Chapter Twelve Her

Chapter Twelve Her

Present Day

I ’ d spent the entire marriage, short as it was, hating this house. It stood as a symbol of Richmond’s wealth and reputation.

As fake, empty, and cold as he was. Burning it down wasn’t an option, so I stayed in it with the intention of selling once

enough time had passed to avoid inviting further suspicion.

Walking inside after the break-in, a different sort of weight crashed down on me. A whisper of unease ratcheted up to a deafening

roar. The sense that while I was busy setting up my game, someone had hatched a plan that made me a target.

My presence in town shielded Richmond’s real killer. My lack of control over the situation pissed me off. The alarm had provided

some security and now that bit of safety had been blown apart.

“You’re scowling.” Elias made the comment as he checked the den closet.

“Someone broke into my house. Since I’m almost always here, I have to assume they intended to find me.” Saying the words out

loud made them suck even more.

“You might be jumping to conclusions.”

“Annoying me is never the right answer, Elias.”

He closed the door and treated me to eye contact. “Will you be okay here by yourself?”

With Richmond dead I should be. “I have no idea. Yesterday I would have said yes. Today, no clue.”

“Do you have a friend you can call to come and stay with you?”

“No.” Literally, no. None. Friendships, genuine relationships of any kind, were the first casualties of the life choices I’d

made.

“Maybe a hotel?”

That veered close to admitting defeat. No thank you.

“I’ll call and get the window fixed and be fine.” Definitely time to switch gears. “But while you’re here we should talk about

Peter Cullen.”

A sudden silence buzzed around us. Elias’s mouth opened and closed before he spoke again. “This is the first time you’ve mentioned

him. Do you think he’s involved in the break-in?”

No, and that was the only thing I was sure of at the moment. “Peter was at the café with me when this happened.”

“You met him for coffee?” Elias sounded stunned.

Interesting. “Did I say that?”

“Sort of.” He frowned. “How do you even know Peter Cullen?”

The man was so hard to read. I strained to hear or see any changes in his voice or demeanor. Elias had stiffened a bit across

the shoulders but otherwise, nothing. That level of practiced non-reaction was impressive.

“You go first.” It was worth a try.

He shook his head. “Attorney-client privilege continues even after Richmond’s death.”

“But it can be waived.” See, I owned a computer and could search things, too.

“The law is a bit more nuanced than that. The executor of the estate can waive privilege in certain circumstances. In this case, still me.”

Blah, blah, blah . Always a legal loophole that favored his argument over mine. “Figures you’d find a way to avoid gossiping about what you

know.”

“Is the Peter Cullen issue the reason you and Richmond got married so quickly? Is that the secret you held over him?”

So, Elias really didn’t know the reason behind my marriage blackmail. He was in for a jolt if he figured it out. “Maybe.”

Elias tried to hide it, but a smile crept out. “I’m not going to accidentally spill what I know.”

But now I knew there was something to spill. The Peter Cullen issue . One more secret Richmond hid. This time with Elias’s assistance. “We’ll see.”