Bushwhacked in the Outback: A Land Sharks Cozy Mystery Adventure (Land Sharks Cozy Mystery Adventures Book 2) by Nancy Raven Smith

Author:Nancy Raven Smith [Raven Smith, Nancy]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Whimsey Wylde
Published: 2021-12-31T23:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER TWENTY

We drive back toward Coober Pedy in silence. Both of us are lost in our own thoughts. Mine are about the three million. I confirm with myself that there’s absolutely no way I’m going to tell Joan that Ted embezzled the money to pay for her hospital bills. I don’t think she has a clue. She has no means to pay it back. It would just cause her more grief and accomplish nothing.

Ted was willing to go to jail to help her. I ask myself, how far I would go to save someone I loved?

Ted killed a bank guard, and was killed himself. Two horrific events, but those are police matters. Even if I found out who -- and as much as I’d love to catch Ted’s killer, especially since we know he’s here, it’s not my business. My job is the money Ted stole from Mac. Now that I know the money isn’t recoverable, Steve and I need to go home.

If I report that I can’t find the money, Mac would lose his money. But after all, he’s the one who hired Willis and signed him into his accounts. The bank did nothing wrong. Morgan will have to swallow his fear of public censure if Mac does what he threatens. As for me? If Morgan gets his way, I’ll be fired, and that means I’ll probably never work as a fraud investigator ever again.

It comes down to a choice between Joan and Emily or Mac’s bank account and my job. I’d have to be Solomon to solve this problem. But Emily needs her mother. They’re the critical victims here. For Mac and the bank, it’s only money. As for me, I guess I’ll manage to survive somehow. I’ll probably lose my new house. Then it occurs to me. Maybe it’s not even up to me.

Andre interrupts my thoughts. “What are you going to do?”

“I don’t know. I’ll have to talk with Steve.”

He guesses my thoughts. “No reason to tell him. Pretend you don’t know where the money went.”

“I won’t lie to him.”

“It will kill Joan if she finds out Ted stole the money. She’ll try to cancel the operation.” He continues, “I’d give you the money, but my funds are a little low at the moment. I had to sell a nice watercolor on the cheap to pay for my last minute ticket here. If you can wait a couple months, I can line the money up.”

“There’s no time,” I say. Not with Mac breathing down the bank’s neck.

***

It’s mid afternoon when we get back. Andre parks in front of the hotel.

“Lexi, there’s a special place I’d like to show you tonight.”

“I need to talk to Steve. And we need to leave Australia. You should, too.”

“I thought I’d stay around for Joan for a couple more days. Make sure she’s okay. I was hoping you’d stay. Give us a little time to talk.”

“Do you think she’d mind a few more questions?”

He gives me a questioning look. “We can go back tomorrow.

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