Racing the Hunter's Moon (Entangled Bliss) by Sally Clements Page B

on feeding him further directions from the route map for the next hour.
    “I wish we could hear what’s going on in Leonora’s car. I really want him to have mentioned the investment opportunity again. If he does, if he asks her to give him money to invest, is that enough to get him?” It would be so great to have this whole thing over with. To get back to ordinary life. Maybe to see if they could exist as a couple outside the hothouse of the investigation.
    “No. We need him to actually take her money and either run or lodge it in one of his accounts. So far, he’s followed a predictable pattern. He gets a check, moves it into his Carlisle account, and…”
    “Goes on a business trip. In my mother’s case, anyway.” She screwed up her face at the memory. “She didn’t even suspect him until he’d been gone for over a week. He kept in telephone contact for a few days, then his cell mysteriously stopped working. The private investigator said it was a throwaway.”
    “Fits the pattern.”
    Betty ticked off another section of the route book. “We continue down here for ten miles, then we’re stopping for lunch. I think we’ve got a real chance of winning the leaders’ jerseys tonight.” If only figuring out the future of their relationship was as simple.

Chapter Nine
    Betty was desperate for a break when they arrived at the lunch spot. They’d timed their arrival almost perfectly, scoring only a couple of penalties for the last stage. Her legs were stiff and her ass was numb after the hours in the car.
    The organizers had outdone themselves this time. They’d received permission to host the lunch at a large private house with beautiful gardens. The weather was crisp, but clear and bright. Perfect.
    The cars parked on a gravel sweep outside the house, and a couple of restrooms had been made available. Betty climbed out of the MG, stretched up, bent to touch her toes, then shook out her legs. Charmers exited Leonora’s Rolls and strode off.
    “I’ll go talk to Leonora.”
    Joe nodded. “People are walking around the side of the house; I think lunch is in the garden. I’ll grab us a couple of seats.”
    Leonora looked up from stowing her map when Betty tapped on the window, and jerked her head indicating Betty should slip into the driver’s seat.
    Betty had barely closed the door when Leonora started speaking. “I got it. He asked me to invest.” She pulled in her bottom lip and worried it with her teeth. “He wants me to organize it tomorrow afternoon—when we come back from the rally. He says the investment is time-sensitive and he wants to get our money in before Monday.”
    “How much?”
    “Twenty thousand.” Leonora’s eyebrows pulled together in a frown. “Are you sure we should risk it? Twenty thousand is a lot of money.”
    Not wanting their absence to be noticed, Betty quickly reassured Leonora and talked through the internet banking procedure. It was so important to ensure that the evidence remained untainted, she couldn’t help but check again. “You didn’t lead him in any way…”
    Leonora shook her head. “No. It was perfect. He just brought it up while he was driving. The recording will prove that.”
    They had him.
    The end was so close she could taste it.
    Elation bubbled through Betty’s veins as she hurried from the car to find Joe. A huge glass conservatory was attached to the back of the house. The garden was full of colorful flowers, but they faded into insignificance when she turned the corner and took in the whole view.
    A sparkling cascade fell from an exposed cliff overhanging the end of the garden. The sheet of glistening whitewater foamed into a pool of green water, around which were large circular tables set with silverware and crystal.
    She stopped, the ache in her legs instantly forgotten. Breathed in the scented air and let the tension of the morning flow from her with the exhale. What was it about waterfalls that made them so magical?
    “It’s beautiful,