Sealed with a Kiss

CHAPTER SIX

AFTER DROPPING Molly off, Hunter knew he needed to keep busy, to avoid thinking about the conversation they’d had earlier and his trip down memory lane. Or the fact that he’d confided his deepest secrets and fears to the one woman guaranteed to cause him more heartache.

First, Hunter stopped at the local precinct and butted heads with the chief of police, a decent enough guy but one who went by the book and who believed he’d arrested the right suspect. Hunter knew he’d have to dig beneath the facts, starting with Molly’s dad.

According to Hunter’s paralegal back home, she’d faxed a copy of all the relevant papers in the case to the general’s house. Once Hunter spoke to his client about the night in question, he’d have a long evening ahead of him reconciling other witness statements with the general’s story. At the thought of digging into a good case and doing what he loved, the blood pumped harder in Hunter’s veins.

An hour later, Hunter found himself in the visiting room across from his new client. He studied the general, taking his measure as a man and as Molly’s father. In appearance, he was still a military man with closely cropped hair and an innate confidence despite his current situation that Hunter admired.

The general studied Hunter in return. “So you’re the lawyer my daughter hired. She says you’re the best.”

High praise coming from Molly, Hunter thought. He inclined his head. “I do the best with the evidence I’ve got in front of me.”

The general laughed. “Don’t be modest. I know who you are. I just didn’t know you and my daughter had a past.”

“She told you about us?”

“It’s more what she didn’t say. Besides, I’m a damn good judge of character and people. By the way she spoke of you, it wasn’t hard to figure out you two were involved.”

Hunter felt an uncharacteristic heat rise to his face. “Frankly I don’t know what to say.”

“Say you’ll get me out of here. That would be a damn good start.” The general placed his cuffed hands on the table.

Hunter frowned and gestured to the guard. “Take them off.”

“But-”

“I’m his attorney and we need to talk. He’s not going to sit here for an hour like that. Uncuff him.”

The guard scowled but walked over to where Frank sat. “I’m going to be right here,” he said and patted his gun for effect before unlocking the shackles.

“Thanks.” Frank rubbed his wrists and leaned back in his seat.

“No sweat. We have a lot to discuss. You might as well be comfortable, because I want to hear all about your relationship with your partner and the night of the murder.”

Hunter pulled a yellow legal pad and a pen from his duffel. He hated the dank smell in the visitors’ room and he could only imagine the cell was worse. It was time the general began to deal with his recollections so Hunter could get him the hell out of here.

As much as bail was part of his legal strategy, Hunter couldn’t deny the need to see Molly’s grateful expression when he walked into the house with her father by his side. A part of him still wanted to be her hero and he hated himself for being so needy.

He cleared his throat. “Let’s start from the beginning. What was your relationship with the victim besides in general terms like partner and friend?” Hunter asked the older man.

“That’s easy enough. We enlisted around the same time, went through basic training together, climbed up the ranks together. Fought together, too.”

Hunter raised an eyebrow. “Vietnam?” he guessed.

The general answered with a quick nod of his head. “That was our first war and we decided Desert Storm would be our last.”

“Honorably discharged?” Hunter asked.

“In layman’s terms, yes.”

“I bought a house on the same street we’re living on now. Much smaller, though. It was all I could afford, but when the business took off and the children got bigger, I moved around the corner and Paul bought the house next door.” He shoved one hand into his back pocket. “My wife, Melanie, died a short time after.” The older man’s voice grew deeper with the memory.

“I’m sorry,” Hunter said.

“Thank you. Life isn’t fair. I learned that a long time ago and it was reinforced when my adult firstborn showed up on my doorstep and I knew nothing about her. How does a man deal with that?”

Hunter shook his head. “I have no idea.” He couldn’t imagine the general’s feelings of anger and betrayal.

“I could have killed Molly’s mother, let me tell you that. If I didn’t go after Francie for keeping my child from me, I sure as hell didn’t kill my best friend over stolen money.” A muscle pulled tight in the general’s temples, the stress obviously overwhelming him.

Hunter drew a deep breath and paused. He didn’t want to have the conversation he’d had with Molly, the one about guilt or innocence being irrelevant. “Let’s keep going,” he said in an attempt to keep the discussion on track. “So you and Paul Markham had a good relationship and you started up a real estate business.”

“That’s right. Property management as well as quick turnovers for profit.”

“Tell me about Paul’s personality. Was he calm? Mild mannered? Similar to you?”

The other man let out a harsh laugh. “Hell, no. We’re complete opposites. I think things through before acting. I consider options even when I’m burning on all cylinders. Paul had a hair-trigger temper that only got worse over time. Thing was, I never realized there was a reason for the change. I was his best friend. His partner. I should have known something was wrong. Even the little things had begun to set him off.” He kicked back his chair and rose to his feet.

The guard stepped up to the table immediately.

Hunter groaned and waved the armed man away, but he waited until the general reseated himself before moving back, arms folded against the wall.

He’d been listening carefully to everything Frank said, searching for anything that he could grab on to that might open another avenue of questioning. Something that would work in the general’s favor.

He’d found it. “So you noticed a behavioral change prior to Paul’s death.” Hunter hadn’t read over the client files yet, so he asked, “Did you tell the police about this?”

“I tried but they didn’t hear me.” The older man lifted his shoulders in a shrug. “The cops don’t care about details that might change their mind about my role in Paul’s death.”

Hunter jotted down some notes so when he had the files in hand, he could compare. “You said you should have known something was wrong. You said you had no reason to suspect Paul’s mood swings had a cause.”

“Right. Because the man had a dark side even back in basic training. But over the years he kept a lid on it. His wife Sonya’s soft personality tempered his harsher one, at least for a while.”

Hunter nodded in understanding. “Now I need you to take me back to that night.”

The general placed his hands behind his head, leaned back and glanced at the ceiling. “First you need to understand the nature of our business. I made the deals but Paul was the money man. I trusted him. I had no reason not to.”

“Go on.”

“We have properties that turn over quickly, money that’s passed around fast. We never had a problem in the past. That day I’d sent my assistant to the bank to pick up certified checks and the teller called to inform us that we didn’t have enough in one of the accounts to cover a closing the next day. It made no sense, considering the amount that was supposed to be available.” He ran one hand across the top of his closely cropped head. “I told them that Paul or I would go over the accounts and get back to them.”

“So you went to question Paul?”

Frank inclined his head. “He was in his office and he was as agitated as I’d ever seen him. He was pacing, cursing, muttering under his breath. I told him about the bank error and handed him the statement the bank had faxed over. Without looking at it, he told me there was no error. The accounts were accurate.” The color drained from the general’s face at the memory. “I realize now Paul was out of options and places to switch money. He admitted everything.”

“Lay it out for me now,” Hunter said, pen poised, ready to write.

Frank let out a deep breath. “He said he’d been siphoning money out of the accounts for years. Most times we’d close the next day and replenish enough that I had no idea.”

Hunter glanced at the man’s profile, studying his expression. “Did he say what he used the money for?”

The general shook his head. “He wasn’t answering questions, either. It turned into a shouting match, I admit that much. He stormed out and I let him go. I wanted to go over the books myself and see how bad things were before dealing with him again later.”

As much as Hunter tried to remain dispassionate with all his clients, he felt for the man. The betrayal by a friend had to have hurt. “Did anyone hear you arguing?”

“Our secretary, Lydia McCarthy.”

“I’m going to need to talk to her.”

The general gave Hunter the woman’s home phone number and address from memory. “Though I hope she’s showing up and holding down the fort at the office. Or at least what’s left of it,” he said wryly. “She’s worked for us for the last seven years but she’s angry with me right now.”

Hunter raised an eyebrow. “Because…”

“She came to visit me here. Turns out she and Paul were involved,” he said, disgust evident in his voice. “She came in here and made a scene, ranting, raving, wailing about how I’d killed the only man she’d ever love. It was news to me, that much I can tell you.”

Hunter winced. “Did Sonya know her husband was cheating on her?”

“I don’t know. Damned if I was going to compound her loss by telling her after the fact.”

“Were there other women?”

Frank shrugged. “None that I know of, but that doesn’t mean squat.” The older man drew a deep breath and shuddered as he let it out.

Hunter could see how much this situation was wearing on him. He became even more determined to get the man out of here and home with his family.

“What I just told you stays between us, do you understand?” the general asked.

Tapping his foot against the dirty linoleum floor, Hunter considered his options. “The fact is, the prosecution could find out and make it public during the trial. I highly suggest you play things straight up.”

The general leaned forward, his elbows on the table. “I’ll consider it, but if anyone tells Sonya anything, it will be me.”

“Fine,” Hunter said. So the general was protective of the widow. He jotted down a note on that fact. “What happened next that night?”

“I took the books home with me to go over. We had dinner-”

“Who was home?”

“The commander and Molly. Robin was away at school.”

“Where was Jessie?” Hunter asked.

“Next door with Seth.”

He nodded. “So far all sounds normal.”

“It was normal. Except for the fact that I suddenly had no money in the business.”

“Did you tell the family about Paul’s embezzlement?”

“Hell, no. I wasn’t going to upset the women.”

“What about your secretary?”

“I’m sure she heard the fight. Whether she knew the details…I just don’t know.”

“Go on.”

“We ate. Jessie came home for dinner. Around nine, the phone rang and it was Sonya. She was hysterical and I went right over. She said she’d walked in on Paul ripping his office apart and throwing things. His temper wasn’t news but she could see something was seriously wrong. She pushed for answers and he told her everything, including the fact that he’d drained their personal accounts, as well.”

Hunter ran a hand over his eyes. He hadn’t realized the extent of what had passed between these families until now.

“She started screaming back at him, yelling that he’d ruined their lives and he’d jeopardized Seth’s future.” Frank met Hunter’s gaze, his expression bleak and thunderous.

“What happened?”

“He told her to shut the hell up and slapped her across the face,” Frank said through clenched teeth. “Then he grabbed his car keys and took off.”

Hunter let out a long whistle. “Was this the first incidence of abuse?”

“No,” Frank bit out. “And I knew it. Knew it had happened before and begged her to walk out on him then, but she wouldn’t. She stayed and told me he had stopped and as long as I didn’t see, I closed my eyes to the truth because that’s what Sonya wanted me to do.”

“And now you feel guilty.”

“Wouldn’t you?”

Knowing it was a rhetorical question, Hunter didn’t answer. “So you were with Sonya during the time Paul drove to the office,” he said more to himself than to the general. “As far as the police are concerned, you have motive. On the night of the murder, you discovered your partner and best friend had admitted to embezzling from your business and beating his wife.”

“Nobody knows about Sonya. The police know about the money and that was enough for them. Sonya and I agreed there was no need to leak the sordid details of her life to the police and ultimately to the rest of the neighborhood.”

Except for the fact that Sonya, too, had a motive for killing her husband. “Once again, I’m counseling you to tell the truth and not wait until someone else reveals it for you at a time when you’ll only appear more guilty.”

“You’re a man with strong principles.” The general inhaled deeply. “As am I. I’ll talk to Sonya about not hiding the abuse and I’ll also tell her about her husband’s affairs. When the time is right.”

Hunter inclined his head. “Fair enough. Now, where was Sonya when her husband was killed?”

“Home. Both Edna and Molly saw her car in the driveway, and Edna also saw her through the yard. She likes to sit out on the patio and look at the stars.”

“Good enough,” Hunter said. “Sonya didn’t have opportunity.”

“Damn right,” the general said.

“And you found your partner’s body the next morning when you showed up for work?” Hunter asked, recalling what the cop had told him earlier.

The other man gave him a curt nod.

“One more thing. Did you go home after you left Sonya’s house?”

Frank shook his head.

“Where did you go? Where were you at the time of the murder?” Which, Hunter thought, the police placed at between 10:30 and 11:30 p.m.

The general rubbed his eyes, obviously exhausted. “I was out.”

“Did you take the car?”

He shook his head. “I took a walk into town.”

“Did anyone see you?”

His gaze shifted downward. “No.”

“Did you stop anywhere?”

The general groaned. “I was angry. When I’m upset I walk. Just ask anyone in the family. I didn’t have a destination in mind. I just walked. Are we almost through? I’m wiped out.”

“We’re fine for now. I’m going to get another bail hearing scheduled right away. I have a friend I graduated with who’s a local judge. If I can pull some strings, I can get a new hearing based on your other lawyer’s incompetence scheduled today. I’ll get you out of here,” Hunter said as he placed his pad back into the duffel bag.

“I’d appreciate that. I might have spent my youth sleeping just about anywhere, but age and a soft bed have spoiled me.” He winked at Hunter and he caught a glimpse of Molly in the general’s eyes and smile.

Hunter laughed. “Don’t worry. I’ll take care of everything. We’ll talk some more when you’re back home.”

He shook the man’s hand and waited as the guard recuffed him and led him out of the room, returning him to his cell.

Hunter gathered his things and headed to the house, reflecting on what he’d learned. The most important thing he’d discovered today wasn’t on paper. It had been in the general’s expression, his voice, his emotions.

On finding out his best friend and partner had betrayed him, Frank had been pissed, no doubt. Angry and upset, surely. But there had been no murderous rage that Hunter could detect in the telling, and he doubted there’d been any that night. The man couldn’t possibly cover his feelings that well. Hunter’s gut told him so and his gut had served him well over the course of his stellar career. He chose to trust it now.

Molly was right. No way could her father kill over money or revenge. But somebody had and as soon as Hunter ensured the general’s release, he’d have to find other viable suspects, or the truth, such as it was, wouldn’t be enough to keep Molly’s father free forever.

MOLLY ENTERED the house around seven in the evening. Since moving in, she’d become more and more attuned to the normal sounds of family living, but instead of noise, quiet enveloped her. She hated thinking of her father in his tiny jail cell when he should be here with his family and as usual, a lump formed in her throat. She was about to call out for her grandmother when she remembered that the commander had mentioned taking Jessie to do some shopping before dinner.

She might not be surrounded by familiar sounds, but Molly knew she wasn’t alone. The motorcycle parked in the back of the driveway told her Hunter was here.

And she was glad. She headed straight for her father’s office. The door was cracked open. A quick glance told her Hunter sat on a chair beside Ollie’s cage.

She had raised her hand to knock and alert Hunter to her presence, when he spoke first, obviously talking to the bird. “He dribbles down the court. He pauses by the basket. He goes for the layup. He shoots. He scores! ”

A grin tipped the corners of her mouth. The bird had chosen to entertain Hunter with his favorite trick, reaching for a ball and dunking it in his mini hoop.

Molly forgot all about knocking. “I didn’t know you were a basketball fan.” She walked into the room, laughing.

Hunter rose from his seat, a heated flush highlighting his cheeks. “You caught me,” he said, clearly embarrassed by playing sportscaster to the macaw. “But the bird’s fascinating.”

Molly grinned. “Ollie’s got his good points. He speaks when spoken to, he does tricks on command and he’s potty trained. Can’t ask for much more than that in a man.”

“Cute.” He stepped closer. “Did you eat dinner yet?”

She nodded. “I grabbed a Subway sandwich on my way home. Liza dropped me off afterward. What about you?”

“I ate with Edna. She makes a mean steak and potatoes.” He patted his stomach approvingly.

“Edna’s an amazing cook whether it’s for one or twenty. I can safely say I didn’t inherit that trait.” She spoke in a self-deprecating tone, well aware of her own strengths and weaknesses. “I’m sorry I didn’t come home sooner. I got tied up at the center.”

“You don’t have to apologize.” Hunter turned his back to her and began to straighten some papers he’d been working with, deliberately placing them in neat piles around the desk. “You don’t answer to me. I’m only here for-”

“My father, I know,” she said, grinding her teeth, her frustration building. One minute Hunter was kissing her in the hall upstairs, the next he was as cool as the night air outside.

“Hunter-”

“Molly-” They spoke at the same time.

“You first,” he said.

She shook her head. “You.”

“Okay. I paid your father a visit today. He’s a great guy.” Hunter shoved his hands into his pockets. “I wouldn’t have picked anyone different for you. In fact…” His voice trailed off and she got the distinct impression he was embarrassed. “Never mind.”

“No, tell me.”

Hunter met her gaze. “He’s everything you could have hoped for and more. I’m happy for you,” he said in a rush of words.

Warmth surged through her, a tingling sensation, one part gratitude and an even bigger part attraction. She couldn’t deny it. When he was kind and considerate, and didn’t seem to be holding himself back, Hunter was one very special man. “Thanks.”

“You’re welcome. Now, what was it you wanted to tell me?” he asked.

She blinked. “I honestly don’t remember. I’m too stunned by what you just said. If I didn’t know better, I’d think you cared about me,” she said in her best Scarlett O’Hara impersonation.

She was dead serious yet she didn’t want to scare him away. Better for him to think she was teasing him than for him to get nervous and retreat.

“Who says I don’t care?” He reached out and wrapped his finger around a strand of her hair.

Molly felt the gentle tug straight down to her toes and she licked her dry lips. She hadn’t meant for the gesture to be seductive but his eyes followed the movement, darkening with molten heat and desire. A surge of warmth prickled at her skin and she swayed toward him, giving him an open invitation. One she hoped he’d take her up on.

His big hand slid upward and she tipped her head back into his palm, her gaze never leaving his. Her heart pounded in her chest as she waited for his lips to finally settle over hers. Her eyelids fluttered shut and she savored the feel of his mouth, the warm glide of his tongue over her lips and the delicious arousal thrumming through her veins.

She couldn’t help but notice how much more touchy-feely they’d become now, when his walls were supposedly higher and she had no idea where they stood. When he kissed her like this, she didn’t care.

She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him closer, aligning their bodies flush against each other. His heat sucked her into a whirlpool of sensation and his scent ignited a flame of desire the likes of which she’d never felt before. She wanted him badly and the low moan that escaped the back of her throat ensured he knew it, too.

She tangled her fingers in the back of his hair at the same moment she heard the sound of someone clearing their throat. “Well, this is a fine welcome-home greeting,” her father said in his “general” voice.

Hunter flew backward. Molly jumped away from him at the same time and they both turned guilty looks his way. But the general had a huge grin on his handsome face.

And then his presence registered in Molly’s mind. “You’re home. You’re home! Oh my God.” She ran and threw her arms around his neck, hugging him tight. “I had no idea but I’m so relieved.”

“Same here,” he said.

She stepped back, her hand still inside his. “How? When?”

“Hunter freed me in time for dinner.”

Molly turned Hunter’s way. “You didn’t say anything.”

“Made the surprise that much sweeter, didn’t it?” Hunter asked.

Molly thought she fell back in love with him right then. If she’d ever fallen out. She doubted it.

She shot him a lingering glance before turning to her father. “Where were you when I came home?”

“Next door checking on Sonya and Seth.”

Molly nodded. “That’s good. And now that you’re home, you’re going to remain here,” she said in her most determined voice.

“I’m sorry to be the bucket of cold water, but bail is only a temporary solution,” Hunter pointed out.

Molly rolled her eyes. “Surely we can celebrate just for tonight.”

“You two certainly can. I have to bring myself up to speed, but I don’t want to put you out of your office,” Hunter said to the general. “As I told your mother, I can stay in a local motel.”

Molly’s heart skipped a beat. Although she’d fought the idea of him staying in the house at first, she’d quickly changed her mind. She hadn’t realized how much she counted on having Hunter right there until he’d offered to leave.

The general waved his hand, dismissing the offer. “Don’t worry about me. I can’t concentrate on work until this is over and there isn’t much I can do until I clear my name. Please make yourself at home.”

Molly forced herself not to show her elation. She didn’t even try to tell herself the reason was so she could be nearby to help Hunter with the case. She wanted him nearby for purely selfish reasons.

“We didn’t discuss money at the jail today but I need you to know something,” her father said, his serious gaze on Hunter’s. “I can’t afford to pay you much right now, but I will pay you back.”

Hunter shook his head. “I appreciate it, sir, but-”

“No buts. If you’re going to represent me, you’re going to be paid. I don’t take charity, so save the pro bono work for people who really need it. Once I can buy and sell real estate without this case hanging over my head, I’ll pay you for your services.”

A lump rose in Molly’s throat. She knew it wasn’t easy for her father to have this conversation with Hunter and she admired him for it.

“That works fine for me.” Hunter shook Frank’s hand.

She admired Hunter as well, not just for the way he’d handled her father and salvaged the general’s pride, but also for the plain fact that he’d shown up here at all. She’d needed his help and he’d come despite their past. Despite his own pride.

The two men had a lot in common. Including how deeply she cared for them both. She met Hunter’s gaze, hoping to convey her feelings in a glance.

He shifted his stare. “I have a lot of work to do if we’re going to make your freedom permanent,” Hunter said to the general.

Hunter deliberately avoided Molly’s damp stare. He’d wanted to see her expression when he freed her father but now that he had, he couldn’t handle the blatant adoration in her gaze. Not on top of that soul-rocking kiss. If her father hadn’t returned, he’d have taken her in this office, on the desk, the floor, standing against the wall. It wouldn’t have mattered as long as he was buried deep inside her body, finding the release he’d long been denied. The attraction was strong and consuming but he could deal with it.

Sex was easy. Nothing about Molly or his feelings for her ever had been.

He cleared his throat. “Okay then, there’s no time like the present to get started. So if you two would excuse me…” He gestured to the piles of papers on the desk, attorneys’ notes, copies of police files and evidence. Just the beginning as far as this case was concerned.

The general’s narrowed gaze darted back and forth between Hunter and Molly. Obviously the man didn’t know what to make of the clinch he’d interrupted or their distance now.

Molly ran her tongue over her lips.

Damn, Hunter hated when she did that, if only because he loved it so much. That small swipe of her tongue was such a turn-on.

“I’ve had a long day at the senior center. I really need to head on upstairs and relax,” Molly said.

“Face it like a man.” The macaw broke the tension with his high-pitched voice.

Molly laughed. Hunter didn’t blame her. The damn bird was funny.

“Now, that’s something I didn’t miss,” the general said.

The bird made something like a raspberry sound.

Hunter chuckled, then glanced at Molly.

“I’m out of here,” she said.

He had no idea if she’d read his withdrawal as embarrassment at being caught kissing by her father, or as the cowardly retreat it truly had been. Regardless, she obviously agreed it was time to return to their separate corners, he thought, relieved, and waited for her to head out the door.

Molly startled him by stopping directly in front of him. “Thank you for getting him out of jail,” she said loud enough for her father to hear. “And thank you for that kiss,” she whispered for Hunter’s ears only.

At the reminder of the kiss and the blatant promise of more in her passion-filled eyes, his throat grew dry and raw. She’d done the impossible, he realized.

She’d left him speechless, anticipating her next move.

At that moment, Hunter resolved to put his misgivings and worry about the future to rest. He’d grown up without knowing where he’d be living the next week. Surely he could handle a no-strings affair with Molly now.

FRANK SAT out back on a patio chair, looking at the moon and watching the various lights in the windows of the house. He appreciated the view and was grateful to be outside in fresh air and not the dank jail cell. Molly passed by the kitchen window and waved to him before returning to her task. She was up late baking a birthday cake for a friend of his mother’s who lived in the senior citizens’ center in town.

His gaze shifted to his office window where the light by his desk gleamed bright. Molly’s lawyer friend must be a night owl. Either that or being in the same house as Molly was keeping him awake and restless.

Only an idiot would miss the sexual tension flying between those two and only someone who’d never been hurt wouldn’t recognize the lengths to which they went to pretend nothing was wrong and there were no feelings between them. He ought to know. He played the same game.

With a groan, Frank rose from his seat and headed to the house next door. Using his key, he let himself inside. After Paul’s sudden murder, Sonya had given him a key for safekeeping. He shook his head, still unable to believe his friend was dead. Murdered.

And the fact that the police could finger him as the culprit was ludicrous, but he understood the evidence and he knew the score. Unless he or the lawyer came up with something solid, he was in deep trouble.

He shook the thought away. “Sonya?” he called softly.

“In here.” As promised, Sonya was waiting for him in the downstairs family room. She rose from the couch as he entered the room.

“Is Seth asleep?” he asked.

She nodded and flung herself toward him. “God, I’ve needed your arms around me.”

He pulled her tight, breathing in the fragrant smell of her hair and drawing strength from just holding her. “I know it’s been rough for both of you. I wish I’d been here in the days following the funeral.”

He’d been arrested one day after the burial and he’d had to console himself with visits and updates from his family ever since.

Keeping her hand in his, she led him to the couch and they sat down. “I wish you’d been here, too. It’s been hard. Seth is just devastated about his father. He goes to school, comes right home and won’t come out of his room. The only one he’ll talk to is Jessie.”

“At least he’s got someone. Do you want me to see if he’ll talk to me?” Frank had been like a second father to Seth for the boy’s entire life and he loved him like a son.

Sonya looked up, her eyes glistening. “Would you? You could come by tomorrow. You know Paul’s parents died years ago and Seth really doesn’t have anyone else. I think it’s hard for him to talk to me. He needs a man who understands.”

Frank nodded. “Does he think I had something to do with Paul’s death?” He voiced the question that had been haunting him. That those closest to him might believe what the police claimed to be true.

She shook her head. “No. That’s the only thing he’s said to me in days. That he knows for a fact you’d never hurt his father.”

He dragged in a deep breath. “But I wanted to. I could have lived with the embezzlement as long as he was punished, but from the minute I found out that he’d slapped you again I wanted to kill him.” The rage he’d felt built up inside him once more.

Rage at his best friend and rage at himself. He knew from their army days that Paul had a temper and dark side, but over the years Frank had convinced himself he’d never take his fury out on his own family. He should have insisted that Sonya leave Paul the first time he’d hit her, but after confronting Paul, he’d promised to keep his hands off his wife and kid. But the other man’s darker moods had become more frequent over the last year and instead of talking to Paul about it, Frank had closed his eyes to the truth. Delusion had let Frank sleep at night but it hadn’t helped the people he loved.

And he did love Sonya. What had begun as a convenient friendship had blossomed after Melanie’s death. Frank couldn’t say the exact moment he’d fallen for his best friend’s wife or she for him. He only knew they’d been in love for years, but neither of them had ever said the words aloud or followed through on the emotional connection, never mind the physical. They cared about their families too much, respected each other, as well.

She cupped her hands around his face. “But you didn’t. You didn’t hurt my husband. We didn’t hurt anyone.”

“And as long as no one finds out how we feel about one another, nobody will be hurt,” he said, still not saying the words aloud. She was, after all, a grieving widow and he had lost his best friend. Nothing would alter those painful facts. He brushed his lips over her forehead, then merely held her close.

“I may have been increasingly unhappy but I never wanted Paul murdered.”

Frank clasped her wrist, brushing his thumb over the pulse point there. “I know.”

“I don’t want you taking the blame for this.”

“And I won’t. I already told you Molly’s lawyer friend, Daniel Hunter, is going to represent me. I’ll be fine.”

“He’s going to want your alibi,” Sonya said.

He clenched his jaw tight. “He already did and I told him I went out for a walk. I was alone.”

“But-”

“I…was…alone. End of discussion.” He knew Sonya well enough to know she’d respect his decision.

He wasn’t sure he could say the same for Hunter. He hoped the other man would put on a solid defense without digging too deep.

“The lawyer wants us to be up-front about…the abuse,” Frank said, gentling his voice. “I’m against it but he’s afraid the prosecution might somehow find out and use it against me. You know, as another motive for me to want to hurt Paul.”

He glanced at her face, expecting a stricken look.

Instead, she slowly nodded. “That makes sense.”

“But Seth-”

“He already knows. He couldn’t live in this house and not know his father had…issues with his temper. He’ll get through this just like we all will.” Sonja met his gaze with a determined one of her own.

She never failed to amaze him with her strength. He just wished she’d used that strength to leave her husband. Too late to think about that now, though.

He inclined his head. “Okay then, that’s settled.” Now to tell her about her husband’s affair. “Just one more thing.” He drew a fortifying breath because he knew this would be the most difficult of all.

“What is it?” she asked.

“It’s about Paul.”

She leaned closer to him. “Yes?”

“I had a visitor while I was in jail. Lydia McCarthy.”

Sonya sat up straighter. She adjusted her headband, then clasped her hands together in her lap. “What about her?”

“Paul and Lydia were involved.” He chose the most benign word he could find.

Sonya frowned. “Don’t try to make it sound all nice and refined. They were having an affair,” she spat out.

Frank rose to his feet. “You knew? ” And he hadn’t. Would wonders never cease?

“I lived with the man. Of course I knew. And frankly, I was relieved. Paul and I hadn’t had a marriage in a good long time. Not a real one, anyway. I stayed with him to keep our family together but I couldn’t stand his temper and…” She trailed off, glancing away. “I couldn’t stand for him to touch me that way.” She shuddered.

But when she met Frank’s gaze, sadness and guilt filled her beautiful eyes.

“Don’t,” he said in a gruff voice. “Don’t feel guilty for what happened to your marriage or to Paul.” He brushed his knuckles over her cheek. “We’ll get through this.” He tried like hell to reassure her.

Even if there were times when he wondered how.