“Good thing you didn’t have another woman bent over that desk.”

He laughed. She did too. Robby would never ever cheat on her. He wasn’t like Kerri’s jerk of an ex.

She entered the office as Robby stood. Before he could say another word, she placed the basket in the chair in front of his desk, walked around to him, and slid her arms around his neck. She kissed him. She kissed him the way she used to when it was just the two of them. His arms tightened around her.

She drew back and looked into his eyes. “I love you, Robby.”

“I love you, Di.”

Without another word, they made love right there on his desk, uncaring of the paperwork he’d been trying to balance. They made love the way they had twenty years ago, with complete abandon. And when they were finished, they held each other for a long while, then helped each other back into their clothes.

“As much as I hate to say it”—Diana smiled as she watched him devour his lunch—“I should get going and let you get back to work. Otherwise you’ll never get home.”

He reached out, squeezed her hand. “Thank you for this.”

“My pleasure. Before I go, is there any way I can help?”

“You already have.” He grinned. “I feel like a new man.”

While they gathered the scattered papers, his cell rang. He checked the screen. “I gotta take this.”

To Diana’s surprise he hurried out of his office and out the door to the parking lot. She could still see him since the entrance door was glass. He paced back and forth, back and forth, looking serious and perhaps a little worried. He wasn’t happy about the call or with the caller. She finished tidying his papers as best she could while she split her attention between the task and watching her husband.

Now he was angry. His face had reddened, his jaw hardened, free hand planted on his hip.

What in the world?

Deciding she wasn’t going to keep playing this guessing game, she wandered toward the entrance. Just as her hands came to rest on the door to push it open, he glanced her way and then ended the call.

She pushed out into the warm afternoon and watched him for a moment. “Is everything okay?”

“Yeah. Just a jerk customer.” He glanced at her but immediately dropped his gaze.

“People can be jerks sometimes.” She walked over to him and rubbed his shoulder, felt the tension in him.

He worked up a smile and met her gaze. “I won’t be much longer.”

She went up on tiptoe and kissed his cheek. “See you then.” Before she turned away, she said, “Oh wait, I forgot to tell you that Lewis York dropped by the house.”

The look that claimed her husband’s face was something between fear and outrage. What in the world was that all about?

“What did he want?”

His words were cold and hard.

Confused, she explained, “The firm is planning to make a sizable donation to Amelia’s needs going off to school.” Another of those giddy smiles spread across her face despite her husband’s strange reaction. “Isn’t that great?”

He nodded, but the move was hardly noticeable. “Yeah. Great.”

“Robby.” She took his hand in hers. “Are you sure you’re okay? Is there something going on that I should know about?”

“I guess I’m angry at myself since I can’t do all those things for our daughter. The firm gives her a job. The firm gives her fringe benefits.” He shook his head.

Diana hugged him. “Don’t be silly. We worked hard to raise Amelia, and she has worked hard in school. It’s not like we’re accepting charity. We’re reaping the benefits of hard work.”

“You’re right.” He flashed a half-hearted smile. “See you at home.”

Diana left, feeling torn. That phone call nagged at her. His reaction to Lewis’s visit made her uneasy.

If Robby was in real trouble, would he tell her? Were they going to need an attorney?

At least she had an in with the best attorney in Birmingham, and God knew he had friends in high places.

27

4:30 p.m.

Law Office of Keith Bellemont

Third Avenue North

Daniel Abbott had shown up at Keith’s home.

Keith’s wife had called to warn him. She was concerned since the older man had seemed overly agitated. She’d apologized for telling Abbott that Keith was at work. He imagined his wife had bemoaned the fact that he worked long hours, seven days a week. Abbott had likely pretended to care.

But he didn’t, not at all.

He didn’t care where Keith was as long as he found him.

Keith heard him in the lobby. Martha attempted to greet him, but he ignored her. Instead, he barged past her, his footfalls heavy on the old wood floors, and appeared at Keith’s door.

“Mr. Abbott.” Keith rose from his chair. “Is everything all right?”

Abbott slammed the door behind him. “Of course everything is not all right. Are you mad?”

Keith let go a weary breath and gestured to the chairs in front of his desk. “Please have a seat, and let’s talk about what’s going on.”

Obviously struggling to maintain his composure, Abbott crossed the room and sat. Keith took his seat and waited for the other man to begin. He had never felt more tired in his life.

“Those detectives came back to my house again today.”

Keith pursed his lips and gave a succinct nod. “They’ll likely do that from time to time until the case is closed. They have a responsibility to try their best to find Sela and the person who hurt Ben and her mother. As unpleasant as it is, sometimes it’s necessary to go over information a number of times. We all want justice for Ben and a safe return for Sela.”

The man had to know this would happen. Did he think he was above the law? Exempt from the steps necessary to conducting a thorough investigation? Fury detonated in Keith’s belly, and he tamped it back. He couldn’t afford to lose control.

“Cut the crap, Bellemont. We both know what they’re going to find. And they’ll find it soon. They know about the sister.”

A flash of fear doused the anger. Keith wasn’t innocent in all this any more than the man staring at him. Damn it! “That’s unfortunate but—”

“Did you think they wouldn’t find out?” Abbott blustered, cutting him off. “For God’s sake, man, it was always going to come to this if things went wrong, and things are very wrong!”

“Mr. Abbott,” Keith urged, “I want you to stay calm and as disengaged as possible from this aspect of the situation. I will handle whatever happens.”

“You will handle it?” Disbelief blasted him. “You mean the way you handled the rest? My son is dead, you fool. My grandchild is God only knows where with that insane woman. We have no idea what she intends to do next. How do you propose to handle this?”

From the moment Keith had learned of Ben’s death, he had known it would likely come to this. He had also known there was no stopping it once it started. “I’m afraid the only thing we can do at this point is spin the damage. Prevent the fallout from landing in the wrong places.”

“I should have handled this personally from the beginning, but I relied on you. Obviously, that was a mistake.” Abbott stood. “Just remember, you allowed this to happen.”

The man stormed out the same way he had stormed in.

There was no point in Keith telling him what he knew for a certainty.

This was only the beginning.

28

7:30 p.m.

Birmingham Police Department

First Avenue North

Major Investigations Division

“It’s Sunday, and it’s late, Devlin.”

If Falco reminded her once more what time it was and that it was Sunday, she was going to kick his ass.

“I’m aware of the day and time, Falco. What’s your problem? You have a hot date? If so, by all means go!”

He leaned back in his chair. “I don’t have a date, but you have a daughter.”

Now he’d pissed her off. “Are you going to tell me how to be a good parent now?”

He held up his hands. “Simmer down, Devlin. I’m not trying to start a fight. I’m just saying we’ve gone over this same information a dozen times. Until we hear from the professor or one of these players starts telling the whole story, we might be banging our heads against the wall.”

“FYI,” Kerri informed him, “Tori is having dinner with Diana—my sister—and her family tonight. I’ve got all the time in the world.”

“Well, all right then, partner,” Falco tossed back. “Let’s keep at it.”

She flashed him an exaggerated smile. “Thank you. As I was saying, there are some things we do know. This case isn’t about the money.” Kerri had been pondering the idea that Sela Abbott stood to gain a whole lot more by staying in the marriage. “This is about revenge.”

“I’m with you,” Falco chimed in. “She was attempting to avenge her sister’s death—assuming the sister is dead. So she put herself in the path of a good old Alabama boy. One from Birmingham—the scene of the crime.”

“Not just any good old boy,” Kerri argued.