“What is it?” Ada asked, uncertain why someone’s old piece of clothing would be of such consequence.
“I know this scarf.”
She lifted a brow.
“It’s Will’s.”
“Will’s?” she hissed. “What is he doing here?”
“I have a feeling,” Jonny said grimly, “that he just accomplished his goal of making us look bad.”
“But why?”
“Why wouldn’t he?” Jonny said with a shrug. “If he can pull my name back down, then I would have nothing – nothing except to return to where I came from. If I lost football, lost my job?” He shrugged, looking at her. “I have a feeling that there will be evidence leading toward me.”
“Then we will fight it.”
Jonny might be an ass, but he still didn’t deserve to be blamed for this.
He shook his head slowly, a wry smile hitting his lips.
“That’s the thing, Ada. We can fight it allwe want, but when people have an idea of what they think is the truth, they latch onto it. No one here has any reason to believe me to be anything different than what I am. I think you need to keep yourself as far away from me as you can, to prevent anyone from associating us together.”
“That’s the last thing that will help you,” she scoffed.
“Perhaps I don’t want you anyway,” he said with a nonchalant shrug, and she stepped closer, getting into his face despite the fact that voices were nearing, that anyone could see them out here.
“Don’t pull that with me,” she said in a low voice. “I know much better than that. You’re just trying to push me away.”
His mouth tilted, as though in admittance that she was right. “Well then, we’ll play this as we go.”
She nodded in agreement as footsteps sounded on the other end of the hallway.
“Party’s over,” Colin said, staring at them as he walked toward them, seeming to understand something had occurred between them, though he thankfully didn’t question it. “I promised Harcourt that we would all be available for questioning if we’re needed. He asked if we would agree to being searched on the way out, but I thought that would be beneath us.”
“I’m happy to show him I’m not hiding anything,” Tommy said, lifting his jacket.
“If it means I’m left alone, then I’ll do the same,” Jonny agreed.
Colin sighed. “Very well. Come with me, men. The detective has just arrived, and he said he’ll take a quick look around. Perhaps we can see him first and then you can all get out of here. I know this wasn’t what you wanted to do tonight, so I appreciate you all coming. Rhys said the same.”
Ada watched Jonny. He hadn’t wanted to come, even knowing that she was likely to be here? What did that mean?
His eyes met hers, but there was nothing in them to answer any questions she might have.
“Goodnight, Ada,” Tommy said, a grin on his lips as he looked from her to Jonny and back again.
“Goodnight,” she said to them all even though Jonny said nothing specifically to her. Apparently, she wasn’t worth a goodbye from him, or for whatever reason, he didn’t want his teammates to know there was anything between them. At least she didn’t have to worry about word spreading, unless she did it herself.
She passed the men as she continued on to the drawing room, avoiding her mother in order to sit with her friends.
“What in the world is happening?” Emmaline half-whispered as she joined them.
Ada told them about the robbery and Jonny finding Will’s scarf, as quickly and as quietly as she could.
They listened in shock until Emmaline perked up, straightening her spine as she turned to her.
“So, tell me, Ada, were you with Jonny at this time?”
