Woman on the Edge(51)

There’s some back-and-forth between them. I can’t make out everything she says, but it’s clear she’s not happy when Ben tells her I’m there.

“I know he has every right to his daughter! You don’t understand! She’s receiving threats. We both are. And you’re not even taking those seriously. We were sent—”

I can hear Martinez’s voice droning on, but I can’t make out her words. Ben tries to interrupt but he can’t. Then, suddenly, he hangs up and draws the phone away from his ear.

His face is drained of color.

“What? What happened?” I ask.

He tosses the phone to the floor. “She just accused me of being mixed up in all of this. She was going on and on about how she finds it suspicious that I’d let you into my house, and then she accused me of being after my sister’s money.”

I stand up. I don’t know what to say. “Ben, I’m so sorry.”

His eyes drill into mine. “My sister’s dead, and she thinks I want her money.”

It all sounds familiar, the way Martinez jumps to conclusions, the way she hurls her suspicions around like knives.

“I know how you feel,” I say.

“Yes, I guess you do.” His fingers curl through his hair. “You know what the worst part is? I tried to tell her about the photo and the note, and she wouldn’t listen. It’s like she didn’t want to hear it. Something’s not right about this. Something’s really, really wrong about this.”

I look down at my lap. None of this surprises me. It’s all like déjà vu, except this time, I’m watching it happen to someone else.

“Ben,” I say. “Melissa was in Greg’s car. And maybe she’s the one behind this. But we just don’t know. Nothing makes sense. But there’s this note, too, and it points to Donna. There’s not much we can do to track Melissa—we don’t know where she lives. But we could talk to Donna. In person. Catch her off guard.”

“And not tell Martinez? Morgan …”

“Look, what do we have to lose? Quinn’s gone. I’m definitely a person of interest, and it sounds like you might be, too. Martinez is not on our side. We’re the only ones looking out for us and Quinn.”

I find the address for Donna’s online consignment shop, which is also her home, and Ben plugs it into his GPS. Then we’re off to Kenosha, Wisconsin, about an hour and a half away.

Ben and I decide to take his car because there might be less of a chance of anyone following. If Donna is truly behind everything, soon all of this could be over. It’s either that, or it could be over for us.

He checks the rearview mirror constantly, and I check the side mirror for a redhead who might be behind us. As he focuses on the road, I have the chance to really look at him. He’s lean rather than muscular. I imagine him as a string bean of a boy. I know he’s carrying a lot of guilt about Nicole, but he won’t talk about that. And he isn’t talking about Quinn, either. Neither of us is. But we’re both concerned for her.

He turns on the radio, and I let Coldplay’s “Yellow” wash over me until he speaks.

“I still can’t believe Martinez could ever think I’d hurt my sister for money.”

I sigh. “It’s a classic motive, Ben. I know firsthand how dangerous money can be. How far someone will go to get it.”

He surprises me when he asks, “Why did you marry Ryan?”

I surprise myself by telling him. “I loved him. An easy answer for a very complex emotion.” I remember the first time I saw his lopsided grin and how hard I fell. “My mom was set to retire in a couple of years, and my dad was a self-employed plumber. She had a nursing pension, but they needed to manage their money. Ryan was the financial adviser at our bank. He helped them, and he listened to me. He charmed me, like a good sociopath can. He pretended to be enthralled with my job as a social worker, with my love of lowbrow comedies. I helped him start the hedge fund and my charity. I was stupid.”

“Or trusting.”

“Same thing.”

“Is it?” he asks.

I smile, and he smiles back. He is a very good-looking man. A bachelor, with no ex-wife or kids. No girlfriend or boyfriend. Alone, as I am.

I spin the conversation back to him. “Why are you single, Ben?”

He heads for I-90 W/I-94 W, keeping his eyes straight ahead. “I’ve put all my time into the hospital. There’s nothing left for a social life, really.”

“Do you want a family?”

He looks at me. “Do you still?”

“Answering a question with a question? Smooth.” I pause, then decide to answer honestly. “Yes, I still want a family.”

I like being in the car with Ben. I like how patiently he lets people into his lane and waits his turn without getting frustrated.

At a stoplight, he turns to me, holding my gaze, and I squirm under the intensity of it. “Do you promise me you did nothing to Nicole?”

I nod. “I promise you. Do you promise me you’re not hiding anything from me that I need to know?”

“If I knew anything at all, you’d be the first to know.”

Ben’s words ring true, like he’s starting to depend on me. And I realize that I’m starting to feel something for him, something I can’t even put into words. But what if he’s not who he seems? If I fall into another trap, I might never get out of it. Please be as good as I think you are, I silently pray.