AllFreeNovel
Share Us
32
OH, YOU’RE HOME,”EMMA SAYS, HER HEART STARTING TOdrum.
Tom offers a tight smile, not an expression she’s ever seen from him. She notices he’s shed the morning’s navy blazer and laid it on the banquette next to him.
“The police finished interviewing people at around four, though they’ll probably be back tomorrow,” he says. “Once they left, I sent everyone home and then decided to get out of there myself.”
“But where’s your car?”
“I let Brittany take it into town. She wanted to shop, and I figured the distraction would be good for her. What about you?”
“Me?”
He nods. “Where were you coming from?”
“Uh, I was at the police station. I was right about them wanting to speak to me, but they seemed to understand my meeting with Taylor was inconsequential.”
“I suppose they didn’t drop any hints about the investigation.”
“They didn’t, no. Have you heard anything?”
“Not a word.”
But something’s up. That’s why he’s been waiting here.
Emma sets her purse down on the counter, drifts over to the sink, and washes her hands. As soon as she turns off the faucet, the room goes totally silent again. She swivels around slowly to see Tom’s still at the table, his arms resting in front of him, and his eyes glued on her.
“What is it, Tom?”
“I need to talk to you. Can you sit down for a minute?”
There’s a weird flatness to his tone, as unfamiliar as the tight smile from a minute ago. Has he sensed her suspicions? Did he spot her following him today?
“Sure.” Emma forces a tiny smile and moves toward the table, where she clumsily pulls out a chair.How can this be happening?she wonders. Two weeks ago they sat in this same place together, happily catching up over cheese and pâté.
“I know how upsetting Taylor’s death must be for you,” he says after she’s seated, “but there’s clearly something else troubling you.”
She inhales roughly, desperately weighing what to say. She’s certainly not going to admit her fear that he might be a murderer.
“Uh...” She’s struggling for words when Tom juts out a hand, palm forward.
“Actually, why don’t I begin, because I’m pretty sure I know what’s at the root of it. For starters, I’ve been extremely distracted lately—at a time when you’ve really needed me.”
She stares at him, confused. He thinks her mood relates to him not paying enough attention to her?
“But there’s been a reason for my distractedness,” he continues, “and I need to be honest with you about it.”
Her heart makes a dead stop in her chest. Is he about to confess to her?
She nods slowly. “Okay.”
“For starters, there’s a pretty serious situation going on at work, one I didn’t want to burden you with until I knew more. But I can tell you now that someone’s been embezzling from Halliday.”
Her mouth drops open in shock. This was the last thing she expected to hear.
“Taylor?”
“No, no,” he says, shaking his head. “Not her. It’s Justine. Dan and I began to figure it out last week with a forensic accountant. It looks like she might have siphoned off more than half a million dollars over a six- or seven-year period.”
