Page 86 of Midnight Secrets

“Why did you stay with her, then?” I asked.

“I loved her. You met her. She’s beautiful. Kind. Smart. What man wouldn’t want her for his wife?”

Ozzie frowned, returning to doctoring Warren’s face. “Okay. How about you start at the beginning? What did you see? And why are you here tonight?”

Warren’s mouth pressed flat for a moment. “We were supposed to fly to Boston to house hunt, but Marie said last minute that she couldn’t go. Something about being too far behind on grading.” He rolled his eyes. “I knew that was a lie. If she had grading to do, she could have brought it along and done it on the plane. She has before. I didn’t press the issue, though. This move was for her. I like it here. I may not look it, but the outdoors soothes me. It’s why I have that cabin near Hoonah.”

He flapped one hand dangling between his knees. “Anyway, I hoped—foolishly, perhaps—that moving her closer to her family would once again save our marriage. I think it was her escape plan, though.” His brows pinched, then he winced as the movement pulled at the scrapes on his face.

“That explains why she didn’t go to Boston, but why didn’t you?” Ozzie put the gauze down and reached for the box of butterfly strips.

Warren’s hands clenched into fists. “Because, as much as I loved her and wanted to save our marriage, I was tired of being cast aside. So, I stayed behind, determined to catch her cheating. If I had hard proof to take to a lawyer, I was hopeful I could get out of paying alimony.” Fine lines appeared around his mouth as his features tightened. “Not that she ever wanted my money, anyway.”

“Is that why she drove an outdated car and the two of you lived in a modest house?” I asked.

He nodded. “She wanted to save it all. For what, I don’t know. She said retirement, but I made more than enough for us to live a more lavish lifestyle and still save plenty for retirement.”

“That’s interesting,” Ozzie muttered, peeling a butterfly strip from the paper. “Several of Marie’s colleagues said the opposite. That it was you who wouldn’t let her spend the money.”

A genuine frown formed on Warren’s face? “What? No.” His frown smoothed out and anger darkened his expression. “Let me guess—Grace and Kaya? Those two didn’t like me.”

“Probably with good reason. They said you treated your wife like garbage. Especially when you’d been drinking.” Ozzie laid a butterfly strip over one of the deeper cuts on Warren’s face.

A flush tinged Warren’s cheeks. “I admit, I probably… imbibe a little too much scotch, and it can make me mean. But that still doesn’t mean I murdered Marie.”

“No. Tell me, Warren, were you drunk the night you decided to catch her cheating?”

Oh my. Could he have done it in a drunken rage and then blocked it out, I wondered.

Warren’s eyes turned flinty. “It doesn’t matter if I had anything to drink. I didn’t kill her.”

Ozzie let out a soft grunt, then took another butterfly strip off the paper backing. “Okay, so maybe you were drinking, maybeyou weren’t. But you’re saying Marie’s friends were wrong about how you treated her?”

“Yes. Things were tense between us. I suspected she was cheating—had for a while—and I wasn’t handling it the best. I know I was probably just pushing her further away, but I couldn’t help myself. I didn’t know how to make things better. As for the money, that was all her. I don’t know why she would tell her friends that I controlled the purse strings. She had access to it all and chose not to spend it.”

But why would she lie about it? It was a simple enough thing to tell people you wanted to save for retirement. Why would she tell her friends he wouldn’t spend any of his wealth on her? I couldn’t wrap my brain around the idea. Warren seemed sincere, though. I had no reason not to believe him. His story made as much sense as Marie’s—maybe more.

“So what happened after you decided to stay behind?” Ozzie asked.

“I left like I was going to the airport, but I just went into Juneau and wandered around until I thought her lover might be there. By then, it was dark. I didn’t want to tip them off by pulling into the driveway, so I parked on the street several houses down and walked. I even went through the back, because the slider is quieter than the front door.”

Some of the blood drained from his face, giving him a ghostly pallor. His Adam’s apple bobbed.

“You found her first, didn’t you?” I said softly.

He met my gaze, tears shimmering in his eyes. “Yes.” The singular word came out on a rough whisper. He cleared his throat and took a deep breath before continuing. “The slider was open. Not just unlocked, but open. And the house was quiet. Dark too. At least, downstairs. I know I should have called the police as soon as I saw the open door, but part of me hoped thather lover had come in that way and just didn’t get the door all the way closed.” He lifted a shoulder before continuing.

“Anyway, I went inside and straight upstairs. The only light on was in the master bedroom.”

“Did you hear anything?” Ozzie asked.

“No. My first thought was that they were sleeping, but who falls asleep with the light on?” He rubbed his palms on his thighs, his gaze shifting around the room. “She wasn’t sleeping,” he whispered.

My heart broke for him.

Clenching my fists, I swallowed around the lump in my throat and looked away, blinking several times to clear my eyes. How horrible that must have been for him.

Warren lifted a hand, swiping at his cheek. “She was still warm.” Voice thick, he stared at the floor.

---