Page 132 of The Jealous Girl

‘I guess somehow that made it seem like it wasn’t such a big deal,’ David said weakly. ‘She was just screwing her own dad over. No one else was getting hurt.’

‘But it didn’t stop with one horse,’ I pointed out.

‘No, she said it hadn’t been enough. We needed to do more.’

I snorted. ‘And you just went along with it?’

‘What choice did I have? I refused at first, but she threatened to expose the first sale.’

‘And risk implicating herself?’ I stared at him dubiously. Charlotte wasn’t that stupid.

David shook his head. ‘That’s just it, she’d already forged your signature to frame you. There was no risk to her. Even if her dad figured out her involvement, it’s not as though he would actually let her go down for it. But you and I…’ He fell silent.

The magnitude of his confession washed over me. Charlotte had been smart, there was no question about that. Other than David’s claims, there was no proof she’d ever been involved in any of it.

‘What about the bank account?’ I reminded him again.

He shook his head. ‘Telling you about Charlotte is one thing. She’s dead. But pointing fingers elsewhere is a different matter.’

‘Elsewhere?’ I frowned. That meant Charlotte hadn’t opened the bank account.

‘If the police start asking questions, I’m going to need all the friends I have,’ David continued.

‘Not good enough,’ Ben said, stepping past me. This time I didn’t attempt to hold him back.

‘Charlotte wasn’t the only one who knew what was going on with the foals,’ David said reluctantly. ‘And she wasn’t the only one with a grudge against you.’

My stomach lurched.

‘What are you saying?’

‘If you want to figure out who set up that bank account, you need to look closer to home.’

He sucked in a deep breath.

‘Look at the Blackwaters.’

46

THEN

Late August

Last Saturday

I couldn’t sleep.

Every time I closed my eyes, I saw him walking out.

It’s too much.

The words repeated on a loop.

I lay there in the dark, staring at the ceiling. The bed felt empty without him beside me. Silent without the sound of his faint snoring.

I strained my ears. Every sound in the corridor made me tense. A door closing. Footsteps.

I held my breath. Waiting for the door to open. For him to come back.