She must have seen my glance because she blushed. “Looks like you caught me in a white lie. I’m not currently married.” She wiggled the finger with the wedding band. “Losing my husband was hard, and I haven’t been ready to take off my ring.”
“No problem. It’s really none of my business.”
She took a breath as if gathering courage. “As far as the mugging, yes, all of what you said is true. The man asked for money, and we gave him everything we had, but he still shot Daniel.” Her eyes watered as she met my gaze. “If my ring hadn’t been with the jeweler to be resized, he would have taken that too.”
My heart instantly went out to her, seeing the pain in her expression. “I’m sorry you had to go through that. No one should have to see someone they love be killed in that manner.”
She nodded, staring at her hands. “It was the hardest thing I’ve ever been through.”
“I can imagine it would be.” I shifted on the couch and glanced at my paperwork. “You told the intake worker you have reason to believe the man behind the mugging might be involved in your recent attack.”
She twisted the ring back and forth, most likely a nervous habit. “I’m not sure. All I know is that the guy who killed my husband said, ‘You don’t have a prayer,’ right before he shot him. I got an anonymous call recently, and the man said the same thing over the phone.” She swallowed hard. “It could be a weird coincidence.”
“Or not.”
“Or not,” she said quietly as if speaking too loudly would make it true.
“Just so you know, we contract with private detectives, but Mr. Sunder said that wouldn’t be necessary in your case. Still, we do like to go over what happened so we get our facts straight. We need to be aware of all potential dangers.”
She nodded, a crease forming on her forehead. “I understand.” She grimaced as if not wanting to share the next information. “After my husband was killed, I moved to get away from my neighbor, Victor, but I also wanted a more secure home. I was scared all the time back then.”
I frowned, looking at the intake form. “There’s nothing in here about a man named Victor.”
“I didn’t say anything because there was never any proof of wrongdoing.” She let out a breath and slid the ring on her finger back and forth. “But I always suspected he was behind my husband’s shooting.”
“Why do you suspect him?”
“He lived next door to my old house,” she clarified. “One day, Daniel and I were taking a walk in the neighborhood and we passed by Victor’s home. He and his elderly mother were standing in the driveway, and he was yelling at her in an abusive manner. Daniel asked him to stop, but he told Daniel to mind his own business. We called the police, but when they came to the home, Victor’s mother covered for him and said we lied because we don’t get along with her son.”
I nodded. “Sounds like difficult neighbors. Did she live with Victor?”
“No, but she visited occasionally.” She paled as she recalled the memory. “There was a second incident. We voiced our frustration to Victor a few times about his dog continuously barking throughout the night. It was impossible to sleep, but we weren’t the only ones who complained. Practically everyone on the street did. Anyway, someone poisoned the dog and Victor blamed Daniel. He actually said, ‘I know you killed my dog.’” She glanced at me, her expression stricken. “Daniel wasn’t capable of hurting anyone, and he loved animals. He would never do something like that.”
“Did the police investigate Victor’s possible involvement?”
“They said he had an alibi. Tom, the neighbor across the street, said he saw Victor’s mother arrive at the same timeframe the mugging took place. He stated that Victor welcomed her inside.”
“I see. So, you don’t suspect him anymore.”
“I didn’t say that.” She glanced down, her features appearing drawn all of a sudden. “I don’t have proof he was involved, but I’ve always had this gut feeling about him. He’s bad news.” She looked as if she were about to cry.
“I’m sorry. I know this is a distressing conversation. We’re almost done.”
She met my gaze, her large blue eyes trusting at that moment. “It’s okay. You’re just doing your job.”
I wanted to reach out and give her a hug, comfort her in some way, but that wouldn’t have been appropriate. “That’s everything on the intake form regarding potential dangers. Do you have any other concerns I should know about?”
She bit down on her bottom lip. “I don’t think this is anything to worry about, but there’s this guy, Leo, that I was set up with. He keeps harassing me for a second date, and I don’t want anything to do with him.”
I nodded. “All right. I won’t let him get near you.”
I glanced at the form again. “There’s one last thing we need to discuss. When you and Robert spoke to my boss, Will, it appears everyone decided you don’t need a night bodyguard.”
“That’s right. I live in a gated community and all guests have to check in with the security guard before he lets them in, as you already experienced.”
“Yes. In lieu of a nighttime bodyguard, I’ll set up cameras outside your home, and a company we contract with will monitor all activity. If they pick up anything suspicious, they’ll contact me right away—after calling the police first, of course.”
She nodded. “That makes me feel better.”
“I’ll also install a better security system than what you have. If the alarm goes off, the police will be called immediately unless you punch in
