Page 100 of What the Wife Knew

“I’ve informed the police in Annapolis. There will be a new investigation into the Dougherty family deaths,” the detective said.

“She was careful not to specifically admit that she helped Richmond plan the murder decades ago.” In the rush of danger, I thought she’d fessed up on that point, too, until Elias told me Portia stood in the hall outside of the study and recorded the entire conversation before he got there. Later, after the chaos dieddown, she played it for him. Kathryn had slithered her way into a hazy response that might not prove anything with regard to the older crimes.

Elias finished off his crappy coffee. “She was clear she killed Richmond. That’s enough.”

In self-defense. Even there she’d fudged the truth. “I bet she’ll get away with it.”

I had a longer speech about how rich people always weaseled out of stuff, but why bother. The press would run with stories about the murders then and now. True crime addicts would dig up details. Information about the tape and the map would leak out. Richmond would soon be known as the guy who suckered his younger-but-not-innocent brother and killed his entire family for money.

Job done.

“Did you know your mom had a gun in the house?” Detective Sessions asked.

The question sat there while I weighed the chances of this being some sort of trap. But Elias didn’t step in, and the detective didn’t seem to be plotting. “She mentioned it when Kathryn kept showing up at the house, but I honestly thought she was kidding.”

“I gave Nick the listening device you found in your house,” Elias said.

“To be clear, Portia found it and warned me.” I had two sources of guilt and worry, and she was one. Her brother was the other. “Do you know how she is?”

“Both Wyatt and Portia are in shock. Family friends, your neighbors across the street, the Rothmans, stepped in to help.”

The Rothmans. Again. I really needed to go over there andintroduce myself... or not. But I did have to admit the couple pitched in when needed and without being asked. They appeared to be decent. Maybe Richmond tainted my view of the town and my neighbors until I couldn’t see that there was nothing wrong with the place. The area might be as pretty on the inside as it was on the outside. Not sure yet.

The detective continued. “Those kids have a long road ahead of them.”

My job was to get out of the way and leave them alone. I’d unleashed enough shock and horror in their lives. But I couldn’t stop thinking about them. “Their suffering and pain make me hate their parents even more.”

“We have the evidence you turned over about Richmond and what happened to his family. Evidence you should have turned over as soon as you found it.” This bit sounded like the old Detective Sessions. “When was that, by the way?”

“After Richmond died.” Another lie but this one was necessary to protect my maze of convoluted secrets.

My butt had gone numb from the hard chair. I shifted around but couldn’t find a comfortable position. The fidgeting after the lie was not my best timing.

When the detective stared at me instead of commenting, Elias did his usual legal song and dance. “She wouldn’t have married Richmond if she knew the truth.”

Sheshouldn’t have married him at all. But that was a blowout fight I planned to have with my mother. As soon as she got out of the hospital and found a place to stay that wasn’t mine.

“Of course.” The detective looked around the room and checked behind him. “Is there anyone we can call for you and your mom?”

“No.” Elias was the only person I had and how sad was that?

“I know your mom wasn’t married to your dad but maybe he should be notified?” the detective asked.

The men watched me and appeared pretty invested in my response. They weren’t going to get the details they wanted. I’d held the devastating truth in this long, even as it morphed and changed with my mother’s delayed epiphanies, and I didn’t plan to stop now.

“He’s dead.”

Chapter Sixty-Six

Her

Present Day

Elias arrived at the house two days later with Portia and Wyatt in tow even though their mom forbade them from seeing me. Only Kathryn would have the nerve to issue a command while under guard and handcuffed to a hospital bed and think anyone cared about her opinion.

The kids made their request through Elias instead of directly to me. I wasn’t sure why they chose that route or why they wanted to see me but how could I say no? I’d set a bomb off in the middle of their routine lives. The ripples continued to blanket and destroy the world around them. They would forever be compared to their parents and judged by their actions. Portia and Wyatt were the children of ruthless killers.

The whole situation was unfair. Kids should be able to break free of their parents’ reputations. Time would have to pass before it became clear if Wyatt and Portia had the strength to try and if the world would let them.

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