Page 19 of The Perfect Divorce

“Ain’t that the truth.” He makes ahumphsound. “Buncha bloodsuckers.”

“Can you make sure they stay out of the building?” Anne tightens her eyes.

“That won’t be a problem at all.” He grins and pats the revolver clipped to his hip.

I press my lips firmly together. “Roger, you can’t shoot them.”

An amused look settles on his face as his other hand goes to his Taser. “Who said anything about shooting?”

Anne scolds Roger while I extend the folded paper to Alejandro. “Saturday morning at seven,” I say loud enough for only him to hear.

He takes it from me and bobs his head as he pockets the slip. From a professional standpoint, I shouldn’t be offering him this, but I feel like I owe him. Plus, there’s something intriguing about him, and I want to find out what that is.

I turn my attention to our security guard. “Roger, would you mind escorting Alejandro through the back entrance?”

“Sure thing, boss. I could go for another cigarette anyway.” He looks to Alejandro, beckoning him with his hand. “Let’s go, Muscles.”

Alejandro mouthsthank youto me and then waves before he and Roger exit to the back, disappearing around the corner. My gaze veers to the lobby door, where reporters are still loitering, peering through the window to try to get a better look inside. I’m going to be under a microscope until this whole thing gets settled, and it’s the last thing I need. All eyes on me, the devastated widow. It’s not what I want right now, but I can play that part and I can play it well. Because I’ve done it before. It’s like I’m an actress reprising a role that fans just couldn’t get enough of.

Anne rests a hand on my shoulder, startling me, and I turn my head to meet her gaze. “I saw the news segment. I can’t believe it. Does this mean Adam was innocent?” she says softly, furrowing her brow.

“He always was to me.”

“I know, but legally, I mean... What’s going to happen now?”

I blow out hot air before I speak. “I’m not sure. There’s no road map for these sorts of things, but I presume the sheriff’s office will be forced to reopen the Kelly Summers investigation, due to the blatant corruption involved with their initial one.”

Anne tucks her chin in like she’s thinking about the question she wants to ask next. “Do you think Sheriff Stevens killed Kelly?”

“I don’t know.”

She squeezes my shoulder and then drops her arm back to her side. “You already have so much going on with the divorce, and now... I can’t even imagine. The timing is just insane.”

Anne’s right about that. With the impending divorce... things could get messy, twisted even. The truth and Summer are the only things tying Bob and me to one another—but it feels more like a bow that could easily be unraveled rather than some intricate fisherman’s knot. If I had known this was going to come out, I would have waited until it blew over before I started the separation process. But it’s too late now. I can’t unring that bell. Plus, I really don’t want to. I acknowledge Anne’s sentiment with a nod.

“Shall we?” I say, motioning to the elevator that will take us to the Morgan Foundation offices. Anne gives me a tight smile, and we start toward it.

The wordtimingswirls around my brain as we wait for the elevator. The doors open, and Anne and I step inside, pressing the button for the third floor. Thetimingis a little too perfect. Last night after the news hit, Bob begged me to stay with him, to be a unified front, so we could get through this together. But now I can’t help but think: Did he have something to do with leaking it to the media? Like me, he has friends in all places, both high and low. Would he be that stupid or desperate? Would he think it would stop me from leaving him? No, I’m being paranoid. I shake the thought away.

“If the sheriff’s office reopens the investigation, what does that mean for the courts?” Anne asks. The doors close and the elevator starts to ascend.

“Nothing yet, but if they’re going to move on this, we should try to get ahead of it.”

“And how do we do that?”

I take a deep breath. I know the right answer, the one that will look best in the public’s eye. But it could make me vulnerable, and that’s the last thing I want to be. Doing nothing, though, might cast suspicion on me. The elevator doors open, and Anne steps out first. I stay put, mulling it over. I know what I have to do even though I don’t want to.

“We need to file a motion with the court to reopen Adam’s case,” I say.

Anne turns back, a determined look on her face.

“I want you to get a couple of associates on it right away. Plus, get in contact with our friends in DC. See what strings we can pull or favors we can cash in to get this moving through the court system ASAP.”

“I’m on it,” she says. The doors start to close, and she thrusts her hand out to stop them.

My phone rings, and I quickly retrieve it from my purse, seeing the wordUnknownsplayed across the screen.

“You coming?” Anne asks.

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