Looking Through Darkness by Aimée Thurlo

this up, though. I have to respect his word when he says he has his own way of dealing with this,” John responded.
    Or not, Leigh Ann thought as Melvin’s uncle walked away. Some things needed to be talked about, or they’d eat you up inside. But how could she persuade Melvin to open up? That was the problem.
    Barely ten minutes after John left, Leigh Ann saw what looked like a SJCSO department vehicle pull into a parking slot just outside. Dale had warned her to expect a visit from someone in the San Juan County Sheriff’s Office. Something told her this was it.

 
    â€” SIX —
    Leigh Ann took a quick look around the front room. There were only two customers and Jo was at the front register. Leigh Ann signaled her, pointing out the window.
    â€œGo ahead, Leigh Ann,” Jo said as the door opened and a tall, slender man in gray slacks and a light blue jacket entered the store. The man had closely cropped brown hair, steel-blue, intelligent eyes, and wore a gold badge on his belt. Barely visible beneath his jacket was a handgun in a black holster.
    After the officer introduced himself, Leigh Ann led the man down the hall and into her office. “Have a seat, Sergeant Knight,” she said. “If I recall, I spoke to a Detective Alvarez when my husband was killed. Is this your case now?”
    â€œDetective Alvarez was on the violent crimes unit, Mrs. Vance, but he’s retired now. I work white collar. Crimes involving corporate theft, such as embezzlement, end up on my desk. The metal box and contents you turned in went to Detective McGraw, who replaced Alvarez, then came to me.”
    â€œSo Detective McGraw doesn’t think this is connected to Kurt’s death?” she asked, wondering if she should be disappointed or relieved.
    â€œYour husband’s death was determined to be a hunting accident, and the individual responsible has never been identified. Unless substantial evidence suggesting otherwise comes to the department’s attention, we’ll be investigating what you found as a potential case of fraud. Would you please tell me, in detail, how you came to discover this box?”
    Leigh Ann knew that Sergeant Knight had probably heard all about it, but she took her time and told him everything. The only thing she left out was finding the .38. Later, if a weapon like that became part of the investigation, she’d turn it in. Until then, she’d hang on to it.
    Knight listened carefully, asking questions and taking notes during her statement. Leigh Ann explained her theories about the list of names in the notebook and told him about the storage compartment Kurt had rented. The detective commented that he planned to speak to the employees at the facility.
    At last he seemed satisfied and put away his notebook, then said, “Do you have any questions for me?”
    â€œYes. From what you’ve seen of the evidence, do you think my late husband really stole that money?”
    â€œAt this point, that’s not at all clear. I spoke to his former business partners at Total Supply and both denied that any money had been taken. The largest discrepancy they’d found in the books was one that resulted from a five-dollar entry mistakenly entered as fifty dollars.”
    â€œBut the spreadsheets in that box show how the numbers were concealed. How do Kurt’s partners explain what I found?” she asked.
    â€œAccording to Mr. Boone, you and your husband were having some marital problems around the time of his death. He speculated that you were still angry and are now trying to destroy your husband’s reputation retroactively. Mr. Hurley, interestingly enough, didn’t agree. He thought it was more likely that what you found was one of Kurt’s many gags, one he’d never had the chance to put into play. According to him, Kurt was a practical joker who loved watching people squirm.”
    There was some truth in what Wayne Hurley had