more upset about him being dead. You’re not the only one who’s going to think I’m total y insensitive, not that I’l ever tel anyone else the reason why. That particular truth wil be buried with Larry.”
Tucker shook his head. “That may not be possible, not when he’s been murdered. For one thing, the media’s going to be al over this story. For another, the police—and I, for that matter—wil have to explore every angle to try to find out who did this.”
“There’s no way…?” she began, regarding him hopeful y.
“None I can see. Once everyone starts digging around in your husband’s life, if there are skeletons, they wil be found.”
She drew in a deep breath as reality set in. Her life was going to be exposed to intense scrutiny. Everyone would know that her husband had humiliated her time and again with his other women. Was that too high a price to pay to discover the person responsible for his death? Of course not. The real hurt had come with the cheating and with the lies to cover it up, lies that had eventual y led to an inability to trust one single word that her husband had uttered. She wondered if she would ever be able to trust any man again.
One glance at Tucker answered that question. She could trust him with her life. She was trusting him with her life.
Liz caught his worried expression. “What?” she asked.
“Are you going to be okay with that?” he asked. “Is there anything I need to know?”
“Are you asking if there are skeletons in my closet that are going to come tumbling out?” she asked, refusing to take offense at the question. “No, none. No affairs. No secret deals. I didn’t embezzle money from any of the charities I raised money for. Larry was the only one with secrets he wanted hidden.”
“Okay, then,” Tucker said with unmistakable relief. “Start at the beginning. When did you first discover he was cheating?”
Maybe it would be easier to get into al this in the dark interior of a car on the quiet streets of Trinity Harbor than it would be under the glare of lights in Tucker’s living room. She took a deep breath and began.
“Only a few weeks after the wedding,” she told him, determined to betray absolutely no emotion. “I don’t know how long it had been going on, probably from the beginning. At that point he was involved with his campaign manager, a woman named Cynthia Miles. She was young, blond and ambitious.”
“Was she in love with him?”
“Hard to say. She was very good at hiding her emotions. Seeing the two of them together, I would never have suspected a thing, if I hadn’t walked into his hotel suite and found them in bed.”
Tucker’s jaw clenched again. “Why the hel didn’t you leave him then?”
Liz shrugged. “The usual reasons, I suppose. He apologized and swore it would never happen again. I was stil starry-eyed and in love. I wanted to believe him. As soon as the campaign was over, he fired her because I insisted on it.”
“How did she take that?”
“Not wel , I gather. I wasn’t there.”
“Did she vow to get even?”
“If she did, it would have been with me, not Larry.”
“I’l need to talk to her. Is she in Richmond?”
“Of course, that’s where the power is in this state,” Liz said dryly. “Cynthia would never stray far from that.”
“Did you cross paths often?”
“Not if I could help it, but yes, she was often at political ral ies for various party candidates. She was good at her job. She had no difficulty finding work.”
“So she could hardly have resented Larry—or you—for ruining her career,” he said thoughtful y.
“I don’t see how,” Liz agreed.
“Were there more lovers after this Miles woman?”
She nodded, embarrassed but determined to be total y honest.
“Yet you stayed. Why?”
“I don’t know if you can possibly understand this, but here it is. I chose to play the docile, loving wife because that’s what was expected of me. It was a role, and I gave an
Tucker shook his head. “That may not be possible, not when he’s been murdered. For one thing, the media’s going to be al over this story. For another, the police—and I, for that matter—wil have to explore every angle to try to find out who did this.”
“There’s no way…?” she began, regarding him hopeful y.
“None I can see. Once everyone starts digging around in your husband’s life, if there are skeletons, they wil be found.”
She drew in a deep breath as reality set in. Her life was going to be exposed to intense scrutiny. Everyone would know that her husband had humiliated her time and again with his other women. Was that too high a price to pay to discover the person responsible for his death? Of course not. The real hurt had come with the cheating and with the lies to cover it up, lies that had eventual y led to an inability to trust one single word that her husband had uttered. She wondered if she would ever be able to trust any man again.
One glance at Tucker answered that question. She could trust him with her life. She was trusting him with her life.
Liz caught his worried expression. “What?” she asked.
“Are you going to be okay with that?” he asked. “Is there anything I need to know?”
“Are you asking if there are skeletons in my closet that are going to come tumbling out?” she asked, refusing to take offense at the question. “No, none. No affairs. No secret deals. I didn’t embezzle money from any of the charities I raised money for. Larry was the only one with secrets he wanted hidden.”
“Okay, then,” Tucker said with unmistakable relief. “Start at the beginning. When did you first discover he was cheating?”
Maybe it would be easier to get into al this in the dark interior of a car on the quiet streets of Trinity Harbor than it would be under the glare of lights in Tucker’s living room. She took a deep breath and began.
“Only a few weeks after the wedding,” she told him, determined to betray absolutely no emotion. “I don’t know how long it had been going on, probably from the beginning. At that point he was involved with his campaign manager, a woman named Cynthia Miles. She was young, blond and ambitious.”
“Was she in love with him?”
“Hard to say. She was very good at hiding her emotions. Seeing the two of them together, I would never have suspected a thing, if I hadn’t walked into his hotel suite and found them in bed.”
Tucker’s jaw clenched again. “Why the hel didn’t you leave him then?”
Liz shrugged. “The usual reasons, I suppose. He apologized and swore it would never happen again. I was stil starry-eyed and in love. I wanted to believe him. As soon as the campaign was over, he fired her because I insisted on it.”
“How did she take that?”
“Not wel , I gather. I wasn’t there.”
“Did she vow to get even?”
“If she did, it would have been with me, not Larry.”
“I’l need to talk to her. Is she in Richmond?”
“Of course, that’s where the power is in this state,” Liz said dryly. “Cynthia would never stray far from that.”
“Did you cross paths often?”
“Not if I could help it, but yes, she was often at political ral ies for various party candidates. She was good at her job. She had no difficulty finding work.”
“So she could hardly have resented Larry—or you—for ruining her career,” he said thoughtful y.
“I don’t see how,” Liz agreed.
“Were there more lovers after this Miles woman?”
She nodded, embarrassed but determined to be total y honest.
“Yet you stayed. Why?”
“I don’t know if you can possibly understand this, but here it is. I chose to play the docile, loving wife because that’s what was expected of me. It was a role, and I gave an
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