Page 118 of Proof of Guilt

Ivy huffed. “That means someone could have killed McKenzie and then used his phone to set up Lacey.”

“Yep. And Lacey could have done it that way to throw suspicion off herself. That way, if her name did show up on any of McKenzie’s other outgoing calls, then she could say she was being framed.”

“And she might be,” Ivy admitted. “If someone wants us dead, Lacey would be the perfect patsy since she has motive. Well, motive to go after Nathan and me, anyway. But the person behind this could plan to make it look as if the real target was caught in the middle.” She paused. “Of course, we don’t know who the ‘real target’ is.”

Theo made a sound of agreement. “About how much money does Lacey think she lost out on with the inheritance?” he asked.

“Four million,” she answered after a pause.

That got the reaction she expected. Shock. Yes, she’d married a rich, older man. Practically a cliché. But what was missing from that cliché was that Chad had loved her and had taken very good care of Nathan and her.

“Four million is a lot of motive for murder,” Theo pointed out. “You said something about your late husband wanting Lacey to learn to be more responsible. I take it they clashed?”

“A lot. Lacey hated me right from the start and thought I was trying to replace her mother. She died of cancer when Lacey was just a little girl. I think she would have resented any woman her dad married, but it didn’t help that she and I are so close in age. She probably would have called me a gold digger, but I had my own money.”

Not as much as Chad, but it was close.

“Anyway, Chad divided his estate between Nathan and me,” Ivy added. “He left Lacey only a small amount that’ll remain in a trust until she’s forty.”

Theo shifted his position a little until their gazes connected. “Chad loved Nathan.”

“He did, in his own way. More like an uncle’s love than a father’s.” Chad had loved her, too, but Ivy figured she didn’t need to spell that out. She especially didn’t need to spell out that she’d never loved the man who had made her his wife.

“Good,” he said under his breath just as his phone dinged again with another text message. The texts had been coming in at a steady rate since the earlier call from the DEA agent.

“Wesley brought my boss in on this,” Theo read. “He’s also demanding that Gabriel take me into custody.”

She was betting her brother wasn’t going to do that. Well, unless Wesley came up with some kind of evidence that would force Gabriel’s hand.

Theo groaned softly. “I didn’t do what Wesley said I did.”

“I know,” Ivy readily agreed. Theo turned toward her, fast, as if he hadn’t expected her to dismiss the charges so easily. “You’re not the sort to break the law,” she added. “Well, not since you were sixteen.”

The corner of his mouth lifted into a smile. One that lasted only a couple of seconds. But it was nice to see it even for that short time. It brought back memories of other smiles, of happier times.

That seemed a lifetime ago.

“My run-ins with the law were petty,” he said. “And stupid.”

“Yes. I remember the time you and your friends took my dad’s tractor apart and reassembled it in the hayloft. Must have taken you hours.”

“All night,” Theo admitted. “Your dad had warned me not to touch you when I took you out so I wanted to give him a little payback.”

Well, it had certainly struck a nerve with her dad, that’s for sure. But then her father had never liked Theo. Sherman had thought right from the start that Ivy could do a whole lot better than the likes of Theo Canton.

She hadn’t.

In some ways, no man had ever lived up to him. And that wasn’t an especially comforting thought. Things between Theo and her were tense. Maybe not as much as they had been just twenty-four hours earlier, but they were a long way from getting over their pasts.

Something they would have to do for Nathan’s sake.

“Has anyone gotten in touch with your sister?” Cameron asked Ivy. “Because Lauren could be in danger, too.”

Ivy nodded. “Jameson called her. She didn’t answer her phone, but then she usually lets any calls from family go to voice mail.”

She met Cameron’s eyes in the rearview mirror and saw the flicker of emotion. It was gone in a flash and probably something he hadn’t wanted her to see. But Ivy could guess what this was about. Cameron had once been in love with her kid sister, and the murders had torn them apart. Just as it’d done to Theo and her. Now, Lauren had built her life far away from Blue River. Far away from family and friends.

“Lauren is taking precautions in case this guy goes after her?” Theo pressed.

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