Was it Sherry, scrambling to protect herself and using her old badge as cover? Or Brannigan, with his explosive temper and history of cutting corners? Or was Billy clever enough to have masterminded the whole thing, making himself look guilty as a kind of reverse psychology game?
The questions stacked in her mind like dominoes waiting to fall. Whoever was playing this game had nearly killed her and Harlan, and the answer had to be standing right in front of her.
Brannigan gave a rough laugh, clearly enjoying the way Sherry bristled beside him. Then he looked at Laney, his smirk widening.
“Guess your golden boy wasn’t so golden after all,” Brannigan spat out. “David got exactly what he deserved.”
The words hit like a slap. Laney’s breath caught, her chest tight as Brannigan took a step down off the porch. He paused, turning just enough to throw the final blow.
“Your husband was a dirty cop. Took payoffs. Everybody knew it,” Brannigan added.
Laney stiffened. She didn’t believe him, not for a second, but the barb lodged deep all the same. For just an instant, the whisper of doubt tried to push its way in, dragging with it all the unanswered questions about her husband’s death.
Harlan shifted closer to her, his silence deliberate, a steadying presence against the storm Brannigan had stirred. Without waiting for a reply, Brannigan swaggered down the steps, climbed into his truck, and drove away, gravel spitting under his tires.
Laney’s fists clenched at her sides, nails biting into her palms. Brannigan’s poisoned words lingered in the air, heavy and sharp, threatening to unravel everything she thought she knew about her marriage.
Sherry stepped back and waved them inside. The farmhouse smelled faintly of lemon polish and coffee, the kindof scent that clung to a place scrubbed and cared for over many years. The hardwood floors were scuffed but gleamed, a braided rug spread across the living room, and lace curtains framed the windows. Old, yes, but every corner spoke of order and effort, not neglect.
“David wasn’t dirty,” Sherry snarled the moment the door clicked shut. Her voice was firm, though her hands trembled as she pushed her hair back from her face. “Brannigan said that to hurt you. He wants to hurt you because you loved David. He can’t get back at David, but he can try to sully his name.”
Laney swallowed, her throat tight. Sherry’s words made sense, but Brannigan’s smirk, his cruel confidence, still scraped against her heart. She sank onto the edge of the couch, her hands gripping her knees.
Her mind flashed to the note in the envelope.David tried to destroy me. Now I’m going to destroy what’s his.
The phrasing burrowed deep. It wasn’t just about David anymore. It was about Evie. About her. About everything David had left behind.
Laney forced her breathing to steady, though the pounding in her chest only grew louder. Someone out there wanted her family shattered, and every lie, every half-truth, every cruel accusation made it harder to know who to trust.
They settled into the living room, the old couch creaking beneath Laney as she leaned forward, her hands clasped tight. Sherry perched across from them, her jaw set, but her eyes slid toward the window as if she were bracing for more accusations.
“I wasn’t having an affair with David,” Sherry said again, her voice sharper this time, as though repeating it might finally make it stick.
Harlan’s gaze never wavered. “What about the note? The wordpaymentin his notebook. What exactly was he referring to?”
Sherry’s shoulders stiffened. “I explained that already. We forgot our wallets at the diner one morning. David made a note to remind himself to pay later. That’s all it was.”
Laney lifted her chin, her pulse hammering in her ears. “But there were no other personal notes in that notebook. All the other entries were about cases or contacts, nothing else. So why would David add that one? Why would he single it out?”
Sherry huffed and pushed herself to her feet. Anger colored her cheeks. “I told you the truth. If you don’t want to believe me, then that’s on you. But stop twisting things into something they’re not.”
Her voice cracked with frustration, filling the tidy farmhouse with a weight that made Laney’s stomach churn.
Sherry’s glare burned into her as Laney rose from the couch. Harlan stood at her side, steady as ever, but Laney’s voice trembled only a little when she spoke.
“I’m going to ask the sheriff to bring you in for questioning about the note that David made,” Laney spelled out. “It’s best to make it part of the official record.”
Sherry’s mouth twisted with fury. “You have no right.”
“It’s not about rights,” Laney fired back. “It’s about finding the truth.”
Fury danced through Sherry’s eyes. “Get out.” Sherry’s voice cracked, but the anger behind it was sharp enough to cut. She pointed to the door. “Both of you. Out of my house now.”
Laney turned, forcing her feet to carry her forward even though her insides felt hollow. Harlan’s hand brushed her arm, guiding her, grounding her.
Behind them, Sherry’s voice rose like a final dagger. “Fine. You want the truth? David and I did have an affair. The only reason he stayed with you was because you were pregnant.”
The words struck harder than any blow. Laney stopped short, her breath catching in her throat. Her hand went to herstomach in reflex, a gesture from long ago, when Evie had still been safe inside her.
