"He asked me if you and I were dating," I interrupt her.
The lines on Haven’s forehead deepen with concern. "He did? What did you say?"
"I didn't say anything," I tell her. "Your father told me if I wanted to date you, I had his permission. He told me you were lonely and could use a friend, that no one else would give you the time of day. He told me you cried yourself to sleep at night." I can see by the look on her face that there may have been some truth to what her father was saying, but I'm more aware now of everything being a setup.
Haven presses the palm of her hand up against her forehead. "I found out my dad had the house under surveillance the night he and my mother were going out of town," she says, clarifying every assumption I had.
I was too close for comfort for that man. Allowing me to work for him gave him an advantage to find a way to get rid of me. The whole time, I thought I was finding a way to exploithim, but the rich and powerful always win. I should have known better. Lenore begged me to stay away from Frederick, but I couldn't because my anger got the best of me, and I was weak. So weak, I gave him exactly what he wanted.
Haven picks up her pace again, leading us to the center of Main Street and up to the town hall. "No. I'm not going in there," I tell her.
"Okay," she says. "Wait out here then."
"What are you going to do?" I ask her, fearful that her anger is completely out of control, understandably or not.
An unsettling smile perks up at the corner of her lips. "Don't worry," she says.
"That's exactly why I am worried. Haven, you have to listen to me. Seriously, one wrong move could put me right back into prison."
Her shoulders slump forward in defeat as if she's actually hearing me this time and she takes a seat on the bench in front of the town hall, falling heavily against the curved wooden backing. "We need proof," she says.
"I have no access to evidence," I tell her. He has probably burnt every piece of evidence possible. The man is apparently smart enough to embezzle four million dollars without drawing any attention to himself, so I can’t put much past him.
"Well,Ido have access," Haven says.
