Page 94 of Holmes, Margaret and Poe

“Enough to have an affair with a married guy whose wife was dying?”

Jackson pulled her shoulders back. “Enough to fall in love with him. For real. And she believed Charles loved her too. And that ring? There’s the proof of what Leigh Anne always used to say to me — ‘If it’s real, love will find a way.’”

Elena Martin choked up and said, “Leigh Anne did say that. And then she’d watch one of those true-crime shows about husbands murdering wives and wives murdering husbands, and she’d say, ‘Isn’t it crazy what people will do for love and money?’”

CHAPTER 80

I HEARD A FLOORBOARDcreak and then soft footsteps; I felt a kiss on my forehead. Bree sat on the edge of the bed, smiling.

“How long have you been sleeping?”

“Not sure,” I said groggily.

“It’s six thirty. Dinner’s almost ready. Why don’t you take a shower while I tell you how my case of the missing executive turned out?”

Yawning, I nodded and shuffled to the shower in a way that made her laugh and say, “You really do need more sleep.”

“Tell that to the killers and sociopaths,” I said, turning on the shower.

I got in and let the hot water soak me while Bree told me about the FBI agent with a double life investigating the CEO with a double life. When she finished, I said, “Have you told Vicky Thomas?”

“She has an FBI team at Amalgam as we speak, seizing computers and paper records. I’ll bet we see Craig Warren, the CFO, go down. I expect the IPO is off.”

“What was the assistant shredding?”

“Leigh Anne’s files pre-Amalgam. And probably personal stuff. I can’t blame her for putting obstacles in our path. She was just trying to protect the reputation of someone she idolized.”

I nodded, smiling, impressed once again at my wife’s compassion for others, even people who got in her way. “Glad you closed the case.”

“Me too. Ali says he’s grounded?”

“Until after high-school graduation,” I said, irritated again. “Even with kids as bright as Ali, you have to set boundaries. And showing up at an active major crime scene is breaking all boundaries in this house.”

Her eyes widened. “He didn’t tell me that. He said he was trying to help you.”

“That kind of help will get me fired.”

Bree agreed but said grounding Ali until graduation was a little extreme.

“I get it,” I said, climbing out of the shower and toweling off. “I still love him, but he’s got to be punished for this in a way that hurts.”

“I’m sure you’ll figure something out,” she said. “And of course you still love him. Just because he’s smart doesn’t mean he doesn’t need parenting.”

“Exactly. And as long as it’s done out of love, we’re good.”

Bree smiled. “Done out of love. I like … ” She stared off into space as I dressed.

“Earth to Bree?” I said, buttoning my shirt. “What’s up?”

She shook her head, then refocused. “Just something thatLeigh Anne Asher evidently used to say after watching one of those true-crime shows. ‘Isn’t it crazy what people will do for love and money?’”

“And power.”

“The big three,” she said just as Jannie knocked and told us dinner was ready.

More clearheaded now, I went down the stairs with Bree following, but she was off in the clouds again, no doubt contemplating Leigh Anne Asher’s question of love and money.

Nana Mama brought a carved chicken to the table that she’d slow roasted in a mustard, saffron, and garlic sauce inside a ceramic pot. The meat was falling off the bone and smelled ridiculously good.

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