Every Last Secret(55)

“You act like it doesn’t matter if Cat thinks that!” My passive husband exploded, and I was reminded of the fact that—beneath his very sweet and calm exterior—there did lie a killer. “That is a big issue, Neena. A huge issue.”

He suddenly gripped the steering wheel, his face tightening. “Oh my gosh. I think I’m going to be sick.” He retched, and I glared at him.

“Don’t you dare throw up in here. You shouldn’t even be driving. You’ve been drinking all day.” Between him and Cat, I might as well put vomit patrol on my forehead. “And I don’t know why you drank the limoncello. You hate limoncello.” Fresh anger burned at the thought of her cozied next to his side, her hand on his arm, my guileless husband’s mouth on her drink.

“Do you have anything for me to throw up in?”

“Are you serious? Pull over, I’ll drive.”

He yanked the wheel unnecessarily hard to the right, and I opened the door in time to hear him retch.

I stomped around the front of the car and glared at him, waiting as he emptied his stomach into the thick grass. “Done?”

He didn’t respond, just straightened and walked around to the passenger side. Stepping over a pathetically small pool of vomit, I moved the seat forward and fastened my belt.

“I need to know if you put anything in that liqueur.” Matt closed the door with his good arm, the motion awkward around the cast.

“I didn’t put anything in it.” I yanked the car into drive and flipped the headlights on.

“Neena.”

I hated when he said my name like that. As if he knew everything and I knew nothing.

“I didn’t,” I insisted.

“If you did, and the police find out—”

“I didn’t.”

“I won’t protect you. This isn’t like before. What I did . . . I can’t go down that path again. It just about killed me.”

I pulled out into the street and accelerated past a minivan. “I didn’t do it,” I repeated, my voice softening.

He said nothing, and inside the stuffy car, the distrust between us grew.





CHAPTER 36

CAT

Two days later, I spotted Matt easily, his fluorescent-orange cast standing out in the brightly lit hospital lobby. “Hey!” I smiled warmly at him. “What are you doing here?”

“Getting my cast off.” He lifted the bulky appendage. “I’ve been counting down the days. You?”

“Oh, just a follow-up on my stomach. I’m actually on my way out. Is Neena with you?” I kept my face blank, as if I didn’t know about the all-employee meeting going on in the WT offices, one that would tie up his wife for at least two hours. I’d spent the entire morning hanging around the hospital lobby, waiting for this moment to catch him alone. While I did have a follow-up appointment on the books, it wasn’t for another two days. In the meantime, I needed to share something with him. Something important.

“Nah, she’s working. Are you feeling better? You look good.” He froze, a look of panic crossing his face. “I mean, you look healthy. Better. Less sick.” Poor guy. Neena probably had a noose around his neck that automatically tightened whenever she sniffed out flirtation.

I smiled to put him at ease. “I’m feeling much better, thank you for asking. Plus, I’ve lost six pounds, so”—I shrugged—“that’s great news. I should drink limoncello every day.”

“Yeah.” He shifted uncomfortably. “You know, I don’t know how anything got into that drink, but we’ve called the company, and they’re testing the facility to see if there’s any contamination—”

“Oh, I know you guys didn’t have anything to do with it. Did you feel okay after that sip or two you took?”

“Actually, I threw up, too.” His chubby cheeks tinted pink. “On the way home from the hospital. But I’m fine now.”

“I am wondering if we’re all jinxed. You know, they say trouble comes in threes. With the limoncello and your fall . . . I just hope there isn’t anything else. I was thinking about that railing last night. Did you guys ever research it further?”

As if on cue, his face turned blank. “Research what?”

“The railing on your upper balcony. The one off your bedroom. Didn’t Neena tell you?”

“Tell me what?”

“Well, most of the bracing for the railing was tight and secure.” I let out a short, awkward laugh. “Overly secure. It wasn’t going anywhere. But on the far end, by where you fell, there was only a single screw holding the railing in place, and a pretty loose one at that.”

He frowned.

“And it was odd, because the posts had the holes in them, as if there were screws at one time, but they were all missing. I found that strange, so I told Neena about it. She told me to throw away the damaged items and that she’d show them to you later, before they were picked up by trash collection.” I peered at him. “You did see them, didn’t you?”

“Yes,” he said slowly. “Yes. Of course. I forgot.” He hit the side of his head lightly with his palm. “I’ve gotten so absentminded lately.”

“Well, you’ve been working so hard. I thought you’d slow down with the broken arm, but I see you heading out to work almost every day. You should give your body a chance to heal. Maybe take a vacation. You know, we have a house in Hawaii. You guys should head over there for a week and have a romantic getaway. Relax on the beach and enjoy the last bits of summer.”