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“I don’t see anyone out here,” she said toward her chest, hoping they could hear her lowered voice.
A shadow moved inside, by one of the black, framed window openings. Her pulse went haywire. God, she really was nervous. Even though Justin’s kiss had helped, he wasn’t here. And right about now, she’d give anything to have him at her side. Even hearing his voice would help.
Buck up, Marley. Get through this and you’ll have all night with him.
“I’m going inside,” she said.
She straightened her spine, mentally and physically, and made her way toward the door. Just shy of the opening, she paused in the darkest shadows with a cautious glance around. Leaning down, she un-tucked her gun, then slid it into the front pocket of her jogging suit jacket. As she straightened, she thought she saw the outline of another vehicle parked closer to the supervisor’s trailer.
Great. Was there more than one person waiting for her inside? Her pulse jittered, making her take a deep breath. She was sure it was a car, but couldn’t make out any details in the dark to give the detectives. Not that it mattered; she was too close to the house to talk to them anyway.
Instead, she called, “I’ve got the money.”
“Bring it inside.” The voice sounded different from on the phone. Higher? “Nice and slow. I want to see your hands.”
As she stepped through the opening, she could’ve kicked herself for not grabbing the flashlight she kept in the glove box of her truck. In the next instant, a light shined directly into her eyes.
Marley squinted, cocking her head while raising her arm to block the glare. She made out a dark figure, not overly tall, and slender in appearance. Without a light of her own, his face remained shadowed.
“Are you alone?”
Make that her face. Now Marley recognized it in the speaker’s higher-pitched tone.
“You already know the answer to that,” Marley said. “I saw you in the window from outside.” Her eyes began to water and she protested, “I can’t see anything.”
“That’s the point.”
“I think we’ve got a problem.”
The harsh whisper from a dark corner startled Marley. She turned to the left to find the source.
“Shut up,” the woman ordered. The light wavered and Marley peered into the inky blackness where the man’s voice had come from. Light-stars from the flashlight obscured her vision, making it impossible to identify the man.
For the benefit of the detectives listening in, Marley asked, “There’s two of you?”
“I’m not getting a pulse,” the man said.
The voice sounded familiar. Then his words registered and her heart kicked against her ribs. She moved her hand toward her pocket.
“Don’t move,” the woman demanded. The piercing glare of the flashlight blinded Marley once more. Should she cough now, or try to get the information needed to make a case? Since she couldn’t see clearly to know exactly who held the light, Marley decided to give it another minute.
“I was getting the money,” she said to mollify the woman. “Promise you’ll leave Nate alone and I’ll hand it over.”
The woman’s laugh sent a shiver down Marley’s spine.
“People fall for three things. Money—that’d be the greedy idiot lying on the floor; sex—that’d be the idiot husband of mine next to him; and family—that’d be you. Those three things are the root of most problems in the world today.”
Trying not to dwell on the fact there could be a dead body nearby, Marley asked, “Where do you fall?”
“You’d think it’s money, right? But no, it’s family. I wouldn’t be here at all if—”
“Save it, Diana,” the man in the shadows snapped. “If we don’t hustle, our alibi won’t hold up.”
“Shut up!” the woman hissed.
The name clicked with the man’s voice. Completely shocked, Marley asked, “Dale?”
“God, it’s a wonder I ever married you,” the woman said. “I told you no names!”
