Confessing to the Cowboy - By Carla Cassidy Page 0,46

amazing man she knew he would be. She would be here for each and every special moment in his life.

“Maybe he lied because he didn’t want you arrested,” Cameron said, his gaze sober. “Maybe he wanted to make you pay in a way different than a jail sentence for assault.”

Mary stared at him, her joy short-lived as she realized the implications of his words. “Did you find any information about where he is now?”

Cameron shook his head. “All I know for sure is that he still owns the house in San Francisco where the two of you lived, but it’s now run by paid staff and he’s supposedly been living out of the country for years. A year after the attack he divorced you on abandonment issues.”

“Abandonment?” The entire world had gone mad and swallowed her whole. He’d divorced her on abandonment issues? At least she was no longer legally bound to the monster. “What about his business?”

“McKnight Enterprises moved to Switzerland six years ago and I had no luck finding anyone who could or would tell me Jason’s whereabouts during the last six months or so. Supposedly he’s there, but I have no proof that’s the case.”

“Then he’s here,” she said, her heart once again beating frantically.

“Would you recognize him after all this time?”

“Surely I would,” she said, her hesitation obvious in her voice. “His features are burned into my brain, at least the way he looked the last time I saw him. I’m certain I haven’t seen anyone here in Grady Gulch who even remotely resembles him. But he’s got to be behind this. He told me a hundred times when we were married that if I ever left him he’d hunt me down and kill me, that he’d make me suffer in ways I couldn’t begin to imagine.” Her voice cracked when she thought of the women who had died because of her...because of what she’d done to Jason. She’d had the temerity to stand up to him, to beat him down and leave him and she knew there would never be forgiveness or forgetfulness in his heart. And so three women were dead because she’d cared about them, because they’d worked in her café.

Cameron’s hand covered hers, as if he knew the direction of her thoughts. “Mary, this isn’t your fault,” he said softly. “Somebody killed those women, but it wasn’t you. You loved those women and I don’t want to see any self-blame in your eyes.”

He squeezed her hand tightly and then released it and leaned back in his chair. “If you haven’t seen Jason here in town, then he’s either sneaking around after dark and not being seen by anyone or he’s paid somebody else to do his dirty work for him.”

“Either is possible,” she admitted. “Jason was filthy rich when we got married and over the years I’m sure that hasn’t changed. He could name a price that might push somebody into doing something like this. I just can’t imagine who.”

“We’re going to figure that out,” Cameron said with a steely determination. “If Jason is anywhere in this state, we’ll find him and if he has some henchman working for him we’ll find him, too. If what we believe is true, then we now have a motive for these killings and we know what we’re looking for. I just don’t want to get total tunnel vision and think this is the answer to everything. Nine years is a long time to hold a grudge.”

“But this is a theory that finally makes some sort of horrible sense,” she said, still reeling with the information she’d just learned. Although it frightened her to think about Jason being somewhere in the area, she couldn’t help but feel as if a thousand-pound weight had been taken off her shoulders. It was a weight she’d carried for too long.

“I just wanted to come by first thing this morning to let you know that you don’t have to worry about being arrested. You aren’t wanted for any crime.” Cameron rose from the table and started to grab his coat, but before he could Mary got up as well and impulsively wrapped her arms around his neck.

Instantly he embraced her and pulled her close. “Thank you,” she said fervently as she gazed up at his handsome face. “I feel like you’ve given me back my life, given me back my son.”

And with all the raw emotions suddenly rushing through her, she felt more alive than she could ever remember feeling.