Page 53 of Witness To Murder
“What about a boyfriend? She and Raymond have been divorced for three years. Could she have a secret boyfriend working with her?”
“She insisted to Lambert she wasn’t dating and there was no one in her life. My research specialist found nothing on her social media accounts or any neighbors who mentioned seeing a frequent male visitor. No black sedan hanging around.”
“Maybe she was still in love with Raymond.” Didn’t seem likely, but who knew?
“Or maybe she just doesn’t want the children to know she has a social life. She might be concerned they would tell their father, and that would somehow be a problem for her.”
“Possibly,” Leah agreed. “She apparently took him back to court a number of times for more money.”
“Maybe the money is more important to her than a social life.”
“I can see that,” Leah agreed.
Louise Douglas was angry and resentful of her husband, but did that mean she wanted to have him killed? Would she have gone that far? Would she have tried to have Leah killed for the other five million? She had seemed startled when Leah offered to turn it over to her.
The woman had suggested Alyssa was at the bottom of all this, but Leah wasn’t convinced. Maybe because she didn’t want to believe it.
She thought of the way that masked man had beaten her head against the floor and tried to set her on fire.
Would the woman she had believed to be her best friend—like a sister—have hired someone to do such a thing?
No… Leah didn’t want to believe that.
But could she really be certain? Of anything or anyone in all this?
She turned to the man driving… She was certain of him. And that was almost worth having to go through this nightmare.
“I think I need to take that rest now.”
He glanced at her, concern in his eyes. “Heading that way, then.”
Leah relaxed in the seat and closed her eyes. She stopped thinking about all the horrors of the past six days and let her mind wander to those kisses they had shared. And the feel of his strong body next to her last night.
She couldn’t imagine a better way to take her mind off all this than doing a little more of exactly that sort of therapy.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Saturday, August 16
Gerard Apartment
Chestnut Street, 7:00 a.m.
Her cell phone vibrating across the bedside tabletop woke Leah.
She was alone in the bed.
The distant scent of fresh-brewed coffee told her why. Owen was up, had probably been up for a while, making coffee and doing the job of keeping her safe.
She smiled. She’d really enjoyed the gentle way he’d made her feel all sorts of things last night. Safe. Warm. And utterly fulfilled. She couldn’t think of any way she would rather spend her nights.
Her smile fell. But what would she do when this was over? Would he go back to his life and forget about her? She’d wanted to ask. While snug in his arms last night, the question had pounded in her brain. Then she’d decided that she would rather just not think about it until she had no choice. Enjoying the moment and the time they had together was more important.
Well, and finding the answers to who had tried to frame her up for murder—and tried to set her on fire, to boot.
Her phone started its insistent vibrating again.
It was probably her boss at the library, letting her know she was fired. She couldn’t blame her if she did. She’d brought serious trouble to the library doors.
