He braced himself. “What is it?”
The wind lifted her hair, and for a moment it was all Dave could do not to reach out and smooth the soft strands with his hand.
“Did you really know who Nettle was going to name when you brought me out here?”
“I suspected. I didn’t know.”
Her eyes searched his face. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Would you have believed me?”
“I don’t know.” She looked off toward the cabin, as if still having a difficult time accepting what had happened. “Is it possible he made it all up? Maybe he just said what he knew you wanted to hear.”
“I don’t think so, Claire. Titus followed Nettle to a bar on Airline Drive yesterday. A little while later, Alex showed up, and they were together for a long time. It seemed as if they had a lot to discuss.”
She shuddered, and then without warning, she reached up, lightly touched the cut on his forehead. Her fingers were cool and soft, but the feel of them against his skin was like an electric jolt. Dave didn’t move, could barely even breathe. After a brief moment, she took her hand away.
“Did Nettle do that to you?”
“He had a little help from a creep named Bobby Ray Taubin.”
“What about Alex? Did he have anything to do with it?”
“I don’t know. A third man was there that night, but I never got a look at his face.”
Claire bit her lip. “Is that why you set all this up?”
“I set this up because I wanted justice served,” Dave said. “It’s not revenge, if that’s what you’re asking.”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to imply that it was. It’s just…I hardly know what to think anymore. All those years that Alex and I were married…all the times we were together…I had no idea what he’d done. I thought he was a good man, someone I could love and respect.”
Dave looked down at his hand. His knuckles were swollen and one had split open against Nettle’s jaw. But the pain was nothing compared to the ache inside his chest. “None of this is on you, Claire. He was your husband. You wanted to believe the best about him. No one can fault you for that.”
She drew a long breath and released it. “Do you ever wonder why things happen the way they do?”
“All the time,” he said. “But it doesn’t do any good.”
“It’s like someone opened a door to our past and now all this pain just keeps rushing out.”
“I don’t think there’s any grand design here, Claire. If I hadn’t been drinking for all those years, this mess would have been settled a long time ago. The clues were there, I just wasn’t in any shape to know what they meant.”
She brushed a shaky hand across her face. “What’s going to happen to Alex now?”
“If all this sticks, he’s facing some pretty serious charges. Accessory to murder, conspiracy. I guess it all depends on how good his lawyer is. I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be sorry. If he used Ruby’s kidnapping to cover up that girl’s murder, then I don’t care what happens to him.”
Dave could see her lips trembling, and when she bowed her head, moonlight glinted in her hair, turning the gold highlights to silver.
As he watched her struggle with her emotions, he felt something tear loose inside him. He had only just started learning to live with the past, and now it was the future that scared him. Because the road ahead had no glimmers of light to guide him, no fleeting images of happiness such as he saw when he looked behind him.
No matter what happened from this night forward, Claire would fade back into his past, a moment, a memory, an elusive ghost that would always be there to haunt him.
Twenty-Five
Alex Girard swore at the persistent ring of the doorbell as he came out of the bedroom. Pulling on his shirt, he walked over and checked the peephole. Then he drew open the door in surprise.
“Claire? What are you doing here at this hour?”
“I need to talk to you.”
He glanced over his shoulder as he propped an arm against the door frame. “It’s late and I’ve had a long day. Whatever it is, can’t it wait until morning?”
“No, it can’t.” She brushed past him before he could stop her.
He closed the door and turned, noticing for the first time how agitated she seemed. She wore a denim skirt and white tank top, and her hair was damp, as if she’d just come from the shower.
Down the hallway, the bedroom door closed softly, but Alex didn’t think Claire heard it. She was too distracted.
“What’s wrong? You look upset.”
“I am upset. I found out something tonight that was very disturbing.”
Alex’s gaze shot to the bedroom door before he could stop himself. “And what might that be?”
Claire paused. “Does the name Renee Savaria mean anything to you?”
Outwardly, he managed to remain calm, but his lungs felt crushed all of a sudden, as if someone had placed a very heavy weight on his chest. He’d had an inkling something like this might be coming. Dave Creasy had been asking too many questions lately, and something was bound to surface. Whatever he’d dug up he’d evidently passed along to Claire. And now here she was.
He walked into the kitchen to fix himself a drink. “The name rings a faint bell,” he said over his shoulder. His voice sounded normal, but his hand trembled as he got out the glasses. “You want a drink?”
She shook her head.
He poured himself a whiskey, then came back into the living room and sat on the arm of the couch. “What’s this all about?”
“Renee Savaria was murdered by a cop seven years ago.”
He swirled the liquid in his glass as he thought about that for a minute. “I have a vague recollection of the case,” he said, “But I don’t remember anything about a cop. I think you got that part all wrong.”
“Don’t lie, Alex. You have more than a vague recollection. You were there the night she was murdered and you helped cover it up. You even used Ruby’s kidnapping to manipulate Dave into destroying incriminating evidence.” She pushed back her damp hair with a trembling hand. “How could you do such a thing? How could you marry me, knowing what you’d done? What kind of person are you?”
“Those are some ugly accusations.” His hand tightened around the glass as he forced himself to meet her gaze. “Who put you up to this?”
“Nobody. I came here on my own.”
“I don’t think so. This isn’t you talking. Somebody’s put a bug in your ear and I’ve a pretty good idea who it was.” He set the drink aside and slowly stood. “How long have you been seeing him?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Sure you do, Claire. Was it before we separated?” His mouth tightened. “For the life of me, I can’t figure out what you see in that guy. He’s had a serious sauce problem for years, and yet you still can’t get over him. I wish you would tell me what the fascination is because I would truly love to know.”
“Don’t change the subject. This is about you, Alex, and what you did seven years ago. I don’t know how you can stand there and look me in the eyes after what you’ve done.”
“So that’s it? You have me all tried and convicted on Dave Creasy’s word? You’re not even going to consider the possibility that he could be making the whole thing up just to make me look bad? It’s the kind of thing he’d do, Claire, and you know it.”
“You seem to be missing something here. Dave isn’t the one who told me about your involvement. I heard it from Clive Nettle.”
Alex felt his hands go cold, and for a moment, it was as if the earth had opened up beneath his feet. He sat down hard on the couch arm, the color draining from his face.
