Page 32 of The Perfect Marriage

Anne’s eyes are wide. Her mouth opens and then closes. She doesn’t know what to say. I don’t even know what to say. She swallows hard and then brings the coffee to her lips, taking another sip. “Are they testing anyone else?” Anne crosses one leg over the other. She places the folder from her lap onto the desk.

“Who would they test? They can’t just go around testing any random man just because they don’t know who the third set of DNA belongs to. They have to have cause.”

“I know that. I’m saying is there anyone else that seems suspicious? Anyone else that may have had an affair with her, someone she worked with or was friends with or maybe an old boyfriend?”

“According to Sheriff Stevens, no one seemed suspicious at her work, but then again, you never know with his police work. No past boyfriends that he or Scott knew of and she didn’t really have any friends—well except my husband, I guess,” I say trying for dark humor. The attempt flops. Anne gives me a sad look, and I deliver a small smile, trying to convey that I am in fact okay, even if I don’t know if I really am.

“What do you mean, ‘you never know about his police work?’ Does he seem off?” Anne always picks up on the littlest things I say. It’s why she’s so great as my assistant.

“I don’t know. He just seems a bit overly friendly.”

“Overly friendly?”

“I don’t know how to explain it. He just seems like he’s more interested in this case than he should be.”

“Do you think he knew Kelly or something like that?” Anne leans back in her chair. This has piqued her interest.

“No. Well, yeah. Her husband is on the police force, and it’s a small town. He had to have known her. But I think he’s flirting with me. He told me he would be there for me regardless if Adam were convicted and… and it’s just the way he looks at me too.”Maybe I need that right now. I think I do. Sheriff Stevens might just be the person I need right now, more than I know.

“That’s really weird.” Anne juts her nose.

“Is it though? Should I be worried? I should be, shouldn’t I?”

“Well, he is the sheriff of the town, and you are the woman of a husband who supposedly murdered a resident there. And you’re also the defense attorney for said husband. He might see you more as a victim, like the wife of a murderer rather than the defense attorney and he could just feel bad for what you’re going through and the circumstances surrounding the case,” Anne suggests.

“He doesn’t seem to think Adam did it either. Don’t you think it’s odd that he told me that as the defense attorney on the case?”

“Yes, as the defense attorney. But not as the wife. He’s probably just not able to draw the lines between what’s appropriate and what’s not given what’s going on. This is an extremely odd predicament you’re all in.”

“I know, and sometimes, I wonder if I’m doing the right thing,” I confess.

“Right thing?”

“Standing by my husband when he didn’t stand by me.”

“You’re doing the right thing because you’re a good person. Just because your husband was wrong, doesn’t mean you have to be. You’ve stayed true to you and at the end of the day that’s what matters. Whether he spends the rest of his life in jail or not, Adam is going to regret what he did to you. I can promise you that.”

I press my lips together, raise my eyebrows and give a slight nod.

“Oh, by the way, the background checks on Kelly and Scott came in. Now I’m not you when it comes to investigative work, but I did find something that seems very odd. I just wasn’t able to figure out exactly what was going on.” Anne hands over the file.

I begin flipping through the pages. “What was the odd part you found?”

“For starters, Kelly Summers isn’t her real name. It’s Jenna Way.”

“Jenna Way? Why the change of name?” I flip through the papers trying to find the answer to my own question. It’s in my nature. If I ask a question, I have to find the answer. I typically don’t trust others to give me the correct information. I mean, Adam didn’t for all this time. He gave me half to nearly none of the pertinent information of what he was doing before Kelly was murdered and even now when his life is on the line, I know he’s not telling me everything.

“Well, she was married before Scott. And her previous husband was murdered.”

I’m still flipping through the papers. “What? How? By who?”

“He was stabbed to death by Kelly or should I say Jenna, and the odd thing is, she got off.” Anne raises her eyebrow.

“That’s really odd. None of it makes any sense. How did she get off?” I thumb through the papers.

“Evidence went missing during the trial, and the charges were dismissed. But guess who one of the arresting officers on the scene was?”

“Who?”

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