No Fault of Mine

Chapter Twenty-Nine

In the early afternoon, I met with the criminal attorney recommended by our business attorney. Fortunately, it was the first of the month, and I had money in the bank again, so I paid the retainer. I gave the attorney a copy of the document I'd written for the detective and added a few details, such as the theft of the black plastic box, the harassing man's warning, and the tracking 

of my whereabouts.

 "What do you think they are most likely to charge you with?" he asked.

"My initials on the bogus statements look very incriminating, so possibly embezzlement, but I can't imagine there's sufficient evidence that would link me to my husband's murder."

"Except it appears that both of you were embezzling from the company."

"So, we'd stolen nearly 4k, emptied our savings accounts, and what...I just decided to kill my husband?"

"Perhaps you had a difference of opinion. Or you needed a distraction to throw investors off the tack, and nothing does that better than the murder of your husband. Or a collaborating partner decided to eliminate your husband for a larger cut of the money. Take your pick."

"Martin and I had differences of opinion, and our marriage was little more than a partnership, but we were dedicated to each other. Also, we both wanted our son raised in a two-parent home."

"Laudable, but clearly, I don't want you on the stand," the attorney said.

"Noted. It doesn't look good, does it?" I sighed.

"I've seen cases go to trial with less," he said.

After my appointment, I sat in my car, adding crushed to my list that already included exhaustion, overwhelmed, and sad. The last twenty-four hours have been a disaster. To say I was shaken by my attorney's assessment of the case would be putting it too mildly. I needed a distraction that was good for me. I called Stan.

"Is this the woman with the lips?" He asked.

"Of course," I said and smiled. "You have some fully functional lips as well."

"Well, now, they are very inexperienced but willing to learn."

I laughed. "It feels good to flirt," I said. "I haven't had that opportunity in some time."

"Nor I," he said.

"Am I interrupting anything," I asked.

"Why, do you need some companion time?"

"You read my mind," I said.

"I do have some time. I just finished looking at office space, and my next appointment is not until tomorrow at nine."

"Great, how about you join me for lunch at Rickets Cafe on Main? I promise the food is better than the cafe's name."

"See you there. How about in fifteen minutes."

I was already downtown and only a few blocks from the restaurant, so I decided to walk. Besides, I needed to clear my head. Compton Hills was located in a valley between mountains and vast forest land. A flatlander would likely feel claustrophobic, but the mountains and forests were a sanctuary for me. As a family, we would often spend hours of our weekends walking trails or driving Forest Service roads to our favorite lakes. No matter where I was in the valley, there was always the forest.

I was thinking of our family adventures in the mountains when an oncoming pickup caught my attention. My first thought was Uncle Liam was in town. The vehicle passed by me quickly, and I had only a brief glimpse of the driver. Like Uncle Liam, he was bald with a beard, but I couldn't be sure it was him.