Pretty Little Wife(56)

“We came from strained backgrounds and wanted companionship that was uncomplicated.”

Every word chipped away at what little motive existed in the case, which Ginny assumed was the point. “Are you saying you and Aaron don’t have a romantic relationship? Like, no physical contact?”

“We have sex.” Lila’s voice vibrated with a lack of emotion. So hollow and void of life. “But I wouldn’t leave Aaron for another man.”

Ginny wasn’t sure how to assess that comment. “That’s your view, but Ryan may have been a threat to Aaron. He could have seen Ryan that way, even unexpectedly.”

Lila’s eyes narrowed, but the amusement never left her tone. “Does Ryan strike you as a threat?”

“Most people would panic at the idea of having their affair uncovered.” That came straight from the playbook relating to usual cases. Problem was, there was nothing usual about this case or the woman in front of her.

Lila shook her head. “Not me.”

“Then why not be honest with me and disclose the affair from the beginning?”

“Because there’s a target on my back, and I’m not stupid enough to make it bigger.”

A knock at the door interrupted Ginny’s response. Pete stuck his head inside and gestured for her to come into the hall.

“That took forever,” she said. The energy pounding off Pete wiped away her frustration at his bad timing. “What is it?” She kept talking, too invested to let him answer. “You found something.”

“The boxes are coming in now, but I thought you’d want to see this.” He handed her a thick file.

“What is it?”

Pete smiled. “Page through it.”





Chapter Thirty-Seven


LILA DRUMMED HER FINGERS ON THE CONFERENCE TABLE. She’d been stuck in this room for over an hour. Ginny had called and asked her to come in. The curiosity proved too hard to resist, but boredom gave way to anxiety. Being here when she wanted to be somewhere else started a churning deep inside her. The shadow of doubt moved over her, darkening inch by inch.

Her choices raced in her head. She could get up. She hadn’t been arrested. They had no cause to keep her there, and Tobias was going to kill her for talking without him. But Ryan and the search warrant. That combination kept her in her seat.

What felt like hours later, the door opened and Ginny came in with a new folder in her hands, this one thicker and tucked under her arm like a precious gift.

Lila tried to ignore Ginny’s lighter walk. The cloud of tension that usually flowed around her had lessened. That could not be good. “Did he find my clothing at Ryan’s house? I rarely slept there, but I remember leaving a—”

Ginny cut off the conversation by dropping the file on the table with a smack. She pushed it over in front of Lila.

Tobias picked that moment to breeze in. He was out of breath but managed to come off as cool and fine with the idea of his client blabbing to law enforcement without him. He flashed Ginny a smile then glared at Lila.

She felt his displeasure to her toes. She didn’t blame him. She’d kill a client if they did this to her.

“Where are we?” he asked as he sat down next to her.

Lila was too busy staring at the file. Her hand hovered over it, but her fingers refused to close around the edges. “What’s this?”

“Ryan’s file.” Ginny pulled out the chair and sat down again. “On you.”

On her. “What?”

Her life. Her.

Lila’s mind shot to the rows and rows of books lining the shelves in Ryan’s office. The ones about poisons and manners of death. Actual cases. Some would have her fingerprints because she’d used those volumes as her personal library, picking out the pieces to help her plan.

The file in front of her didn’t look familiar.

Tobias pulled it closer to him. “You’re saying this is a diary?”

That sounded wrong to Lila. “He hardly seems the type.”

“It’s research.”

The lightness in Ginny’s voice had Lila on edge. Her gaze bounced down to the unidentifiable cover then back to Ginny. “I don’t understand.”

“I think you do.” Ginny looked at the file again. “It’s background on your parents. Notes about your upbringing once you went to live with other relatives.”

The shaking started in Lila’s hands. The jangling of her watch as it hit against the table. She clamped her fingers together and moved them to her lap.

Tobias covered her hands with his. “Did he say why he had all of this intel?”

“It looks like he’s writing a book. About Lila and her family. One that focuses on her dad and all that happened years ago.” Ginny’s gaze moved over Lila’s face. Whatever she saw there had her eyebrow lifting. “You didn’t know?”

“You’re assuming,” Tobias said.

“Educated guess, but you can see that it’s the most obvious explanation for collecting that sizeable stack. Taking those notes about Lila’s behavior and the things she said.”

At Ginny’s urging, Tobias opened the cover and paged through. His frown deepened with each sheet he turned.

The life drained out of Lila. She forced her body to still, redirecting her energy to lifting her hands. She pretended to look over Tobias’s arm at the file. “I didn’t know.”