Page 97 of Trust No One

Her gaze lingered on her notes, her frown deepening. “Do you consider representing Gabe Durant and seeking custody of his child a conflict of interest?”

“It could be. I suspect he’ll need different counsel soon.”

“Molly Durant is your niece?”

“Not exactly. First cousin once removed.”

She peered over her glasses. “And if it comes down to it—will you side with the child or her father?”

That required no thinking. “The child. She’s the true innocent in all this.”

“How long do you intend to stay in town?”

“I have no plans to leave. And if I do, it won’t be until Mr. Durant’s charges are resolved and the custody of the minor child is finalized. There’s also the manner of dealing with the Hale estate. It fell under my control today. My thirty-fifth birthday.”

“Happy birthday.”

“Thanks.”

She studied me, lines etched deep in her face. “I’ll sign the agreement. Temporary custody to you. But I want you back in my court in one month so I can reevaluate.”

A month. The case wouldn’t even have a trial date by then. “Understood.”

With the details finished, I hurried to my car. I still had two hours before I had to pick Molly up from school. I called Edith. Voicemail. I called a second time. And a third. No answer.

I drove by Edith’s house, but her car wasn’t in the driveway. My next stop was Molly’s school. I met with the principal, showed him my identification and the judge’s signed order. He promised to release Molly to me at two p.m., when school let out.

With time to kill, I shifted my attention to Maria’s life outside her marriage. I didn’t know who she’d hung out with, but she’d always been popular and had to have had friends. A quick check of social media showed Maria had two friends—Sara Mitchell and Wendy Walker. Both were nurses at her hospital.

Sara was off work today, so I tracked her down to a modern town house twenty miles west of Charlottesville. I knocked on her front door. At first, I heard nothing, so I rang the bell. Finally, footsteps echoed in the house.

The door opened to a woman in sweats and a tee, blond hair knotted on her head. “Yes?”

“My name is Raine Hale. I’m Maria Durant’s cousin.”

“Maria? What’s going on with her?”

News of her death was spreading in town. But a woman at home on a day off might be a step behind. “She passed away last night.”

“What?” Sara stepped forward, closing her front door partway behind her. “She’s in the hospital and on the mend.”

I repeated the rote words, but they didn’t sound like me. “That’s what we all thought. The damage to her heart was more extensive than they originally thought.”

“Where’s Gabe?”

“Why do you ask?” I wasn’t obligated to tell her I was Gabe’s lawyer. And until she asked, I wouldn’t.

She shrugged, defensive. “I don’t know.”

I wanted silence to coax her into filling the gaps.

“Maria was always worried, more quiet than normal. She was angry and agitated a lot lately. I wouldn’t be surprised if stress gave her the heart attack.”

“She told me they were having problems.”

“He asked her for a divorce a few weeks ago,” Sara said.

“He did?” Another detail he’d avoided.