Page 41 of Innocent Intent

“You say you didn’t know about your husband’s other life . . .”

“I didn’t . . .” She turned defensive, only for Davis to assert his confidence in her answers.

“I believe you, but I’m curious about how he managed to exist in your life with two false identities.”

“I should have known,” she stated bluntly, and Davis shook his head, lifting another wing.

“Maybe, but you didn’t. I guess I’m wondering how that is. I did a little digging myself, and both names he used were from deceased infants. Both died of SIDS . . .”

Cassidy cringed. “Wow.”

“My thoughts exactly. It’s not so hard to do if you know what you’re looking for. The deaths were never reported to Social Security, and because they were infants, there was no record of their lives aside from their names and birth. Clean profile. People do it all the time. You can also buy credentials and identification from the black web. If you know enough, you can bypass paying someone and find what you need yourself. Apparently, he knew, which led me to the next thing. Who was this guy?”

“Definitely not the man I thought he was,” she responded bitterly.

Davis nodded with understanding. He couldn’t imagine spending years building a life with someone who’d pretended to be someone they weren’t. His mind drifted to his ex. She wanted him to be someone else, but he never pretended for her sake. She had to accept him as he was.

“Niles was clever or, at least, careful. No prints or DNA in any of the official systems. It’s like he doesn’t exist.”

“Well, technically, he doesn’t. Not anymore.”

As their eyes merged, he understood where her thoughts had gone.

Someone killed the guy.

“I’m sure you’re also wondering how someone like me could be fooled into marrying a fraud.”

Davis glanced in her direction. “The thought has crossed my mind.”

“Probably not as much as it has mine.” She smiled wryly before continuing. “He wasn’t perfect, you know. No one is, but the man I knew, Niles, was perfect for me. His past, or at least the one he shared with me, made sense. He didn’t have anyone, and neither did I. The lack of connection made it hard to trust. When the people in your life leave you, no matter the reason, you build up walls. You believe that it’s easier not to let others in. Once you reach a certain point when you can fend for yourself, you don’t have to let others in. He understood how that felt. He made me believe he was the same. I trusted my husband, Nate. Maybe because I was tired of being alone, or maybe I truly did love him and believe he loved me. Not that it matters because everything about us was a lie. I know that now. I’m only trying to clarify how someone like me fell for someone like him.”

Davis stared into her eyes. He felt the hurt and betrayal. A part of him wanted to fix it somehow. Instead, he cleared his throat and offered what he could. “It wasn’t a lie.”

Cassidy glowered hard, and he continued. “What you felt for him wasn’t a lie. He might not have been who he claimed to be. Might have even lied about things he told you, but regardless, your feelings, they weren’t a lie. You’re allowed to own them. If you want to, that is.”

“Thank you.” She smiled softly, lifting the beer she had been nursing.

“So you said you were tired of being alone. That’s why you fell for the guy. You don’t have a family? Parents? Siblings?”

He knew certain details of her background. It was necessary because of how their lives aligned, but he figured he’d ask and let her give whatever pieces of her life she wanted to share from her perspective, not from the articles and files where he’d learned the information.

“My parents left me when I was a kid. Back then, I was crushed. I didn’t understand why they didn’t want me. Still, don’t most days. But now, I have a better understanding of who they were. Not everyone is meant to be in parental roles. They were certainly not parent material. They did care enough, however, to leave me with someone who was, and in a sense, that makes me grateful. My life wasn’t all that terrible.”

“Yeah? Who was that?”

“A neighbor.” Cassidy laughed, shaking her head. “I guess that wasn’t the best either, but it worked. She had worked in social services all her life. Babysat me occasionally, and when they left me with her, she applied to adopt me. Once she did, I was raised as her daughter. She never had kids. When she passed, that was the end—no more family for me. I was a kid when my parents left. I never knew anything about their past. Didn’t care enough to look when I was old enough. I had one parent for a while, Ms. Clara. Which is why I don’t understand how Niles knew about the account.”

Davis was confused at the shift in conversation, but she explained.

“That account was one I kept private. When Ms. Clara passed, she left me money through her life insurance policy and her house. It wasn’t worth much, but she wanted me to have both. I used some for college and kept the rest. Eventually, I sold the house. The upkeep became too much, and my life was hectic. I deposited the money from the sale into the same account. It was private. I never told Niles. I never touched the money, so I never looked at the statements. There was no need to.”

“He had access to you. To your life, Cass. It wouldn’t have been hard to discover if he truly wanted to, and considering the things he’s done, I believe that may have been a part of the plan. We have to consider the obvious, at least.”

He married you for money.

She exhaled and lifted her beer again. “You’re right.”

“Hey, people like your husband . . .” Davis paused, not liking referring to the guy as her husband. “People like Williams, they are intentional. They use others with little to no thought for the destruction they leave in their wake. You can’t carry the weight of his actions one way or another. Vulnerability isn’t weakness. Opening yourself to others isn’t the end of the world. Sometimes, it’s necessary.”

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