Chapter 16

The phone rang, jarring me out of my thoughts. I picked up, my heart pounding.

"Eva Rae Thomas." My voice sounded shaky.

"Agent Thomas? Or is it detective? I don't know all the titles and formalities. This is Samantha, I'm Angela's childhood friend. I spoke to Diane, and she told me to contact you. I have information about Angela and her husband, Will, that I think might be useful. Can you meet me at the Coffee House on St. George's Street?"

Adrenaline shot through me. Something, finally. I was desperate for anything at this point.

"I'll be right there."

The café was nearly empty at this hour. I spotted Samantha in a corner booth, fidgeting with her coffee mug. Her eyes widened when she saw me approach.

"Thank you for meeting me." I slid into the seat across from her. "It means a lot to me."

I ordered a coffee, and the waitress left. "So, what's going on? What can you tell me?"

Samantha glanced around furtively before leaning in. "Like six months before her death, Angela called me… frantic."

"Frantic? Why was she frantic?" I asked as the server brought me my coffee. It was very strong. I poured in some sugar and swirled the spoon.

"She was certain that Will was having an affair," she said. "But she couldn't find any evidence, not on his computer, social media, or phone, and it was driving her crazy. He showed all the symptoms of a cheating husband, being distant, staying late at work, hushed conversations over the phone, and so on."

"Did she ever find any evidence of this affair?" I asked, sipping my steaming hot coffee.

"No, but she found something else. Something that explained everything. Especially why he was so distant."

My eyes grew wide. This was news.

"What did she find?"

"She said she'd been looking for evidence of his affair in his home office and found a bag of pills in a drawer. Oxycodone."

My mind raced, putting the pieces together. Oxycodone—a powerful, addictive painkiller. "That would certainly explain his odd behavior. Did she confront Will about it?"

Samantha nodded. "He confessed he'd been battling an addiction for the past two years. Angela was devastated. She didn't know what to do."

I scribbled furiously in my notebook. This changed everything. If Angela knew about Will's addiction, did she use that knowledge against him somehow? He was a doctor and wouldn't be able to work if it was found out. Or did Will's increasingly erratic behavior put her in danger?

It painted a different picture of the oh-so-perfect couple I had entertained until now. It didn't exactly exonerate Will. But if I was to find the truth, I needed to get down to all the ugly parts, too, and this was definitely one.

I met Samantha's gaze. "Thank you for telling me this. This is very useful information indeed. If you think of anything else…."

"I'll call you." She stood abruptly, grabbing her purse. "I have to go. I have to get to work. Please find out what really happened to Angela. She was my best friend. I loved her dearly."

"I will. I promise."

As I watched Samantha hurry out of the café, a plan began forming in my mind. I needed to search Angela and Will's house for any evidence of the addiction. It wouldn't acquit Will from the murder case, but it was a piece of the puzzle, and experience had taught me that all pieces were necessary to get the complete picture.