Page 27 of Justice Delayed

“Co-owner!” She lowered her voice. “The account’s only in my name.”

The teller pointed to his computer monitor. “Actually, Ruby Harman Thompson is listed as the co-owner on this account.”

Now the missing money made perfect sense. Ruby was waging an all-out war in the hope that Melender would reveal the whereabouts of Jesse’s body.

Melender drummed her fingers against the counter. “Please show me when Mrs. Thompson was added to the account.”

The teller accessed another screen. “You opened the account as a minor and therefore needed an adult to be designated on the account.”

“Why didn’t her name show up on my statements?”

Mr. Demaris clicked on his keyboard for a few minutes. “Looks like she’s only listed with her initials. May I see your statement?”

She handed it to him, and he pointed to the letters RHT underneath her name with the word “custodian” next to them. Melender didn’t say anything for a moment as she digested the information. She vaguely recalled accompanying Ruby to open the bank account for the insurance money but hadn’t realized her aunt’s name would stay permanently attached to the account. “But I didn’t authorize her to take my money.”

The teller averted his gaze. “I’m sorry, but since Ms. Thompson is a designated user on the account, she could enact the transfer. You’ll have to ask her to return the funds.”

She could, but she might as well save her breath. “There’s nothing else I can do to get the money back?” Melender tried not to let panic creep into her voice.

Mr. Demaris shook his head. “She had full authority to transfer funds from the account.”

“How do I remove her from my account?” Not that it would help her recover the money, but she didn’t want Ruby to have access any longer.

“You both have to come to the bank.”

As if her aunt would agree to that. “That’s unlikely to happen. Can I just close the account?”

“Yes, you can certainly do that.” The teller tapped his keyboard. “Do you want the one hundred dollars in cash or cashier’s check?”

“Cash.” Melender shifted her feet. Ten minutes later, she walked out of the bank. The heat and humidity greeted her with a sticky embrace. After starting the car and blasting the air conditioning, she sat motionless.Dear God, please help me. I’ve struggled for so long on my own, and every time I think I see a little bit of light, everything goes dark again.

Her ringtone startled her. Brogan’s number flashed on the screen. Her heart suddenly lighter, she answered. “Hello?”

“Melender, it’s Brogan.”

At the sound of his strong, male voice, the words of greeting stuck in her throat. She swallowed hard. She still wasn’t sure she should trust a reporter, but Brogan was her best bet for getting to the bottom of what really happened the night Jesse disappeared.

“Are you okay?”

“It’s not been a good day.” Rotating her shoulders, she attempted to ease tension from her body—and hopefully, her voice too. The words came out more sorrowful than she had meant.

“What happened?”

The bank visit tumbled from her lips. “Ruby nearly drained my savings account. It’s not only that the money is gone, it’s, I feel...”

“Like someone kicked you in the gut.”

The succinct phrase resonated. “Exactly.” She blew out a breath. “I don’t expect Ruby to invite me over for family dinners, but I didn’t expect this level of, well, I’m not sure what to call it.”

“Vindictiveness.” The matter-of-fact way he spoke soothed her tattered nerves. He might not be one hundred percent in her corner, but he wasn’t fighting hard for her opponent either.

“I suppose it is. Not that I blame her. She’s still grieving for the loss of her son. I can’t imagine how that feels.” She eased on her sunglasses. “But you didn’t call to listen to me have a pity-party.”

“It’s okay to be upset.” Brogan paused. “But that might change when I update you on my interesting meeting with Quentin this morning.”

She lowered the A/C. “Learn anything?”

“More than I think he meant to reveal.”

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