Page 31 of The Perfect Divorce

Olson cuts me off. “There’s nothing we can do about that now, so let’s just focus on what we can control.”

The corner of my lip lifts as I gaze into her big brown eyes, appreciating how she always keeps me grounded, anchored in the present, not regretful of the past or anxious about the future. Before Pam, I’d either react with anger or completely shut down. She helped me find the balance between the two, but unfortunately, with everything going on, I’ve been finding it more and more difficult to keep that balance, even with her help.

“Where are we at on the Howard disappearance?” Olson asks, pulling me from my thoughts.

“Hospitals and jails in the surrounding areas came up empty. I’ve got Lieutenant Nagel and a couple deputies interviewing friends, family, coworkers, neighbors, anyone that may know of her whereabouts.”

“Hopefully, we get a lead there or she just turns up. And who all do we have left to reinterview for the Summers case?” she asks.

I slide a small notebook from the front pocket of my shirt and flip it open. “There’s Bob, but I want to save him for last, given the Howard investigation.”

“Best not to rattle him about this now.” She nods in agreement.

“Scott Summers, Kelly’s husband, but we haven’t been able to locate him, and I’m not sure we ever will, unless, of course, he wants us to find him.”

“What do you mean?”

“Scott skipped town after the trial. No one’s seen or heard from him since.”

“That’s rather suspicious, right?” Olson tilts her head. “Guilty people run.”

“Yeah, they do. I always thought he was guilty of something, but I don’t think it had to do with Kelly’s murder.”

She raises a brow, but before she can ask another question, I steer the conversation forward. “There’s also Jesse Hook, the guy who was stalking Kelly, but he died of a drug overdose three years ago.”

“Stalking?”

“The defense described Jesse as a stalker. The prosecution said he was just a guy who was a little too infatuated with Kelly. Stevens cleared him, but we know now that doesn’t mean he was actually cleared.”

Olson shakes her head in dismay.

“And then there’s Sarah,” I add. “But I wanna be careful with her.”

“Why’s that?”

“She filed an appeal with the court to reopen Adam Morgan’s case, and I got a tip from someone over at Judge Carmack’s chambers that they’re going to grant her request. It’ll leave the department extremely vulnerable to legal action, so I’d rather not tick her off until I absolutely have to.”

“It’s being granted that fast?” Olson’s tone is skeptical.

“Sarah’s got friends in all places. If she wants something done, it’ll get done, and it’ll get done quickly.”

“The fact that Sarah filed an appeal to reopen the case kind of makes me think she didn’t have anything to do with Kelly’s murder, because why file then?”

“It’d look suspicious if she didn’t file, given the new information.”

“True.” Olson nods. “She could just be playing the game. What about Stevens? Did we hear back on how his surgery went?”

I look down at my wrist, checking the time. “No, not yet. But he should be out soon. Regardless, the surgeon informed me that following his operation, he wouldn’t be able to speak for a few days, and that’s if everything went well.”

“Damn,” she says.

“Damn is right, and the public wants definitive proof as to who killed Kelly. Unless we get some lucky break, I don’t think we’ll be able to give that to them.” I deeply exhale through my nose.

“If we push hard enough, maybe the truth will come out.”

“Maybe. But I only see that happening if there were two people involved in Kelly’s murder, and one of them turns on the other. Whoever did this has kept this secret for twelve years now, and as they say, two can keep a secret if one of them is dead.”

“Let’s hope there’s two of them, and that they’re both still alive then.” Olson wistfully smiles.

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