Page 86 of Sunburned

“No. I want to hear what she has to say,” Samira said, her eyes focused on Jennifer.

“It’s just…” Jennifer sighed. “He treated you like shit.”

“He treated everyone like shit,” Samira returned, “because of the great insecurity inside of him.”

“It’s true,” Cody murmured.

“Okay, sure,” Jennifer said. “But last night—I know you were all drunk, but I wasn’t. I remember clearly every vile thing he said to you. And you told him you hated him, you wished he was dead—”

“Do you have to remind me?” Samira choked back a sob. “We were fighting, I was angry. It doesn’t mean I didn’t love him. I didn’t mean—” Samira stopped, inhaling sharply. “Mon Dieu, you can’t think I killed him?”

Her shock seemed incongruous, considering that everyone who’sever watched a true-crime show knows nine times out of ten it’s the spouse.

Jennifer shook her head, though. “I’m not saying that. But if I were you, I might have.”

“It’s true you stand to gain the most,” Allison said, studying Samira.

Samira’s head whipped toward her, her jaw slack for a moment before she let out a bitter bark of laughter. “We were married only fourteen months. I do not get a cent until we are married three years.”

“That’s the prenup, not the will,” Allison said.

Samira sighed. “He assured me it was for both. Everything goes to his children.”

I took a sip of water to wash down the bite of soufflé that had lodged in my throat as Jennifer shook her head, mystified. “And you still loved him?”

“Oui—yes, yes!” Samira cried. “Did I always like him? No. Would I have been married to him forever? Probably not. But I did not murder him.”

Samira was certainly convincing, and my heart went out to her, but that didn’t mean it wasn’t entirely possible that she was acting the part of the grieving wife.

“Okay, if we’re going to play this game”—Allison fixed her eyes on Gisèle, a hint of amusement playing around her lips—“was it you?”

“Me?” Gisèle furrowed her brow, bewildered. “No. Why would I—”

“For Samira,” Allison said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. “So she could be free of him.”

Gisèle’s mouth opened slightly as she stared at Allison, dumbfounded. “I did not kill him,” she said finally. “But you are right I am not so sad about his death.” She glanced at Samira apologetically, softening her voice as she switched to French.“He dimmed your light and I am glad for your sake that he is gone.”She returned her focus to Allison. “What about you? You were under the water longer than anyone.”

“And it’s no secret that both Cody and I disagreed with him on a lot of things,” Allison admitted. “I’d be a liar if I said I didn’t fantasize about killing him sometimes.”

Cody gave Allison a discomfited glance. “Don’t bring me into this.”

“But I didn’t do it,” Allison said. “Not that I’d tell you if I did,” she added dryly. “I’m just saying, we all had a motive. Even you might have killed him on Cody’s behalf, Jennifer.”

“Okay, okay,” Cody said.

But Allison was on a roll, turning to Laurent. “And I don’t know what it was that he was holding over your head, but he trusted you, and he never trusted anyone he couldn’t ruin.” She pointed her fork at me and Rémy. “Even you two. I don’t know either of you, but you show up and then he’s dead. That’s pretty suspicious.”

Beneath the table, I felt Laurent’s fingers brush my thigh, lingering on my skin, and I wished I could trust him. But would he trust me, if I told him the whole truth?

“I never met Tyson before today,” Rémy said.

“How do we know you are not lying?” Gisèle asked, her tone more sardonic than accusatory. “You could be anyone. You could be a person you hire to kill.”

Jennifer guffawed. “A hit man?”

I’d had the same thought, of course. But while it was possible, it was also improbable. This wasn’t a spy novel. What I found more intriguing was the question of Rémy’s dogs. Did he have a connection to Tyson that neither of them had wanted anyone to know? And whatever that connection was, could it have driven Rémy to kill him?

Rémy shrugged. “I could be this hit man, maybe. But, no. I did not kill Tyson.”

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