Page 52 of What the Wife Knew

“For now, nothing except that many people who knew and admired Richmond will view you as the enemy,” he said.

So, status quo. “Wasn’t that already the case?”

“Did the detective leak this lie to hurt Addison? If so, we should sue him.” Mom shook her head. “He could cost his department money with this slander.”

“He’s within his purview to apply pressure.” Elias didn’t sound impressed with Mom or the detective’s antics. “My guess is he’s being pushed by... others.”

This time I only needed one guess. “Kathryn.”

Mom snorted. “She should find a hobby.”

Yeah, about that...“Annoying me is her hobby.”

“Kathryn is just the start. Richmond was connected. He had powerful friends, including a member of congress and the governor. So, no trips off the property. No talking to anyone about Richmond or anything else. Keep the alarm on, the security up, and the doors locked.” Elias ticked off his list. “Be vigilant.”

“We need to go out and enjoy life. Why don’t you stop all of this Richmond nonsense?” Mom asked.

Only Lizzy Jenkins would view a man’s murder as a nuisance to her.

“Let’s just be careful.” Elias switched from serious lawyer mode to smiling. “Will you be staying here for a short time?”

“Addison clearly needs my help and support. I plan to move in. Yes.”

She meant forever or until the money ran out. I pivoted to a less volatile topic even though I knew a showdown over money or stuff, or moneyandstuff, loomed in my future. “What about the cellphones? You said that was the original purpose of your visit.”

“Right.” Elias’s smile faded. “Nick’s next move is tracking. I wanted to double-check with you, Lizzy, about the location of your cellphone the night Richmond died. You and your cellphone and any places you may have visited. If you moved without it and, if so, how and where.”

She glanced at me. “What is he talking about?”

“He often uses too many words when he constructs a sentence. It’s a lawyer thing. You’ll get used to it.”

Elias sighed. “The police are going to use phone tracking data to determine where you both were in the days leading up to the murder and at the time of the murder. Addison told me she had her cellphone with her at the diner. That alibi matches the diner’s security footage. I’m hoping your cell’s data will show you also were nowhere near this house the day of the murder.”

Mom snorted. “As if I’d be stupid enough to kill Richmond and bring a trackable cellphone along with me when I did it. That would be an amateur move.”

She was going to get me arrested. “That response isn’t disturbing at all, Mom.”

“I was being honest.”

“Maybe a little less honesty if you’re talking to anyone outside of this room,” Elias said.

Mom rolled her eyes. “I only know the two of you in this town.”

“What Mom meant to say was that of course she didn’t kill Richmond.” It was a guess and one I hoped was true.

Elias shrugged. “Then we have nothing to worry about.”

Easy for him to say. His freedom wasn’t dependent on the whims of a woman whose self-focused lens never shifted to another person. And the idea of Mom killing Richmond now that I had the wedding ring and the money? Not hard to imagine at all.

For the thousandth time, I regretted killing Mom’s first husband. He was a twisted bastard who would have killed me if I hadn’t acted first, so he deserved to die. I just wish I hadn’t been the one to do it because I’d been paying for that choice for more than a decade.

Chapter Thirty-Five

Her

Present Day

Ever since I opened the mailbox to find the threatening note slipped in there I’d skipped collecting the mail. I planned to continue that practice... then Mom moved in. It had been two days of nonstop contact and I needed some air, even if that meant going on a fake errand to the end of the driveway.

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