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“You’re saying you suddenly believe I’m innocent?” she asked, understandably skeptical.
“I’m saying that if I’ve learned anything about you during the last couple of weeks, it’s that you are honest. Almost to a fault, sometimes,” he added with a wry smile. “You asked if I trust you. I’m sorry it took me so long to answer. Yes, Natalie. I trust you. I don’t believe you sold your ethi
cs for cash.”
“You can’t know that,” she countered, her head still lowered.
“I haven’t told you anything about myself. Even when you told me you’re an attorney, I didn’t tell you I am, too.”
“No. I can understand now why you didn’t.”
“It was too humiliating.”
“I know. I suppose I should confess that I was already aware of your profession when I told you what I do. All I knew was that you were a lawyer, and that you were between jobs.”
She looked over her shoulder at him. “How did you know?”
His mouth crooked. “Molly let it slip to me, too.”
“I don’t think I’d ever share a big secret with your cousin Molly,” she resolved with a little shake of her head.
He chuckled. “I know it sounds that way, but Molly has been known to keep secrets. Anyway, I only found out your profession a couple of days ago. That’s why I thought I should tell you what I do, and then let you fill me in on whatever you wanted me to know in your own time. I swear to you, I made no effort to find out anything about you that you didn’t tell me yourself. I didn’t ask Andrew and Aaron to snoop. I would have ordered them not to if they’d bothered to tell me what they were doing.”
“I guess it doesn’t really matter now,” she muttered, sounding suddenly weary. “Everyone will probably find out eventually. Especially when I can’t find another job because no one will want to hire an attorney who’s been accused of selling confidential client information.”
He moved to stand in front of her, looking down at her dejected expression. He still felt like a heel for being partially responsible for the sadness in her eyes. “You didn’t do it,” he said, and it wasn’t a question.
“No. But that doesn’t matter. I’ve done everything I know how to do to prove that someone set me up to take the blame for those leaks. I have a few leads, but no solid evidence. And without incontrovertible evidence, it’s my word against the firm’s. No one will believe me.”
“I just mentioned that several of my relatives are P.I.s. Despite my present irritation with him, I know Andrew’s very good at his job. Tell him the details, give him the names of anyone you suspect, and let him see what he can find out. Let us help you clear your name.”
She shook her head. “I already have a P.I. His name is Rand Beecham. You saw him leaving yesterday morning.”
A P.I. He didn’t want to admit how much it had bothered him to see a man leaving her cabin, how hard it had been for him not to ask who he was—or how very relieved he was to hear her explanation. This wasn’t the time to go into his feelings. For now, they needed to concentrate on facts.
“He’s a P.I.? From Nashville?”
She nodded. “An ex-cop. I, um, found him in the yellow pages.”
She looked both embarrassed and frustrated by that admission, as if she were less than pleased with her employee. “Has he found anything to prove your innocence?”
She twisted her fingers in front of her, looking down at her hands. “He’s pursuing a couple of leads.”
Watching her closely, he prodded, “You’re satisfied that he’s good at what he does?”
“I—” She spread her hands. “I don’t know what else to do,” she admitted. “I’ve tried doing some research on my own, but I’ve got to admit I don’t have the faintest idea where to start. I’ve typed dozens of names into search engines, but I haven’t found anything to indicate anyone I know would do this to me.”
“Would you mind if Andrew does some investigating on the side? Maybe a pair of fresh eyes will find something you and Beecham have missed.”
“I, um—” She bit her lip, not knowing quite how to say that she could barely afford one P.I., much less two.
“Andrew wouldn’t charge for his time, of course,” Casey added. “We don’t charge friends. Besides, he owes you this. Like you said, he had no right to invade your privacy. The least he can do is help clear your name.”
“I can’t ask him to do that.”
“You don’t have to. I’ll ask him.”
She drew an unsteady breath. “You haven’t heard the whole story. The evidence against me—”
