Looking Through Darkness Read Online Free

doing with one?” Leigh Ann picked it up and looked inside. The photo was of her husband, but the name listed on it was Frank Jones. Glancing quickly through the pages, she found no stamps or other markings. It had yet to be used.
    â€œFrank Jones … I remember that name,” Leigh Ann said. “After Kurt died, both Wayne and Pierre would drop by once in a while, or call to ask if I’d found a Frank Jones file in Kurt’s papers. But it looks like Kurt was Frank Jones.”
    Rachel held the two spreadsheets against the window, one over the other. As light shined through them, she said, “These pages are nearly identical except for the column listing vendor payments. I think most people wouldn’t even notice the differences, but it looks like one or more formulas have been altered, too, because the totals still come out the same down here.” She pointed to another section. “I’m not a bookkeeper, but I work with spreadsheets and electronic ledgers every day. I think Kurt was doing some creative bookkeeping, and from what I can see, the last entries were made a few days prior to his death.”
    â€œThere’s a flash drive in here,” Leigh Ann said. “Let’s take a look at that.”
    Moments later, after loading the program into Leigh Ann’s laptop, they went over several more spreadsheets. Finally Rachel spoke. “This is just more of the same, Leigh Ann. Again, there are two sets. One seems to be the real one, the other’s doctored. The key differences are the payouts to Frank Jones Enterprises. They’re steady and totaling around fifty grand. At a glance, I’d say your hubby found a way to cheat his partners.”
    â€œNo way they knew,” Leigh Ann said. “They considered him one of their buds. They’d even go hunting together. That’s a guy bonding thing.”
    â€œAlthough the police and forest service ruled it an accidental death caused by a careless hunter, they never did find out who shot Kurt,” Rachel said.
    â€œI would have known if Wayne Hurley and Pierre Boone had found out Kurt was cheating them. Pierre, in particular, has a temper like Vesuvius. From the way they talked, I’m sure they thought Frank Jones was real.”
    â€œNeither of those men are fools,” Rachel said.
    â€œNo, but then again it’s easier to be taken in by a friend than it is an enemy. You never see it coming,” she said, old hurts stealing over her.
    â€œDo you think that’s why Kurt rigged up the shotgun? He didn’t want the guys breaking in when nobody was home, nosing around, and finding something that could get him arrested,” Rachel said.
    Leigh Ann nodded slowly. “He was obviously scared enough to do whatever it took to protect this.”
    â€œWhy would he keep evidence that could have been used against him? Why not just destroy it?” Rachel said.
    â€œI’m guessing it’s because he was embezzling money up to the moment he died and needed to keep things straight so he wouldn’t get caught. Kurt was no Einstein.”
    â€œWhat’s in the little notebook?”
    She looked through it. “I’m seeing a list of names: Sorrelhorse, Natani, Manuelito, Begay, Johnson, and Lee. Most sound Navajo, and I know there’s a tribal official by the name of Sorrelhorse, but there are no first names here. Some have question marks next to them.”
    â€œCould they be potential clients, maybe?” Rachel asked.
    â€œI have no idea.” Leigh Ann continued leafing through the book. “There’s also an address of a storage facility and a unit number.” A folded piece of paper pressed between the pages slipped to the floor. “Whoops,” she said, picking it up. “This looks like a rental receipt. He was paid up for a whole year.”
    â€œI recognize the name of that place,” Rachel said, looking over her shoulder at the receipt.