Total pages in book: 57
Estimated words: 53698 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 268(@200wpm)___ 215(@250wpm)___ 179(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 53698 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 268(@200wpm)___ 215(@250wpm)___ 179(@300wpm)
The door burst open, and yep, Conrad stormed inside with cuffs. Holden charged in behind him. Trick and Isaac sprang from the closet, the group quickly surrounding the nurse.
When Emma attempted to flee, Conrad snagged her by the waist. The two grappled to the floor, but he had no trouble locking her arms behind her back and clicking the cuffs in place. And just like that, the case of the Nasty Nurse and the Lowly Lawyer was closed.
Jane pumped both fists to the ceiling. “I did it! I saved the day, served justice on ice and outwitted a criminal mastermind with a simple plan.”
“Except Emma wasn’t lying,” Beau said in her ear, his tone far from jubilant. “The money’s gone—and so is Lucy.”
Jane and the rest of Team Truth crammed into Conrad’s office in Atlanta. After the nurse’s arrest, they’d all come in to give their statements. Jane hadn’t stopped reeling. She’d gained a confession, solving Tony’s murder, but she’d also lost her first girlfriend.
Lucy had indeed run off with Emma’s money. Not that anyone could prove it. Emma’s confiscated phone confirmed the texts she’d mentioned—from a burner phone that did not belong to Jane.
“Lucy owned a burner of her own,” Trick said, and Holden flinched.
“She distracted Fiona in the pool house and grabbed the cash, exchanging the brief case with another,” Holden said, grim. “When I followed Conrad into the house, she ran.”
Perhaps never to be seen or heard from again.
And Jane had thought her gut beyond reproach. How could she have been fooled so easily? How could she have been so wrong about someone? And why would Lucy steal the money? Fifty thousand wasn’t much to live on. Not for long anyway. Would she return to town?
Jane slumped in her chair. Lucy’s love for Cartier had blinded her to the truth, most likely. Unless she’d left the cat behind? Speaking of animals, what would happen to Emma’s dog, Cheddar?
Beside her, Fiona reached over and squeezed her hand. “It’s gonna be all right, hon.”
Yeah, she had to pull it together. “We may have to rescue a dog and a cat after this,” she muttered.
“Not the cat,” Holden said. “I stopped at Lucy’s before coming here, and she’d already packed up the cat and some clothes and blazed.”
Poor Rolex. “Did Dr. Price know about Emma’s homicidal side?”
“Doesn’t seem like it,” Conrad replied. “He believed Tony might hurt her and followed him to protect her.”
“I’m retiring,” Sheriff Moore announced without warning. He stood behind Fiona, his hands resting on her shoulders. “Effective immediately.”
Fiona nodded and patted his fingers, as if she’d known this was coming.
What? No! No, no, no. “What is Aurelian Hills supposed to do without you?” Jane cried.
His expression remained hard as granite as he motioned to Conrad. “Your turn, Ryan. Tell them.”
Wait. What? Eyes wide, she darted her gaze to her special agent city boy. “Tell us what?”
He glowered at the sheriff. “This isn’t the way we talked about making such a big announcement.”
Sheriff Moore shrugged. “Plans change, son. Roll with it.”
“This is our cue,” Beau said, shooing everyone toward the door. “Let’s go.”
Jane and Fiona shared a concerned look before the grandmother left with the group, leaving Jane alone with Conrad. They peered at each other from across the desk, her ability to breathe deserting her bit by bit.
“I’ve thought about this a lot,” he said, tapping the edge of a pen on the desk’s surface. “I’ll be moving to Aurelian Hills and running for the position of sheriff.”
A choking sound left her. Not a city boy anymore? But a—gulp—local? Breathe. Just breathe.
“Face it, Jane. Your town is a hotbed of crime. Lucy will return, guaranteed. And we still don’t know who sabotaged your car. The innocent citizens of Aurelian Hills deserve a police force up to the task. Ms. Miller doesn’t have any family, so she asked me to find a good home for Cheddar. We both know there’s no better place to raise a pet.”
“But…” What defense would Jane have against Conrad and his charming ways now?
He stood and walked around the desk, then took her hands and drew her to her feet. As she straightened, he sat at the edge and pulled her against him. She didn’t fight the contact. No, she sank into him.
“You’re welcoming our doom,” she whispered, playing with the neckline of his shirt.
“No, sweetheart.” He shook his head. “I’m giving us a real chance. I love you, Jane Ladling, and I’m never letting you go.”