Page 38 of Innocent Intent
The account held the proceeds from the sale of Clara’s house. It also held the balance of the insurance money Clara had left behind, minus the amount Cassidy used to pay for college. She’d held onto that money for years, afraid that depleting the funds would mean losing the only connection she had left to the one person who’d ever truly loved her. Knowing that Niles had not only stolen money from her but also from that account was an entirely new level of betrayal. He couldn’t have known because she never told him, but the disappointment wasn’t any less palpable.
“I don’t know how he could have done this.”
“You were married to the guy, Cassidy. It wouldn’t have been that complicated for him to find out things you didn’t think he was privy to.”
“No.” She shook her head. “I never told him about this account. He never should have had access to it.”
“But he did because, if not, the alternative is—”
“I didn’t make those transfers, Detective.”
“Nate.” She noted his annoyance from the lack of use of his name but couldn’t find the energy to care. “And if he didn’t, then someone did. Who else would have knowledge or access to that account?”
“No one.”
“An assistant, possibly? Accountant? Estate guardianship?”
Tia.
But no, not possible.
“No, I have an assistant, but she wasn’t aware of the account. I never discussed it with her or anyone, and she was never alone in my home. The account was personal to me. I just . . .” She shook her head. “I never shared knowledge of that money with them or anyone.”
“Personal, how?”
She hoped Davis would overlook that minor detail, but he hadn’t. She wasn’t prepared to share any more of her life, not at the moment.
“Does it matter? I didn’t share the information with anyone. No one should have known about the account.”
“I understand you think they wouldn’t, but this proves someone did.”
“Right.”
Cassidy moved through all the possibilities. She had the paperwork locked away in her office. Niles never used the space, but that didn’t mean he hadn’t discovered the statements at some point and went looking for access. It also shouldn’t have been possible to access the account without her granting approval. She’d have to find out how that was, but it wouldn’t happen tonight.
“Maybe I should go—”
“No, please, finish your food. Your eating will not change the fact that there’s yet another way that Niles betrayed me.”
Cassidy forced a smile, and Davis nodded sympathetically. While he ate, she sat wondering how she had missed so many things. With that new information, she embraced yet another reality. She couldn’t trust herself any more than she could trust anyone else.
13.
Jab, cross, hook.
Jab, cross, hook.
Davis’s arms burned from the exertion of consistent punches as he completed his second hour at the gym. Weights, jump rope, speed bag, and now, heavy bag. His mind was still reeling, although his body had finally begun to settle.
Spending the evening with Cassidy hadn’t been the smartest idea. The more time the two spent together, the more complicated and tangled his thoughts seemed to be. The lines were clear. Detective. Suspect. There was no world where the two of them should be more than what they were. Detective investigating a murder. Suspect maintaining their innocence.
That was part of the issue. Davis believed that Cassidy was innocent. He couldn’t dispel the whispers in the back of his mind that his belief was partially founded in his attraction to her. Those maple brown eyes, tempting lips, and subtle curves . . . It had been awhile since he was intrigued with a woman beyond the physical pleasure she could provide. Knowing who was currently holding his attention was what had him up at four a.m. heading to the gym by five after a long run hadn’t cleared his mind of thoughts of Cassidy.
Jab. Jab. Cross.
Jab. Jab. Cross.
“Fuck,” he growled through his frustration, dropping his head forward between his shoulders while his hands pressed into his hips until the burn from his muscles had him releasing them to hang loosely at his sides.