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Edward opened the front door to his home himself, hoping to find Lily on the other side. He was not disappointed. She stood smiling at him, her face framed by red hair that curled slightly at the ends and only served to enhance the blush glowing on her cheeks.
"Oh, thank the Lord," he said, taking her into his arms. His anger with her had vanished upon her arrest, but until this moment, he'd been uncertain as to her feelings regarding him.
He'd thought about going to the station to see her but was afraid he would only upset her all over again. He'd decided it was best to let Detective Stone and Mr. Hargood do their jobs, while he did what he knew best—attend to the factory.
Work had at least given him something to take his mind off things, though every time he spotted Patty or Bridget, he had to fight to stop himself from exploding at them. Detective Stone had confirmed they were, indeed, the two 'witnesses' who'd claimed to see Lily kill her husband.
The detective had managed to discover the information and call them out on it. They had claimed to have passed by Lily's house the night Ray disappeared and seen her stab him through a window. It turned out the night in question, Patty and Bridget had been having a night out on the town and been spotted by many people dining and drinking.
The women had denied any wrongdoing at first, said Stone, but after he'd acquainted them with the penalties of perjury, they had changed their tune and revoked their previous statements. They were still attempting to find other ways to tarnish Lily's reputation, however. Just this very morning, Bridget had come to him in his office before he'd spoken with Stone and Hargood as to Lily's release and decided to leave the factory early.
"I overheard a bit of information that may interest you," Bridget had said.
"I'm not interested in any of your lies," he'd told her. He wasn't sure if she realized he was behind the detective who'd ousted her and Patty's tale and didn't particularly care either way.
"It's not a lie," Bridget said. "I heard Lily and Della speaking in confidence one morning. They didn't know I was there."
He sighed. The woman was determined to have her say, no matter what.
"What is it?" he finally asked, hoping she might go away once she'd told him whatever it was.
"Lily is carrying Ray's child."
Edward thanked her for the information then dismissed her from the room and went back to work. She'd looked confused by his reaction, but he paid her little mind. Her lies really were becoming more and more ridiculous. As if Lily would keep such a thing from him. Her figure was one of the trimmest he'd ever seen. If she was hiding a child inside her, then she was doing a very good job of it.
He'd chuckled to himself over that piece of information for some time, until finally Hargood had arrived with Stone and told him he'd devised a plan to free Lily and was on his way the station.
Now at home, with Lily in his arms, Edward decided that tomorrow he would let both Patty and Bridget go from their jobs. The only reason he had not already done so was that he'd feared it might create some new rumors.
Everyone knew that he and Lily were close. To fire Patty and Bridget would have looked like retaliation. Revenge for their damning statements against Lily. No matter how unfounded their statements may have been, Edward knew that to dismiss them would only validate what they'd said in the eyes of the townspeople.
"I was afraid you'd still be angry me with me," Lily said, "but I couldn't stay away." Her voice was muffled against his chest. He kissed the top of her head and held her that much tighter.
"Angry?" he asked, almost laughing. "I was afraid you were still angry with me."
He pulled away and locked eyes with her. "How can I be angry with you when I know you're behind my freedom?"
She kissed him hard. He kissed her harder. Their bodies pressed against each other, leaving not an inch of space between them. Lily's breath came in pants. She tilted her head back, and he kissed her neck.
"Thank you," she murmured.
"You needn't thank me for my affection. I'm more than happy to share it with you."
She laughed and righted her head. "I meant thank you for Mr. Hargood, and the Pinkerton detective. That must have cost you a great deal."
"The money's not important to me. You are. I was a fool to even think of leaving you at a time like this."
His body burned with his not-so-hidden desires. They rose in him like lava from a volcano that was ready to erupt.
"Does your detective have any leads on Ray?" she asked.
"Not that I know of, but I'm expecting him any minute. He has an update for me. Perhaps that will shed some more light on the situation."
They moved to the parlor to wait for Detective Stone, sitting together on the loveseat, arms and legs crossed over each other as they nestled together.
"I abhor some of the things I said to you when last we spoke," said Lily.
"Let us forget it and begin again." He kissed her again to emphasize the point and the matter was dropped. With so much heat between them, they hadn't any room in their minds for anger or doubt.
A knock sounded on the door, and Edward rose to get it. "Myra has the day off," he told her and introduced Detective Stone.
"So, you're Mrs. Dickinson," said the detective, shaking her hand. He looked her up and down in a way that Edward did not at all care for. Lily blushed but seemed to take it in stride.
"Thank you, sir, for your help in this matter," she said to him.
"Don't thank me yet," Stone told her and looked at Edward, who suddenly felt cold.
"You've found something out," Edward said, imagining that whatever it was could not be good. Not with an expression like that upon the detective's face.
Detective Stone lifted an eyebrow. "I'm not quite sure what I know as of yet and don't want to imply anything that might prove false." There was a brief pause and then he said, "Perhaps we should speak in the other room, Mr. Saunders."
"Whatever you have to tell me you can say in front of Lily," he replied.
The detective shrugged. "As you wish." He cleared his throat. "What can either of you tell me about the money Ray Dickinson allegedly won before he disappeared?"
"There is nothing alleged about it, first of all," said Lily. "I saw the money with my own eyes. He won it as sure as God made the stars in the sky."
Detective Stone took his glasses off and wiped the lenses with a handkerchief before replacing them. He was frowning.
"Did you actually see him win the money?"
"Well, no," Lily said. "But as I told you, I saw the money itself. If he didn't win it gambling, then it must have come from somewhere."
"That's just it," said the detective, "I've asked around, and from what I can tell, Ray hadn't won any serious money gambling in over five months, which means the money most assuredly came from other sources."
Lily's eyes widened. Her hand clamped tightly over Edward's. His heart began to pound, especially when the detective's eyes fell on him and stayed there.
"What can you tell us about the money in question, Mr. Saunders?" asked Detective Stone.
Lily bit her bottom lip. "I assure you that Edward knows nothing more of the money than I do."
"Is that so?" asked Stone coldly.
Edward's face turned grim. He wasn't sure whether it would be better to speak or to hold his peace, so he said nothing while he thought it over.
Lily was watching him now. Her eyes drew together, and her face paled.
"Edward," she said, licking her lips, "is there something you've not told me?" She paused, and her cheeks colored to roses. "Whatever it is, I won't be angry. Just say it so that we might learn the truth. If you know something of Ray's money, you must speak it."
"He knows something, all right," the detective said, and Edward thought he rather enjoyed making people squirm.
Lily flashed anger at Stone. "I don't care for your tone, sir."
Stone let out a sigh. "This is always the most difficult part. Discovering information that might have been better had it stayed hidden."
"What do you mean?" asked Lily. "What information?"
"The day before your husband disappeared, a rather large sum of money was withdrawn from the bank account of one Mr. Edward Saunders."
"So?" Lily said, her voice rising. "I'm sure that Edward was not the only one to withdraw money from his account that day."
"No, but he was the only one to withdraw five hundred dollars. A sum that large is not easily forgotten. The teller I spoke with remembers it quite clearly, I'm afraid."
Lily's mouth dropped open. She turned to face him. "Edward?" she asked, and he could see that she was struggling to make sense of this new information.
"I was going to tell you," he said. "I wanted to tell you much earlier than this, but there was never a good time."
"Tell me what?"
She had taken half a step back from him. He had to fight to stop himself from making up the distance. Sometimes a woman needed space.
"The day before Ray went missing, I went to your house."
"Y-You did?" she asked.
"Yes. It was while you were at work. I had to make sure you would not be there."
Her eyes widened. "I remember... You said you were going to see Dr. Shannon. That you thought your illness was coming on again."
"I'm sorry I lied," he said, "but it was for the greater good. I needed to speak with Ray alone, you see."
"For what purpose?" she demanded.
He hesitated. "I offered him five hundred dollars if he would grant you the divorce you sought and take his leave of you."
Lily's mouth hit the floor. Even Detective Stone seemed surprised by his confession.
"You mean you bribed him?" she asked.
"No, not at all. I simply paid him to leave you alone. Only he did not. He agreed to my terms and took my money, but the next day at the factory when you came in, I learned he was still in town. He was supposed to have left the night before."
"Oh, my word..." she said, her hand flying to her cheek. "That explains so much about your behavior that day."
"I confronted Ray at Shawnsee's Saloon. To that, you already know what happened. We fought, and I threatened him. I thought for sure he'd go, but then you discovered the blood in your kitchen and... here we are."
Both Lily and Detective Stone were watching him closely.
"I assure I had nothing to do with his murder, or his disappearance, or whatever's happened to him."
Lily's lip trembled. "You tried to buy me," she said in a voice that was barely above a whisper. "As if I'm some sort of commodity."
"No, you're thinking of this in quite the wrong way, Lily."
"And then you hid this information from me."
"Because I was afraid you'd react negatively to it, as you are."
She shook her head. "I was right when I said money is more important to you than I am."
"How can you say that?" he demanded. "I have spent more money on you than any woman or man I've known."
Her eyes were red and watery. "You tried to buy me!" she shouted.
"You're being unreasonable."
Her hand flew out, the palm of it slapping his cheek. He stood stunned.
Lily looked nearly as stunned as he did. After a moment's silence, she turned and left the house without another word.
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