Pretty Little Wife(62)

“Why now?”

“She has your boyfriend in for questioning. That likely means she’s working on a theory where the two men fought or, worse, that you and Ryan set this up and plotted to kill Aaron.”

That’s what she would do in Ginny’s position. Focus in on the couple aspect and make one of them break. Lila could see Ginny thinking through the same steps and coming to the same conclusion. “That’s ridiculous. She’s too smart for that.”

“Is it? You’ve heard the story a million times. You wanted out of your sad marriage and enlisted your murder expert boyfriend to help make it happen.”

Her head started to pound again. “There is not one piece of evidence that points to that scenario.”

“It’s what some will assume, and they’ll say it enough that it becomes fact in people’s minds. The shouts and cries for justice will steer the investigation right into you, not away.”

Her chest heaved with the force of deep breaths. She ached to sneak inside that room and hear what was happening. “I get that public opinion—”

“It’s not a maybe, Lila. It’s happening. We have to get in front of this.”

“Destroy Aaron’s reputation.” That she could get behind.

“Is that such a terrible thing? The asshole was sleeping with students.”

“And disclosing that I knew puts the spotlight solidly on me. It provides motive, which is something Ginny currently does not have.” It might tip her hand too early. There were still things he didn’t know. Unraveling yet to come.

“Ryan gives her motive.”

“That’s not true.”

“True or not won’t matter. We need to scatter Ginny’s focus. Make it so she’s running around and can’t settle on one theory. Let the public do the work on Aaron.”

“Okay, but one problem.” A big one. “What if the public does the work on me instead?”

The main door swung open behind them and Jared marched in. He stared at his cell but looked up right before he ran into her.

“Did Ginny call you in?” Tobias asked.

“Yeah.” Jared sat down next to her. “She said there’s a witness.”

Lila wouldn’t describe Ryan that way. “They found Aaron’s phone. I need to explain—”

Jared frowned. “The witness is a woman.”





Chapter Forty-One


JARED SAT NEXT TO LILA, HIS ATTENTION FOCUSED ON A SPOT on the wall across from them. The white paint puckered over the stucco, right on the edge of peeling off. “The guy with the phone is your boyfriend.”

“Jared . . .” She wasn’t sure what to say. There was no easy way to explain that the small flicker of light Aaron once lit inside her had died. That she dreaded the banality of living with him and had grown to hate the grating sound of his voice. And that was the tolerable stuff, the day-to-day things she’d figured out how to live with even as her disdain blossomed.

He blinked a few times before turning his head to look at her. His gaze toured her face. “Did Aaron know about him?”

The tortured sound of his voice ripped through her. She’d never expected her relationship with Jared to take this turn.

He didn’t wait for an answer. “Because it sounds like they had some sort of altercation.”

She couldn’t let his mind travel too far down that road. “There’s no evidence of that.”

“Aaron’s phone was at this guy’s house. How do you explain that?”

Every mention of the cell chipped away at her confidence. Ryan might be an asshole, but a killer? An accomplice of some sort? Her mind bucked at the thought of either. “I don’t know, but—”

“And now this woman. I don’t understand what’s going on.” Jared rested his elbows on his knees and dropped his head in his hands.

The click of practical heels came right before the answer. Ginny hovered over them with Tobias close to her side. They’d been secluded, having a conversation about the newest surprise in the case and why it was released to the public before either of the people closest to Aaron.

“We have a witness. Her name is Samantha Yorke.” Ginny stared at Jared then moved on to Lila. “One of your husband’s former students.”

Jared’s head shot up. “Does she know where Aaron is or something about his phone and Ryan?”

Ginny’s emotions stayed even. “We’re still talking with her.”

“About what, though?”

“Jared.” Lila winced, trying to find the right delivery. “On some level, you know. A teacher and his student. My guess is she’s saying she’s more than a student.”

“Interesting how you jumped to that conclusion.” Ginny’s expression stayed flat. Lifeless. “Unfortunately, you’re also correct. She says they had a relationship.”

“He was her coach?” Jared sounded more confused by the second.

Ginny shook her head. “Not only that type of relationship. This was personal.”

“No. No way.” Jared’s gaze flipped between the people around him, landing on no one in particular before focusing on Lila. “You can’t believe that garbage.”

Lila let her silence speak for her.