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“All right,” she said. “Go ahead.”
He held her close, a steady shelter in the storm.
“Although it was MacGowan who pulled the trigger, Baines was ultimately responsible.”
She’d instinctively known that would be the case. Still, that didn’t make the final cut of betrayal any less painful. “Because Roger figured it out.”
“Yes.”
“Did he finally admit to it?”
“No, Girvin told us. She’s hoping that if she provides enough useful information, she’ll be transported instead of going to the gallows. Apparently, she was quite forthcoming.”
“That’s fortunate, I suppose. What else did she say?”
“Roger discovered that Baines was the mastermind behind the plan to defraud the foundation. He confronted Baines and demanded that he return the money.”
“What about the abductions? Did Roger know about that, as well?”
“It sounded like he hadn’t figured that out, yet. It was early days.”
Her heart hurt when she thought of how alone Roger must have felt, carrying the heavy burden of such a betrayal.
“How did Arthur respond when Roger told him to return the money?”
“Baines told him that he was too far in debt, but that if Roger would keep his secret he would eventually repay all the funds. He needed time, though, and he needed Roger to maintain the fiction that he was still an upstanding member of the legal community. For appearances sake, Baines also wanted to remain on the board.”
Samantha shook her head. “Roger would have none of that.”
“No. He gave Baines three weeks to return the money and demanded his resignation from the board. From what Girvin said, Baines made a pretense of agreeing but then went straight to MacGowan. Events . . . proceeded quickly after that.”
Pain twisted through her as the memories of that heart-wrenching day surfaced in her tired mind.
“His murder,” she whispered.
Braden hugged her close. “I’m so sorry, Samantha.”
“I wish Roger had told me. I could have helped.”
“I’m sure he was trying to protect you.”
“But I don’t need protecting!”
“I know,” he quietly replied.
Samantha closed her eyes, resting against him. Braden simply held her, letting her work through the terrible implications of it all—the loss of her first love, the pain over lives destroyed.
Yet she’d been grieving for so long. It was now time for the past to be the past, joys and sorrows both. Roger would always be a part of her, but now that she had the answers she’d sought, she could finally allow him to rest in peace.
“Logan was right, you know,” Braden finally said.
She shifted on his lap so she could see his face. “About what?”
He brushed an errant curl away from her forehead. “That you’re a true heroine. None of this would have happened without you, Samantha. You found the children, and you found justice for Roger. And that justicewillbe served, thanks to you.”
His praise brought a prickle of tears to her eyes. Apparently, shewasturning into a watering pot.
“I did have a wee bit of help,” she said, trying to lighten the mood. “You Kendricks proved occasionally useful.”
