Page 66 of Cold Case, Warm Hearts

“She did,” the Builder said. “They’re in my car already.”

He relaxed as another piece of his plan clicked into place. “You have everything you need then?”

The Builder nodded, plopping into the chair.

The Crusader sat but fidgeted, eyes bright, smile fixed in place. She’d been like this for weeks. Ideas flying, not that they made much sense. Her grasp on reality seemed to be slipping.

He worried.

When this was all over, he’d insist she see a psychiatrist. He wasn’t sure what was going on with her, though he had his suspicions. She wasn’t crazy, just…unstable. But they had medication. She could get on something. Then she’d be fine.

He’d help her. He’d stay with her and protect her. He understood her far better than her husband ever would.

“The wrench even has a little bit of his blood on it from when he was fixing the car last weekend.” The Crusader practically bounced in her chair. “No question they’d be able to trace it to him.”

“That’s not the goal,” the Builder said. “We just want to convince him to establish your alibi.”

“I know, I know. I’m just saying…” Gone was her reluctance to drag her husband into it.

It would be back, though. Her mood would swing in the other direction. Sometimes it swung too far. The Planner had seen that side of her too. Dark days when she refused to leave her house.

The medication would help that too.

After they did this, her husband wouldn’t want anything to do with her. He’d quit pretending their marriage could work. He’d take the kid and leave.

And the Planner would have her all to himself. He would take care of her without putting all the demands of motherhood on her. He would protect her—from others and from herself. He was exactly what she needed.

“There’s one more thing you need to do,” he said. “You need to establish a place. Someplace where, if you ask him to meet you there, he’ll know exactly where to go, and he wouldn’t question you too much. Someplace out of the way, remote.”

“Like Ayasha Point?”

“No.” He took a deep breath for patience. “It has to be someplace you can drive to. You can only hike to Ayasha Point.”

“Right. Right. I see, I see.”

The Planner and the Builder shared a look. Could she hold it together for six more weeks?

He would hold her together if he had to.

“I was thinking maybe up past where they’re building those new condos,” he suggested.

The Crusader’s eyes brightened. “Yeah, yeah, yeah. There’s a view.”

“Exactly.”

“Okay, okay.” Her head bobbed. “We’ll have a picnic. I’ll pack sandwiches and wine and something for the baby. I have the perfect plaid blanket we can sit on. It’ll be nice. We’ll call it our place. We’ll kiss.”

The Planner forced a smile. “Whatever you think will work.”

“I’ll do it. It’ll be fun.”

He kept his face neutral, even if the thought of her creating a romantic spot for herself and her husband sent red hot jealousy through his veins. He’d imagined them going there to discuss their failing marriage.

Her way would work too. The Planner could be flexible.

She had to do this to keep herself out of prison.

Whatever it took. When it was done, her husband would drop her, and she’d realize she’d never needed him to begin with.

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