Debra Burroughs - Paradise Valley 02.5 - The Edge of Lies by Debra Burroughs

“Oh, what a tangled web we weave when first we practice to deceive.”
    ~ Sir Walter Scott
    Chapter 1
    “Oh, Emily, I was eight months pregnant, lookin’ like I was tryin’ to hide a basketball under my weddin’ gown, with my ankles so swollen they looked like they belonged on an elephant.” Maggie Sullivan swept her long blondewaves over her shoulder. “Yes, I was one lovely bride.”
    Emily stifled a giggle. “That does sound like quite a sight, Maggie, but I’m sure you were still beautiful.”
    “Well, I don’t know about that, but you know I love tellin’ a good story.” Maggie paused and appeared to be studying Emily’s face. “But why all the questions, Em? What’s goin’ on in that pretty little head?”
    It was almost ten o’clock at night and Emily Parker was sitting in her Volvo sedan with her friend Maggie, staking out a parked car that belonged to a supposedly wayward husband. His wife had hired Emily, a private investigator in the small town of Paradise Valley, to find evidence that her spouse had been cheating on her so she would have the goods to shatter their pre-nup.
    The man had claimed to be working late more nights than the wife believed, she had said, and she was certain he was having an affair with a coworker. While Emily knew that her situation had been different, cases like this always brought thoughts of spouses keeping secrets to the forefront of her mind.
    Sitting in the darkened vehicle, parked a row away from the suspect’s car, the two women chatted as they waited for the money shot. Emily’s camera sat perched on the dash, within easy reach, poised to snap photos of the man getting dropped off at his car by his lady friend .
    Emily fidgeted with the steering wheel. “The truth is, Maggie, I’ve been thinking about my own wedding…and about Evan.”
    Almost a year earlier, Emily’s life took a sudden and unexpected turn when her husband was murdered. The police detective, who had no prior experience investigating a murder in the quiet little town of Paradise Valley, was unable to solve the crime.
    “I thought you had moved past that.” Maggie reached over and grasped Emily’s hand. “Why are you thinkin’ about it now?”
    Emily took a long, slow breath. “I still have so many unanswered questions, you know? So many things that don’t make sense.”
    “Like what?”
    “I know he loved me, Maggie, but I always had this sneaking suspicion that he was hiding things from me. I can’t imagine how hard it must have been for him, keeping all those lies straight.”
    “Lies, lies, lies.” Maggie shook her head. “My mama used to always say that tellin’ lies is like a barn cat standin’ on the edge of a cliff.”
    Emily raised her eyebrows, waiting for Maggie to give the meaning behind her mother’s colorful turn of phrase. “And?”
    “It means that if you’re gonna tell one lie, you’re gonna have to tell a bunch, and that means you better be ready to jump right off the edge of those lies and hope you land on your feet.”
    Emily smiled and nodded. Maggie had her own unique way of saying things, but inside those words there was always a kernel of truth.
    “Evan chose to jump off the edge rather than tell you the truth.” Maggie shrugged. “I suppose he didn’t have enough barn cat in him.”
    “Huh?”
    “He didn’t land on his feet, Em.” Maggie rolled her eyes as if the meaning should have been obvious to Emily.
    “But what if I could find the truth?” Emily asked. “The whole truth.”
    “Now, how on earth could you? It’s not like Evan is around to ask him. I think you need to let this go, Em. Leave the past where it belongs.”
    Tears rose to Emily’s eyes and she blinked them away.
    “Some things are not meant to be known.” Maggie placed a hand on Emily’s arm.
    “But that’s just it.” Emily twisted in her seat toward her friend. “I think maybe I was meant to know.”
    Maggie’s blue eyes reflected confusion. “You’re gonna