Wish You Were Gone(84)

A best friend to cajole into forgiving her. Even though she didn’t believe that keeping James’s actions a secret had been wrong.

But Gray couldn’t do any of it. Her concentration was nil. Seeing Lizzie at his office yesterday had raised too many questions. This had gone on long enough and the tipping point had arrived. She had to talk to Darnell. She had to know what he knew. What he’d seen. What he’d done.

He was in bed, a newspaper tilted up in front of him, his reading glasses at the end of his nose. She hated to disturb his moment of peace, but if she didn’t, she’d never have any for herself.

“Darnell, where were you the night James died?” she asked.

He looked up at her, standing in the doorway of their bedroom, still wearing her suit from work, her heels dangling from her fingers at her side.

“I was at the office party. You know that.”

He went back to reading, as if this wasn’t anything more important than a discussion about the carpet cleaners. Gray went to her closet, put her shoes in their appropriate place on their appropriate shelf, and braced her hands against the wall for a moment, giving herself strength. Back in the bedroom, she crawled onto the comforter beside him and took the paper out of his hands, folding it and placing it between them. Darnell looked at her, curious.

“No, later that night. Or the next morning, to be more accurate.” When he said nothing, she had to bite back her frustration. “Emma called me to tell me James was dead, and while we were on the phone, your car pulled into the driveway.”

Darnell blinked. He turned his head so he was facing forward again, and his brow furrowed. For an awful moment, Gray was sure he was going to tell her he didn’t remember, but then, he did.

“I was at Powerhouse,” he said. “I was still amped up after the party, so I drove over to the gym. Heavy bag workout.” He bit his lip and fisted his hands, doing a comical little jab-jab-cross. “I’d forgotten about that. Still had some adrenaline in me, apparently.”

“So you were at the gym.” There was a giddy sensation, like champagne bubbles, rising inside Gray’s chest. The gym had a half dozen security cameras. It had to, being open twenty-four hours. She could get that footage. If push came to shove, and Lizzie forced her, she could use it. “For how long?”

“An hour. An hour and a half.” He shrugged, then really looked at her. “Why are you asking?”

She didn’t want to tell him she was worried about Lizzie—worried that the woman was still whispering in Emma’s ear about hiring a PI, and doing the job herself in the meantime. She hadn’t mentioned the odd encounter with Lizzie to Darnell yesterday because she’d wanted a nice, drama-free lunch with him and the boys, and that was exactly what it had turned out to be—the four of them laughing over salads and burgers, making plans, being themselves again.

But why had Lizzie been crying? Had she actually seen Darnell? Had she witnessed one of his episodes?

The thought terrified Gray. That Lizzie might have seen that side of her husband. That she might have uncovered the ugly truth about Gray’s life. Lizzie couldn’t know.

“Gray?”

“Did you see Lizzie Larkin in your office yesterday?” she asked.

“How did you—”

“I bumped into her in the lobby.” Gray’s stomach was suddenly slick with worry. “She seemed… upset.”

Darnell took in a deep breath, his already broad chest expanding beneath his white T-shirt. He removed his glasses, folded them, and pinched the bridge of his nose.

“There’s something I have to tell you,” he said, looking her in the eye. “And you’re not gonna like it.”





LIZZIE


“I restocked the Prandhya stoneware, but I think you’re going to need to call and order more,” Aurora said. “I don’t know what’s going on, but her bowls and mugs are suddenly our most popular items.”

“That’s great!” Lizzie said, but her voice had a quaver in it. She was itching for Aurora to leave. The street outside was dark, the packs of colorful daytime trick-or-treaters having gone home to count their loot. Halloween was normally one of Lizzie’s favorite holidays. She usually closed early to run home and be there for as many candy-grubbers as she could. This year, though, she hadn’t been able to get into the spirit of the holiday, and there were things she needed to do before she went home to talk to Willow.

“Well, I guess I’ll see you tomorrow.” Aurora shouldered her leather bag and paused at the door, probably waiting for Lizzie to ask what she was doing tonight. Lizzie pretended to be distracted by a text.

“Yes, see you tomorrow! Happy Halloween!”

Aurora shrugged, and was gone. Lizzie went to the door and locked it, then shut off all the lights. In the back office, she pulled out her laptop and opened it, tapping one finger on the desk as it booted up. Password, internet, bank website.

The screen lit up in blues and greens as she opened her accounts. Her heart did a pitter-patting dance inside her chest as she scrolled down, feeling hot with anticipation.

And there it was. Her new balance. Lizzie sat back in her chair and smiled.





EMMA


Emma had gone back and forth about it all day. Cancel the overnight with Lizzie, or don’t cancel? If she wanted to stay friends with her, Emma was going to have to find a way to spend time with her one-on-one. But this seemed like too much, too soon. She was very much on edge, and worried that she might simply blurt out the truth—especially if she got too relaxed or too drunk.