Reliquary (Reliquary Series Book 1) Read Online Free

of him.” I gave my mom a cautious look. “In fact, he said the last time they saw each other, Asa threatened to kill him.”
    Mom’s eyes went wide, but Detective Logan sounded only mildly interested as she asked, “And when was this?”
    “He said it was a long time ago, but still. Maybe he wanted to settle some kind of score?”
    She shrugged. “Asa Ward has been more or less off the grid for over a decade, as far as we can tell. He certainly hasn’t gotten into any trouble with the law. And there’s no evidence in Ben’s e-mail or phone that he was communicating with his brother. All his contacts are accounted for.”
    I gritted my teeth. “But why aren’t you looking for the guy? Tracking down an addict who threatened Ben seems a lot more productive than talking to people like Sophie Wingate. She’s a little old lady with an overweight shih tzu she can’t even pick up. Why do you have to waste time interviewing her?”
    “We have to cover all our bases.” Detective Logan was already standing up, and so was Mom, who was gently trying to pull me to my feet.
    “Mattie,” she whispered through gritted teeth. “Let’s let the lady do her job. I’ve got a nice lunch waiting for us at home, and your dad will want an update.”
    My shoulders slumped, and I let Mom guide me out the door and back to her car, but I had no intention of eating lunch when my stomach was stuffed full of dread. “Just drop me off at home, please. I need to be alone.” The detectives had already confiscated Ben’s files and his computer, and, having found nothing suspicious in the house, had said I could return there if I wanted.
    Mom pressed her lips together, clearly fighting to hold back her concern, but did as I asked. “Call us if you hear anything, okay? Or if you just need to talk.”
    “Will do, Mom.”
    The postal worker had left a stack of mail on our porch steps, probably because our mailbox was still surrounded by crime scene tape. The envelope on top was addressed to Ben. Detective Logan had gone through our mail, too, and had said she’d like to review anything new that came in. But would the Sheboygan police even know good evidence if it smacked them in the face? I opened the envelope and pulled out the contents.
    As I read, my skin prickled with cold sweat.
    It was notice of a lien. On Ben’s clinic. For over two hundred thousand dollars. It had been placed by the contractor who had renovated the building. “This is so screwed up,” I muttered. Ben had taken out a small-business loan to pay the guy. I’d gone with him to the bank when he’d signed off on it.
    I pulled out my phone, planning to call my dad and ask him to help me make sense of the legalese, but it buzzed in my hand. “We got Ben’s bank statements just after you left,” Detective Logan said. “I need your help interpreting them.”
    I stared down at the lien. “Something’s wrong, isn’t it?”
    “Maybe. Are you aware that his accounts were nearly empty? From the look of it, he was living hand to mouth. You claimed money wasn’t a big problem for the two of you.”
    “It wasn’t,” I said breathlessly. “I mean, he was nervous about the business, but it was going better than expected—”
    “Can you think of any reason he would have made several large cash withdrawals in the last three weeks?”
    I glanced down at the paper in my hand. “Paying back his contractor?”
    “In cash? Hmm.” Detective Logan sounded skeptical. “I think we need to schedule another little chat. Obviously Dr. Ward wasn’t exactly telling you everything, but maybe going over the bank statements will help us connect a few dots.”
    The rage bubbled up so suddenly that I couldn’t contain it. “Ben is gone, and definitely hurt, and you guys are all acting like it’s his fault!”
    “Ms. Carver, the signs do seem to indicate that Dr. Ward was engaged in some financial activity that was questionable at best. I know you want to believe the best of