The Scandal

by Nicola Marsh

  Emotion lodges in my throat and I take a gulp of wine to ease it. “I remember that morning you called me, every agonizing detail, so I can’t imagine what it must be like for you learning that someone you socialized with, someone you sat down to dinner with many times, was the monster who raped you.”

  My chest aches and I press my hand to it. “I’m so, so sorry for what you went through.”

  I take a large sip of the most expensive white wine in my cellar. Avery had been keeping it for a special occasion and for me, today, this is it. These two have meant everything to me the last few years. They got me through my empty nest syndrome and now we’re bonded forever, keeping the secret of Avery’s death.

  “Do you resent me?”

  She frowns in confusion. “Why?”

  “Because maybe I should’ve known something about my husband being depraved. Because of what you had to go through in fighting him off and almost dying.” I shake my head, the sting of tears making my eyes burn. “I’m sorry that I let you down.”

  Elly leaps to her feet and some of her wine sloshes onto the patio. “I can’t believe I’m hearing this. You have nothing to feel guilty for.”

  She places her wine glass on the table and comes to sit beside me, before resting her hand on my forearm. “You didn’t let me down. You saved me.”

  I don’t know if she’s referring to the night of the rape, the lie we told to keep her out of jail or our friendship in general, but when a lone tear trickles down her cheek I cover her hand with mine.

  “You know some of this already, Ris, but I’ll tell you both the rest. Before I came to town I had the perfect life and perfect husband. In Chicago, several years ago.” She slips her hand out from under mine and swipes away another tear. “Then I discovered the lying prick had another wife and three kids and I’d been the victim of bigamy.”

  I glance at Claire, who’s stunned.

  “I had a breakdown, spent a ton on a therapist, and on the day the divorce came through, had meaningless sex with a guy who turned out to be married.” Her gaze slides away and embarrassment tinges her cheeks pink. “I didn’t know and when his wife called I outed him. And for the first time in over a year, I felt back in control again.”

  Elly gestures at her outfit. “So I reinvented myself. And when married men came onto me, I encouraged them, knowing that by exposing those traitorous bastards I was helping a clueless woman like me.”

  She shrugs and holds out her hands, palm up, like she has nothing to hide. “I liked Maggie and for what it’s worth this is the first time I feel real remorse for screwing over another woman.” She makes circles at her temple. “I went a little crazy after the rape and when Ryan paid me attention… well, he was the first guy I slept with in my warped revenge scenario. Not for the sex, but because he comforted me somehow.”

  She gestures at Claire and me. “And I’m sorry for doing it, because the friendship we have, I’ve never had anything like it. I was struggling when I arrived in Gledhill and you literally saved me, so you should know that.”

  Her teary gaze swings between the both of us again. “As for what you both did for me that day in the cottage with Avery, I’ll spend every single waking moment for the rest of my life being grateful that you lied for me.”

  She leans over and hugs me, then does the same to Claire, who’s increasingly uncomfortable being reminded that a police officer undermined the law and her duty to uphold it by lying.

  “What will you do now?”

  “I’ve accepted a job at a cosmetic surgeon’s glitzy practice in LA.” Her mouth twists into a wry grimace. “I should fit right in with all the phonies.”

  “We do what we have to do to cope and it sounds like you’ve had to cope with more than most.” Claire bumps Elly gently with her shoulder. “For what it’s worth, I’ll miss you.”

  “Me too.” I sling my arm across Elly’s bony shoulders and squeeze.

  She leans into me momentarily before straightening and when her grateful gaze locks with mine I see she’s not defeated. She’s not that type of woman. She’ll conjure a new life in a new city. Elly’s a fighter.

  I want to suggest she seeks counseling for what she went through with Avery but when she stands I can already feel the distance being established between us. We won’t stay in touch. I don’t want to be reminded of what my husband did to her and she probably feels the same.

  “Take care, girls.” Her smile doesn’t quite reach her eyes, where I glimpse real sorrow. “I’ll try to keep the garden club tradition alive by consuming my body weight in wine and cheese on a monthly basis.”

  We chuckle and Elly raises her hand in farewell as she walks away, her daffodil yellow silk dress clinging to the curves that must’ve captured my degenerate husband’s attention in the first place.

  “That was unbelievable,” Claire says, sadness downturning her mouth as she watches Elly until she’s out of sight. “I can’t imagine how broken she must’ve been to discover the truth about her husband.”

  I nod. “Sounds horrible.”

  I can empathize, considering I recently discovered the awful truth about the man I’d been married to for two decades, but I’m not broken. I would never give the lying creep the satisfaction.

  “Not that it justifies what she did but still…” Claire drifts off for a moment, as if contemplating what Elly has been through. “I feel sorry for her.”

  “She’s been through so much and we didn’t know the half of it.” I shake my head. “I feel sorry for her too.”

  Claire twirls the stem of her wine glass between her fingers absentmindedly. “It makes my problems seem insignificant after what she’s been through.”

  “I guess we never really know a person no matter how close.”

  She nods. “Do you feel better, getting closure?”

  “I think so.” I top up my wine glass, determined to enjoy this two thousand dollar bottle to the last drop. “I can’t help but think Elly’s strong and she’ll get through this. She’ll reinvent herself in LA like she did here. But what about all those other poor women my husband violated?”

  “The police will deal with that. They’ve already matched several similar rape incidents within the Long Island area so let them do what they have to do.”

  She hesitates a moment, before continuing. “Ris, he’s gone. You need to move on.” She stares at me with concern. “Are you okay, really? You watched your husband die, you learned horrific things about him and now you’re losing your best friends.”

  “I’m not losing you, you’re only a few hours away.”

  Claire wrinkles her nose. “Can’t believe I’ll be living in Atlantic City.”

  “You’re doing it for Dane and that’s honorable.”

  “I’m doing it for me too.” A soft smile plays about her mouth. “I’m incredibly lucky that he forgave me for the affair I had when we were engaged and he wants to start afresh like I do.”

  I’d been surprised when Claire had told me about a dalliance with a fellow cop a few weeks before she married. She doesn’t seem the type. Then again, do we ever know what anyone’s capable of? Avery’s a prime example.

  She wraps her arms around her middle. “Once we get through the genetic counseling I’m hoping he’ll want to have a child with me.”

  “Are you sure you’re ready to take such a risk?”

  When Claire told me the truth about what Dane had done to not have a child and why, I’d been stunned. And filled with admiration that a man would go to such lengths to protect his wife from possible heartache. Dane’s a keeper, but I guess I’ve always known that.

  Claire shrugs. “Life’s a risk. I want to live it, not tiptoe through it waiting for more bad stuff to happen.”

  More. I guess what we’d witnessed in that cottage and the aftermath qualified as bad stuff.

  “Will you miss the police force?”

  Her mouth downturns for a moment before she shakes her head. “Dane’s brother is showing signs of Huntin
gton’s and he wants to be there for him. I want to concentrate on us for a while. We need to heal before we even consider having kids, biological or not. So that will be my life for now.”

  She hasn’t really answered my question but I let it go. Who am I to judge her life choices when I’ve made some questionable ones myself?

  “And I’m glad Griffin has been suspended.”

  Claire snorts. “When a policewoman in the city came forward and accused him of sexual harassment, it didn’t surprise me. He totally misconstrued our friendship and sounds like he did the same with her. Anyway, he’s off work for three months then will come back on supervised probation.”

  I have a feeling that’s part of the reason why she’s leaving but I don’t pry. I’m glad she’s following her heart and doing what makes her happy.

  “What about you, moving forward?” She takes a sip of wine, watching me carefully, like she expects me to fall apart any moment. “Are you really staying in this place?”

  I glance at the house, standing proud on a slight rise. Its sandstone exterior and white trim windows, the sun reflecting off the conservatory’s glass. It’s a beautiful home, the only real home I’ve ever known. Filled with memories, most of them good, some bad.

  That’s why I have to stay. This house is testament to the way I denied my true self. It will act as a reminder to how foolish I once was and to never be that way again. It’s tangible proof that I’ve left my past behind and am ready to embrace my future.

  “This is my home.”

  Claire accepts my simple response. We sit in silence for a while, sipping our wine. When our glasses are empty, she says, “You know, maybe we should’ve done a book club instead. Would’ve been a lot easier.”

  “What do you mean?”

  She smiles. “Because fact is stranger than fiction and maybe if we’d read about bad stuff we wouldn’t have had to live it.”

  I laugh, really laugh, for the first time since before that fateful day at the cottage. Once I start I can’t stop, great guffaws bubbling up from deep within.

  When they peter out, I hear voices. Elly and Maggie. They’re not arguing per se but there’s something odd in Maggie’s tone…

  Fifty-One

  Elly

  As I round the corner of the house I almost run into Maggie.

  “Sorry,” I mutter, quickly shrugging off her grip. I should be glad she prevented me from falling by reaching out but all I feel is cold from her touch.

  “How are you, El?”

  She sounds ridiculously chipper and upbeat, like nothing has changed between us.

  “Do you really want to swap mindless pleasantries?” I shake my head. “Because I don’t.”

  A flicker of anger lights her eyes. “After all you’ve done, I would’ve thought the least you can do is be polite.”

  I grit my teeth to prevent from responding and she continues, oblivious to my discomfort.

  “Ryan and I are leaving for Europe in the morning. Our marriage is back on track and I owe it all to you.” Is she really thanking me for having an affair with her husband? “If I hadn’t heard that girl’s name in your office the day you made her first ob/gyn appointment, I never would’ve figured it out.”

  I stare at her in confusion but she isn’t looking at me any longer, she’s staring at her house with a weird, fixed gaze. “When I overheard Avery and Ryan arguing about that girl… well, it all became clear. Avery said he’d fix it. So I followed him.”

  Her expression is at odds with her eerie monotone and I let her ramble.

  “She had to die, you know. To keep things clean. I couldn’t risk Ryan leaving me for the one thing I can’t give him, a child.”

  Her lips ease into a smile. “A baby may have changed everything. Men are fickle and stupid, as we both know. I couldn’t guarantee that money would’ve bought her silence so after Avery left I did what I had to do to ensure Ryan never got tempted to leave me for diapers and pacifiers.”

  I’m speechless, Maggie just confessed to murdering Jodi.

  “Why are you telling me this?”

  She shrugs and drags her gaze back to me. Her eyes are empty, unnerving.

  “I know you understand what it’s like to remove a threat and feel truly free.” She lays a hand on my shoulder and I flinch. “This way, we all get to move on with our lives.”

  “What’s going on here?”

  I’ve never been more relieved to hear Ris’s voice and I spin out of Maggie’s grasp as she and Claire walk up to us. “Nothing. I was just leaving—”

  “Elly and I were having a little chat, clearing the air so to speak,” Maggie says, incredibly blasé for someone who admitted to murder. “Cleansing ourselves.”

  I stifle the urge to step away.

  She told me she killed Jodi.

  Ris locks gazes with me and in that instant I know.

  She heard everything.

  “Maggie, are you all right?” Ris steps forward while Claire hangs back, like they don’t want to startle her into doing anything rash.

  “Never better.” Maggie waves away Ris’s concern. “I used to be so jealous of you girls, you know.”

  She points to her house. “I would watch your monthly gatherings from my upstairs window.”

  A slight frown mars her brow. “I envied your perfect life, Marisa.”

  “We all know there’s no such thing as perfect,” Ris says, her voice low and soothing, like she’s trying to stop Maggie from jumping off a cliff. “You take care on your trip, okay?”

  Maggie blinks several times, as if coming out of a deep sleep, and nods. Her blank gaze lands on each one of us, trying to convey a message we have no hope of understanding, before she raises a hand in farewell and walks away.

  We wait until she’s out of earshot before turning to each other, our eyes wide, mirroring shock.

  Our odd little threesome has yet another secret to keep. After what we’ve been through, it doesn’t matter.

  What’s one more?

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  A Letter from Nicola

  I want to say a huge thank you for choosing to read The Scandal. If you did enjoy it, and want to keep up-to-date with all my latest releases, just sign up at the following link. Your email address will never be shared and you can unsubscribe at any time.

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  One of the most common questions I’m asked as an author is ‘where do you get your ideas from?’ In the case of The Scandal the premise of the story came from so far left field I still marvel at it.

  Summer holidays with my kids are spent lounging around the pool, reading, playing board games and entertaining. The lack of routine is glorious and late nights are common. But during the summer eighteen months ago, I couldn’t sleep much because the idea of three women becoming reluctant friends and bonding over secrets shimmered into my imagination. From there, every single night I went to bed, another scene would unfurl until I could see this story so clearly, like a movie and I couldn’t sleep until I started writing.

  The words poured out of me in six weeks, leaving me stunned and a tad excited. Some stories demand to be told and The Scandal is one of those.

  I hope you loved The Scandal and if you did I would be very grateful if you could write a review. I’d love to hear what you think, and it makes such a difference helping new readers to discover one of my books for the first time.

  I love hearing from my readers – you can get in touch on my Facebook page, through Twitter, Goodreads, Instagram or my website.

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  Thanks,

  Nicola

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  www.nicolamarsh.com

  Acknowledgements

  I knew I was onto a good thing when I saw Kim Lionetti’s #MSWL tweet outlining how she would love to read an emotional, dark, twisty, domestic suspense novel. I’d recently completed The Scandal so seeing that tweet for her manuscript wish list seemed like fate. I’ve always been a huge fan of BookEnds Literary Agency and having Kim offer me representation after reading this story was just fabulous. So huge thanks, Kim, for seeing the potential in this story and helping me bring out the extra twisty elements. I love working with you!

  Indebted thanks to Jennifer Hunt, my wonderful editor at Bookouture. From the moment she read The Scandal she championed it and her enthusiasm is truly infectious. Jennifer, you’re a joy to work with. You make my writerly life that much easier with your clarity and speed. Thanks for loving my book and bringing out the best in it.

  To the brilliant Bookouture team, I marvel at your passion for every single book you publish. May this be the start of a beautiful relationship!

  Soraya Lane and Natalie Anderson, you girls are my rocks. We’ve shared many ups and downs in this crazy rollercoaster ride that is publishing and I’m so lucky that you always have my back. Thank you!

  To my loyal readers, I hope you enjoy reading my foray into the darker side of women’s fiction.

  To Martin, who supports me in everything I do, even when I initially researched how to kill a husband via poison in the first draft of this book! Thanks, babe, I heart you.

  Last but not least, to my amazing boys, who light up my life every single day. Seeing me work on this book has taught you a lesson in persistence, that’s for sure! I hope you follow your dreams and reach for the stars. You can do anything. I believe in you. Love you. Xx