Page 119 of Darkwater Lane

“But that’s exactly what happened!” I shout. “I thought you cared about the truth, not what you could get a jury to buy.”

His expression folds into a frown. I’ve offended him.

Beside me, Victorinne rests a hand on my arm. Her way of telling me to cool my emotions and be careful what I say. I don’t have to be careful, what I’m saying is the truth. “Madison Westcott was a psychopath who was obsessed with me.”

“Obsessed enough to kill herself? If she cared about you so much, why would she set you up to take the fall for murdering her?” He lets that hang in the air.

I want to answer, but Victorinne’s grip tightens on my arm. “Is there anything else you need from us?” she asks crisply.

Diakos holds my eyes for a moment longer before breaking contact. “No. Not right now.”

She nods. “Then we’re done.”

He takes his time reaching over to turn off the video recorder.

“Gwen, I know you’re upset about the DA bringing charges against Sam,” he starts.

I snort, cutting him off. “Because he’s innocent. She set him up.”

“I get that’s your story, but I need you to listen. Off the record. You’ve got to start worrying about yourself. The DA wanted to include you in the indictment, and I talked him out of it. For now. But it’s coming. Don’t spend so much of your time and energy trying to protect Sam that you forget about protecting yourself.”

With that, he stands, packs up his equipment, and leaves.

Victorinne and I sit in silence for a moment. Shockwaves from Diakos’s revelations still echo through me. He wouldn’t be arresting Sam unless he was damn sure it would end in a conviction.

He wouldn’t be warning me if he didn’t think the same would be true for me.

My insides burn with anger, fear, and uneasiness. I’ve already been through this before: investigation, indictment, jail, trial. All for a crime I didn’t commit. Unfortunately, I worry this verdict might turn out different than the first.

The thought makes me nauseous. What will that mean for my kids? If both Sam and I are convicted, they would be on their own. It’s a realization that nearly causes a panic attack. I can’t let that happen.

“The knife used to kill Madison,” Victorinne finally says, leaving the statement open-ended.

I nod. “It was a gift from my friend Kez. The detective who works with Diakos.”

“What happened to it after Madison was injured by it?” I notice how carefully she’s choosing her words, not saying that I stabbed her.

I shrug. “I dropped it. It’s probably at the bottom of the lake by now.”

She chews her lip in concentration. “They’re going to find it,”she says. “No way they’re going to let that go. When they do, whose prints will they find on it?”

“Mine.”

“What about Madison’s?”

I close my eyes, trying to remember those final moments with Madison. It all happened so fast and was so unexpected. I picture her there in front of me. Lunging for me in the water. Her hand wrapping around mine.

But did she touch the knife itself?

I shake my head. “I don’t think so.”

Victorinne grimaces. “That’s likely how Diakos was able to get them to hold off charging you. They’re waiting on that. Once they have proof you were the only one holding the knife, they’re going to pick you up for first-degree murder.”

She says it so matter-of-factly, like it’s obvious. I open my mouth to protest, but the problem is that I know she’s right.

“What do we do?”

“First, if you have any plans to marry Sam, I would accelerate those. Spousal immunity is pretty difficult to pierce.”

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