by Kate White
So it was greed that drove Wendy every step of the way. And I guess panic, too. The morning after her confrontation with Claire, she’d clearly gone to the study—where I stumbled on her—to hunt down the book on poisonous plants, a title she’d probably noticed in the past. She would have already known from the garden tours she’d been given by Claire that foxgloves are dangerous. And she’d learned previously from Blake that Claire took a diuretic, which would make ingesting digitalis even more dangerous. By that afternoon, Claire was dead—silenced before she could breathe a word to Blake. It’s possible Wendy even snuck into the house that afternoon and found Claire unconscious on the floor, and it was she, not Claire, who put the book back.
And then suddenly Hannah was a threat as well, though as I surmised before, Wendy must have assessed it as a manageable one. I can imagine the conversation between the two of them, Hannah telling Wendy that she needed more of a support system in the family and that if she agreed to be her advocate, Hannah would keep her mouth shut about what she’d overheard. That, I realized, must have been the reason Wendy went from describing Hannah as an interloper to acting sympathetic to her role as a newcomer. I have no idea if the background check was a complete fabrication, but either way, she probably lied about the results.
Everything changed, though, when she misread Hannah’s sly remark to her about foxgloves, and she decided that Nick’s fiancée had to be eliminated.
The decision to make the scene look like an attempted rape gone wrong must have been a frantic, spur-of-the-moment thing—an art aficionado trying to dictate our perception of events.
How freaked she must have been when she realized she’d killed the wrong person, and that Hannah was still in the picture, a real danger, she assumed. And then there was me, blurting out my theory in the kitchen, having discovered the book on poisons. She knew it might be only a matter of time before I recalled seeing her by the bookcase, remembered that she had her iPad by the pool even though she’d claimed it wasn’t working, and started finding my way to the truth.
Looking back, I wonder if she actually experienced any cramping or fears of miscarrying, or if she made that up to cover for her mounting alarm. And of course, the trip for the sonogram gave her a way to dispose of the weapon she used on Jillian.
If she’s convicted, it’s not likely she’ll ever see much of her child. For a time we wondered if Blake would agree to a role, but he says he can’t bring himself to do so. Fortunately, the biological father is eager to raise the child with the help of his parents.
Those are the things I know, or feel pretty sure about. But there are other questions I still don’t have answers for.
What was really going on with Marcus and Hannah? Late in the summer, Keira admitted to me that she’d suspected Hannah and Marcus were meeting privately during that awful weekend, and she’d not only confronted Marcus about it but had also shared her fears with Nick—the conversation I’d witnessed in the yard. I doubt Hannah harbored any feelings toward Marcus; rather, I think she liked the power derived from having two brothers in her thrall. Though things looked strained for a while between Marcus and Keira, they appear much better now.
I also don’t know if Ash was having an affair with Jillian. He’s sworn to his sons that he wasn’t, but I suspect that he was at least moving in that direction. Nick admitted to Gabe that he had started to feel uncomfortable watching some of his father’s interactions with Jillian at work, and that it might have been one of the reasons Ash was encouraging him to take on a new project, one that would keep him out of the main office.
Claire must have suspected, too. Perhaps she even was considering hiring a private investigator to confirm or disavow her fears. When she’d changed her will, she was protecting some of her assets but she also might have been sending Ash a warning that she didn’t trust him.
And I still don’t know what Claire discovered about Hannah. Gossip hound that he is, Billy Dean eventually learned that she’d indeed been booted from USC for some type of cheating. Maybe that’s what Claire dug up, but I have no way of knowing.
By and large, I’ve pretty much stopped torturing myself at night with questions I’ll never have the answers to. All families have secrets and I have to accept that.
At least Hannah’s out of the picture. She’d sucked it up and spent that last night in the carriage house alone, then Ubered back to the city the next morning. Nick told us he was relieved, that he’d already begun to second-guess his decision to marry her. For one he’d found her behavior regarding the memorial service phony, and he hated that she’d insisted on speaking. Added to that were the suspicions Keira shared with him.
“You want more tea?” Gabe asks me, rising from the cottage sofa.
“Sure, why not.”
Things have been good with us over the past months. We had a few rough conversations following Wendy’s arrest, during which I told him how hurt I was by him not taking me seriously and he shared how upset he was that I thought he was being insensitive about his mother’s death. But gradually, we moved on. We spent the rest of the summer lying low—working, reading, sampling interesting wines at home, avoiding the occasional calls from reporters, and orchestrating several staycations in the city with Henry.
Gabe returns and tops off our mugs and sets the teapot on the coffee table. As he settles back on the couch, a tear slides down his cheek, which is still windburned from the run he took first thing this morning along the Hudson River.
“Gabe, what is it?”
“Wow,” he says, brushing it away with the sleeve of his sweater. “I didn’t see that coming. I guess I’m feeling kind of emotional. I know it’s important to come out and see my dad, especially since we won’t be doing Thanksgiving at the house this year, but it’s not getting any easier to be here.”
“Oh, honey, I know. It must be so tough for you.”
We haven’t even considered bringing Henry to Bucks County the few times we’ve come. Master eavesdropper that he is, Henry’s picked up some of the gritty, gory details about Jillian’s murder, and in the end of course we had to tell him about Aunt Wendy going to prison. We’ve actually taken him to my family home a couple of times, and my parents have relished his presence.
“At least this might be the last time.”
I raise my eyebrows.
“Nick called me earlier today and told me he overheard Dad saying he’s probably going to put the property on the market.”
“Jeez. But it certainly doesn’t surprise me.”
“He’s apparently thinking of buying a place out on Long Island. Near the water.”
“It’s for the best, right? I know being in the house is hard for you. For me, too.”
“Even being in here creeps me out.”
“The cottage?” I say, surprised. “Why?”
“I haven’t had the guts to tell you yet, but maybe now is as good a time as any. The day my mother died, when my father, Marcus, and I met, I found out it was her who was mainly against Dad investing more in our business.”
It’s what Nick had told me about back in July. And it’s what I’d always hoped Gabe would share with me.
“She felt Nick deserved a turn?”
“Partly, but she also told Dad she thought Marcus and I needed to stand on our own feet for a while. I was so upset with her. That attitude was fine, but Dad had asked to be involved and we’d counted on it. I can still remember walking up the path to the cottage after the meeting, and then standing in this room, feeling livid. I took a hike to burn off my anger, but it didn’t help very much. And then a couple of hours later, she was dead.”
“Gabe, first, you had a right to be angry,” I say. “It was unfair of your mom to do that after your dad made you a promise. And everyone gets upset with their parents at times. That’s normal. The bottom line is that your mother knew you loved her.”
“She was just so much more controlling than I ever acknowledged. Like trying to guarantee we were the family she wanted us to
be. My dad told me earlier today that he’s been going through some of my mother’s digital files and figured out that she hired a private investigator after she spotted Wendy with that guy in Palm Beach. She had a whole freaking dossier on her.”
That must have been what she did with Amanda, too, I think, but don’t mention it.
“Maybe because your mom always seemed so perfect, it was easy to think of her that way. But all of us are human.”
“Yeah, but a dossier. It sounds like the workings of a spymaster.”
“But she was also protecting Blake. And that controlling part of her had a flip side you loved. She created beautiful homes for you to grow up in. Perfect vacations. Wonderful times together.”
“You’re right. I can’t lose sight of that.”
I push forward and twist my body so that I’m facing Gabe.
“I have a confession to make, too. You’ve said more than once that you wished you’d heeded my concerns about Hannah. I wanted you to listen so badly and I hated that you thought I was being irrational, but some of what I was saying was irrational. I realize that now.”
“In what way? I mean, you guessed someone had murdered my mother, and you were right.”
“I know, but I refused to ever consider whether anyone else might have made the tea. It’s taken me time to admit this to myself, but I actually was obsessed with Hannah. She was starring in a Netflix pilot, and it ate at me. And once I had my suspicions about the foxgloves, I let everything point me to her as the murderer.”
“In the end the truth came out . . . . And I have to say, you’ve seemed so much more excited professionally these last couple of months.”
When the fall hit, Gabe was patient about how much time I had to spend in rehearsals. The theater festival was two weeks ago, and it went better than I could have hoped. Though no Broadway producers are lighting up my phone—ha, yet!—a few new doors have opened for me professionally, and I’m pretty sure the experience helped tame my envy . . . . Okay, and I admit, so did the fact that when I checked IMDb, I saw that Hannah’s pilot hadn’t been green-lit after all.
“I am excited. I started another play, and I like it so far.”
“That’s great, honey. The other one was so sharp, and people loved it. And you in it.”
I dig my phone from my pocket and check the time. “We should probably start thinking about walking over to the house. You going to be okay there?”
“Yeah, I’m sure one last time won’t kill me.”
“If your father does buy a new weekend place, it will mean a fresh start for everyone, Gabe. A chance to be happy again without so many painful reminders everywhere.”
“You think so?”
“I do. I mean, everyone’s pretty battered right now, but things will keep getting better, month by month.”
Of course, nothing will ever be like it used to be, and I’m going to have to adjust to that. I’d be lying if I didn’t admit that a little part of what made Gabe so appealing to me was the world he sprang from and inhabited—his charismatic, affluent, magical-seeming family. They had me at, Summer, so nice to meet you; please come in and make yourself at home.
But I can handle the change, I really can, I think. Despite the havoc Wendy wreaked, the Keatons are still the Keatons and I care deeply about them. Most important, I love my husband and I love Henry, and I see now that little by little we’ve been building our own special world. And hopefully, in the next year or so, our world will be a tiny bit bigger.
Acknowledgments
Thanks to the wonderful experts on a variety of subjects who took time out of their busy lives to help me with my research for The Fiancée: Barbara Butcher, consultant for forensic and medicolegal investigations; Paul Paganelli, MD; Luci (the “poison lady”) Hansson Zahray; Susan Brune; Joyce Hanshaw, retired captain from the Hunterdon County Prosecutor’s Office; Will Valenza, Glens Falls police department, retired; Marsha Mercant; Grace Cushman; Steve Murphy; Jim White; Robert Lazaro. One of the fun parts of being an author is making things up, but there are some areas in which I want to be as accurate as possible and it helps incredibly to have smart people guide me.
Thank you, too, to everyone at Harper Perennial for another year of wonderful collaboration. That includes my extraordinary editor Emily Griffin, who has been a total dream to work with, as well as Amy Baker, VP/Associate Publisher; Theresa Dooley, publicity manager; Lisa Erickson, director of marketing; Robin Bilardello, art director (I adore this cover!), and Stacey Fischkelta, production editorial manager.
In addition, let me to thank my own fantastic team: Laura Cocivera, website editor; Imani Seymour, social media manager; and Bill Cunningham, tech support.
Thank you as well, to my wonderful husband, Brad Holbrook, and kids, Hunter Holbrook and Hayley Holbrook, for being my champions day in and day out.
Last but not least, I want to say the most heartfelt thanks to my fantastic readers, who stay in touch via Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and katewhite.com, who review my books on Goodreads, Bookbub, barnesandnoble.com, and Amazon.com, and who share a little bit about their lives with me. I love hearing from you, and of course, couldn’t do it without you!!
About the Author
KATE WHITE, former editor-in-chief of Cosmopolitan magazine, is the New York Times bestselling author of the standalone psychological thrillers Have You Seen Me?, The Secrets You Keep, The Wrong Man, Eyes on You, The Sixes, and Hush, as well as eight Bailey Weggins mysteries, including, most recently, Such a Perfect Wife, which was nominated for an International Thriller Writers Award. White is also the author of several popular career books for women, including I Shouldn’t Be Telling You This: How to Ask for the Money, Snag the Promotion, and Create the Career You Deserve, and editor of the The Mystery Writers of America Cookbook. Visit katewhite.com for more information.
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Praise for the novels of Kate White
Have You Seen Me?
“Arms linked, breath held, we drop alongside Ally Linden into Kate White’s dagger-sharp, whip-smart new thriller Have You Seen Me?, the same questions burning like neon signs in our minds . . . . As nimbly plotted as Before I Go to Sleep, as winning as the best of Mary Higgins Clark, Have You Seen Me? showcases Kate White at her formidable best.”
—A. J. Finn, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Woman in the Window
“A well-honed thriller . . . . White skillfully maintains the pace . . . . Even the most jaded reader will be satisfied.”
—Publishers Weekly
“Intense, nonstop suspense . . . . You won’t want to miss the stunning conclusion.”
—Bookreporter.com
Such a Perfect Wife
“What’s not to love in Kate White’s latest? . . . Such a Perfect Wife is deep and dark and twisty, and packed with a delicious array of questionable characters, each harboring their own secrets.”
—Entertainment Weekly
“Intricately plotted . . . . [an] intense page-turner that never lets up.”
—Library Journal (starred review and “Pick of the Month”)
“Intrepid—and stylish!—crime reporter Bailey Weggins finds herself on the front line of a murder investigation . . . . Fun and fast-paced . . . . Bailey is fearless, determined, and always fashionable. A grown-up Nancy Drew for grown-up girl detectives.”
—Kirkus Reviews
“Highly entertaining . . . . The ethical and tenacious Bailey soon earns the respect of the local police, who come to see her as an ally rather than an intruder. Readers will cheer her every step of the way.”
—Publishers Weekly
“An always-entertaining series.”
—Booklist
Even If It Kills Her
“A titillating novel of secrecy and suspense, Even If It Kills Her will have you hanging on every word.”
—Bustle
“A twisty mystery full of clues and red herrings that are hard to distinguish b
etween. This makes for a very thrilling read. The end is a surprise, and most readers will gasp at the unveiling of the real killer.”
—Bookreporter.com
“White builds suspense masterfully, and this seventh in the Bailey Weggins series has the makings of another hit. Bailey is a smart, sexy sleuth, and her exploits make for thoroughly entertaining reading.”
—Booklist
The Secrets You Keep
“A psychological thriller that doubles as a cautionary tale, The Secrets You Keep marks another success for a prolific author and casts an intelligent if grim eye on love—love that can warm, and love that can burn.”
—Richmond Times-Dispatch
“True to form, Kate White’s The Secrets You Keep kept me up way past my bedtime, anxiously turning the pages. Taut, tense, and utterly gripping, I could not go to sleep until I found out whodunit.”
—Jessica Knoll, New York Times bestselling author of Luckiest Girl Alive
“Suspenseful, twisty, and sharply observed, Kate White’s clever psychological thriller lures us into the life of vulnerable narrator Bryn whose marriage is not what she thought it was. The uncertainty develops as the stakes ramp up ever higher, and I was holding my breath as I turned the last few pages.”
—Gilly Macmillan, New York Times bestselling author of What She Knew
The Wrong Man
“A juicy beach book: a thriller with a smart female main character.”
—People
“Breezy . . . an intriguing heroine who holds her own.”
—Kirkus Reviews
Eyes on You
“[A] delicious tale.”
—New York Post
“A smart, sexy sleuth with a growing fan base.”
—Booklist
“This is a must-have summer read and an enjoyable who-dun-it.”
—Seattle Post-Intelligencer