Page 68 of His Loving Wife

“I’m fine, Vincent,” I say coldly. Unlike Andrew, I’m not used to sharing my emotions with strangers, and I resent the fact Vincent knows as much as he does about our lives. “You don’t have any reason to worry about me.”

“I hope you know that everything Andrew has done in the past few weeks has been to make himself happier so he can enjoy more time with his family. He’s not making any of these rash decisions to upset you.”

A ripple of anger returns. Who does this man think he is to talk to me about my family? My marriage?

“If you don’t mind, it’s a personal matter and I don’t wish to speak about it.”

“I know, I know.” He looks down, as though he’s seriously considering what I’ve just said. “You’re going through a sensitive situation, but that’s part of what Second Chances is about. All these feelings and issues we’ve been told we’re not supposed to think about, we can share with each other.”

“So, you knew that Andrew had left his job?”

“Yes, I did.”

I cross my arms over my body. “And did you encourage him not to tell me?”

“No, nothing like that. The group isn’t about encouraging people to act one way or another. It’s about allowing people the freedom to act on what they’re really feeling inside.” His gaze rises over my shoulder, staring away from me. “When I first joined, I was the worst about keeping my emotions inside—to the point I was on the verge of bursting. Once I started being honest with myself, my entire life changed. And I’ve found a new purpose, encouraging other men, like Andrew, to follow the same path. Get the most out of life in the small amount of time we’re here. I can honestly say I’ve gone my entire life without realizing my purpose, until now.”

I would label Vincent as patronizing, but I think he’s so lost in his own spiel he doesn’t realize how he comes off. He believes what he’s saying, every part of it. I can tell.

“I appreciate your friendship with Andrew,” I say, stumbling to find a proper end to this conversation. “But there are certain things I need to work out withhim. If you’ll excuse me.”

I push past him, trying to enter my bedroom.

“Kate, I wish you would join us on the boat today.” His voice is sterner this time.

“I don’t think so—” I try to shut the bedroom door, but he holds out an arm to stop me.

“Please, Kate. Do this for your family. Give them this memory.”

I open the door wider, pushing my body forward. “No,” I say. I hold eye contact until he nods and walks away.

With the door shut, my heart is racing again. That confrontation was unexpected, and I feel chilled. Did he think a few minutes of conversation would change my mind about the boat? Especially having just found out about Andrew’s betrayal.

Andrew said he invited Vincent over these last few days to protect us from Paul, but after that conversation, I wonder if Andrew is being too trusting. How well does he know Vincent, or any of these men for that matter? What if he’s being played? That brief interaction made me feel like I was talking to a con man, not a protector.

My mind thinks back to the jammer. We found it the night before Vincent came over. What if he planted it there earlier in the week, and his plan all along was to reach out to us? I can’t think of what his motive would be, unless… unless he somehow has a connection to Paul. It’s a far-fetched theory, but who else would have enough access to do Paul’s bidding? Paul is smart enough to know how risky it is for him to contact us. He’s been making threats in his letters for months—since right around the time Andrew joined Second Chances. What if this friendship has been a fraud from the start, and Vincent isn’t who he says he is?

I rush to the back patio, hoping to catch Andrew before they take out the boat. It’s too late; they’re already a few feet away from the dock, sailing toward the horizon. I wave my arms, but it’s useless. No one is looking back, and even if they did, they wouldn’t have any reason to think I’m alarmed.

If Vincent is helping Paul, I don’t believe he’d do anything to my family without me there. At this point, I think Paul is as determined to punish me as he is to take Willow. What I need to do is find some sort of proof that Vincent isn’t who he says he is. But how?

Looking around the condo, there’s no trace Vincent has been inside. He’s not left a bag of any sort. The only item I have that might belong to him is the jammer. I go back into the bedroom, retrieving it from the nightstand. I inspect it, much closer than I did the first time I found it. It’s mostly nondescript, so I type the brand name, West Coast Surveillance, into Andrew’s computer. I scroll through the company website, seeing if there’s anything that might tell me more about who purchased the unit, if it can only be bought by police officers, perhaps. Anything that might be connected to Vincent.

I click on the tab that reads customer support.Have a problem with your device?the advert reads.Enter the item number and someone from our management department will reach out to you shortly.

I look at the bottom of the device, and, sure enough, there’s an eight-digit number. I type the code into the form online and provide my email address as a contact. It’s a long shot, but if I can prove this device was planted by Vincent, maybe Andrew will understand what a potential threat he might be.

I press send on my request and wait.

Chapter 35

1 Month Ago

As promised, Detective Barnes continued to contact the Brooks family, usually via email. After a month passed, he asked if he could come by their house to speak to them in person.

He arrived shortly after lunch. The kids had been coaxed into going out. Andrew and Kate were the only ones at home, anxiously waiting to hear what their visitor had to say.

“You’re probably wondering why I asked to visit.” Barnes cleared his throat, and Kate picked up on a slight stutter.He’s still new, she told herself. At least to Hidden Oaks. He must have felt as much an outsider as he looked.

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