“Nothing. He just—he said you and Grace had an arrangement.”
“What does that mean?”
“Like an open marriage, I guess. And then I found a book in the attic.”
“What were you doing up there?”
“Nothing,” I say. “Why can’t I go up there?”
“It’s just the police. They’ll search it, eventually. It doesn’t make any sense for them to find evidence that you’ve been up there.” He holds the bridge of his nose as if he has a migraine. “Tell me about this book.”
“It’s a list of names. Women. I’m in there. So is Caroline. It looks like a list of conquests.”
He frowns for a second, then laughs. “Conquests? What am I, Don Juan?”
“This is serious. I don’t want to be a notch on your belt.”
He takes my hand and lifts it so I can see the ring. “What do you think this means? You’re not a notch on the belt. Besides, there aren’t that many notches.”
“Not 52?” I ask. “That’s how many names were in the book.”
“You counted. Of course you did. Look, I’ve told you that Grace was an unstable person. She was also very jealous. She assumed that every woman I ever interacted with was a rival. As an academic, I’m constantly surrounded by young women. It drove her crazy. You drove her crazy, clearly.”
I’m unsure if I buy it. Grace was right about the only woman I know on the list—me.
“What about the arrangement? Jesse said you knew about each other’s affairs.”
“She probably just told him that to make him feel better about cheating. There’s no arrangement. I never treated marriage that lightly. It’s a serious thing.”
“Really?”
“Really.” He leans in to kiss me, but then his phone rings, and he pulls away. “Hold that thought.”
As he answers the phone, he walks into the spare room and closes the door. I’m relieved to have a moment to think.
There are two options: either he’s a liar and a cheat, or Grace was jealous and insane. On the evidence, there’s only one option that makes sense. Grace was clearly unstable.
A few minutes later, Bradley comes out of the room, his face white.
“What is it?” I ask.
“That was the police,” he says. “They’ve found her.”
CHAPTER FORTY-THREE
“I have to go.”
He makes for the door, and I grab his arm. “What about Jesse?”
“He’ll be gone by now. You’ll be fine.” He glances at his watch. “They’re expecting me.”
I tighten my grip. The world is bucking like a wild horse. I can’t keep up. “Can’t you wait till tomorrow? What if it’s a setup? What if they know everything?”
“If they thought I did it, I’d be in handcuffs already. And if they know it’s Grace, they wouldn’t call me to the station.”
“But—”
“But you need to relax. Nothing’s going to happen while I’m gone.”
