Page 32 of Pretty Little Wife

They filed into the small interrogation room down the hall from her office. She and Pete sat on one side of the desk. Lila and Tobias were on the other.

This would be informal. Not too daunting.

Before Ginny could lay any groundwork, Lila broke into the silence. “What have you been doing to find Aaron?”

An attempt to throw her off, maybe? If so, she failed. Ginny had been playing this game long enough to not let the potential suspect take over. “I’m assuming he’s still not home.”

“He’s not anywhere.”

“We expect the news to catch on to Aaron’s absence today. I’ve been to the school, and the kids and teachers are talking.” Pete shifted in his seat, causing it to creak and moan beneath him. “Brent says he can’t keep anyone’s focus on class, including his own.”

The words just sat there for a few seconds. No one said anything until Lila finally shrugged. “Okay.”

Stone-cold. If someone asked Ginny to describe Lila, that would be the first thing she’d say. But there was more to her. A heat that simmered beneath the surface. She didn’t fidget or panic. In so many ways she seemed dead inside, but Ginny didn’t miss the other pieces. The intelligence in Lila’s eyes. The pain that sometimes flashed across her face before she spoke. The way she would stare as if she were looking deep inside you.

Still, she didn’t get how Lila ignored the load of scrutiny headed straight for her. “You’re not concerned?”

Lila’s eyes narrowed. “Should I be?”

Tobias cleared his throat. “Have you heard anything? Done a search? Located his car?”

Pete started to talk, but Ginny stopped him with a small shake of her head. She needed to take this one. “We’ve put out a BOLO on Aaron, asking all of the local police departments—state, county, municipal, and university—to look for the car. We’ve talked with your neighbors, people at the school, and a few friends. His brother will be coming in soon.”

“I’ve driven in and around your neighborhood looking for signs of Aaron or the car. Some of the sheriffs have taken shifts looking in and around Cayuga Lake.” Pete leaned back in his chair with his arms folded over his chest. “Started the process to get some records we’ll need and registered Aaron with a national database of missing persons, NamUs. I’d like a recent photo so we can make fliers.”

Tobias nodded. “Sounds thorough.”

“As your client pointed out, it’s as if Aaron disappeared without a trace.” Ginny looked at the pair across the table until her gaze landed on Lila. “Which leads us back to you, Lila.”

“You’re investigating me.” Lila’s tone remained flat as she said the words.

“Is that a surprise?” Pete asked.

“No.”

Ginny bit back her usual explanation about the spouse and looking at him or her first. The two people sitting acrossfrom her knew the drill. They didn’t need to be baby-stepped through Investigation 101. “Then you had to know we’d find out about your past.”

For the first time since they’d met, Lila looked genuinely stumped. “What about it?”

Ginny pounced. “You don’t have one.”

Chapter Seventeen

THEY MISSED THE POINT. SHE HAD A PAST. MAYBE NOT AS LILARidgefield, but changing her name hadn’t wiped out the years of confusion and self-loathing that had come before.

“What’s your real name?” Pete asked.

“Lila Ridgefield.” She wasn’t playing games. She went to court, paid, testified about her reasons, and changed it. Forget shortcuts. She’d followed the rules because she didn’t want to mess up her chance of letting go of a life that sucked her down into darkness and left her bloodied and wallowing.

“You legally changed it.”

Of course Ginny would be the one to guess the right answer. From the interaction she’d had with the two investigators, Pete was by far the less experienced. He didn’t hold a poker face and would often spout off with a question she knew Ginny wouldn’t ask.

No, Ginny was the pro. The one who knew how to verbally bob and weave. The one who assessed every word and shook Lila into being extra careful.

There was no need to hide this part, so Lila didn’t try. “Yes, I did. The court sealed the case at my request.”

“Why?”

---