“How do you really know the man didn’t take anything?”
She blinked, her eyes large for a brief moment, then her expression neutralized. “I didn’t see him carrying anything with him. Did you?” One eyebrow rose as though challenging him.
“There are items that are small but valuable. Jewelry, for one. I would suggest you confirm nothing was taken. I’ll go with you to make sure the house is secure. Then I’ll wait for Juanita to return.”
She gripped the edges of the couch cushion. “Let me get something straight with you. Juanita didn’t have anything to do with this. Over the years, she’s had plenty of opportunities to rob me.”
“I still want to talk with her. Your daughter and housekeeper should be home by the time we finish checking the house and you call a locksmith to come out here to change your locks.”
“I can go through everything later.”
“I’m here to help you. You do want to find the man who attacked you?”
Melora sat up straight, her mouth firmed in a frown. “Of course, but I don’t want Kaitlyn to know about any of this. She’s only five and with all that’s happened lately she’s understandably upset.”
“Then, when she comes home, just introduce me as a friend who’s visiting.” He stood. “We probably should get moving if we want to be finished before they arrive. I’ll see what I can do about the door I kicked in. I wouldn’t want your daughter to see it and get upset.”
Her teeth dug into her lower lip as her eyelids closed. “Yes.” But she didn’t move for a long moment.
When she pushed to her feet and her gaze met his, for a few seconds he glimpsed fear in the depths of her green eyes. Weariness lined her beautiful features, triggering his concern. “I’m here to help you. You can trust me.”
Daniel’s words replayed through Melora’s mind as she called a locksmith and a handyman she’d used before to replace the door and locks and as she and the Texas Ranger worked their way through the house. She didn’t know the meaning of the word trust anymore. With the discovery of her husband’s body, the nightmare that had started two years ago with his disappearance was back to plague her.
For almost two years, she’d managed to live her life as if everything was normal. But it had never really been normal since she’d married Axle Hudson six years ago. She’d become trapped in a marriage to a man who had criminal connections and a cruel streak. Not even her uncle could have helped her. Axle had been like a son to him and her husband could do no wrong in his eyes. How would Uncle Tyler ever believe Axle was a criminal, especially when she had no proof?
Even she’d had a hard time believing Axle’s chain of restaurants might be a front for illegal activities. Not the man she’d loved. But once he’d caught her eavesdropping on one of his conversations while she tried to figure out what was going on. After that, the atmosphere in the house had changed. His subtle comments about the value of life and how he would hate for their daughter not to have a mother scared her so much. To the point that she’d started planning her escape from him.
Then Axle went missing. And if she’d still believed in God, she would have thought He’d stepped in and taken care of her problem. That all changed, however, when her house was trashed and she was threatened by two unknown men only days after she’d reported her husband’s disappearance to the authorities.
Keep quiet and stay put and you won’t end up like your husband—dead. The intruders’ words two years ago flashed in and out of her mind. They’d been after Axle’s flash drive then, too. She stumbled as she returned to the living room.
Daniel grasped her arm and steadied her. The brand of his fingers around her biceps zipped a fiery path through her.
She stepped away, needing space. “I told you the man didn’t take anything. My jewelry is all there. Even my husband’s coin collection is intact. And it’s quite valuable.”
“Still, it needed to be checked out. You must have interrupted him right after he came. Not much was even disturbed except in the office. Do you use that room much?”
“No.” She shivered. That had been her husband’s domain and the place where he had threatened her if she continued to snoop into his activities. After that, she’d avoided his office. “Other than a few important pieces of paper my uncle needed concerning the restaurant chain, I’ve left it as is.” She had been so grateful that her uncle had seen to Axle’s business. She’d wanted to sell it and distance herself as far as possible from what could be an illegal enterprise, but because her husband wasn’t dead, only missing, she couldn’t do anything. But that all changed last week when his body was identified after being found buried on a local animal rescue’s property.
“Your uncle? Tyler Madison? What does he have to do with your husband’s restaurant chain?”
“When Axle wasn’t found, I took over the temporary running of the business. My uncle was the one who helped me and found a top-notch man to run it until Axle turned up.” She stared at the door her attacker had disappeared through only an hour before. “I’m afraid business isn’t my forte. I needed someone who was an expert. Uncle Tyler had the perfect man.”
“Ah, so you don’t know much about your husband’s business?”
She shook her head. Axle had purposefully kept her in the dark about his dealings and finances. “Eating at the restaurants is the extent of my knowledge concerning them. But the business is part of Axle’s estate and my daughter’s legacy.” And she had every intention of selling the chain as soon as she could. She didn’t want her daughter connected in any way to something illegal. With the Texas Rangers suddenly interested in Axle’s business, all her fears that the restaurant chain was somehow tied to criminal activities were validated.
Daniel gestured toward the couch. “What does Axle’s will say? Who stands to gain from your husband’s murder?”
“My daughter, who is five years old. Everything was left to her in a trust. I have a yearly allowance and this house.”
“Did you know the terms of the will before your husband’s death?”
“Yes. But my uncle has provided for me in his will. Besides, I also have the trust my parents set up for me. I didn’t need Axle’s money.” Her only goal was to look out for her daughter and her well-being. Although exhaustion clung to her, she remained standing in spite of Daniel taking a seat. “Are you accusing me of killing my husband?”
“No, should I?”
TWO
Melora collapsed into the chair near her. The thought that someone would suspect she could have something to do with a murder stunned her. “I was surrounded by people in the days around my husband’s disappearance. My housekeeper who lives here. My uncle stayed with me when Axle didn’t come home and I couldn’t get in touch with him. The day he disappeared I was at a conference in Dallas. My daughter was here with Juanita, and when Axle didn’t come home, I had her go to my uncle’s until I could get back to San Antonio.”
“I just like covering all the facts and details of a case. I’ve been assigned to find out what happened to your husband.”
“Again, I want to know what case you’re working on.”
“One that could have far-reaching consequences. That’s all I can tell you right now.”
And she wouldn’t tell him that she had contacted the FBI in Dallas after her conference to tell them the little she knew about her husband’s activities. Axle had let her go to the conference since she was the chairperson of the committee working for the mayor on drug education. He’d known she wouldn’t do anything with Kaitlyn in his hands, that she would never leave her daughter behind in San Antonio. But also, she was sure Axle had her followed.