The Wife Who Knew Too Much(75)

“Detective Ryan Hagerty, escorting Mrs. Ford pursuant to court order to install her electronic monitoring device.”

“I’m sorry, come again?”

“She’s charged with a crime. Her bail was home confinement with an ankle bracelet.”

“Is that right?”

Kovacs shot me a hard, measuring glare. He must’ve heard by now that I’d been arrested for Nina’s murder. It was all over the news. They’d had to smuggle me out through the courthouse basement to avoid the mob.

“Detective,” Kovacs said, “I’m in charge of security at Windswept, so if you’re planning to install any equipment, I need to be involved with that. Can I see the warrant?”

Hagerty pulled a piece of paper from his jacket pocket.

“This is a court order directing persons in the home to allow installation of electronic monitoring devices. Obstruction of this order will subject you to contempt proceedings.”

“I’m not trying to obstruct. I just need to know what you’re doing.”

“Sorry, that’s not in the program. The installation and functioning of our equipment is confidential. Otherwise it would be too easy to subvert.”

“Nobody’s trying to subvert. My concern is interference with the other monitoring equipment on the property.”

“Tell me what you’ve got and where it is. I’ll make sure I don’t interfere.”

“I can’t do that.”

Hagerty shrugged. “Then I can’t help you, my friend. I have a court order to install my system, and I’m going to do that without anybody looking over my shoulder. You got a problem, talk to the judge.”

Kovacs grumbled, but signaled us to pass. We proceeded up the driveway to the porte cochere.

“Why did he give you a hard time? Is he on to us?” I asked Hagerty.

“I doubt it. He probably just doesn’t like having his authority challenged.”

I’d never been able to get a read on Kovacs. To this day, he’d never given any indication of recognizing me from the Fourth of July party. Yet, I had to believe he did. Maybe he was involved in setting me up by taking those pictures at the party. The one thing I could be sure of was that he was not on my side. I shouldn’t trust him. I shouldn’t trust anybody at Windswept.

“You doubt it?” I said. “Somebody at Windswept gave you those photos of me, and that person killed Nina Levitt. How can you not tell me? Was it Kovacs, or wasn’t it? I don’t feel safe here not knowing that.”

“All right, look. The photos were sent to us anonymously. There’s no reason to think it was him.”

“No reason to think it wasn’t. It could be anyone at Windswept. How can I protect myself if I don’t know?”

“You’re the one claiming somebody else killed her. It’s up to you to prove that. Our best evidence says it was you.”

“I told you, I’m innocent. Are you gonna let them kill me, too?” I said.

“Tabitha, we’ll do our best to keep you safe. But wearing a wire, cooperating—that involves risk. My advice is, assume people around you are hostile and don’t take any unnecessary chances.”

At the moment the DA had suggested I wear the wire, I had felt so betrayed, so angry, that I jumped at the chance. Whoever thought I would be their patsy had another thing coming. But here, now, in the rain, with Windswept towering over me like a haunted castle, that nourishing anger was gone, replaced by uncertainty and fear.

“What happens if I get caught?”

“The ankle bracelet is equipped with a panic button. I’ll show you how to use it before I leave.”

“Panic button? Why can’t I just call you?”

“If you’ve been outed as a snitch and you’re in imminent danger, you probably won’t have time to make a phone call.”

“You’re scaring me, Detective.”

“Hey, if you’re uncomfortable, I understand. I’ll take you back to jail, and we can forget about the cooperation. Who knows, maybe you can beat the murder rap. But if not, you’re looking at life in prison.”

We’d pulled up to the door.

“What do you want to do?” Hagerty said.

I couldn’t breathe. Life in prison? Was this real? If I could’ve snapped my fingers and been back at the Baldwin Grill, setting up the dinner shift, I would have, in a heartbeat. If I could make it so I’d never met Connor—not now, not before—I would.

“You’re threatening me with life in prison?”

“It’s not a threat. It’s reality. I’m not the person who put you in this situation.”

He meant I’d put myself there, but he was wrong. Somebody else had, by manipulating the evidence to make it look like I murdered Nina Levitt. That person was willing to put me away for life, then go home and eat a nice dinner. I had to pull myself together. I had to get mad again. Not just mad—filled with a cold rage that made me smarter, bolder, more strategic. I should do it for my daughter. No way was she growing up without me. Never. I had to beat this rap, no matter what it took.

“I’ll do it.”

“All right, let’s go.”

I got out of the car. Hagerty took a briefcase from the trunk and came to stand behind me.