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for proof, and he gave it to them. The rest—retaliatory action, prosecution, restitution—was up to the clients or the justice system. But this time, the why had nagged at him. It had never gone away.
    “That’s no one’s business but mine.”
    In the dim light, he thought she mouthed a few additional words, but if he asked her to repeat them, she’d probably give him the cold shoulder again.
    “So one day, Miriam Duncan, who’d never had so much as a parking ticket, went to work and decided to steal $1.1 million dollars from the boss. How does that happen? How do you make the decision to go from a lifetime of law abiding to embezzling a boatload of money? Is it the same way you decide to wear red instead of blue? Sneakers instead of boots? To buy a Toyota instead of a Chevy?” He watched her from the corner of his eye for a hint of a reaction but got none. “I’ll tell you, Miriam, I’ve been dealing with less-than-scrupulous people my whole adult life, and I’ve gotta believe there’s more to it than that. Something important must have pushed you to that decision. Something desperate, something traumatic.”
    Her response was slow in coming and phony as hell. Her voice was light, almost lighthearted, but she was holding the bear so tightly it would squeal if it had a real mouth. “Sorry. No desperation, no trauma. Just plain greed.”
    Dean couldn’t remember ever seeing the bear at her apartment, but then, he hadn’t ever been inside her bedroom—not for lack of desire—and wasn’t that the likely place for a security blanket/bear? What thirty-year-old wanted her aged, worn snuggly on display for visitors and dates to see?
    His was neatly tucked away in a box at the back of the closet shelf. It was a rabbit, once white with pink satin ears and a fluffy tail. Now it was an odd shade of age and dirty little boy, the pink had faded to a noncolor and only a few threads remained of the tail. His name was Bunny, and Dean had no doubt Miri wouldn’t believe he existed without seeing him for herself.
    With an effort, he forced his attention back to the conversation. “If it was greed, why didn’t you spend the money? Why didn’t you buy a better car, find a decent place to live, dress better, take vacations, live in luxury?”
    Slowly she turned to meet his gaze. “Maybe I didn’t have the chance. Maybe that’s what I plan to do now.”
    Not if he could help it.
    “So you’re going to leave me in Atlanta and... What? Catch a flight to some obscure tropical island where you can lie on the beach and have a handsome cabana boy bringing you iced tea and dessert all day? Because if you’ll take me with you, I’ll be happy to play cabana boy for a while.” He was joking, of course. Sort of. Though the idea of endless days on a warm beach watching Miri relax in the sun in a skimpy bikini... And, just to be safe, he had grabbed his passport when he was packing. He wasn’t about to be left standing in Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International watching her fly away for good.
    “You can play all sorts of roles, can’t you? How good are you with the strong, silent type?”
    He grinned. “I do strong great, but I’m never silent. Too little time, too many interesting things to say.”
    “I promise you, I have no plans to be interesting.”
    “That’s okay. You’re interesting even when you’re quiet.”
    She gave him another look, one he was pretty sure meant she didn’t believe a word he said, but he let it slide.
    It took a couple of freeway shifts, but soon they were on I-20 headed east. Wind buffeted the car, and when he touched the window, the glass was frigid. The front had officially arrived, he’d guess. Hopefully, the snow would stay a few hours behind them.
    Not that he would mind being snowed in somewhere with Miri.
    “They’re saying Dallas might have snow for Christmas. We were spending the holidays in Colorado with my grandparents before I ever saw a really white Christmas.” When she