Page 13 of The Sleeping Girls

Jean’s face turned scarlet. She glanced at the living room where her husband was pacing anxiously, then lowered her voice. “I just did it to get back at him for cheating on me.”

Ellie arched a brow. “Then your husband knows about your affair?”

Jean shrugged. “I… he figured it out.”

“How did he react?”

She bit down on her lower lip. “He was angry. Thinks it’s okay for men to run around but if the wife does it, she’s a tramp.”

Ellie refrained from commenting on that. “Tell me what happened.”

She nodded. “That’s when hesaid he wanted a divorce. What a double standard, huh?”

Ellie ignored the question. “And you argued?”

“I told him we should work on the marriage because a divorce would destroy Kelsey,” she continued.

“Who did you have an affair with?” Ellie asked. “Your accountant?”

“Do I have to tell you that? He’s married, too, and I don’t want to get him in trouble.”

“Jean, if you want me to find Kelsey, you have to cooperate. Fully.”

“Of course I want you to find her,” she said sharply.

“Then answer the question. Who were you sleeping with?”

Tension stretched for a full minute. “The gym teacher at Kelsey’s school,” she said softly. “But it’s over.”

“What is his name, ma’am?”

“Buck Ward,” she answered. “But kids call him Coach because he coaches the track team.”

“How did you two get together?”

“He stopped me one day when I picked up Kelsey from school. He noticed she was a fast sprinter and wanted her to join the track team.” She shrugged and then flushed uncomfortably. “We got to talking and one thing led to another.”

“Did Kelsey know about the two of you?”

“I don’t see how she would have found out,” Mrs. Tiller said. “We were very discreet.”

Still, secrets and lies had a way of coming out. And blowing up in people’s faces.

“You said Coach Ward showed special interest in Kelsey?”

She fidgeted with the tissue again, ripping it. “In her running, yes. But I can assure you he had nothing to do with Kelsey’s disappearance,” she said emphatically. “He liked her.”

Maybe too much? “You said your affair is over?”

She tapped her foot nervously. “I broke it off two days ago over lunch.”

That timing could be significant. “How did he take it?”

“He agreed. He didn’t want to hurt his kids either or create a scandal at school so we both decided it was for the best.”

“I need his contact information.”

“But—”

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