Сандра Браун - Thick as Thieves

Arden had been watching him with adoring eyes, when suddenly she was yanked from her mooniness. “Chimney.” Ledge had cupped his hand around one of the candles, about to blow it out. “Wait! Ledge. She said chimney.”

“What?”

“Lisa. Just before she died, remember? She whispered something to me, but I didn’t get it.” She raised her fingertips to her lips. “She said chimney.”

They looked at each other with a significant question mark between them.

He said, “Flip on the light.”

She did. He kneeled on the hearth, opened the damper to a shower of soot, and looked up into the flue. “Got a flashlight?”

“In the kitchen.” Arden rushed into the kitchen and retrieved it from a drawer. She carried it back to Ledge, who shone it up into the flue.

“Is there something up there?”

He didn’t say anything, but repositioned himself, edging farther into the grate, and reached up with his right arm, clenching his teeth as he strained. He gave several hard yanks, then withdrew his arm and scooted out just as a canvas bag dropped into the grate.

Dusting his hands, he came slowly to his feet and said under his breath, “I’ll be double damned.”

Arden whispered, “Is that it?”

“That’s it, and it’s still full.”

The two of them stared at the bag as though expecting it to start breathing.

“She told Rusty she had spent the money. Every last cent ,” Arden said, imitating Lisa’s spiteful tone.

“That would’ve been a trip wire.”

“Yes. He shot her instantly.” She continued to gaze down at the bag. “Did insurance cover the Welch’s loss?”

“Yes. At the time, that relieved my conscience a lot,” he said.

“Then what happens to stolen money that’s recovered?”

“I’m sure that young, fire-breathing prosecutor will know.”

“Hmm.” After a moment, she added, “Imagine the paperwork that will involve, and he’s already got so much work ahead of him.”

Ledge looked at her askance. “What are you thinking?”

She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “I’m thinking what a befitting donation this would be to launch my foundation. Something that caused so much grief being used for something good. It should be earmarked for a particularly worthy cause. Say, Alzheimer’s research and treatment.”

He swallowed hard and said huskily, “I like the way you think.”

“Good. We’re agreed.”

He placed his arm around her waist and pulled her against his side. “This explains why Lisa didn’t want any work done on the house.”

“It explains more than that.”

He looked at her inquisitively.

“I didn’t understand the last word she spoke, and, even if I had, I couldn’t have grasped the implication of it. Not until now.”

“What was the word?”

Softly, Arden said, “Penance.”

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