I betrayed her and I hated myself for it. Not enough to stop. Not enough to tell Patrick to be a better husband. Not enough to warn Victoria about the pain to come. I made excuses for my weakness and my dishonesty, but I never had the guts to walk away. Then they disappeared and I didn’t have a choice.
I never wore the bracelet in front of her. I kept the gift private where I could savor it. Then I lost it two days before Patrick’s murder. At the Tanner house after being with Patrick. Victoria found it and our lives unraveled.
You know he gives these out to all his girlfriends. You’re not special. He has the damn jeweler on speed dial.
“Do you know where we found this?” the detective asked.
The memories screamed in my head. That day at the house. Victoria called me and begged me to come over. Said she needed me. Wouldn’t tell me what was wrong. I assumed Aubrey because she was the cause of so much of Victoria’s grief.
Turning fourteen had flipped a switch that never turned off again. Aubrey tested boundaries all the time. She didn’t yell or throw tantrums. She stood in silence. Unblinking and assessing. Watching as her mom lost it.
But that’s not why Victoria called. Not this time.
“The bracelet was wrapped around Patrick’s hand, as if he was holding it when he was killed,” the detective said.
That’s not what happened. That’s not how it got there. That’s not why I called Cam for help that day.
The FBI agent put down the bag and leaned forward. “Maybe this whole situation was about self-defense.”
The detective and the FBI agent shared a look before the detective took over. “The heat of the moment. You’re arguing and he gets angry. Lunges. You didn’t have a choice but to fight back.”
“Are we going to find more bodies?” the agent asked. “Was this a lovers’ quarrel gone wrong or did you step into the middle of a marital fight?”
“No.” It’s the only word I could spit out.
“I’m thinking Patrick wanted to end it.” The detective sighed. “Look, we see this sort of thing all the time. The husband makes promises. Lies to the wife and to the girlfriend. It’s twisted. He pits decent women against each other, then it all blows up on him.”
The agent retook the lead. “It’s understandable. You were crushed. Devastated. He deserved your anger. You didn’t intend to hurt him. Things got out of hand.”
“No.” And that wasn’t a lie. They had this all wrong.
Victoria confronted me with the bracelet. I tried to wrestle it away from her. She fought back and I ran. But I didn’t kill Patrick.
Patrick was already dead when I got to the house.
Chapter Forty-One
Hanna
The next day I searched the grounds around Xavier’s house. Every outbuilding. The garages. All around the pond. Even dipped a canoe paddle into the shallow end, just in case.
I took a break to visit the hospital and talked with Daniela’s sister and nephew. The doctors had placed Daniela in a temporary coma because the hit to her head resulted in fluid on her brain. Serious and potentially devastating. The rest and quiet gave her a chance to heal.
The police stationed an officer outside her room on guard duty. He balked about my entering, but Daniela’s family made sure I was added to the visitor list.
Still no word from Jeremy.
I leaned against the farmhouse sink in Xavier’s impressive kitchen and stared without focus. My mind wandered to scary places. Blood-splattered walls. A knife. Jeremy screaming for help.
My fingers clenched against the counter’s edge with enough force to make my palms ache. “Please...”
I didn’t know who I was pleading with, but I knew Jeremy’s lack of communication wasn’t about anger or a punishment. Someone took him, possibly hurt him. The jabbing in my chest told me I was right to call the police over and over, to plead with the FBI, and to talk to everyone at school who knew Jeremy. Things I did for hours today.
I’d kept my mind busy through lunch and dinner. The sun had set. The light gray skies warned of incoming rain. Of the possibility of bitter cold. Another night without him being in a place I could call and confirm his safety.
A sob escaped before I could choke it back. I needed strength and focus. Determination and being a royal pain in the ass to law enforcement were the only ways to keep myself busy. I needed to hammer the message until someone listened and helped me.
Stella tried, which was sweet because her concern contrasted with how I’d always viewed her. Tough. Unemotional. These days I saw a different side. She offered words of comfort. Lukas came over and shouted on the phone at people in power on my behalf, promising to keep the pressure on. When it became obvious we weren’t going to get a follow-up from Marni about what happened with the police, I sent Stella home to her daughter.
