AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“What else do I need to know?” It took all of the energy Elisa possessed to ask the question. She appreciated the validation, but she really didn’t think she could take much more.
Meredith shook her head. “I shouldn’t have played along. Hell, I should never have gotten involved with him.”
Elisa shook her head at the understatement. “You’re clearly not alone. He must sell his sad tale pretty well.”
“Well, now you know all of it.”
But what did that get her other than the confirmation that she needed to be careful? “Lucky me.”
“One more thing.” Meredith moved in a little closer. “I really do think he killed Abby. He never said it, but he implied it when he got angry. Told me to be careful because I wouldn’t like to see him furious.”
Elisa showed Meredith out and checked her phone. She noticed Shelby had texted back. Seven times, growing increasingly more concerned with each one.
Elisa was about to reply, reassuring Shelby, but stopped tolook down at Buzz. “What is wrong with you? It’s like you’re a guard cat.”
Buzz took off running down the hall. He still made noises, and a terrible thought hit Elisa. Fuzz could be hurt. She knew it was ridiculous, but she could not handle anything terrible happening to the cats. Not today on top of everything else.
She forced her legs to move and went in the direction Buzz ran. The scratching noise gave him away. He was in Harris’s office, rubbing back and forth against the bookcase. Specifically, the movable section that led to the secret room.
She heard a faint meowing sound, and not from Buzz.
“What the hell?” Without thinking, she rushed over and pulled on the tiny lever hidden behind the second book.
With a click the door unlocked. She pulled it open and Fuzz darted out of the secret room. Ran right into her. She picked him up and tried to calm the furball down. “How did you get in there?”
Another voice boomed through the room. “I’m afraid that was my fault.”
Elisa spun around. “Rachel?”
“Thanks for not installing that alarm system while we were in Las Vegas. That would have made this very difficult.”
Chapter Fifty-Five
Elisa slowly set the cat down. Everything about this situation screameddanger. She tried to fake her way through it until her groggy mind could come up with a better tactic. “I didn’t know you were coming over today.”
“I thought Josh’s ex would never leave.” Rachel stood at the doorway to the hall. “She’s something else, isn’t she? Totally committed to him even though he treated her like crap.”
All Elisa could see was the knife in Rachel’s hand. It looked like one from the kitchen butcher block. That made keeping her voice steady even harder. “You know about Meredith?”
“Of course. I’ve studied Josh for a long time.” Rachel tapped the side of the knife against her dress pants. “The poor thing actually thought he loved her.”
“It sounds like they dated.” Elisa was just saying nonsense now. Anything to stall.
Rachel scoffed. “That’s an overly romantic and childish way of putting it. They had sex. He moved on. She stalked him. Period. It’s a shame she involved you.”
Elisa thought the same thing. “Meredith thinks he did something to Abby.”
“Yet, she would take him back if he snapped his fingers.” Rachel shook her head. “So weak.”
That knife still was right there. Elisa shifted, thinking if she could get to the desk there might be a pen or a stapler—anything she could use as a makeshift weapon. “Why are you here?”
“I mirrored Josh’s phone. Meredith texted him and told him she was coming clean with you. I was already at your house, thank goodness. I can run interference.” Rachel shrugged, as if she was having a conversation with herself. “The timing is a bit fast. My plan was not to do this for another few weeks. Let some time pass between the wedding and the big finish, but I can make it work.”
This was new. Since they met Elisa had never known Rachel to ramble. That’s where they were now. On some meandering thread that Elisa didn’t understand. “You lost me.”
Rachel rolled her eyes. “It’s a convoluted mess. Blame your homicidal brother-in-law.”
“Happy to.”Elisa thought of Josh as a killer. Hearing that he was from someone else should have been validating, but not under these circumstances.
