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“That’s inconvenient.”
“It’s fucking ridiculous,” she says, her voice rising and emotion finally moving over her pretty face. “And I’m damn pissed at him, Kane.”
“I’d say he did a lot for you to be mad over.”
“No, it’s more than that. I’m angry at him for dying. How dare he get off so easy? He committed adultery over and over again, hid money, made me eat a certain way, dress a certain way, talked down to me. He controlled everything. And in exchange, he gets to just die? Of natural causes, no less. He didn’t suffer. He didn’t hurt. Karma didn’t have a chance to work on him.”
“Is that what you want, Maggie? Would it make you feel better if he’d suffered?”
“Now that I know all this, hell yes, it would.” Her lip quivers now and tears spring to her eyes. “He should have to suffer for it. I’m humiliated, and I’m mortified. I’ve already been to the doctor to get tested for every STD ever discovered. He was out there, fucking all of those women, and then he’d come home and…”
She swallows hard, not able to continue.
“Well, I’ve had tests to make sure he didn’t give me anything.”
“And the results?”
“I’m healthy,” she says. “Thank God.”
“Indeed.”
She rubs Murphy’s back, quiet as she lets everything churn inside her.
“What now?” I ask.
“I keep digging.”
“To what end?”
“What do you mean?”
I stand and pace the room. I think better when I’m moving. “He’s dead, Maggie, and digging all of this up isn’t going to bring him back long enough for you to kill him again.”
“I know.”
“So, what’s the point?”
She shakes her head. “I need to know everything he hid.”
“You’ll never know the why of it,” I remind her. “Because he’s gone, and you can’t confront him.”
“I didn’t know him at all,” she whispers. “He let me see what he wanted me to see. He manipulated me. He used me. And I’m not okay with that.”
“No. I’m not either.”
“And I don’t know where this will lead, but I need to know. And then I can let it all go.”
“Can you?”
“I have to. Because, like you said, I can’t kill him again.”
“Maggie, did he leave you any money at all?”
She bites her lip. “I have a couple thousand in the checking account.”
“That’ll last you thirty days, tops.”
“I’m working at the pub.” She sighs. “I’m selling the house. I don’t need a place that big. I don’t want it.”
“I’ll help you—”
“No.” Her voice is firm now. “You won’t give me a dime, Kane O’Callaghan. And I mean it.”
I don’t say anything. Arguing won’t change her mind. I’ll make sure that whatever Keegan’s paying her at the pub is plenty to cover her expenses.
And I’ll make some calls. It’s time we hired someone to look into Joey Lemon.Chapter Thirteen~Anastasia~I made it a whole twenty-four hours before I couldn’t stand being in the quiet of my office any longer. I worked my way through the administrative work, checked in with clients, and made some calls. I even arranged for my assistant to come in full-time next week so I could get back to baking and decorating.
I may not be able to lift the cakes, but I can surely decorate them.
But now, with all of that finished, I’m ready to be back on the island with Kane and Murphy. Before I headed out of town, I swung in to check on Amelia, who is also on the mend from a brutal round of the flu.
I tried to call Archer, but he’s either not speaking to me, or he’s busy.
I’ve hardly spoken to him since that night at the pub. The following morning, he was gone when I woke up. He must have called a rideshare. I’m worried about him, but I know he’ll reach out to me when and if he’s ready.
I turn the corner leading to the driveway to Kane’s place and smile when I see the building ahead. This has quickly begun to feel like home for me. I love the view, the house, and although I haven’t spent much time out there, I even love the barn.
It didn’t occur to me to call ahead. What if Kane isn’t here? What if he’s at the museum today? Or helping Maggie?
I should have called. But then, would he have answered?
I get out of the car and slam the door shut. My shoulder is feeling much better than it did even a couple of days ago.
“Well, if that isn’t the most beautiful sight in the world, I don’t know what is.”
I turn at the sound of his voice and watch with a smile as Kane and Murphy walk my way from the barn.
“Did I interrupt your work?”
“I was done for the day,” he says and immediately wraps his arm around my waist, tugging me gently to him for a sweet kiss. “I missed you, Anastasia.”
