The Wife Stalker(60)

“Mmm. You smell delicious,” he said, drawing her into a hug.

She kissed him and took a step back. “Sit. I’ve just warmed some soup for you.”

“That sounds great.” He sat.

“How was your meeting?” she asked, as she placed the soup and a bowl of kale chips in front of him.

“Good. We finally have that Sanders case figured out. It’s horrifying what that poor woman went through. Her husband abused her for years, and she was too terrified to leave because of all his connections in law enforcement. She doesn’t deserve to be in jail for what she did. I had three different psychologists talk to her, and they all agree that she was in the grips of PTSD when she killed him.”

“She’s lucky that you’re generous enough to take her case pro bono.”

“She deserves a good defense, and the state is not easy on cases like this. They don’t want to appear as though they condone vigilante justice. But she really feared for her children’s lives and her own.”

Piper nodded and listened as he went on. If work was going to keep him away from home so much, she was glad that at least it was for a worthwhile cause. When he finished his meal, they cleared the dishes together, and he pulled her into another embrace before they turned out the kitchen light. “Thank you for dinner. I’m going to go shower. Meet you in bed?” he mumbled, as he kissed her neck.

They went hand in hand up the stairs, and Piper waited with some trepidation as he showered. She was sitting in one of the armchairs in front of the bedroom fireplace when he emerged from the bathroom. “Come and sit with me for a few minutes. I want to talk to you.”

He frowned. “Something wrong?”

“Well, not wrong exactly. But there is something we need to address.”

She recounted the conversation between Stelli and Evie this afternoon. “I’m concerned about how we handle this going forward.”

He sighed. “Piper, we’ve gone over this. You have to stop taking it personally. It’s natural for him to miss his mother. Time will ease his sense of loss.”

She felt her face grow hot. She couldn’t let herself lose her temper. That would only alienate him, make him less likely to listen to what she was going to suggest. “Yes. Time will certainly help. But in the meantime, there is something we can and should do.”

He looked dubious.

“Hear me out. I still think Stelli should see a therapist. I know you’ve been balking at it, but you remember what the principal said. He’s still got a lot of anger that he needs to find a way to release. And he needs to let go of Joanna as well. Even though I’m not his real mother, he needs to see me as a mother figure. It’s important if we’re going to be a happy family.”

“But a therapist will be invasive. Given that we haven’t exactly told the kids the truth about their mother, how would we handle that? I don’t want this person to judge us.”

She’d thought about that already, but she paused briefly before answering. “Look, all we have to say is that she died and Stelli is having a hard time accepting it. And a therapist could help him to be less hostile toward me. Evie’s accepted me, and it’s time for Stelli to do the same.”

“I just don’t know about Stelli talking to a stranger about—”

“Trust me. It will be good for them, you’ll see. We have to make Stelli truly understand that she’s not coming back, that it’s impossible. Right now, it’s like he’s waiting for her to walk in the door. It’s not good for him.”

“I guess you’re right.”

“One other thing,” she started.

He raised his eyebrows. “What?”

“I don’t want you to get the wrong idea, but I think maybe we should start replacing some of the photos around the house with ones of the four of us.”

He started to speak, and she put a hand up.

“I’m not saying we need to get rid of all the pictures of her, but it’s not healthy for them to see her face wherever they turn.”

His face softened. “You’re right. I hadn’t thought about it that way.”

Piper was relieved. “Good. I’m glad we’re on the same page.” She rose from the chair and let her robe drop. “Now”—she leaned down and gave him a long kiss—“let’s go to bed.”





40

Joanna




I planned to leave early tomorrow for the five-hour drive to Annapolis. When I’d called Ethan’s mother, Trish, pretending to be the sister of Pamela’s, a.k.a. Piper’s, fiancé, I told her that I was concerned Pamela was still heartbroken over what had happened with Ethan, thinking that would make Trish more likely to talk to me. Sure enough, she told me she’d be happy to meet with me. I didn’t want to ask too much on the phone, so I made arrangements to go to their house. I didn’t mention that Pamela had changed her name, of course, and I thought again about Reynard. I reread the definition I’d found when she first came into our lives, which I’d recently printed out and taped to the wall.

Though Reynard is sly, amoral, cowardly, and self-seeking, he is still a sympathetic hero, whose cunning is a necessity for survival.



Sly, amoral, and self-seeking certainly fit the bill. The coward part I still had to figure out. But sympathetic hero? Hell no.