Buried Sins Read online

  “They’re gone? Don’t the detectives want to talk to me?”

  “Not at the moment. Rojas seems satisfied that your role was that of an innocent bystander.”

  “A stupid bystander, you mean.” She shook her head. “I can’t believe I didn’t see anything. I worked on those charity events with Francine and never suspected a thing.”

  “Francine was one careful lady. Sorting out the truth from the accusations, I’d say she started the scam with help from her brother. Carrington must have already been suspicious the day he spoke with you, though.”

  She nodded slowly. “I’ve been thinking about that. At the time, I thought he was just being nice to a new employee, but in light of what happened, he must have been trying to see what I knew. Whatever I told him confirmed his suspicions.”

  “He let her see that he was on to her. A deadly thing to do with a woman like that. She acted immediately.”

  “And Tony saw her.” The words tasted bitter, but she got them out. “She told me that. She and Tony were having an affair, and he saw what she did. He took the pill bottle and blackmailed her.”

  Some of the tension in Zach’s face eased, as if he was relieved he didn’t have to convince her of what Tony had been. “According to the brother, Tony got greedy, and Francine decided he had to go. They thought they’d have plenty of time to search for the vial.”

  She nodded. “I had a feeling that someone had been in my apartment several times during the couple of weeks after Tony died. I thought it was Decker, the man who threatened me, but it must have been Francine.”

  “Decker messed up their plans. He scared you into running, and suddenly your belongings were out of reach. Tenley followed you here to keep tabs on you while Francine, playing the devoted friend, found out that most of your things were in a moving truck, making their way slowly east.”

  “So they had to wait until everything got here to find it,” she said. “But I don’t understand what happened to Decker. Was he one of the people they scammed?”

  “Rojas thinks so. He figures when Decker couldn’t get the money out of you, he went to Francine, and she killed him. But neither of them are talking about that, and we may never know.”

  Maybe it didn’t matter whether she knew. Let the law take care of Francine and her brother. But there was one thing she had to come to terms with before she could move forward.

  “About Tony.” She looked down, realizing she didn’t want to see Zach’s face when she asked this. “Why? Why did he get involved with me? Why marry me?”

  His hands clenched. “Tenley claims Francine told Tony to make sure you weren’t suspicious about her husband’s death. As to the marriage—well, we know it wasn’t the real thing. He may have thought it gave him more leverage over Francine, having you and anything you might remember about Carrington in his pocket, so to speak. Or maybe he just couldn’t resist.” His voice softened. “People have been known to fall in love. Even the bad guys.”

  She took a breath, feeling the last of whatever shackled her to Tony falling away. “You’re trying to spare my feelings, but you don’t need to. I know now it wasn’t love with Tony.”

  “I…” He hesitated, as if not sure what to say. “Is that a good thing?”

  She nodded, managing a smile. “I think so. I’d rather know what love isn’t, so I can recognize what it is.”

  Zach touched her hand, very gently, and her breath hitched. Her heart seemed to be fluttering somewhere up in her throat.

  “I’m sorry,” he said softly. “For the times when I doubted you—”

  “Don’t.” She closed her hand over his. “There were times when I doubted my own sanity. Anyway, you wouldn’t be you if you hadn’t questioned. You’re a man of integrity, and you did what you thought was right.”

  His fingers moved caressingly on hers. “If there’s anything I’ve learned, it’s that when there’s a choice between duty and right, God expects me to do what’s right.” His voice roughened, as if with emotion he was trying hard to control. “Look, I know you’re going to need time to come to terms with everything that happened to you. I just hope you’ll do it here. I’ll be waiting.”

  She turned to look at him and saw the love shining in his eyes. Her heart melted, and she reached up to touch his cheek, feeling the strong line of bone and the warmth and aliveness of his skin.

  “Not so much time,” she said softly. “I’ve stopped running now.”

  God had brought her back to the place where she belonged—the place He’d been preparing for her all along. And the man He’d intended for her from the beginning.

  Zach’s arms went around her, and she was home.

  ISBN: 978-1-4268-1039-8

  BURIED SINS

  Copyright © 2007 by Martha P. Johnson

  All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including xerography, photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, is forbidden without the written permission of the editorial office, Steeple Hill Books, 233 Broadway, New York, NY 10279 U.S.A.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental.

  This edition published by arrangement with Steeple Hill Books.

  ® and TM are trademarks of Steeple Hill Books, used under license. Trademarks indicated with ® are registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office, the Canadian Trade Marks Office and in other countries.

  www.SteepleHill.com