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“Okay, why are you talking to us?”
“Because I want you to help my husband.”
Leo and Sasha shared a look. Then he cautioned Leeza, “We’ll help him if it doesn’t hinder our investigation.”
“It won’t because Paul didn’t kill him.”
“So, what do you want us to know?”
“Paul has a gambling problem.”
“Cards? Casinos?”
“No, he bets on sports. It got so bad that we separated for a while five years ago. That woke him up, and he got help. For a while, he stopped. But he’s gambling again. He thinks I don’t know.”
“How does this factor into Rex’s death?” Sasha asked.
“He placed a bet last spring on the Final Four for college basketball. A big bet.”
“I’m guessing he didn’t win,” Leo said.
“I don’t know the exact amount, but I know he lost a ton of money. And I’m sure he was terrified because I’m in charge of our finances. There’s no way he could’ve covered it, at least not without my knowing. And the people he owed the money to weren’t bound by the gambling commission rules—if you catch my drift.”
“Drift caught,” Sasha told her.
“So he borrowed the money from Rex.”
“Are you sure?”
“As sure as I can be. For weeks, Paul stumbled around the house, freaking out, drinking way too much, snapping at me. Then, out of the blue, he called Rex. They met for lunch, and Paul came home whistling the proverbial happy tune. Not a care in the world. I know Rex lent him the money to pay off the bet. Iknowit.”
“Okay, hear me out,” Sasha said in a tone Leo recognized as her devil’s advocate voice. “Rex helped out a friend—”
“No. He enabled a friend. There’s a difference. He also gained leverage over him. Paul owed him a debt that he’d probably never be able to repay. And if I know Rex, he probably held it over Paul’s head.”
“How so?”
“I’m sure he told him, ‘You do X, or I’ll tell Leeza. You do Y, or I’ll call the loan.’ Like sending him out in a storm to fetch his cocktail crap. That sort of thing.”
“That’s basically blackmail,” Leo mused.
“Exactly. Rex could be charming, but he could also be very, very nasty. And he had no problem showing that nasty side to my husband.”
“Why did you want to tell us this instead of letting Paul tell us himself?” Sasha wanted to know.
Leeza lowered her chin and shifted her gaze between the two of them. “Because Paul’s going to lie to you. I know it. He thinks I’ll leave him if I find out he’s gambling again. And he’d rather lie and risk being accused of murder than tell the truth and risk me walking out.”
They were silent for a long beat.
Then Leo asked, “Are you going to? Leave him, I mean.”
Leeza’s lips thinned. “I don’t know,” she admitted, her voice cracking.
CHAPTER14
Leo and Sasha walked Leeza back to her friends, who had gathered in the dining room. In addition to the collection of glowing flashlights, someone had found a candelabra and lit the candles, which added both light and ambiance to the room.
“Enjoy your dinner,” Sasha told them. “We’ll talk to you later.”
