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I’ll have to hit Julia where it hurts.
“You sound like you should be placed under a 5150. I guess it runs in the family.”
“Oh, you’d like that, wouldn’t you? You drove Eliza to kill herself!”
“Proof?”
A garbled sound erupted from her, and I knew she was choking on her words.
“You kept her from the kids,” she accused.
“Eliza kept herself from the kids, and you helped. Not once did you attempt to mediate or convince Eliza to get it together, and you proved that when you didn’t answer when Grant called several times to speak with her. They could’ve spoken over FaceTime, but no. You enjoyed the madness just as much as Eliza did. You’re a shitty aunt, an even shittier sister, and I don’t even want to imagine what kind of wife you are. Forward the funeral details to my mother.”
I hung up and threw my cell phone onto my nightstand. My hands trembled slightly from my nerves being shot by adrenaline. While Detective Prescott interviewed me, I thought I was convincing enough, but I was still nervous that he’d see right through the tears. I couldn’t be charged with a crime because Texas wasn’t a state that required a duty to rescue; however,Julia would do her best to try and ruin me. She’d run to the media and drag my name through the mud. Who would hire a lawyer who watched his ex-wife commit unintentional suicide? That couldn’t happen—no one could know.
I retrieved the pack of cigarettes Kierra left behind after that first night we had sex, grabbed two, and found myself in the backyard. I was halfway through the first one when I noticed I had company.
“You lied, Jon.”
“Cigarette?” I offered without looking over my shoulder.
“No, thank you.”
I shrugged. “What did I lie about, sweetheart?” I asked, not taking my eyes away from the massive trampoline.
“The baby monitor was in my bedroom.”
Damn, those British murder mysteries. They’ve turned my woman into a proper sleuth.
I remained silent.
“You lied, Jon.”
“You said that already,” I whispered softly.
“What happened on that call?” Kierra pressed, getting closer.
“You should be in bed.”
“You should get to talking.”
“I have one condition.”
“A condition? What is it?”
“Promise me you won’t leave me because of what I confess.”
Her breath caught in her throat, and I was convinced her answer would be no. “I promise, Jon. I promise I won’t leave you.”
I looked up and clocked the sincerity in her eyes. I nodded, satisfied with her promise. “Most of what I told Detective Prescott was true. Eliza did plead with me to take her back, but I refused, of course. She didn’t appreciate that and started spewing hatred and how I couldn’t let her go. She mentionedthat I always saved her and wanted to prove it to me. She poured a handful of pain relievers into her hand and washed them down with wine. She asked me to call for help, and all I could think about was how all my troubles would go away if she was gone. I still had to tell you about Eliza alleging that you abused the children, and I hated the uncertainty that surrounded mediation and the custody hearing. I told her I’d call for help, but I didn’t. I watched her slip away and waited an additional thirty minutes to make sure she was dead. I hung up when I was satisfied. She didn’t mean to intentionally kill herself, but I had enough. I had enough of her belittling me, disrespecting you, and hurting our children. She had to go.”
“Do you regret it?”
I shook my head and stubbed out the cigarette.
“Not at all. I’ll sleep easy tonight, tomorrow night, and the night after that. I’ll show up with my grieving children decked out in all black at her funeral—shed a few tears and offer my condolences to her family. I already ordered a massive floral arrangement to be delivered to the funeral home. I care that Grant is hurting, but I would rather he be hurt over Eliza for a moment than a lifetime. He’ll forget her and move on.”
“You sound so sure of yourself.”
