Page 31 of Trust No One

“Did she say that?”

“A few days ago. I talked my way out of it, but she’s been chewing on it.”

“Are you having an affair?”

He rubbed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. “I’ve been flirting with Amy.”

“Amy?”

“Amy Stocker.”

Amy had taken the job with Mom and settled into Hale House quickly. She had been in Hale House less than a month when she’d started wearing my makeup and shirts. Instead of calling her out, I’d turned a blind eye. The nights and weekends were covered. That was all that mattered.

“I hope you don’t mind.” She closed Mom’s bedroom door and locked it. “All my clothes are in the wash. I found this in the dryer.”

The striped blouse was a little large on her small frame, but the color suited her pale skin. “It’s okay.”

“I’ll wash it and put it back in your closet.”

“Sure, that’s fine.” I’d been hungry to meet up with Judson. And Amy’s slight trespass didn’t feel like a big deal.

Amy kept borrowing my things. She always washed my clothes and put them back in my closet. But her selections grew bolder and more frequent. And then Mom died, and I forgot about the missing shirts and bracelets.

My fingers tightened on the steering wheel.

“She remembers you well. She’s a real estate agent. Her office is in one of the buildings I service. I took her out for drinks a few months ago. Chatted her up.”

“Why would you do that?”

“Maria had been bitching again—money. I needed a break.”

There had to be a playbook for guys like Gabe and Ken. A fight earned them a night out with another woman? “Maria’s not stupid, Gabe. There had to be more.”

His head shook. “There wasn’t.”

“I hope for your sake you aren’t lying. If you’ve been messing around, it’ll be used against you.”

“Why are they after me? My wife had a heart attack.”

“The cause is what’s at issue.”

“I love Maria.”

He cared about Maria and Molly. But financial pressures and lust bred bad decisions. “Your disappearing act poured gasoline on the fire.”

Tears welled in his eyes. “I can’t process this.”

I’d seen killers mourn their victims. Was Gabe now horrified at what he’d done?

“No one cares why you ran, hid, or lied. All that matters is that you did.”

He reached in his pocket and pulled out a pill bottle. He downed two. “I’ll do better.”

Judson exited the sheriff’s office. He crossed our line of sight. He didn’t look in our direction, but he’d seen us.

“I want to see Maria,” Gabe said.

“There’s nothing you can do for her now. Get a shower, change into clean clothes, eat, sleep. Spend time with your mother and child. In the morning, I’ll take you to the hospital.”