Page 24 of The Wife Stalker

“NoE. I wonder if itwasher. Her hair used to be dark, but her face looked the same.”

“Do you mind giving me your name and number in case my boss wants to call you?”

“Of course not,” he said, reaching into his wallet and handing me a business card. “Really strange.”

I glanced at the card. Brent McDonald. He was an investment broker. “You said shewasmarried. Were they divorced?”

He shook his head. “No. Matthew died. It was a real tragedy. An accident. Things got pretty awful for Pamela afterward. His ex-wife wouldn’t leave her alone. Blamed her for all of it.”

“What kind of an accident?”

“Sailing. Matthew and his daughter both drowned. Pamela was the only one who survived. It was just terrible.”

My blood ran cold. “Could you tell me his ex-wife’s name?”

“Ava. Ava Dunn. What does your detective think she’s done?”

I’d aroused his curiosity now. “I’m not at liberty to say too much... but he thinks she’s got a history of swindling men.”

“Well, shewasquite a bit younger than Matthew, but I thought they were in love. I’d see her at the club occasionally, but we didn’t really socialize that much—he told me she wasn’t a big drinker and didn’t care too much for his friends. Ava never trusted her. Maybe she was right. At the time, I thought she was just jealous.”

“I’d really like to talk to Ava. If you’re still in touch, do you think you could get my number to her? Ask her to call me?”

“Sure. I’m heading home this afternoon, so I’ll give her a call.”

I wrote my number down for him. “Thank you so much. If you do happen to run into Pamela in the future, please don’t mention our conversation. I wouldn’t want her to take off again.”

He gave me a somber look. “Of course. I understand.”

Though I felt vindicated—Iknewthere was something off about her—I was also panicked. If she was this Pamela Dunn, then Leo and the kids could be in danger. Why would you change your name and move thousands of miles away unless you had something to hide? I couldn’t wait to get home and google Pamela Dunn. There was no way this woman was going to do anything to hurt Leo or the kids while I had breath in my body.

19

Piper

Though she’d only been seeing him for two months, Piper felt like she’d known Leo for much longer. Their nights of lovemaking were amazing, but equally wonderful were the long hours of conversation that brought them closer. Even Stelli had become a trifle less antagonistic. Their outings on her boat had helped with that, because even though he had scoffed that first day at the idea of sailing, he had actually come to like it. The first time she and Leo had taken the kids out, Stelli had given her a look as he stood on the pier near the stern.

“Coming aboard?” she called to him as Evie scrambled on.

Stelli looked from her to the transom and then reached for his father, who helped him on.

“What does it mean?” he asked. “The name of your boat?”

“Ah,” she said, clutching the line in her hand. “Eos. It’s the name of a Greek goddess.” At this, she smiled at Leo. They’d already talked about how fated it felt, that she had a connection to Greek mythology before she’d even met him. “Eos is the goddess of dawn.”

When he didn’t say anything, Piper continued. “And she is the sister of Helios, the sun god, and Selene, the moon goddess. She’s a good goddess for sailors.” Piper didn’t think Stelli would be interested, so she didn’t add that Eos was also the goddess of new beginnings or that she was believed to have an insatiable lust for love and adventure.

And so continued their summer weekends of alternating betweenLeo’s boat and hers, relaxing by his backyard pool, and kayaking on the Sound. The children were getting used to her, although Stelli still kept his distance most of the time. She was doing her best to wean both of them from the food she believed unhealthy, but whenever she replaced their usual food with nutritious substitutes, Stelli complained of stomachaches. He could really be a pill sometimes.

Today, they’d spent the day swimming in the pool at Leo’s, and now Piper was putting dinner together while Rebecca helped the children with their baths. She was more than grateful for Rebecca’s presence, although the idea of a live-in nanny had given her pause. After all, Rebecca was only thirty-seven, not much older than Piper. But as soon as Piper had met the nanny, her worries dissolved.Efficient.Rebecca was nothing if not efficient. Minimal makeup, short hair, plain kid-friendly attire, and sturdy shoes. And her manner was to the point, firm but kind—and utterly boring to any red-blooded male. And Leo was nothing if not a red-blooded man.

She pulled the roasted chicken from the oven and began preparing their plates just as Stelli and Evie came into the kitchen with sun-kissed faces and shiny hair. Leo was a meat eater, and though Piper planned to introduce some healthier vegetarian alternatives slowly, in the meantime, she felt that chicken was at least somewhat better than beef. Though she’d made herself quickly at home in Leo’s kitchen, she had not yet ventured to the second floor of the house. It would not be in her best interest for the children to see her walking out of their father’s bedroom. She knew that all too well. And besides, she wasn’t ready to be confronted with more family photographs, which might be sitting on Leo’s nightstand. She’d already seen too many of them in the downstairs living space.

“You two look so clean and shiny,” Piper said as the children sat down and she set their plates in front of them. “I made chicken with mashed potatoes and peas. Your dad said you like peas. Is that right?”

“I love peas,” Stelli said with a sly grin on his face. “They’re good for shooting,” he said, picking up one and flicking it across the table at his sister.

“Hey,” Evie yelled at him. But the barrage had started, with one pea after another flying in different directions.

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