Page 43 of The Wife

“I’m not defending him,” Ginny said. “But he’s offering to help, and maybe you need it. I’m simply relaying the message.”

“Too little, too late,” Angela said. “He tried calling me last week, and I hung up on him. Felt kind of good, actually.”

“You’re right,” Ginny said, deciding to drop the matter for now. “Fuck that guy. I learned that from your son, by the way. Kid cusses worse than I do.”

26

Memo

To: Powell File

From: Olivia Randall

Re: Client Interview Notes

Date: May 26

Long interview and mock cross of Client yesterday. Full audio saved digitally. Highlights and takeaways:

Client says Lynch was initiator. Kissed him after walking him to car after dinner (Morton’s) on Long Island. Stopped, said she had too much wine and “why are the good ones always married.” First sexual encounter was two weeks later at her house after she asked him over for a drink after end-of-day meeting at company (eight months ago).

Three months ago, Client became aware of irregularities at business (Oasis Inc.). Unexplained payments not aligned with work performed on-site. He disclosed concerns to Lynch. She hinted that company engaged in kickbacks and doctored financial statements to cover up. She led him to believe she was looking for proof internally, but he never saw evidence.

Lynch began asking Client to leave wife about four months ago. He never promised, but didn’t say no either. Said he stayed for son (no formal adoption; therefore, Client has no parental rights if divorces wife). Says he felt “trapped.” Didn’t want to lose Lynch. Didn’t want to leave family. Plus stress of needing her to help prove concerns against company so he could extract himself professionally with clean hands.

No e-mails, texts, phone messages to confirm ongoing affair. Per him, Lynch was caught in yearlong affair with CEO of Oasis (Tom Fisher). Fisher’s wife was suspicious and read texts. Lynch was humiliated. Almost fired except she threatened to sue. Still on outs with company. Per Client, Lynch paranoid that company was looking for dirt on her, would fire her if they knew of affair with consultant—that’s why no texts, etc.

He told no one of affair. Colleague Zack Hawkins noticed Lynch would be in Client’s office with him alone, once tried to walk in and found door locked.

Client was defensive, arrogant on cross. Try to keep him off stand unless substantial improvement in future mocks.

Denies grabbing Rachel Sutton (see above re defensiveness). Doesn’t recall exact words but said something like she “needed to live a little before she locked that down.” He was changing clothes at time. Admitted it was “possible” he “prolonged the process to get a rise” out of Rachel, whom he found “cloying” and “immature.”

Other women may come forward. Prior infidelities during marriage (out-of-town hookups, Tinder one-night stands, etc.), but per Client, Lynch was only ongoing affair. “I thought I loved her. I can’t believe she’s doing this to me.”

Client believes it’s possible Lynch getting financial benefit from Oasis/Fisher in exchange for undermining him. But also thinks she is angry at him for feet-dragging on leaving the wife.

27

Four Days Later

I almost took a U-turn on the Saw Mill Parkway—literally, as in the middle of the highway. Listening to Spencer singing along to my playlist of early-aughts hip-hop—LL Cool J, Ludacris, Mary J. Blige—I realized how much I was going to miss him. There was a break in the metal barrier in the middle of the highway, those spots where the police wait for speed traps. I eyed it, thinking how easy it would be to just go back home.

But then I remembered how hard I had worked that morning to keep him busy—eat your breakfast, don’t forget the sunscreen, how many pairs of underwear did youpack?—in the hope that he wouldn’t have time to go online and see any possible breaking news about Jason’s case.

Olivia had called the night before to report that the moment Jason had warned me to expect was official. She had a source in the crime lab. The DNA on that woman’s clothing matched Jason’s. Of course it did. He had admitted to sleeping with her only days before the swab was taken. Every day felt like a new hammer dropped, but the pounding wasn’t going to stop. The DNA results would hit the news. Jason would be arrested. He would be charged. There would be a trial, then a result, one way or the other.

So I kept driving, hoping that somehow our world would feel normal again by the time camp was over.

Jason was on the phone in the kitchen when I made it back. He told whoever it was to hold on for a second and then walked over and hugged me. I let myself be held, knowing I should hate him more, but missing our son. Jason had wanted to come with us. I told him that I wanted Spencer to myself for the morning, but the truth was that Spencer didn’t want Jason to go. He knew it was his father’s fault he was being sent away.

Jason went back to his call, and I walked upstairs to our bedroom and closed the door. I looked at the Lisa Unger novel lying open on my nightstand. Susanna had given me one of her books more than a year ago, swearing I would love it. I never got around to reading it until I needed something to distract me from my actual life. Now I was on my third one.

But instead of picking up the book, the way I should have, I reached for my laptop. I pulled up the log-in page to NYU’s e-mail system and typed in Jason’s e-mail address, followed by his password. He didn’t know I had it, or at least I didn’t think so. I only knew it because he had been the one to get cable installed after we moved into the carriage house. I had called him at work to ask the password to upgrade our Internet speed after Spencer complained that we were living “like cavemen.”

Gretchen83

Even then, I must have already been jealous, because I had immediately asked him who Gretchen was. Turns out, it was his grandmother. And 83 was August 3, our wedding anniversary. Now I typed that number to finalize my invasion into his privacy. I had already read every message between him and that woman. Between him and anyone at Oasis. I searched for messages from Rachel, but found nothing. I opened random messages simply because they were to or from another woman. Since he’d confessed to the affair, snooping on my husband’s e-mails had become part of my daily ritual.

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