Page 68 of Ravaged With You

“Ms. Swift? I’d appreciate your cooperation?”

I glance to Red who shakes his head. “We were on our way out, obviously,” I say. “What’s this about?”

“Your financial situation.”

I shake my head, completely baffled. “My financial situation?”

“With your husband dead, you are now a two-thirds shareholder in the distillery along with Mr. Cooper.” She shifts her gaze to Red. “Nice of you to stay here, keeping the widow safe and comfortable.”

“We’ve been friends since college, detective,” he says. “I believe I told you that. All three of us. So are you going to tell us what this is regarding, or are we going to play games?”

“What did you mean by my finances?” I ask again.

“In addition to your ownership interest in the distillery, there’s also the matter of the life insurance.”

“Life insurance?” I repeat. “We barely have any. Just term life on each of us that we got when we got married, and not even enough to pay off this mortgage.” I realize that I haven’t even thought about insurance. I guess I’m supposed to file a claim or something.

I swallow back tears as I continue. “I have the policies,” I tell her. “Do you need to see them?”

“That won’t be necessary. I’m talking about the two million dollar policy on your husband’s life that you took out three weeks ago.”

“What the hell?” I take a step back, suddenly cold. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Then it’s a good thing we’re going to the station isn’t it? I’m sure we can get it all straightened out there.”

I look over at Red, confused and scared. How the hell is there a two million dollar policy on Mel?

He takes a step forward. “Detective, are you arresting Ms. Swift?”

“As I thought I made clear, we merely want to have a conversation. Work through some questions. A quick sit-down to clear things up. It will be better for everyone in the long run.”

“I’m not so sure about that,” Red says. “So here’s the deal. Arrest her if you want, but if you’re not going to do that, then I think you need to make an appointment to see Ms. Swift with her attorney.”

For a second I think that Detective Amarro is going to arrest me, just because she’s annoyed with Red. But she doesn’t, of course. My firm may not do criminal law, but I know enough to know that without something concrete, it would be foolish to arrest.

And there can’t be anything concrete. Can there?

After a tense moment, she says that she’ll be in touch, then turns and heads back to her car.

Red and I stand on the porch until she disappears down the street. Then I glance at him, my knees going weak as I sag down onto the top porch step. “I don’t know anything about that much life insurance.”

“I know.”

“This is them, isn’t it? Whoever killed Mel is playing with us.”

“I think they must be.”

“Who? Who’s doing this? Why did they kill Mel? Why are they trying to point the police in my direction? How is that supposed to help us getting this thing back for them? It doesn’t make any sense.” The questions spill out as tears—from stress and fear and too damn much adrenalin—stream down my cheeks.

“Nothing makes sense,” he says, taking my hand.

And in that moment, despite my wildly roiling emotions, I have to disagree with him.

Because as I looked down at our intertwined fingers, I realize that right now, in this moment, there is one thing that makes perfect sense. Us.

Chapter Twenty-Two

“It feels like an eternity since I’ve been here,” Red said, unlocking the door to the tasting room. He’d already sent a text to Jessn and Charlie G, letting them know he’d be on property, but that he’d prefer not to talk today. With the beefed up security system, they’d be notified the moment he started to punch in the code. With the message, hopefully they’d abide by his wishes and not come join them.