“Like who? No! My wife was the nicest person alive. Everyone loved her….” he paused. “Wait, she did have problems with our neighbor, Carol. She thought she flirted with me andconfronted her about it once. But that’s all. Those two hated one another.”
“Enough for murder?”
He hesitated. “I don’t know about that.”
I nodded, noting it on my pad. “Anyone else? Former colleagues? She didn’t work, did she?”
“Not anymore. She used to be a teacher, but all the kids loved her, and so did the other teachers, so no, I can’t think of anything there.”
Our time was up. The guard let me know. I pushed back my chair, the metal legs scraping against the linoleum with a jarring screech.
"I'll fight for you, Will," I said, the words heavy like lead yet fierce with promise. "We will get to the bottom of this."
"Thank you," he whispered, his voice barely rising above a murmur. The skin around his eyes crinkled, a dam holding back a reservoir of anguish. "For believing in me… for everything."
The intensity in his gaze struck a chord, igniting a fire that coursed through my veins—every fiber of my being vibrated with the weight of the responsibility. I nodded once, firmly.
“I won't rest, Will. Not until the world sees what we see.”
"Angela would've liked you," he said, the lines on his face softening for a breath, revealing the man he used to be before grief wore him down.
"Then I'm honored," I replied, feeling the ghost of Angela's presence, a whisper urging us forward.
I brushed the wetness from my cheeks, fingertips grazing over skin that felt too tight, too raw. Standing tall, I met Will's gaze one last time before parting.
"You'll hear from me soon," I said, voice steady despite the storm of emotion.
"Thank you, Eva Rae," he replied, the words barely above a whisper but carrying the weight of his world.
Turning on my heel, I strode from the visiting area. The pieces lay scattered in my mind—a jigsaw puzzle begging for order. Facts interweaved with hunches, timelines intersecting with alibis. My pulse hammered against my temples, urgency seeping into my veins like adrenaline.
Angela's memory haunted the periphery of my thoughts, a silent siren calling me back to duty. There were answers out there, shrouded in shadows and half-truths, and I would unearth them. For Will. For Angela.
The metal door clanged shut behind me, its echo a dull thud in my chest. My feet found the rhythm of duty as I navigated the sterile corridor, each step an anchor dragging me forward. The deputy at the security checkpoint gave a curt nod, his face an unreadable mask. I returned the gesture without missing a beat.
Outside, the Florida sun was unforgiving, a spotlight on the path laid out before me. I squinted against the glare, shielding my eyes with a hand still trembling from the visit's intensity. The heat wrapped around me, oppressive, as if trying to smother the fire inside. I kept thinking… if it had been me. If I had lost Matt and now was accused of having killed him? The thought was beyond devastating.
"Someone’s gotta fight for him,” I whispered, the mantra propelling me across the jail's parking lot. Gravel crunched beneath my shoes, a staccato accompaniment to the rapid drumming of my heart. I could taste the bitterness of the task ahead and was worried I would fail, but there was no going back now.
The car door slammed with conviction, sealing me inside. My fingers danced over the steering wheel. The engine roared to life with a twist of the key, a beast awakened and hungry for the hunt.
"Time's ticking," I muttered, throwing the car into gear.
I gunned the accelerator, the vehicle lurching forward like a hound unleashed. There were leads to chase down, witnesses to press, and evidence to reexamine. Each moment was precious, each clue a potential lifeline.
I drove on, relentless.
Chapter 12
THEN:
Angela satat the kitchen table, her fingers tracing the grain of the wood, gaze fixed on Will. He stirred his coffee, lost in a mechanical rhythm that seemed to echo the ticking of the wall clock—relentless, monotonous.
They had been married for five years, and she had given birth to two children. But lately, something had changed.
"Will?" Her voice sliced through the silence, a tremble betraying her calm exterior.
He glanced up, spoon clinking against the mug's edge. "Hmm?"
