Page 109 of Happy Wife

I thumb the picture frame and add it to the box. “Seems like they had easier times back then.”

“Everything is easy in the beginning.”

Tell me about it.

She lingers in the doorway, and I know this is my chance.

“I have to ask,” I say. “I feel like things got worse since this Martinez case happened. Or maybe I was just misreading things?”

“Every case is a living, breathing organism, Nora. They take on lives of their own. It’s not always easy to navigate through them.”

“Right. Of course. I just wonder if it was something bigger. More than just the case?”

Lenore straightens up a little. “I’m not sure why you’re worried about any of these things now, Nora. Fritz will handle all that.”

Shit. I’ve lost her.

“Oh, I know. I was curious because I know they were struggling—”

“Nothing they wouldn’t have figured out. I’m sorry for all of this, Nora. I’m sorry that you’re stuck in the middle. I saw that the police had brought you in for questioning.”

She’s showing me who is boss.

“Just some routine things,” I say.

“Have you found the pictures you want? I think we should close up this office and let Fritz get all of theworkfiles out of here before you come back.”

“Yeah. I just wanted these few things.”

I pick up the box and add my bag to it. I feel like Lenore is eyeing it, wishing she had X-ray vision to see inside. I shift the box on my hip so that my bag slides deeper inside.

“Thank you so much, Lenore. I’ll head out.”

I walk out of the building to my car, adrenaline surging as I put the box on the floor of the passenger side. As I walk around to the driver’s side, I look up at the window and see Autumn.

What’s she doing at the firm now? I’m sure they can’t be throwing a party so soon after Will’s funeral.

She must be carrying out one of Gianna’s insane quarterly design and décor updates to Fritz’s office, or changing out theflowers. Will and Fritz had asked Lenore to do that exactly one time before, and she had let the flowers wilt until someone commented about the smell, making it clear that she was the gatekeeper. Not the gardener.

I shake it off and get in the car. I’ve got a file burning a hole in my bag.

—

Once I’m home, I use our dining room table to spread out every single piece of paper from the random folder I swiped. Most of it doesn’t make sense to me. But one page has what I think is an account number circled andDean?written next to it. Another paper seems to be some email regarding the Martinez case that is so steeped in legalese it’s lost on me, but at the bottom of the page, something catches my eye. Scrawled in Will’s handwriting it just says:Talk to Autumn.

Autumn? Was that just a random side note about something else? His party, maybe?

The French door by the pool opens, and Este comes throughit.

“You’re back. What did you find? I’ve been texting you and you didn’t answer.”

“Sorry, I found a folder. Something about this Martinez case, but of course, thanks to Will’s chaotic organization, I don’t really get what any of it is. I think this might be an account number. I texted it to Perry. We’ll see.”

“Look at you, Angela Lansbury. That transition from wife to retired widow detective happened fast.”

“Shut up. Something strange is going on, and I have to figure out what.”

“I mean. Fritz is an ass, but do you really think he’s a killer?” Este surveys my haul.

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