“It looks as though it was...buried.”
“Like Nadine’s bracelet,” Lucas agreed.
Rachel swallowed. “Do you suppose Roger found it in the same place as the bracelet?”
Lucas closed the wallet and slipped it back into the envelope. “I think that’s a good guess.”
“Lucas...”
“Don’t let your imagination run away with you, Rachel.”
“But why would my father have left town without his wallet? Without any money? Without his driver’s license?”
“Did your father have a car?”
She nodded. “A little two-seater sports car. My grandmother said he was going through a midlife crisis—he colored the gray in his hair, bought a sports car and started running around with Nadine.”
“The car disappeared when they did?”
“Yes. Everyone assumed they left in it.”
“They probably did.”
“But why would my father’s wallet have been buried with your stepmother’s bracelet? Why...?”
Lucas covered her hand with his. “Maybe he decided to change his name.”
“Then why leave the money?”
“I don’t know,” he said with a sigh.
“You think something is strange about this, too, don’t you?”
He didn’t answer for a while, but sat holding her hand in his, the envelope on the quilt beside him. “There are some things that don’t add up,” he admitted finally.
“Roger told you he didn’t believe our father and Nadine left town. He thought they were murdered and buried on your property.”
“That was his theory.”
“Did you...ever look? For possible grave sites, I mean.”
“No. I told you, I thought Roger was crazy. And then he died, and I was suddenly defending myself against a possible murder charge, thanks to a bunch of meddlers who swore they’d heard me threaten to kill Roger.”
“Did you ever threaten to kill him?” Rachel asked softly.
Lucas’s mouth twisted. “Probably. Roger and I were always mouthing off at each other, saying stupid things. But, Rachel, if I said it, I never meant it.”
“I know you didn’t kill him. You had an alibi.”
“Actually...I didn’t.”
Her hand jerked in his. Lucas tightened his fingers to hold her.
She stared at him. “What are you talking about? Of course you had an alibi.”
“You mean Lizzie Carpenter.”
She nodded grimly. “Yes.”