Page 19 of So Alone

Jeanie Conway opened the door on the second ring. Her eyes were red and puffy, and Faith felt a touch of sympathy for her.

“You’re here to talk about Gerald,” she said.

“Yes,” Faith said. “I’m Special Agent Faith Bold and this is my partner, Special Agent Michael Prince and our K9 unit, Turk.”

Turk barked formally and trotted forward to greet Jeanie. She smiled faintly and reached down to ruffle his neck. “Well, you better come inside. I don’t drink coffee, but I can boil some water for tea if you’d like. I’m having some either way, so don’t hold back on my account.”

After the previous interview, Jeanie Conway was refreshing to talk to. She led Faith and Michael to the living room and gestured for them to sit on the opulent leather couch. She disappeared into the kitchen and returned a moment later with a tea service.

Michael accepted his tea gratefully. The motel didn’t have a coffeemaker, and the agents hadn’t stopped for coffee on the way to Gigi’s house. “Thank you, Mrs. Conway.”

“You’re welcome, agent,” Jeanie said.

She sat across from the agents and sipped her own tea before staring pensively ahead. Faith waited patiently for her to speak first.

Jeanie blinked as though suddenly remembering something. “Do you need my alibi? For the night of Gerald’s death?”

Faith looked at Turk, who had curled contentedly at Jeanie’s feet. She was convinced the older woman wasn’t a murderer, but she decided it wouldn’t hurt to be by the book.

“I’m afraid so,” she replied. “If you don’t mind.”

“Not at all,” Jeanie said. “I was in Laughlin that entire week. I have pictures of myself playing Bingo the night he died. My lawyer suggested I obtain proof of my whereabouts in case the sheriff’s suspected me.”

“Have you spoken with the sheriffs?” Faith asked.

“Not since the first interview the day after Gerald’s death. They didn’t seem to suspect me. I’m afraid I had very little to tell them or you, but I’ll answer any questions I can.”

Faith nodded. “Can you tell me the last time you saw your husband?”

“Two days before his death,” she replied, “when I left for Laughlin.” Her face darkened slightly. “I’m afraid we fought rather badly.”

Michael lifted an eyebrow. “May I ask why?”

Jeanie smiled thinly and a little bitterly. “I had an affair some years ago with a business partner of his. We broke things off mutually when Gerald learned of the affair, but Gerald wasn’t really the forgiving type. I suppose I can’t blame him, though. I never forgave him for his affairs.”

Faith could see why Jeanie’s lawyer advised her to obtain proof of her alibi. “So your marriage was… troubled?”

“Our marriage was the excuse we used to justify our stagnation,” Jeanie replied. “We fell out of love decades ago. We stayed because we didn’t want to go through the hassle of divorce.”

“But you were both upset at the other’s affairs,” Michael pointed out. “Why get angry if you didn’t love each other anymore?”

“Pride,” Jeanie said simply. “That was the one comfort we both held onto. I wasn’t angry at him for sleeping with those other women because I felt I had lost his love but because I hated the idea of some pretty little tart giggling with him about how much better she was in bed. He said explicitly that it revolted him to think of me comparing his size with Harold.”

Faith and Michael glanced at each other. “Does Harold live nearby?”

Jeanie offered another thin smile. “He did. He died five years ago.”

Faith sighed. “I see. I’m sorry for your loss.”

“But it wasn’t reallymyloss, was it?” Jeanie pointed out. “Not Harold anyway.”

“So you and Gerald fought the morning you left. Did he seem particularly upset or out of sorts to you? Argument aside.”

Jeanie chuckled. “No, he was his usual pompous self. I didn’t notice any change in behavior at all. Not in thirty-five years together.” She sipped her tea and continued. “When I met him, I was knocked head over heels by that arrogance. I suppose many girls are foolish that way. But no, I noticed nothing that would have suggested to me that my last words to him would have been spiteful.”

Her lower lip trembled for a brief moment when she said that, and Faith felt a flash of sympathy for her. She recalled something she read once, that familiarity was a stronger bond even than love. Gigi Demetrious may have been a horrible mother and Jeanie and Gerald Conway may have suffered a terrible marriage, but both had lost a main pillar of their lives.

“Did your husband have any enemies who might have wanted him dead?” Faith asked gently.

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