“You do that, and you’re going to jail too. And for the record, Meg had nothing to do with this.” Ryan stared at her until she huffed out a breath and dropped into a chair.
Ryan turned to Josh. “You were saying, Granger?”
“They can hold him longer than the standard forty-eight hours while deciding to charge him or not because of the fraud across state lines. When I told Watts I don’t think your father had anything to do with it, he said he’d take that into consideration.”
“Thanks. So what about Mrs. Duncan?”
“They’ve searched her home but came up empty. I guess she and her husband have been estranged for quite some time? He’s taken a job overseas, right?”
“Yeah. We haven’t seen Hal for three or four years. When he left, he told everyone they were taking a break.”
“Phone records show they don’t communicate, and banking records show Duncan has been living way over her means. She’s trying to pin everything on the mayor, saying because he lacked computer skills, he instructed her to do it. She’s using the ‘pact’ the town has made as her reason. Says she feared retaliation.”
Ryan winced. “Not a bad argument.”
Sue Ann jumped out of her chair. “Not a bad argument? Everyone in this town would be on welfare if it wasn’t for your father!” Sue Ann spun toward Josh. “What are you going to do about it?”
Ryan glanced at Josh too.
Apparently the ball was in his court. “Meg told me Duncan runs the town webpage and lives for gossip. Someone like that would need recognition for what she’d gotten away with. From someone she trusts. Does she have a best friend?”
Ryan and Sue Ann said in unison, “Barb Haney.”
Josh stood. “Then there’s your next move. Probably couldn’t hurt to use the power of the ‘pact’ on her when you question her. Miranda her up, then scare the crap out of her by telling her you already know Duncan has told her what she’s done. Get a full confession. But do everything by the book so it can be used in court.”
“Will do. Want to sit in on the interview, Granger?”
Josh shook his head. “Nope, I’m done with lying scumbags. You have good instincts, Ryan. You’ll do just fine.” He glanced at Sue Ann. “I hope everything works out, Mrs. Anderson.”
Her shoulders slumped as fresh tears filled her eyes. Seemed her anger had faded to worry for her husband again. She whispered, “It had better, or you’ll pay.”
What a piece of work.
Josh headed out the front door and down the stone steps. He needed to get his phone back from Meg so he could keep in touch with Watts about the case. But he dreaded looking into Meg’s big blue eyes again as they swam with the pain he’d put there. Maybe he’d give her a little more time. He refused to admit to himself that he was terrified he wouldn’t be able to convince her to forgive him.
He’d go talk to Zeke first. Make sure he still had a job.
He hadn’t realized just how much he wanted to take over Zeke’s business until now, when he might not get the chance. Looking back to when he was a kid, he was happiest when he’d gotten to leave the ranch to work at the garage in town. He’d been good with his hands, and no one gave him a hard time when he’d worked there. He’d gotten nothing but praise for a job well done.
Now he liked the challenge of puzzling out the problem and fixing it. Maybe he could find a way to work at the shop and help kids at the same time.
He walked slowly toward Zeke’s place, trying to figure out what he’d do without Meg if he couldn’t convince her to give him another chance. The thought of being with Meg again had gotten him through the last three years. His chest ached at the possibility he might never get her back.
He passed through the big double doors and found Zeke sitting at the long workbench, bent over a carburetor. It was the first time he’d ever known Zeke to work without music blaring in the background. That couldn’t be a good sign.
He’d come to care for Zeke too. He’d made more friends since he’d been in Anderson Butte than he’d had in the last twenty years. Zeke’s offer to hand over his business had been the nicest thing anyone had ever done for him.
Not sure what to say, Josh picked up a wrench and started where he’d left off on the engine he’d been working on before the disastrous weekend.
After a few minutes, Zeke stood and stretched out his back. “So, that was what you meant last night about seeing what the next few weeks bring before you accepted my offer, huh?”
“Yeah.” Josh laid his wrench down and wiped his hands. Here came the part where Zeke would probably tell him to hit the road too. “I couldn’t possibly accept your offer without you knowing the whole truth.”