Page 145 of Wicked Promises
I sit up straight. “Keith Wolfe.”
“Fresh out of the academy, and my first case was your dad’s death. The lead detective followed the lines right to Keith.” He shakes his head. “I’m sorry you saw your dad like that. I knew they were friends, even though Ben was always a bully in school.”
“A bully,” I repeat. “To you?”
“No. Not to me. Other guys in school. The random girl.” He shifts. “Keith was good. At least, I thought…”
“He’s innocent,” I blurt out.
When did I start believing that?
Probably around the same time you fell in love with Margo.
I shovethatthought neatly to the back of my mind.
“Do you have evidence to back that up?”
“I don’t. But Claire admitted that Amber and my mom were scheming. And Hanna?—”
“Evans? Claire’s sister?”
“Right. She’s actually my mom’s daughter. I’m sure you can verify that through adoption records. And maybe a DNA test.” I’m making a plea. Practically begging the detective to listen to me. I’m holding his attention, but it might not last. “I don’t know what Margo’s mom and mine had planned, but I think they wanted to get back at my dad.”
His expression turns thoughtful. “The case was very cut-and-dry. Fingerprints on the knife he used…”
“A knife that anyone in the house had access to?” I twist toward him. “Tobias Hutchins, his lawyer, screwed him over.”
“Proof, Caleb. If your goal is to exonerate Keith, I need more.”
I run my hand over my face. “I just… we know he’s innocent. He got caught up in a shitstorm.”
He exhales. “Okay. We’ll talk to Amber and Lydia, see if anything comes of it. They’re involved in this, one way or another.”
“Right.”
“So,” he prompts, “Claire drove you here. Then what?”
“She was ranting.” I close my eyes. “She duct taped my wrists, and all I could think about was how worried Margo was going to be when I didn’t come back.”
“Claire has been living with the Ashers,” Detective Masters says. “We did a background check on her. She has a full and colorful file, to say the least.”
“And my uncle is an abusive asshole,” I grumble. I can’t believe I just said that out loud. “What happens if he’s arrested for… literally anything?”
“Happens with what?”
“He presides over my inheritance,” I say. “But I’m pretty sure the clause in there says only if he remains in good standing with the law.”
Wait.
Maybe Dad knew what kind of devil his brother was.So why entrust the money to him?
I fling the door open. “Sorry, I’ve got to talk to Mr. Black.”
I rush toward where Mr. Black is waiting with Margo and blurt out, “You presided over my dad’s will.”
He squints at me. “Are you okay?”
“You presided over my dad’s will. You know what it says—your firm has the papers.”