.
    “I can just imagine.” The rigidity of her spine seemed to fade, and now he saw only defeat in her eyes. “You know what will happen, now? Rumors will snowball. How can I possibly try to start a business here once that happens?”
    “I don’t intend to start any rumors, but word will probably get out sometime, and then you can calmly deal with it just as you did now. With the truth.” He took one of her hands in his to offer comfort. Her hand was trembling and cold, and the desire to protect her welled in his chest. “But in the meantime, you’ve got bigger problems—and you need some answers.”
    “Tell me about it.”
    “The money situation and the car accident have to be related.” He fought the urge to reach out and tuck a stray curl behind her ear. “It’s all too coincidental, otherwise.”
    She nodded.
    “What if there was an embezzlement scheme? Maybe Patrick found out about it, and threatened to go to the police. Or maybe he was involved against his will. Someone could’ve trapped him into cooperating, or got their hooks into him when he was weak. Maybe he wanted out, and the others were afraid he’d squeal.”
    She bowed her head. “The police asked me if he was suicidal, knowing he’d be caught and sent to prison. Maybe our marriage had problems, but I’ll never believe that he’d kill himself and try to take Sophie and me with him.”
    “Did they find any evidence of tampering on your car?”
    “None—though how they could tell, I don’t know. I saw it at the junkyard after I got out of the hospital. The front left quadrant was crumpled like aluminum foil, and the rest of the car nearly unrecognizable.”
    “Any evidence of another car at the scene?”
    “No.” She looked away, her eyes glittering with unshed tears. “The report said there were no foreign paint marks, chips or unexplained damage. It claimed that Patrick suddenly, inexplicably veered off the highway. Our car went airborne over an embankment, then rocketed into a concrete bridge abutment.”
    “Maybe someone veered in front of you. The lack of physical