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“That’s precisely the point. As my wife, you should be aware of them, shouldn’t you?”
She was about to speak, but he held up his hand.
“I began the affair because you had turned me into a cliché. It chafed, Emory. I resented the role of underappreciated hanger-on, a shadow in your dazzling presence. I went in search of attention and affection.” He slammed back the rest of the whiskey. “And enjoyed a lot of both.”
“Then why did you end it?”
“Dealing with your little escapade has kept me busy. I’ve hardly had time to think about her, much less screw her.”
The snide words were intended to wound. They were lancing, but they didn’t pain her as much as they might have even a week ago. She also should have felt gratified or vindicated by his confession. Oddly, she didn’t. It only made her feel more alienated from him. Truthfully, she hadn’t slept with someone else out of spite. But Jeff had.
His resentment didn’t come as a surprise. She’d felt it on occasion. But she hadn’t known until now how deeply embedded it was. She couldn’t help but wonder just how far his hostility toward her extended.
She actually started when the doorbell rang.
Jeff got up to answer, momentarily disappearing into the small entryway of the suite. Emory heard him say, “Who’s this?”
“Special Agent Jack Connell. Federal Bureau of Investigation.”
Chapter 32
Upon hearing the man introduce himself, Emory’s heart sank like a stone. She stood up, facing the entry, as Jeff led Sam Knight and the newcomer into the living area.
Jack Connell was of average height and weight, in his midforties. He was dressed in slacks, sport jacket, and overcoat, but in place of a tie, he had a wool scarf around his neck. His hair was reddish brown. There were dark crescents beneath his brown eyes. He looked road-weary.
Sam Knight said, “He insisted on coming to talk to y’all right away.” The detective sounded no happier about this meeting than she was. “Grange’s kid is sick, so I told him he could skip.”
“Dr. Charbonneau.” The FBI agent crossed over to her, removed his leather glove, and extended his right hand. “Jack Connell.”
“How do you do?” They shook hands. “I understand you got lost in the fog.”
He smiled with a chagrin that made him human and likable. She resisted the appeal of those traits. She didn’t want the man hunting Hayes Bannock to be engaging.
He said, “I was afraid I would drive off a cliff, so I pulled over at a roadside stand that sells boiled peanuts. Just a lean-to and a chicken wire fence securing the cauldron. There was no one around, but I stayed put until Sergeant Knight met me and guided me in the rest of the way.”
“I know firsthand how impenetrable the fog in the mountains can be.”
“I want to hear about that.”
They remained in an awkward tableau until she invited everyone to sit down. The two arrivals discarded their outerwear. With a noticeable lack of cordiality, Jeff offered them something from the minibar. Jack Connell declined refreshment. Knight asked for a Diet Coke, adding, “And are there any peanuts or a snack of some kind?”
Emory returned to her place on the sofa. Connell took the easy chair recently vacated by Jeff but moved aside the ottoman. Yielding the floor to the federal agent, Knight carried his canned drink and a bag of cheddar-flavored popcorn to the dining table. Jeff sat down beside Emory. She caught herself moving her knee from within touching distance of his.
Connell began. “Sergeant Knight provided me an overview of your experience. As soon as I read his e-mail, I traveled s
traight here. That fingerprint is the first tangible—”
“Excuse me. Fingerprint?”
He explained to her how it had been retrieved. “It’s the first tangible lead I’ve had on Bannock in years.”
“What did he do?”
“We’ll get to that, Dr. Charbonneau. And, by the way, we here in this room, and Sergeant Grange, are the only ones privy to this information, and for the time being I want it kept that way. Can I count on your discretion?”
Jeff said, “What’s the big secret? This individual is a fugitive or you wouldn’t be here.”
Connell said, “It’s sensitive,” then dismissed Jeff and directed his attention to Emory. “I’m very interested to hear firsthand about the time you spent with Bannock. Start from the beginning and tell me everything.”
