Page 36 of One Last Goodbye

I sigh. “What doyouthink, then?”

“I don’t know. What Idoknow is that asking you to stay out of this is a waste of my time, since you've now been so bold as to look through security camera footage in Catherine Jensen's bedroom for God's sake. So, since I can't convince you to stop, I'll convince you to keep looking instead."

“Looking for what?”

“Anything. Anything that might indicate that someone had a motive to want Frederick dead.”

“Well, I’ve found out his wife was romantically involved with another man and was quite possibly at the scene of the crime,” I reply drily. “Does that count?”

“Of course it does, and I’ll take this information into consideration and keep looking. But consider something too, Mary. You went to me, not Dubois. If you were absolutely certain that she was the killer, you’d have gone straight to him with this information, right?”

My lips thin. Reluctantly, I admit, “Right.”

“But you didn’t. That means you know this evidence is damning,butyou're not convinced it's enough to prove that she's your murderer. So you didn't give Dubois this information because you don't want to risk him arresting Catherine until you'resureshe’s the right person. Does that sound correct?”

I sigh. “Yes.”

“Very well. So let’s dispel all doubts. I get that my doubts are thin, and I’m sure yours are as well, but my hunches have served me well over the years. I assume you can say the same thing.”

“Yes.”

“Okay. So keep looking while staying as safe as you can convince yourself to be. Better yet, just let the police handle the whole thing, but you won’t, so my first piece of advice stands.”

“For now,” I agree, “but I won’t be convinced of Catherine’s innocence based on a hunch. If I don’t find better evidence soon, Iwillgo to the police with this.”

“And this case will finally close, and I can get back to looking for your sister. Which was the reason you hired me in the first place.”

I feel a pang at that and decide I don’t want to talk to Sean any more right now. “I’ll call you later.”

I hang up before he can respond and heave a sigh. I don’t appreciate him making me feel guilty for putting our investigation into Annie on hold. I understand his point, but it’s just not fair of him to expect me to turn a blind eye to the injustice these children have suffered. Their father was taken from them, and I will do what I can to find their killer.

Why you?I can hear him ask.Why does it have to be you?

“Because I won’t rest until justice is found,” I say out loud. “I won’t stop until the killer is punished for the crime.”

I remain where I am for a while, looking out over the darkening night. Then I walk inside and head downstairs. It’s still early in the night, but the servants have all retired. Catherine and the children are still out. I’ve found what I can from Catherine’s room, so I head to Frederick’s study instead. If the bedrooms are the secret boxes of wealthy women, then studies are the secret boxes of wealthy men. I found as muchfrom Johnathan Ashford’s study as I did from Cecilia Ashford’s bedroom.

I should be careful about comparing the cases too much. They have their similarities, of course, but they have many crucial differences as well. Perhaps that is the reason I don’t go to the police with the footage of Catherine yet. I believe that she murdered her husband, but I wonder if I believe that only because Cecilia Ashford murdered hers.

Sean is right. I need more.

I open Frederick’s desktop, but unlike Cecilia’s bedroom computer, his is password protected. I call Sean, and he answers, “Have you called to apologize?”

I roll my eyes. “I’m sorry you’re an insufferable fool. I need your help with something.”

“How like a woman to call a man a fool then ask for his help.”

“Save it for the pub. I’m trying to crack into Frederick’s computer.”

“Seriously? How did you get in the first time?”

“Not the bedroom computer. The one in the study.”

Sean sighs. “You’re asking me to crack into a system over the phone?”

“To helpmecrack into it.”

He groans, and I can imagine him rubbing his temples. “I’ll do what I can, but I think you might have to give up on this idea. Have you tried his birthday yet?”

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