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probably didn’t recognize her without the orange jumpsuit and shackles,” Danny bit out.
    And just like that Caroline was ruthlessly reminded of her true purpose there. As nice as it was to reconnect with old friends, it was time to get down to business.
    “That’s actually why I came to talk to you,” she said, hating how far she had to tilt her chin to meet his eyes. She used to love how big he was, how feminine and protected he always made her feel. Now his size highlighted her lack of control over her fate.
    “To talk about prison fashion?”
    Dickhead . Still loved to play the deliberately obtuse card when he didn’t want to hear what she had to say. “My husband.”
    Eyes that were icy before went downright glacial. The nostrils of his crooked nose flared as though he’d smelled something rotten, and his lips flattened against his teeth. “Why the fuck would you want to talk to me about your husband?”
    Ethan sucked a breath through his teeth his eyebrows shooting straight to his hairline. “Toni and I are going to take Dad home,” he said, with a look at Danny that meant he expected to hear all the gory details. He dropped a quick kiss on Caroline’s cheek and told her to take care as he steered Toni away.
    “I want you to help me find out who killed James,” she said.
    His eyes narrowed as he took his time answering. “I thought the police already did that.”
    Pain stabbed her, stealing her breath, so fierce she took a step back. Did he really believe she was guilty? Or was he taking a jab at her by making her think he did?
    “You know I’m not capable of murdering anyone.”
    “I don’t know you at all. I haven’t for a long time.” That he didn’t want to renew their acquaintance rang loud and clear.
    “Fine. Then you’ll treat me like you would any other client who hires you for your services. I know you run a security and investigation firm with Derek and Ethan. I want to hire you to investigate my husband’s murder since the police aren’t inclined to entertain the possibility that I didn’t do it.”
    “I’m sure that barracuda you hired will be able to get you off.”
    Caroline didn’t disagree. With her shrewd legal mind and sheer ruthlessness, Rachael Weller had kept dozens of clients out of jail, even the guilty ones. “That’s not enough. Even if I go to trial and a jury finds me innocent, there will always be that stain. People will always wonder.”
    “Let them think what they want. You’ll be laughing all the way to the bank.”
    She winced at his brutal assessment. He really thought she was that shallow. “It’s one thing for people to think I’m a gold digger, and another for them to think I killed my husband. Besides, it’s not just about me. My mom already has one child who’s an admitted criminal. She doesn’t need her neighbors giving her the stink eye when I come to visit, too.” Not to mention, once the DA built his case, she’d have to go to jail to await trial, and no way in hell was she doing that again. Danny made fun of her orange jumpsuit, but he had no idea what it was like to be confined, with only meetings with her attorney and court appearances to break up the monotony. She swallowed back a wave of nausea at the thought of having to spend a single hour back in confinement.
    But even more frightening than the threat of confinement was the deep-seated fear that whoever had killed James was coming after Caroline next.
    He feigned a look of regret. “I wish I could help you, I really do. But our client list is pretty full. I can recommend some other firms—”
    “I think they’re after me too, Danny.”
    For a second hope flared as she thought she saw something like concern flicker in his eyes. “Right. The notes you received. The ones the cops think you wrote yourself.”
    The hope disappeared like a wisp of smoke, leaving behind an ache like she’d been kicked in the gut. Did he really believe she would lie about something like that? She