The Wife Who Knew Too Much(60)

27





The photos were a viral sensation, beamed around the world at warp speed with the caption “Tabitha Ford revisits the scene of the crime,” translated into many languages. Within a matter of hours of my visit to the swimming pool, Connor had seen them in Dubai. He texted me a photo with the message What did you do? I tried to call him, but he wouldn’t speak to me.

Around dinnertime, I was in my room. I hadn’t eaten anything all day. I sat on the edge of the bed, staring at Nina’s portrait. For the first time in my life, the thought of suicide crossed my mind. I could understand how, when faced with an unsolvable problem, it might seem like a solution. But it wasn’t available to me as an option. I had a baby to think of.

Juliet knocked on the door.

“Come in.”

“Ma’am, the police are downstairs. They have a search warrant.”

“Why?”

“They say it pertains to Mrs. Levitt’s death.”

“But that was resolved months ago. They ruled it a suicide.”

She looked as upset as I’d ever seen her look. “I thought so, too.”

“Didn’t they search the area back then?”

“I have no idea, ma’am.”

“What should I do?” I said, breathing hard, wringing my hands together. “What do I tell them? Should we let them in? What does Connor say?”

“I haven’t spoken to him. Maybe you should call?”

I plucked my phone from the bedside table and tapped his number, pacing the floor nervously. He hadn’t returned three texts and two messages. I had no reason to believe he’d answer this time. No answer. The call rolled over.

“It went to voicemail. Juliet, help me, what do I do?” I said, hanging up.

“I’m not the expert, ma’am. Steve Kovacs is downstairs with a technician, installing the security cameras. Should we ask his advice?”

“Good idea.”

“Hold on, I’ll have him come upstairs. You might want to—”

She waved her hand around her head, which had the general effect of sending me to the mirror. She was right. My face was puffy and streaky, my hair a wild mess. I looked like a woman in trouble, like someone who felt the walls closing in. Even I knew that was a bad look if the police asked to speak with me. I pulled on a fresh shirt, splashed water on my face, brushed my hair, put on lipstick and blush. By the time Kovacs arrived, I appeared calmer and more in control, even if I didn’t feel that way.

“Mr. Kovacs, I’m glad you’re here,” I said.

He shook his head, his face grim. “I only wish I’d come sooner. If we had the cameras installed this morning, I would’ve caught that asshole before he got close to you. Excuse my French, I’m just pissed off.”

“I understand. So am I.”

“The nerve of these leeches, invading your privacy. On your property no less.”

He was right. I’d been blaming myself all day long for letting that man take my photo. Worse, Connor blamed me for it. But was it my fault that someone had spied on me? That a stranger trespassed on Windswept property and climbed a tree to be able to photograph me while I walked inside a fenced compound? I hadn’t taken greater steps to protect myself because I wasn’t used to living this way—stalked, harassed, lied about in the press. I was out of my league here.

“The immediate concern now is the police. Juliet told you they have a search warrant?”

“Yes, ma’am, and I took the liberty of speaking with them. The warrant pertains only to the pool complex. They won’t be coming in the rest of the house, at least not under this warrant.”

“Was the pool complex searched before?”

“It was, at the time the bod—at the time Mrs. Levitt was found.”

“So, why come back?”

“I asked. They say they’re not at liberty to discuss the investigation. They want to speak to you, though.”

“Me? Why? I never met Nina. I don’t know anything about this.”

Something flickered in his eyes. Was he remembering me with Derek at Windswept that night? I held my breath, waiting for him to accuse me.

“I expect they just want to talk to someone in authority. I can speak to them for you if you like,” he said.

I breathed out. Since seeing the photo caption accusing me of returning to the scene of the crime, I was no longer confident that I could explain away my presence here the night she died. It would be best if it never came out.

“Yes, thank you. If you could just say … I don’t know. What should you say?”

“There are two choices. We could call a lawyer in to review the warrant. But the detectives who are working this case are professionals. I doubt a lawyer would find it worth challenging in court. The other option is for me to let them into the pool complex, so we appear cooperative and like we have nothing to hide. I stay with them during the search just to make sure they don’t go beyond the scope of the warrant.”

“That sounds like the right approach. But I think you should call my husband and get his approval. I’m worried that he’ll be upset by this.”

“Probably. I’m sure he’d prefer the investigation to remain closed.”

I searched his face, wondering what that meant. But I was afraid to ask.