Page 25 of What the Wife Knew

“Dad?” Wyatt called out but didn’t return to the kitchen. “They’re here.”

Had I known about his allergy and that I could trigger it, maybe I would have tried. Not sure, but now I couldn’t think of much else, except one thing.

I leaned in closer to Richmond so Wyatt wouldn’t overhear. “It looks like I’m not the only person in this town who hates you. Which means I have an ally and you should be very careful.”

Chapter Eighteen

Her

Present Day

The waiting area outside Richmond’s medical office had a sterile, artwork-in-hotels look to it. Beige walls with a yellow tint. Blue chairs and matching blue carpet that felt squishy when you walked on it. No way Kathryn designed this place... or ever stepped in here.

The offices were in a separate building adjacent to the hospital where Richmond had performed most of his surgeries. The practice consisted of several doctors I’d met only briefly and didn’t intend to get to know now, but Thomas Linfield had other ideas. He was the pediatric neurosurgeon who ran the office and Richmond’s former business partner. When I called about coming to clean out Richmond’s office, Linfield insisted on having a meeting. A meeting that was supposed to start a half hour ago.

If the delay was a power move, I wasn’t impressed.

Just as I started calling Elias to enlist his expensive help, Dr. Linfield rushed around the corner and stopped in front of me. Fit in a fancy dark suit. Squinty eyes behind glasses. He was a yacht club guy, and his gray hair had that permanent windblown look to it.

“I’m sorry I kept you waiting,” he said.

Uh-huh. Sure, he was.

He clasped his hands in front of him as if he were going to start praying. “Please accept my condolences about Richmond. I meant to talk with you sooner. He was a great man.”

He wasn’t. “Thanks.”

Thomas had been to the house a few times while Richmond was still alive, and we’d exchanged mundane greetings. The office also threw a party to celebrate our sham of a marriage. I had no interest in going out to dinner or playing the role for an extended period of time, but I needed that one party to publicly establish myself as his wife and learn about who mattered to Richmond or might have intel on him.

We managed to be civil and pretend to be married for two hours, delivering virtuoso acting performances as the music played and the waitstaff passed hors d’oeuvres. Him to shore up his reputation after dumping his wife for a younger woman. Me to study the crowd.

Once it was over, I vowed never to repeat the evening. Richmond squawked at first about needing to keep up appearances. His reputation mattered and all that. None of it swayed me. I was content to play the reclusive new wife as I plotted his downfall. But it did mean that to get answers to questions now I had to talk with some of the same people I’d avoided for months.

Thomas shook his head. “I saw you at the service but everything was so chaotic and difficult. It seemed like the wrong place to talk.”

Because Kathryn was there. Thomas had chatted with her. Huddled together, whispering back and forth. Kathryn had worked the entire funeral, making sure to remind everyone she was the first Mrs. Dougherty and the only one who mattered.

I didn’t care then or now because I had no desire to make friends with anyone attached to Richmond. I was here for other reasons. “I’m not sure why you had to come and meet me. I don’t need an escort into Richmond’s office.”

“Actually, you do.” Thomas settled in the chair next to mine. “I know this is a surprise but I’m afraid I can’t let you—”

“I’m going to stop you.” Not in the mood for a power move by this guy. “I’m Richmond’s wife. Richmond was a partner in this venture and some of his property is here. Plus, there are partnership payouts that you and my attorney need to work out and I want to be ready.”

That sounded right. The threat made Thomas go pale, so it must have been.

“Mrs. Dougherty said—”

“I’m Mrs. Dougherty.” Sometimes throwing the name around shifted the conversation in my direction.

“The other... she said...” He stopped for a few seconds, as if searching for a coherent argument.

Another Kathryn roadblock. Of course. “Whatever Kathryn said or didn’t say is irrelevant. She and Richmond were divorced. She has no interest in his estate or this practice. Sharing information with her would be inappropriate.”

Thomas looked rattled. “I wasn’t privy to the divorce arrangements.”

Not buying it. Men talked. They sharedmy wife is so awfulstories. His business partners would know the settlement terms because they had a financial interest in Richmond and Kathryn’s divorce.

Then it hit me. “Has Kathryn been in his office since he died?”

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