I surveyed her space, which was more like a one-bedroom apartment. Beyond the small kitchen near the entrance was a sitting room with a door that led to a sleeping area containing a king-size bed. “Nice place.”
She crossed her arms, rounding her shoulders so that she caved into herself. “How did you know which room I’m in?”
“That’s not how this is going to go,” I told her. “I’m going to ask the questions.”
“Please.” Her eyes watered. “There’s honestly nothing to say. Please just go and leave me alone.”
“I’m not going anywhere until you tell me why Ali bought you a house.”
“I’m going to call the police if you don’t leave,” she said, her voice shaky. “Please don’t make me.”
“I just came from seeing your mother. I learned some very interesting things.”
“You saw my mother?” Her face paled. “Where? When?”
“At the Meadows. It seems like a nice place.”
“You had no right to bother my mother.”
“She was very happy to see me.” At least at first. “She even hugged me. Your mother says you visit often but that you didn’t mention Ali’s death. That’s strange. Why is that?”
Something flashed across Lizzie’s face before vanishing. Was it fear? “I didn’t want to upset her.”
“Why would she be upset about an old college boyfriend who broke up with you more than twenty years ago? And why would Ali visit your mother on the day he died?”
“I have no idea.” Lizzie exhaled. “My mother knew Ali was helping me.”
“Helping you how?”
She paused. “I’ll tell you everything as long as you promise not to bother my mother again.”
I didn’t trust that she would, but still I agreed. “Go on, then.”
“Ali didn’t pay for the Cozy Glenn house. I sent him the money, and he made the payments so that ownership of the house couldn’t be traced back to me.”
“Traced by whom? You make it sound like you’re laundering money or something. What were you hiding?”
She exhaled, dragging two hands down her face. “You might as well take a seat.”
I was too agitated to sit. “Thank you, but I’ll stand.”
“I’ve been stalked by a man who terrorized me for years.” Lizzie slid into a chair, looking like she’d lost all strength in her legs. “It began almost as soon as I separated from my husband. The harassment started with dead flowers left on my doorstep. And once someone chalked the word ‘bitch’ on my apartment door. When this person started threatening my children, leaving notes that said Ididn’t deserve to be a mother, I moved far away and stopped seeing them, my own flesh and blood”—her voice shook—“to remove them from any potential danger.”
“Someone is stalking you?” Suddenly, Lizzie’s jumpiness, her constant state of fear or being on edge, made sense. “How did Ali figure into this?”
“I begged him to help me. He was an accountant, so I figured he’d know how to set up a payment system to hide my ownership. I didn’t want the stalker to find me.”
I sat in the chair opposite her. “And he eventually agreed to make the payments for you.”
She nodded. “You’ll see that I regularly transferred money into one of Ali’s bank accounts to cover the house payments.”
“Why didn’t Ali tell me about this?”
“He wanted to. But I begged him not to. I was petrified of anyone finding out about Cozy Glenn. It was the only truly safe space that I had.” She shivered. “The stalker always seems to know what I’m doing, where I’m going.”
I turned this new information over in my mind. “Even if you are telling the truth, Ali still should have told me.”
“I am not lying. Check your bank account. You’ll see a clear record of my payments for the house.”
