Page 94 of The Murder Club

“So am I,” she agreed. “They knew that Nellie changed her will before she died. And exactly why she’d given me a portion of the inheritance.”

“They knew?” Eric furrowed his brow. “Why would they lie?”

“It’s a question I’ve been asking myself. At least until I learned that they will inherit Nellie’s estate. Obviously they hoped to make me the scapegoat if anyone started asking questions.”

“What?” Eric froze, as if struggling to accept what she was telling him.

“The Donaldsons are about to inherit half of Nellie Warren’s estate,” she helpfully repeated.

“No. That can’t be right,” Eric stubbornly insisted. “I heard Gage bragging about the amount of money he was going to have as soon as his mother was dead.” He jutted out his jaw. “He was a real jerk if you ask me. And I don’t care if he is dead.”

“I agree, he was a jerk,” Bailey quickly agreed, refusing to dwell on how the man had died. Or who might be responsible. She needed to concentrate on getting answers from the man eyeing her with a wary expression. “And it’s because Gage is dead that the money is going to the nursing home.”

“I . . .” Eric licked his lips. “Are you joking?”

“I heard it from Ward Bennett. I doubt he would joke about something like that.”

“No.”

“I’m surprised Logan Donaldson didn’t tell you about the inheritance,” Dom said.

Eric’s brows snapped together at Dom’s intrusion into the conversation. “Why would he tell me?”

“I thought the two of you were friends,” Dom pressed.

“As if,” Eric scoffed. “He’s just my boss. I doubt he even knows my name.”

Dom looked mildly surprised by the fervent denial. “That’s odd. You guys have been meeting in the old building next to the nursing home, haven’t you?”

“What?” Eric flushed, opening and shutting his mouth a half dozen times before he could spit out his denial. “I don’t know who told you that, but they’re liars.”

“Seriously? I saw the two of you with my own eyes,” Dom reminded him.

The younger man stepped back, wrapping his arms around his thin waist. He looked as if he was feeling attacked and was on the point of shutting down. Bailey needed to distract him.

“Eric, if Logan has done something bad, you can tell me,” she said in soft tones. “I’ll make sure Zac understands that it wasn’t your fault.”

Eric shifted from foot to foot, unable to hide his discomfort. “Why do you think he’s done something bad?”

“Don’t you think it’s suspicious that Nellie would die and leave her estate to Gage and then just days later Gage would die, making sure the large sum of money ends up in the Donaldsons’ hands?”

“Nellie died because she was old and Gage fell off a ladder.”

Bailey squashed her burst of annoyance. She hadn’t expected Eric to dig in his heels. It was going to take more than her suspicions to make him question his loyalty to the Donaldsons. Sending out a silent apology to Zac, she leaned forward, revealing she was about to confess a secret.

“Both Nellie’s and Gage’s deaths are under investigation,” she said.

Eric looked skeptical. “No way.”

“Yes.”

“And those aren’t the only deaths connected to the Donaldsons,” Dom smoothly added.

“No. I don’t believe you.”

All right. Time for drastic actions, Bailey silently acknowledged. Eric had some reason for his stubborn refusal to believe what she was telling him. She was going to have to shake it out of him.

She took a step toward him, her expression one of sympathy. “Eric, I’m not trying to implicate you in the murders.”