Page 38 of What the Wife Knew

But he’d tensed. A slight movement, but I saw it. “You and your medical practice can’t hide from this.”

“You would be wise to stop digging around, Mrs. Dougherty.”

Empty threats seemed to be second nature to rich people.They threw out words and tried to make others scared, but none of them had the stomach to get really dirty. I’d spent most of my twenty-seven years learning how to read people, and Thomas didn’t have the stamina for this game.

He continued. “Do you really wantyourlife dissected and pulled apart? Every secret revealed? Your marriage to Richmond examined?”

Score one for the doc for trying to walk down a road that would turn him into roadkill. “You’re welcome to try, but if you’re going to take a shot I’d suggest you perfect your aim first.”

“I didn’t mean—”

Yeah, he did. “The hospital and your medical group are about to be sued. It would be easier to shift the blame away from your group and solely onto Richmond if his wife was on board.”

“What’s in it for you? Why would you help the practice?”

Because I wanted to destroy Richmond even though he was dead. If he hadn’t gotten himself killed I’d be destroying him right now. His being in a box changed my methods, not my focus. “You don’t need to worry about that.”

Thomas sat there in silence for a few minutes then stood up. “I’ll show myself out.”

He feared blowback on his livelihood. That’s how his type acted—in their own best interest. Always.

I followed him to the entry hall without saying a word.

He was the one to restart the conversation. “I worked with Richmond for years. Excellent references. Supremely talented. Respected. A significant moneymaker who could rally support.”

“That sounds like his self-written bio. What did you really think?” People buried their skepticism when it came to Richmond. They lapped up every word he uttered until the line between fantasy and reality blurred.

“I’m not denying that the real Richmond Dougherty behind all the hype was...” Thomas visibly searched for the right word. “Difficult.”

An interesting place to land. “Understatement.”

“I don’t know you and I don’t trust you.”

That was the first smart thing Thomas had said since he entered the house. “The feeling is mutual but not relevant to our respective interests. You want to avoid liability.”

Thomas shook his head. “I want to set the record straight.”

Trifling nonsense. It sounded like Thomas lied so often about his concerns that he now bought his own bullshit. “I’d think you’d want to bury the truth because as Richmond’s partner you could easily become collateral damage in his mess.”

“Our lawyers—”

“We both know that some secrets are both too dangerous to share and too big to hide... without help.”

Thomas fell silent again. He didn’t move for the door. He stood in the middle of the foyer with his hands fisted at his sides and his mouth locked in an unreadable expression.

When he started talking again his voice had dropped lower. “Sticking your nose into this situation could lead to a very dark place.”

“Richmond is dead, Thomas. There’s no need to protect him.”

Thomas’s eyes narrowed. “I’d think you’d want to preserve his legacy.”

“You were right earlier. You don’t know me at all.” And I needed to find August and fast.

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Her

Married, Day Twenty-Seven

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