Ranger nodded and she saw the concern in his eyes. “A good con artist can charm his way into just about anything he wants. He must have wanted you badly. The man worked his way into LifeSpan using fraudulent documents created by a master forger. Harold was the best at what he did.”
A shudder swept through her body. “And my mother had just passed away. I was at my most vulnerable.” Bitterness welled up inside her. “I fell into his lap like the proverbial apple dropping from the tree. He knew a good thing when he saw it...a woman all alone with her own house paid for and a good job. Exactly the right kind of person for a fugitive to marry to hide his past life of crime.”
“Don’t go there, Mrs. Harris. He was too clever to give himself away to anyone—he’d eluded the police for years. His mistake was getting caught with another woman. When did you realize it?”
She moistened her lips. “Amy had just turned a year old and I’d planned a little evening party for her with the idea that Rod could be there when he got home from work. But he didn’t make it. He called me and said he’d been detained in a meeting but he’d make it up to us. I’d been putting up with those kinds of excuses from the time she was born, but that was the moment it occurred to me my husband was slipping away from me.
“About a month later I called him at work and found out he wasn’t there and hadn’t been in all day. I knew something was going on he didn’t want me to know about.”
A grimace marred the Ranger’s rugged features. “Did you finally confront him?”
“Yes. About two and a half months ago I was having lunch with my best friend from college. She and her husband live in Arizona, but they’d flown in to attend a friend’s wedding and we got together. She happened to mention that she’d bumped into Rod at the short-term airport parking. He’d told her he was dropping off my cousin for a flight.”
Natalie shot Saunders a glance. “I don’t have a cousin. He’d told my friend a blatant lie. At that point I knew in my heart he’d been having an affair, maybe even several.”
After a silence he said, “What’s your friend’s name and phone number? I’d like to speak to her.”
“Colette Barnes. She’s in Phoenix.” Natalie opened the contacts folder in her cell phone and found him the number.
“Did your husband admit to the affair when you confronted him?”
She bit her lip. “Yes. He was amazingly forthright about it. He accused me of having lost interest in him after Amy was born. It was a lie. He accused me of going back to work to avoid him. That wasn’t a lie. I needed to get back to the job I knew because intuition told me our marriage wasn’t going to make it.” She took a deep breath. “It was my mother’s story all over again. An unfaithful husband who didn’t want to deal with his child.”
“Except that your story wasn’t your mother’s, not by a long shot. A dangerous killer used you. The circumstances aren’t comparable. When did you go back to work?”
“Two months ago.”
“When you first mentioned divorce, what did he say?”
“He looked all penitent and said he didn’t want one. Rod claimed the woman meant nothing to him. He promised never to see her again, but by then I was done. He was so cold and hadn’t shown real remorse for any of his behavior, including missing his daughter’s first birthday. I couldn’t understand it and felt like I’d never known him. Now I know why,” she reflected with a heavy heart.
“I’ve seen his type before. He’s the kind that never formed emotional attachments early in life.”
She nodded. “He’s exactly like that. Later on that night I asked him to pack up and leave the house. I told him I was going to hire an attorney and he’d need one, too. Though the house is in my name, he threatened that he was eligible for half the property and would sue me for it.
“That’s when I knew I’d married a stranger. If he wanted to fight over the house he’d never paid for without any concern for his daughter’s future, there was no hope for us. I told him we’d have to work out everything in court. But he died before that day came.” She paused for a moment. “I never wished him dead, but he’s been dead to me for a long time.”
Before the Ranger could say anything, the head of the forensics team came into the kitchen to say they were through. Saunders walked them to the front door, where they talked for a few minutes. After they filed out, he turned his attention back to Natalie.
“It turns out that whoever invaded your home must have had a key. There’s no sign of a break-in.”
“Maybe it was that other inmate you were talking about.”
“Maybe, maybe not. But either way I’d say that’s enough questions for now. I’ll help you clean up your house before I leave.”
“Oh, no. That won’t be necessary, but thank you.”
He zeroed in on her with his gaze. “I insist. Until the surveillance team arrives, I’m not letting you out of my sight.”
A chill ran down her spine. “Surveillance?”
“Absolutely. I’m having you and your house guarded around the clock.”
Her heart thudded with anxiety. “So you think I’m in danger, then?”
“Rod was a career felon. He could have enemies who wouldn’t hesitate to hurt you or your daughter.”
“But why?”
“Come on, let’s get your place cleaned up while we talk. If you’ll give me a towel, I’ll get the water out of the carpet.”
“You don’t need to do that.”
“I want to.”
She couldn’t budge him. In the end she found him a towel that had been thrown on the floor next to the linen closet. “Here you go. I’ll clean up the nursery then I’ll go for Amy. Jillian needs to be relieved—she’s been such a help. I think I’ll take her one of these floral arrangements, maybe that large one with the daisies and roses.”
“They’re beautiful. Who sent them?”
“My boss. The one from the photo. John Willard. He and his wife have proved to be terrific friends.”
The Ranger got down on one knee to perform his task and Natalie’s eyes lingered on the striking picture of virility he made. She decided he must be a man in a million to pitch in when he didn’t have to. She tore herself away and hurried to Amy’s room to put everything back in place. When she returned to the living room, she found it and the den restored and in perfect order, with nearly all traces of water gone.
She discovered her guest in the kitchen, washing his hands. When he looked over his shoulder at her, she smiled. “If I didn’t know better, I’d think you’d been sent from Hire-a-Husband, that company you see around town. Are you married, Ranger Saunders?”
He chuckled. “No. I haven’t had that experience yet.”
“After interviewing me, you must be thankful.”
“Not
