anyoneâs advice.â
Kit made a strange sound in his throat. âI think I do.â
âWhere are you?â
âHeaded for the rodeo in Marble Falls. Brandonâs competing tonight.â
âHeâs racking up great times so far.â
âLetâs hope he can keep it up. He wants to win that championship in the worst way.â
âMy bet is on him. Kellie and I are planning to join you for the Las Vegas trip in December. So, whatâs going on? What did you want to ask me?â
âHow did the boss take it when you told him you were going to go undercover as Kellieâs husband?â
A long silence followed. âDonât tell me youâre planning to do the same thing with this new case?â
Kit exhaled a sigh. âYouâve just answered my question.â
âNoâforget what I said. Tell me about the case.â
âThe wife of the guy who was found dead in his hotel room a week ago could be in serious troubleâsomeone broke into her house today. But having a surveillance crew watching her could scare off the bad guys. I want to catch them in the act. Iâm thinking about posing as her cousin who is taking his retreat from the parish he serves to be with her for the next week.â
âA priest ?â
âYeah. Iâll wear a collar.â
Cy made a funny choking sound. âHave you told the widow what youâve planned?â
âNope. I wanted to run it by you first. If you think my plan holds water, then Iâll tell the captain. If he gives his approval, then Iâll talk to her.â
âWhat havenât you told me yet?â
âGet ready for an earful.â
In the next few minutes Kit had revealed everything to his friend, including the fact that the widow had a sixteen-month-old daughter. When heâd finished, a loud whistle came from the other end of the line.
âHarold Park has been on the FBIâs Most Wanted list for years! You mean to tell me his wife didnât have a clue?â
âAs far as I can tell, not one.â
âMaybe sheâs as big a con artist as he was.â
âNo. When she saw the rap sheet, she went white as a ghost. I followed her to the bathroom and watched while she lost her lunch. That kind of reaction couldnât have been faked.
âSeriously, Cy, I would have treated this like a normal case until Detective Carr called me about the burglary.
âIf you could have seen her house, youâd know that whoever is after the money isnât going to stop. My hunch is that the money he embezzled over the years has been laundered, but he kept four-hundred thousand for quick cash. Someone knew he had it and came to the house hoping to find it stashed there. But they only had that short window of time. Iâm afraid theyâll be back for a more thorough search. That puts Mrs. Harris and her daughter at risk and changes the way I planned to go about solving the case.â
âI hear you. Knowing what I know now, your priest idea sounds inspired. It makes sense that a family member would stay for a while to help her in her time of grief. The collar will stop any gossip, especially if sheâs attractive.â
Kit didnât comment.
âIs she?â
âIs she what?â
âAttractive.â
âYes.â
Cy waited for his friend to continue. âJust yes?â
âYes. Just yes !â
âWhoa! For you to clam up like this means she must really be a knockout. Right?â
âThatâs not whatâs important here.â
âThe hell it isnât! Iâve been there, remember?â
âI do remember. Vividly. Thatâs why I called you.â Cy had ended up marrying the woman heâd been protecting.
âYou shouldnât have any trouble with the captain. No matter how you do it, he knows Kit Saunders always gets his man. But heâll give you the same advice he gave me. Be careful you
Carmen Caine, Madison Adler