Page 36 of Sins of a Husband

“That would be me.” He smiles and extends his hand. “It’s nice to meet you, Detective Walker.”

“You can call me Paige.”

“And you can call me Lucas. Let’s go into my office.” He gestures. “Now, how can Ihelp you?”

“There have been some murders in New York which are similar to the one you had here four years ago.”

“The Grisham case?” he asks.

“Yes. All of the victims’ homes were broken into, jewelry was stolen, and the men were murdered via twenty-two stab wounds.”

“Interesting.” He rubs his chin.

“Including Katherine Tate’s husband, Oliver. But you knew her as Katherine Grisham.”

“Katherine? She remarried?”

“She did, and her second husband was killed the same way as her first. We call the killer The Widowmaker because all of the victims have one common connection: they were all cheating on their wives.”

His brows furrow in confusion. “You think it’s the same person doing these killings?”

“I do. Do you know if Katherine’s husband, Brian, was unfaithful to her?”

“He was.” He looked down. “I just found that out a few weeks ago when I met Mark at the bar after work for a drink.”

“Mark?”

“Cindy’s husband. Mark recently found out she was having an affair with Brian. It’s been the gossip all over town.”

“You never had a suspect for Brian’s murder?” I ask.

“No. The crime scene was meticulous. The jewelry that was stolen was never pawned, either. Four years later, we still have nothing. I’ll never forget that night when I walked into that home and saw Brian lying on the floor with all those stab wounds, then when I went into the kitchen and found poor Katherine bleeding out. That girl is lucky she’s alive.”

“Did she see or hear anything?”

“She said she couldn’t remember a thing, but that’s because of the traces of Rohypnol that were found in her blood.”

“She had Rohypnol in her system?” I furrow my brows.

“Yeah. She did. But it was strange because Brian was injected with M99. I guess the killer got spooked by something and ran out of the house before he could finish Katherine off. That poor woman.” He shakes his head. “Tragedy seems to follow her wherever she goes.”

“Where can I find this Mark guy?”

Sheriff Strange glances at his watch. “It’s after five. I’m sure he’s drinking at Rutger’s Bar up the road. It’s been his thing since he found out about Cindy’s affair.”

“Thanks. I’ll go see if he’s there.” I stand up and extend my hand. “It was nice talking to you, Lucas.”

“Same, Paige. You know where to find me if you have any more questions.”

I climb into my car and drive up the road until I see the bright flashing sign that displays Rutger’s Bar & Tavern. I walk into the dimly lit bar with faded wooden floors and walls decorated with vintage signs advertising local lobster and beer. A long, polished bar stretches across one side of the room, lined with stools and shelves of liquor bottles. Only one man is sitting at the bar, and I bet his name is Mark.

I take a seat on the stool next to him.

“What can I get you?” the bartender asks.

“Whiskey. Straight. Top shelf.”

“Here you go, pretty lady.” He sets a glass down and pours some whiskey into it.

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