“I told her not to wait for me. What about your grandmother?”
“She’s dining with her pastor and his wife. I was invited to join them, but I begged off several days ago. I wasn’t in the mood to spend this Christmas with strangers. My grandmother thinks I’m spending time with old friends today.”
Lucas kissed her temple. “We could stay here all day.”
She smiled. “Did you bring food?”
“No.”
“You’ll get hungry.”
He brushed his lips over hers. “I’ll get by.”
She nestled her head on his shoulder again. The euphoria of their lovemaking was beginning to fade a bit, allowing other thoughts to crowd in. Questions about the wallet she’d found among Roger’s possessions. Concerns about the recent attack on Emily and whether it could in any way have been connected to the bracelet she’d worn. Worries about when Lucas would leave again—and whether he would say goodbye this time.
“Don’t start worrying,” Lucas murmured, seeming to read her mind. “Whatever happened in the past, there’s nothing we can do about it now.”
“When I saw that wallet last night, I couldn’t help thinking about what Roger said to you. Lucas... what if he was right? What if my father and your stepmother really were killed?”
“By my father?”
“Who else? Roger found the things on McBride land. And your father became so angry when you asked about it that he threw you out of his house.”
“You have to understand, Rachel, that I’m not defending my father out of loyalty and certainly not from affection. I’m not necessarily saying he was morally above murder. I just don’t see him being that passionate, or that reckless. His coldness and his lack of any real emotion toward anyone were his worst flaws. I just can’t see him caring enough about Nadine to have killed her to keep from losing her. More likely, he would have told her the same thing he told me—get out, and stay out.”
“And that’s what you told Roger?”
“Yes. And I believed it. I wouldn’t have left Emily with our father if I believed he was a murderer.”
“But you hadn’t seen the wallet then.”
“No,” he admitted after a moment. “The
bracelet was easier to dismiss than the wallet.”
“Isn’t it just possible that Roger’s theory was right?”
“I suppose it’s possible. Though very unlikely.”
She tugged at her lower lip, her mind filled with possible scenarios. “What if Nadine killed my father and left town in his car? She could have lost the bracelet in the process.”
“Again, highly unlikely. Nadine was five-three, maybe a hundred and ten pounds. Your father was six foot, easily two hundred pounds.”
“A gun is a very effective equalizer.”
He nodded. “But could she have managed to bury him? If this happened the way you suggested, she had to hide the body so well it hasn’t been found in twenty-four years. And besides, I can’t see Nadine leaving town without a penny to her name. She married my father because she thought he could provide for her. He made a decent salary and she wanted someone to support her so she wouldn’t have to work. The rumors I’ve heard around town suggested that Nadine chose her lovers after her marriage based on how generous they were to her. Cash. Gifts.”
“Gifts like heavy gold bracelets?”
“Probably.”
“Do you think my father gave it to her?”
“I know my father didn’t. He didn’t do things like that. She’d had the bracelet a long time. As far back as I remember, actually. It was very recognizable, something many people would probably remember in connection to her.”
“You said Emily found the bracelet after you left. She was wearing it when she was attacked in her house. Did she know it was her mother’s?”
“I assume she did. The newspaper article identified it as an antique bracelet that had belonged to her mother. The writer must have gotten that from Emily, or from the police report.”