Page 95 of Trust No One

“It’s not true.”

I leaned forward, threaded fingers resting on the table. “You’re buried deep in debt. You’re having an affair. Maria might have been having one, too. She was suing me for a big chunk of money. She demanded a divorce. I bet she said, ‘It’ll be a cold day in hell before you see Molly again.’ And you might have poison in your toolbox.”

He dropped his voice. “Maria and I were working it out. I told her I broke it off with Amy.”

“Amy will confirm that?”

“Of course.”

“Unless she’s covering. Maybe you and Amy planned all this. She’ll pretend you dumped her. You clear the charges. And when it all dies down, you, Molly, and she ride off into the sunset.”

“I have no money. You’ve said so yourself.”

“Molly is my heir. And as her father, you would control the estate.”

“If you’re dead. You’re very much alive.”

“So far.”

He grimaced. “Don’t be morbid.”

“I’m thinking twice about everything I ingest now.” That wasn’t true. But maybe it should’ve been.

“Do you really believe this?”

“Doesn’t matter what I think. It’s what Judson can prove. What the jury believes. It won’t be hard to make this case. Especially when the prosecutor reminds everyone that you’re an ex-con.”

“I didn’t do this. I didn’t.”

He sounded sincere. And if I were just his friend now, I’d be comforting him. This is bullshit. You’d never hurt your wife. But . . . I wasn’t his friend. I was his attorney. For now.

Feed Gabe to the wolves.

“What is Judson saying to you?” Gabe asked.

“Not much. His job is to solve this case.”

He pointed his finger at me. “He’s like you. Doesn’t want to be on the prosecution’s side, but he is.”

“You can hire another lawyer. I can go back to being your friend.”

The waitress returned with our check. I tossed two twenty-dollar bills on the table and rose. Gabe stood. “We need to get going. There are a lot of details to handle.”

Several people in the diner were staring at him. He’d been recognized, and if I knew anything about this small town, news traveled fast.

Outside, Gabe moved to my car without saying much. When the doors were closed, he looked at me. “You’re my attorney. If there’s any chance of someone seeing beyond the facts, it’ll be you.”

I drove Gabe to Edith’s house. Her car wasn’t in the driveway, and I was glad. Later we’d fight over Molly, but if I could avoid a skirmish now, I would.

“I’ll pick Molly up from school, and we’ll arrange a visit for you two. Don’t leave the house,” I said.

He pulled up his pant leg to reveal a monitor. “I’m not getting far with this.”

“Stay close.”

“I want to see my daughter.”

“I’ll let you know once I’ve visited with her.”