“That’s what I said.”
“I’m sure you’re aware that Trevor fell in love at every turn,” he supplied.
“It was different with me.” Sarah straightened her shoulders and rested her hands on her lap. “I know you’re laughing inside, probably saying ‘that idiot’ in your head, but we were truly in love. We were making a future together.”
“You’re the reason Trevor finally asked Alicia for a divorce,” Kreskin surmised.
“I am.” Sarah bobbed her head. “We decided we were going to make a go of it, have a life together. He told Alicia and she completely went off the rails. She was unbearable.”
“Well, what did you expect in her position?” Nick queried, curious. “Did you think she would simply take it? She has two children with the man.”
“Yes, but he didn’t want her.” Sarah was unemotional. “He never wanted her. She knew that and still she made things difficult.”
“My understanding is that she asked for what she was owed in the divorce,” Kreskin countered. “She followed the Michigan worksheet, gave him the numbers, and then he changed his mind.”
“He changed his mind because she was asking for half his money.”
“That’s how divorce works,” Kreskin pointed out. “They were married for twenty years. She gets half his money.”
“But ... that’s not fair.” Sarah turned petulant. “He worked for the bulk of that money. She had a job, but she hardly brought anything into the family budget. He was the one who paid the bills.”
“And she was the one who raised the children, took care of them, and kept up the house,” Nick reminded her, his mind briefly traveling to Maddie. Was this why she wanted so badly to contribute to their joint finances? Did she want to avoid being thought of as somehow less than equal because he would bring in more money? It was a sobering thought. “There’s a reason she was going to get half that money regardless.”
“Yes, well, I happen to see things differently.” Sarah primly studied her fingernails. “Is that all?”
“Not even close,” Kreskin fired back. “Trevor realized pretty quickly that he wasn’t going to get away from the marriage with the money he expected and that’s why he put the brakes on the divorce. My guess is that he put some of his money in your name. Am I right?”
Sarah worked her jaw. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she said finally.
“Really?” Kreskin dug in his pocket for his phone, searched for his contact list, and then pressed a button. He held up a finger to tell Sarah to wait and then spoke to whoever answered. “This is Dale Kreskin. I need an immediate freeze on any accounts associated with Sarah Salinger.” He rattled off the woman’s address for confirmation and then smiled. “Great. I’ll come through with a warrant later in the day. I expect the accounts will be closed for a very long time. Thanks for your help.”
Sarah openly gaped as Kreskin disconnected the call. “What did you do?”
“Froze your accounts,” Kreskin replied without hesitation. “All of them. That means you have no access to those funds.”
“You can’t do that.” Sarah was beyond furious. “That’s my money.”
“You’ll regain access to the accounts that contain your money. The other accounts will be subject to a forensic accountant and that money will be moved back into the Clark accounts from which I’m pretty sure they were transferred.”
“That’s stealing!” Sarah’s fury was palpable. “You can’t steal from me. It’s against the law.”
“It’s not stealing ... and watch me.” Kreskin flicked his eyes to his partner. “I think we’re done here.”
Nick was confused, but he knew better than arguing with the older detective. Kreskin clearly had a plan. “Right. I promised Maddie I would meet her for lunch.”
“And we don’t want to keep Maddie waiting, do we?”
Sarah placed herself in front of Kreskin, practically daring him to physically move her. “I’m not going to just sit back and let you walk away with my money.”
“I’m not taking your money anywhere,” Kreskin soothed. “We have to make sure that it ends up where it’s supposed to end up, though.”
“He wanted me to have it!”
“He’s dead and can’t confirm that,” Kreskin pointed out. “Have a nice day, Sarah.”
“Wait!” She practically screeched the word as she chased after Kreskin. “What do you want from me? I’ll tell you what you want if you unfreeze my accounts. I need money to live on.”
“I want to know what the plan was,” Kreskin replied. “I want to know the timetable you guys were working with to fleece Alicia. I also want to know how Marla played into this. How did her pregnancy further your plan?”
For the first time since they entered the house, Sarah looked legitimately confused. “I don’t understand,” she hedged, glancing between faces. “Marla? Are you talking about Marla Proctor?”
Nick snorted. “She was having an affair with Trevor, too. In fact, she got pregnant — on purpose, mind you — to trap him.”
“But ... .” Sarah trailed off, her mind clearly busy.
“You didn’t know,” Kreskin deduced. “You didn’t know he had another baby on the way.”
“He didn’t tell me.” Tears filled Sarah’s eyes. “He had been acting weird the last two weeks. I thought maybe he was changing his mind about leaving Alicia. I had no idea about Marla.”
“Well, this whole thing is a mess,” Kreskin noted. “It’s going to take some time for us to sort through it.”
“You’re going to unfreeze my accounts, though, right?”
Kreskin shook his head. “No. I can’t let you leave with the Clark family’s money, Sarah. It’s not right and I can tell that’s exactly what you have planned.”
“I don’t, though,” she protested. “That’s my money.”
“Then the audit will show it. I’ll call the bank and make sure you can take out a limited amount of cash every day so you can feed yourself and buy groceries. You will not be allowed access to any other accounts.”
“But ... I have bills to pay.”
“I’ll handle that, too.” Kreskin forced a smile. “You still won’t have access to those other accounts.”
Sarah slitted her eyes. “I hate you.”
“I’m sorry to hear that. We’ll be in touch.”
MADDIE TOOK A BREAK IN THE shade with a cup of iced tea and watched the busy patrons buzz around the festival. She was always perfectly content to people watch, and today was no exception.
She could see her father at the crafts fair with Annie. They seemed to be having a very animated discussion, laughing loudly. Maddie was happy for him. She’d always liked Annie and the last thing she wanted was for her father to be alone.
Maude was around, too. Maddie caught sight of her shadowing Harriet, mayhem clearly on her mind. Maddie was prepared to bail her out of jail later if it became necessary, but otherwise left her to plot and plan. She was convinced that fighting Harriet was what kept Maude young and she didn’t want to take that away from her grandmother.
“Nice day, huh?”
Maddie turned to look at the woman standing to her left. “Hello, Cassidy.”
Cassidy pasted a bright smile on her face as she gestured toward the open spot next to Maddie. “Do you mind if I sit?”
“I don’t know that I think it’s a good idea,” Maddie hedged. “I need to get back to my tent.”
“This won’t take long.”
“I don’t want to fight,” Maddie added.
“I don’t want to fight either.” Cassidy was unusually chipper, which set Maddie’s teeth on edge.
“Fine.” Maddie sipped her iced tea and watched as Cassidy settled. “What do you want?”
“I talked to Nick yesterday,” she started.
“I know. He told me. You squealed on Marla.”
Cassidy balked. “I didn’t squeal. I had information that was material to an ongoing case. That’s not the s
ame as squealing.”
“If you say so.” Maddie was already tired of the conversation and they’d barely gotten into it. “I really need to get back to my tent.”
“Wait.” Cassidy held up a hand. “I want to talk to you and this might be my last chance.”
“Your last chance? How do you figure?”
“I meant before the wedding,” she added hurriedly. “After the wedding, well, I might not see you then either.”
“Oh, no? Are you moving?” Maddie meant the question to be a joke, but when Cassidy nodded her head, she stilled. “Wait ... you are moving?”
“This place isn’t good for me,” Cassidy explained. “I keep trying to make it work, but I’m too bitter. That’s not healthy. The dislike I’m carrying around for you isn’t healthy. The way I allow Marla to talk me into going after you isn’t healthy. The way I keep thinking about Nick and what could’ve been isn’t healthy.”
Maddie had no idea what to make of the admission. “Um ... .”
“I don’t expect you to applaud me,” Cassidy said. “You don’t need to wish me well. From your perspective, I’m evil. I get it.”
“I don’t know that I would call you evil,” Maddie hedged. “Misguided is more like it.”
“Yeah, well ... I think you’re evil.” Cassidy stated the words in a cool and detached manner. “You ruined my world, stole the man I was supposed to end up with, and somehow claimed my wedding.”
“I didn’t,” Maddie argued. “That’s not what happened.”
“I know. It feels like it happened that way, though, and I can’t shake it. That’s what I’m trying to say.” She sucked in a cleansing breath. “David’s construction business is taking off. He’s moving to Traverse City because it’s more convenient. He asked me to come along and I agreed to go with him because I think it’s my only option.
“If I stay here, I’ll spend the next ten years hating you to the point where it consumes me,” she continued. “I don’t want to become Marla. You saved my life and I still hate you. It doesn’t seem fair and yet I can’t change it.”
“So ... you’re leaving, huh?” Maddie shifted through her emotions. “I don’t like the idea of you feeling that you have to run away, but I would be lying if I said I wasn’t relieved to hear that. What about a job, though?”
“I’ve already put my notice in and have lined up a job at a private school in Traverse City for next year,” Cassidy replied. “I’ll have several weeks to get settled in our new house — it’s nice and close to the bay, so I’ll enjoy that — and then, when the new school year starts, I’ll essentially have a new life.
“I’m not tied to this area,” she reminded Maddie. “My family doesn’t live here. I can leave and it won’t affect anyone’s life.”
“What about Marla? She’s pregnant. You’re her best friend. She won’t take it well when she realizes you’re abandoning her.”
“I can’t fix Marla’s mistakes.” Cassidy held up her hands, frustration evident. “I have to do what’s right for me. That means leaving.”
“Did you tell Nick?”
“No. I was going to. I had this fantasy where the news that I was leaving would shock him into begging me to stay. I really liked the fantasy ... but it was never going to happen. The more I hold on to him and what I wanted us to have the more I hurt David. He’s a good man. He doesn’t deserve it.”
“So, basically you’re going for the ‘out of sight, out of mind’ approach, huh?”
“Pretty much.”
Maddie offered the woman a legitimate smile. “At least you’re honest and trying to do something about it. I admire that.”
“You do?”
Maddie bobbed her head. “I do. I wish you well. I never wanted to hurt you. What happened ... .”
“Was meant to happen,” Cassidy finished. “It was always going to happen. I realize that now. That doesn’t make it hurt any less, but I’m not an idiot.”
“You never were. Still, I want you to be happy. I hope this is the first step to that.”
“You and me both. I’m ready to give it a try. I want to move forward and not look back. I think that’s the only thing I can do.”
“I hope you succeed.”
“I will. I have faith.”
Cassidy’s simple words were enough to allow Maddie to have faith, too. “Good luck.”
Seventeen
Nick swung by the fairgrounds so he could have lunch with Maddie. He found her sitting in the shade outside her tent, her back resting against the heavy vinyl surface, sipping a bottle of water as she stared into nothing.
“Hey, future wife.” Nick grinned when she glanced up, the expression slipping when he saw how serious she looked. “What’s wrong, Maddie?”
Maddie nodded without hesitation. “I’m good. I’m marrying you. Why wouldn’t I be okay?”
“I don’t know.” Nick carefully stepped over one of the tent stakes and slid to the ground next to her. On instinct, he pressed his hand to her face and frowned. “You’re a little warm, Mad. Are you okay?”
“I am. I got caught outside for a little longer than I expected.”
“Doing what?”
“Talking to Cassidy.”
Nick scowled, agitation taking over. “What did she say to you? I swear ... I’ve had it. Every single time I think she’s moving on and putting this behind her she does something nutty. I don’t understand why she has to be like this.”
Amused despite herself, Maddie hiked an eyebrow. “What are you worried about? I can take Cassidy if it comes to it.”
He chuckled. “I know that, love. It’s just ... she attacks you sometimes and it’s not fair. I’m the one who ended things with her — and probably in the worst possible way — so she should be taking it out on me.”
“She’s taken it out on you more than once.” Maddie patted his knee. “It’s okay. You don’t have to get worked up. Our conversation was ... enlightening.”
Nick leaned back, confused. “I’ve never heard you call a conversation with Cassidy ‘enlightening’ before. I’m almost afraid to ask.”
“She’s leaving,” Maddie volunteered. “Blackstone Bay, I mean. She and David are moving to Traverse City.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. David’s job is better served by living in Traverse City because he has more access to bigger jobs. She wants to make things work, so she’s going with him. She already has a job lined up at one of the schools over there.”
“Huh.” Nick didn’t know what to make of the tidbit. “She didn’t mention that when she tracked me down to tell me that Marla purposely trapped Trevor by getting pregnant. You would think that would be a highlight of our conversation.”
“I think she just wanted to say goodbye in her own way,” Maddie said after a moment’s contemplation. “She gave you the Marla information because she thought it might be helpful. She probably intended to tell you that she was leaving, maybe even because she thought it might spark a hint of jealousy or something, and changed her mind during the conversation. I can see that happening.”
“I guess.” He dragged a restless hand through his hair, thoughtful. “I was kind of rude in a way. She asked about the wedding, if I was happy. I assumed she was trying to get a dig in at you so I was nasty in return. I shouldn’t have done that.”
“It doesn’t matter now.” Maddie slipped her hand over his and gave it a squeeze. “She’s doing the very best she can to let go. I didn’t want to run her out of town or anything — it didn’t seem fair — but this is better for us. It’s better for Cassidy, too.
“She’ll make new friends, cut ties with Marla, and move on,” she continued. “Not seeing you constantly can only aid in shoring up her mental stability. I think David is a good guy. They can make things work.”
Nick’s lips curved as he tucked a strand of hair beneath her scarf. “Do you know what one of my favorite things about you is?”
“What?”
“You’re an optimist
.”
Maddie snorted. “I don’t think so. I’m a pessimist if I ever saw one.”
“No, you’re not.” Nick was firm as he regarded her. “You want to believe everything is going to work out, so you do. You might have moments of darkness like everybody else, but you truly believe things are going to work out the way they’re meant to. I love that about you.”
Maddie leaned forward and rested her head on his shoulder. “I love everything about you.”
“Oh, so cute.” He tweaked her nose. “It’s only a few days away, Maddie. You’re going to be my wife in a few days. Do you have any idea how excited I am for that?”
“I think I do ... at least a little. I’m excited, too, even though absolutely nothing is going to change about our living arrangements. Our lives will be much the same.”
“I know. I like the permanence of it, though. I like knowing that you’re my forever and we’re never going to be apart.”
“I like knowing that we’re going on a honeymoon,” Maddie teased. “I can’t wait for that.”
Nick pressed his lips to hers in a simple kiss that was so sweet it nudged a sigh out of her. “We’re going to be happy. You know that, right?”
“I’m already happy.”
“I know. We’re going to be even happier, though.”
“That sounds great.”
He graced her with another kiss. “We should get lunch to make sure that happiness continues. I’m starving.” He held out a hand and pulled her to her feet when she took it. “Besides, I have a few updates for you that I think you’re going to find interesting.”
“Oh, really? I have a few updates for you, too.”
Intrigued, Nick ran his hand down the back of her head. “We’re quite the pair.”
“We really are.”
THEY SETTLED ON BURGERS and fries, which amused Nick to no end because Maddie wasn’t a dainty eater and she ripped into her bacon cheeseburger with zeal ... but only after affixing a huge napkin to the front of her peasant blouse to make sure she didn’t drop food down the front of it.
“Yup. I’m definitely in love forever.” Nick winked at her before moving a large container of ketchup to the middle of the table so they could share it. “So, I found out Trevor had another mistress.”
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