In Shelter Cove Read Online Free PDF Page B

let Derek rot in prison. I have to believe that Derek’s silence was born of fear. He preferred to serve timerather than implicate someone else, even if that might have meant mitigating his sentence.”
    “But he did have a private investigator and an attorney working on an appeal.”
    “He did,” Jason agreed. “No one came up with any new information. The P.I. told me frankly that he didn’t think Derek was being completely up-front with him. Maybe he was going through the motions so he wouldn’t have to admit his guilt to his wife or to his parents.”
    “If he hadn’t assaulted the guard, he might have gotten away with the theft, or at the very least served a lot less time,” Joe said.
    “It was a bad mistake,” Jason said with a nod.
    “When I was reading through the report, I was struck by the fact that the paintings had only recently been donated to the museum by Derek’s grandfather, Wyatt Kane.”
    “Along with Steve and Gloria Markham,” Jason said. “The paintings were lost for a hundred and fifty years; they were believed to have been stolen by Victor Delgado’s brother, Ramón, who was also in love with Eve. At least, that was one theory. Another was that Eve’s family stole the paintings. She’d run out on the wealthy and highly respected Winstons to jump onboard a ship with a poor Hispanic artist. Her family couldn’t get her back, but they could destroy the art that represented her desertion.”
    “So Derek Kane’s grandfather finds the paintings in a small shop in Mexico and brings them back toAngel’s Bay. Ironic that his grandson would wind up stealing them.”
    “Derek claimed that was exactly why he wouldn’t have done it. He knew the paintings meant something to his grandfather, to all the local artists who have been obsessed with Delgado’s work for years.”
    “But you didn’t believe him.”
    “Derek had a lot of issues with Wyatt. I could see revenge being a motive—wanting to take something away from Wyatt that he’d spent years trying to find. There was bad blood between them.”
    “That makes sense. Art theft always seems to have a personal motive. It’s never just about the money.” Joe paused. “So what can you tell me about Brianna Kane?”
    “She’s extremely loyal.” Jason stood up. He got angry every time he thought about Brianna marrying Derek after his conviction. Why had she been so willing to tie herself to a criminal? Judging by the age of her son, it was possible she’d been pregnant, but still, surely she’d had other options.
    “You need to stay out of this,” Joe said, his gaze serious.
    “If the case is going to be reopened, I want to be involved.”
    “It won’t be reopened unless there’s new information. Right now I just want to hear what Mrs. Kane has to say.”
    “She’ll say I sent an innocent man to jail.”
    “But you didn’t, right? So you have nothing toprove. Try to remember that. It will make your life a lot easier.” Joe cleared his throat. “I also need you to get your head out of the past. With the Harvest Festival starting in a few days, the hotels and inns are at capacity, and we’re down a few officers—not a good combination.”
    “I’ll do whatever you need.”
    “Good. By the way, have you spoken to Colin lately? How’s he doing?”
    “He’s frustrated and impatient to get back to normal.”
    “Tell him not to rush. He’s got a job here whenever he’s a hundred percent—if he still wants it. What he went through would make anyone reconsider their career choice.”
    “He has no qualms about returning to work. He doesn’t remember the shooting, so maybe that helps.”
    “Maybe. Unfortunately, those kinds of memories tend to work their way out at some point,” Joe said.
    Jason’s phone started to vibrate, and his father’s number flashed across the screen, sending an uneasy feeling down his spine. His father had been dodging his calls the past few weeks, which usually meant only one