Tessa didn’t know what she had expected from Sam, but whatever it was, it certainly was not this.
“You’re saying he was violent?”
“He could be when things didn’t go his way,” Sam said. “Was he ever violent with you or the girls?”
Tessa shook her head. “No, not physically. He was good at tossing crude comments here and there, but nothing that truly offended me other than the starving Ethiopian comment. After his father died, he said he had a lot of responsibilities. I thought he needed to vent, and being his wife, I was the recipient of his occasional ranting.”
“Why do I feel like there is more? What are you not telling me, Tess?”
Chapter 25
“Ikeep thinking what Rosa said about seeing Joel running from the house. And that other man she said looked like him. I know it’s not possible, but did he ever mention anything to you about . . . having a twin?” There. She had said it.
Sam seemed to give serious consideration to her question. “I think he would have told me if he had. That’s a major detail to leave out when you’re sharing a dorm room. Are you telling me that you believe there is some merit to what Rosa’s been telling us?”
“I don’t think so, but it certainly seems odd. When I found Joel, and the girls, I was hysterical, I know that now. But I remembered thinking that the body in the pool wasn’t Joel’s. To be sure, the face was unidentifiable, and I am trained in the pharmaceutical field and have some medical knowledge. The case against me said that I killed my family two days before, on Friday. Decomposition, the water, I have taken all this into consideration. I have gone over that day a million times, and every time I come to the conclusion there was something odd about . . . the body. Something just did not seem right.”
“In what way, other than the obvious?”
“Joel was tanned, a golden color, you know how he swam, always seemed to have the perfect tan people strive for?”
“Yes, he did like to swim and get in his daily dose of sun,” Sam agreed.
“The body in the pool was pale, the skin looked like it hadn’t seen the sun in . . . forever. Is it possible that . . . hell, I probably sound like a crazy woman myself. Look, forget this. I need to get a shower, get ready to meet Lee.”
“We can discuss this later, Tess. We need to,” Sam told her.
She nodded, rinsed out her coffee cup, then headed down the hall to the bathroom. She showered, then found a pretty floral dress with the matching beige ankle boots Darlene had mentioned. She slipped the boots on, and while the top part of her ankle monitor was exposed, the bulky part slid into the leather easily and was not too tight or uncomfortable. She returned to the bathroom, where she used some of the cosmetics Darlene had picked out.
Tessa looked at her image and did not like what she saw. Her skin was too pale, and there were too many wrinkles where they shouldn’t be. Her hair was too long, and mostly silver instead of the honey blond of her past. She used the light foundation that matched her skin perfectly. Amazed at what a difference it made, she used the peach blush to add color to her face.
“Not bad for a convicted murderer just out of prison,” she said out loud, knowing the words were for her ears alone. She used a taupe-colored eye shadow, then added a soft brown liner to her top lids. Deep black mascara on her top and bottom lashes caused her to gasp when she looked in the mirror. A tube of lipstick in the shade sunny completed her face makeup. Had she not known herself, she wouldn’t have recognized the image staring back at her. Seeing what an improvement the makeup gave her, she twisted her long hair into a topknot and secured it with bobby pins. She almost could imagine the woman she used to be, of course, minus the wrinkles and silver hair. Smacking her lips together to set her lipstick, she returned to her room to get the small clutch purse that, of course, the ever-thoughtful Darlene had provided. Tessa couldn’t wait to meet this kind, caring woman. She would see to it that she was financially taken care of in a very big way. Her grandsons would be provided with an Ivy League education; she would discuss the details with Sam later. At least she could use Joel’s fortune, her fortune now, in a positive way.
She went to the kitchen, which was the most popular room in the house, and peered out the window while she brewed her third cup of coffee. There were two local news media vans parked behind the gates, but the big networks had obviously found another story to report on.
“Wow,” Sam whispered when he entered the kitchen.
Tessa stepped away from the window, looked at Sam, and smiled. “Wow yourself.” And she meant it. He wore a suit better than any man she had ever known, including Joel. Sam was broad-shouldered where Joel was lean and lanky. Sam was also taller than Joel.
“You look beautiful, Tess.”
“It is an improvement. I saw that myself. Darlene thought of everything. I want to thank her. Sam, is there a way for me to set up an education fund for her grandsons? A lifetime income for her as well? I want to use all those millions for something good, at least while I can.”
He laughed, and his entire face changed. The word handsome did not do him justice. “I think that can be arranged, though it’s quite a big price tag for someone who just made sure you had
