Don't Say a Word by Beverly Barton

arrest warrant,” Will told her quietly.
    At that, they took their leave. Outside, Will walked swiftly to the truck, jaw set, fists clenched. Pissed off big-time. Julia got in without comment, but once the doors were shut, she said in a tight voice, “I believe she’s the most disgusting woman I’ve ever met. At least your sexy little Ginger Snap had some color in her cheeks.”
    “Lay off the Ginger cracks, okay? And you’re right. Iris won’t win any prizes for Sweetheart of the Year, that’s for sure.”
    “What do you think? Is she involved?”
    “I don’t know. I think she probably wanted him dead and is glad he is, but doing it herself doesn’t seem her style. Might mess up her snowy carpet.”
    “No, it doesn’t.” Julia adjusted the vents to direct the air-conditioning toward her face, still flushed with anger. “Her alibi will be easy enough to check out and will probably hold up. She’s the type who would hire a thug to kill him for her.”
    “Maybe. She seems amenable to maintaining her lavish lifestyle. Bitter, hard as nails, and superior, but she did her own thing for years. If he’s had that many other women during his marriage, why would she suddenly want him dead and rock her boat of plenty?”
    Julia ticked off some reasons. “Insurance money? Freedom to marry somebody else? Maybe she’s got a lover stashed down on Bourbon Street, some lifeguard or pool boy that she wants to marry.”
    “Could be. Go ahead and check it out. And check out her daughter, too. Her name’s Tanya. She lives out in Seattle. You can get the number from Willie Mullins. He was the one who notified her, poor girl. Imagine having a mom like Iris.”
    “Will do. Did Willie tell you anything about her?”
    “Just that she moved as far away from her parents as she could get. Pretty much hated their guts. But who wouldn’t.”
    “I’ll call her and get the interview today.”
    “Good. Right now, I think we need to pay a call on Jane Cansell down at the courthouse.”
     
     
    Tam Lovelady was sick to death of the trial. More than that, she was sick and tired of reliving terrible, long-ago memories that the Rocking Chair Murders brought down on her and her best friend, Audrey Sherrod, and lots of other innocent people. She didn’t ever want to think about it, much less remember all the details, especially those concerning Audrey’s stepbrother, Hart Roberts. She could hardly believe he was really gone, murdered . She had loved him for so long, those feelings hidden deep inside her heart. And their child, the child she conceived with him so many years ago and aborted when she was only eighteen. She lived to regret that decision, but knew it was her only choice, because she and Hart could never have been together. She’d never gotten over it. Never. Hart’s death had hit her hard, even after all the years that had gone by, even after she had married Marcus, the kindest, most considerate, most wonderful man in the world.
    Agitated by the deep and painful thoughts resurrected inside her, Tam rose from the wood bench in the hallway outside the criminal courtroom and paced the length of the marble floor to the windows overlooking the street.
    J.D. was testifying again. He had been on the stand for three hours. And she wasn’t even next in line on the witness list. She turned around and leaned against the windowsill. They’d break for lunch soon, thank goodness. She was tired and wasn’t sleeping. She missed Marcus. They’d been separated for almost a year. Her idea, because of Hart, of course; it had always been about Hart. But she missed her husband since the first day she’d left their home. Her idea. He didn’t want her to go, but she had temporarily moved back home with her parents. Her heart hurt, grieved over their separation.
    She had cut Marcus out of her life, but not out of her heart. She truly loved him. More now. She’d seen him a couple of times. Not often. He’d given her the space she’d said