“Can I call you back? There’s somebody here.”
“Sure,” Vic said. “But you’d better. I need to know what the fertility doctor said.”
I’d forgotten that I’d actually manufactured details of a whole doctor’s appointment when Vic and I last spoke. The one where they did all the tests and told you what your actual chances were of having a baby. Sam wasn’t the only one who was good at lying.
“I’ll call back, definitely,” I said. And when we spoke again, I’d finally tell Vic the truth about everything. I would.
I turned back to Maude once I’d hung up. Her face was taut, and in her fashionable but formless black shift dress and dull, earth-toned ballet flats, she looked funeral-worthy.
“I really didn’t mean to interrupt,” she said.
“That’s okay.”
“I was in court for the hearing. Why didn’t you tell them about the alibi?” Her tone wasn’t quite accusatory, but almost.
“The alibi is useful, but complicated.”
Maude crossed her arms. She looked almost angry now. “But I was trying to help.”
Help.Such an unfortunate choice of words. Had she fabricated the alibi? Honestly, I didn’t want to know. Because if I knew for a fact that the alibi was false, I wouldn’t be able to use it later at trial—that would be suborning perjury. Having doubts but not knowing anything for sure? That was a different story entirely.
“I understand,” I said noncommittally.
“What happens now?” Maude asked, squeezing her arms tighter.
“Zach stays in jail and there’ll be a trial,” I said. “Between now and then we’ll investigate. The best way to get Zach acquitted will be to find out who actually killed Amanda. That’s not supposed to be our responsibility, but if the defendant didn’t do it, a jury will want to know who did. Have the police interviewed you yet?” I asked, wondering what she’d shared with them, and whether Wendy Wallace might even already know about the alibi.
“They rescheduled the interview for tomorrow,” Maude said. “Isn’t that strange? That they’re not in any rush? Don’t they want all the facts they can get?”
They might have been worried Maude would present something contradictory to their theory of the case, maybe about this upstairs encounter Amanda supposedly had—it was the whole basis of Zach’s supposed motive, as far as I could tell.
“They don’t wantallthe facts,” I said. “Only the ones that help their case.”
“That doesn’t sound right.”
“It’s not.” I shrugged, because Wendy Wallace was only doing her job. “But it is the way the game is played.”
Amanda
THREE DAYS BEFORE THE PARTY
Sarah swung open her door with a delighted grin. “Hell—” Her face fell when she saw the empty steps behind Amanda. “Seriously?”
“He’ll be here any minute.” It was stupid to keep lying, but Amanda felt so cornered.
Sarah made a face and crossed her arms. “Any minute?”
“Okay, he’s not coming.” Amanda hung her head. “Zach really is overwhelmed with the new business. He’s working so hard that he can’t even see straight, much less make it here for a dinner party. I’m sorry, I did try.”
In truth, Amanda hadn’t even asked Zach. He would have said no anyway, and Amanda would have had to suffer the usual back-and-forth with Zach’s assistant Taylor. A sweet, plain-faced girl with a fixation on fashion magazines and an obsession with one unhealthy diet fad after another, Taylor did her best in a tough situation. If Amanda had asked about the dinner—via email, as was the procedure—Taylor would have written right back, as she always did, that she would check ASAP! Taylor would be just as kindhearted when she wrote back to say: “Sorry! Zach can’t squeeze it in tonight!”
Amanda didn’t mind if Zach couldn’t be there. But those exchanges with Taylor were excruciating. Just thinking about it now, standing there at Sarah’s front door, Amanda’s eyes filled with unexpected tears. She blinked and forced a smile, hoping Sarah wouldn’t notice.
“Oh, no, no. Come on.” Sarah tugged Amanda in the front door and gave her a hug. “Ignore me. I’m being a pain in the ass.”
“I’ll attest to that!” Kerry called cheerfully as he made his way down the stairs to the kitchen in gray sweatpants and a dark-blue Oklahoma City Thunder T-shirt. “Anyway, we don’t need more husbands.Iam plenty.”
“Happy birthday!” Amanda called.
