Page 55 of Happy Wife

“Nora, can you answer the question?”

“Our finances are fine,” I say. But the truth is, Will and I never talk about money. I just know he has plenty of it.

That magic paperweight of a credit card always seems to be limitless.

“I am going to need a list of all the people who were at the party, and their contact information. I also need to know who all Will was representing, what cases he was on, but I can figure that out with Fritz.”

“I’ll ask Autumn for the guest list.”

“I want the name of the cleaners who cleaned the house the next day, too.”

“Fine.” I stand up as if to indicate this inquisition is over, but Ardell doesn’t budge.

“Had Will been drinking that night?”

“It was a party,” I say dryly. “With a bunch of lawyers. We were all drinking.”

“Sure. But was he unsteady on his feet at all?”

“No.”

“How would you characterize your relationship with Constance? And what about Will’s?”

The way his questions jump around feels intentional, like he’s trying to keep me off balance. I almost slip and tell him that I’ve just seen dearest Constance. But Fritz has already chastised me about that, so I let it lie.

“She’s his ex and I’m the new wife. We’re not exactly trading friendship bracelets.” I give Este a what-the-fuck look and Ardell catches it.

“What about life insurance? Is there a policy in Will’s name?”

“Wait, why does that matter?”

It’s a stupid question. I know it is. But I can’t believe it’s come to this. And I have to ask the question I don’t want to ask.

“Do you think he’s dead?”

Ardell leans toward me. “Do you?”

Ardell’s tone of voice is pointed. Warning signals blare in myhead, and I hear Fritz saying not to talk to anyone, especially without him. “Do I need a lawyer here? I think I should call Fritz over.”

“No need, Nora. I am going to go track him down to answer the work-related questions anyway. Thanks for your time.” Ardell heads for the front door. I’m so mad that I don’t even bother to show him out. Este follows him, closing and locking the door behind him.

“What the actual fuck was that?” I’m rattled and angry that Ardell just came over here to grill me with questions when it was his precinct that leaked evidence in a missing person case. “Is anyone looking for Will? Or are they all just gawking at me?”

“The mob of reporters at the top of your street would suggest it might just be you.”

It wasn’t that long ago that Este told me not to care what people think, but now even she’s changing her tune. I don’t wait for her to pour me a glass of wine. This time, I go to the refrigerator, pull out the opened bottle, and swig directly from it. Este’s eyes go wide with surprise.

“Nora, are you okay? Where were you when I texted?”

I don’t want to tell Este where I was, but it’s only a matter of time before she pries it out of me. I spare her the trouble.

“I went to Constance’s.”

“You went to Constance’s? Nora…” She shakes her head. “That was a mistake.”

“Why? Why does everyone say I shouldn’t talk to her? I saw the shirt on the news and I figured she should have to explain—”

“Fritz said—”

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