The Little Grave (Detective Amanda Steele)

Amanda went on. “Do you know why he had all that money?”

Courtney sat up straighter, but her body language was rigid. She had knowledge of the cash.

“Why did he have all that money?” Amanda prompted. “I’m quite sure you know.”

“It’s none of your business.”

“It may be quite pertinent to the case, and it’s missing,” Amanda punched out.

Courtney visibly swallowed. “It’s—it’s…”

“Yep. Any idea where it might have gone?”

Courtney tugged on the hem of her shirt. “He owed it to someone, but that’s all I’m gonna say.”

“Was it this someone who came looking for it and ended up murdering Jackson Webb when he didn’t have it?” Amanda asked.

“Your guess would be as good as mine.” Courtney jutted out her chin, but her voice wavered.

“You’re afraid of whoever he owed the money to,” Amanda concluded, not a question in her mind.

“I just need to move on with my life.”

“We know that you visited Chad a week after he was sentenced,” Amanda began. “Did you visit him to follow up on the money?”

Courtney remained silent.

Her non-answer was enough of an answer for Amanda. “When did you see him last?” She was aware of the visit from a couple of weeks ago but was curious what would surface.

“Two weeks ago, give or take.”

“Were you still interested in the money?” Trent interjected and warranted Courtney’s gaze.

Slowly Courtney looked at Amanda. “He told me he’d take care of things when he got out.”

“And did he?” Amanda asked.

“You can’t find the money and I’m still alive, so, yeah, I guess he did.”

Amanda studied Courtney. She obviously assessed Palmer’s creditor to be dangerous—even life-threatening—and she wasn’t giving them a name. She’d try to play it from another angle. “Aren’t you worried this person Chad owed money to might come after your son?”

Courtney looked away and rubbed her arms.

Amanda stared blankly at Courtney, hoping the silence and eye contact would be enough to get her to speak.

“I’m pretty sure everything is fine now.”

Amanda lifted her shoulders. “Sounding more confident than a second ago. Did Chad tell you he paid off whoever it was he owed?” She hated not having a name to work with.

“No.”

“So you haven’t been in contact since his release? I find that hard to believe given that Justin’s his son.”

“Nah, you don’t get to come here with that. And you have no right to bring up Justin again. Chad didn’t even know about him. I kept it from him. What good would it do anyway? Not like he was around to be a dad.”

“Still, Chad never came over after getting out last Friday?” Amanda was skeptical the lovers wouldn’t have reunited, but, then again, it’s not like she’d visited him a lot in prison. There was also the request Palmer had made for additional towels niggling at the edge of her mind.

“He doesn’t know where I live now. Or, I guess, didn’t know. I just can’t believe he’s gone.”