Jesse frowned. “But you did find something?” The question was barely out of her mouth before she knew the answer. “What did you find?”
She watched his eyes move from her to Ian, then to Caleb before landing back on her. He was talking to her and her alone, but he wanted to be sure everyone else was listening.
“I didn’t find anything conclusive. But what I did see, I didn’t like.”
“Meaning?”
The look in his eyes told her just how much he wished he didn’t have to have this conversation; it was an apology and empathy rolled into one. But he continued. “His body was found fairly close to the door. It was damaged enough that the autopsy would only have been able to pick up something if that ‘something’ were really off. Meaning that unless he’d had a bullet in him, it would have been hard for the ME to find anything other than the fire as the cause of death.”
“But you don’t think it was the fire?” Ian pressed.
“No, I do think the fire is probably what killed him, but what I also think but can’t prove, is that he might have been incapacitated when it happened.”
“I don’t understand,” she said, feeling like she was swimming in a sea of Jell-O.
“His office was on the first floor. Granted, it’s a raised first floor, but it’s only about five feet off the ground. He had four sets of double windows in his office. The report stated that the fire started in the back of the building, in the kitchen. But even with the hay insulation, I have a hard time believing he couldn’t have made it out one of the windows or the door.”
“Leading you to believe he was incapacitated,” Caleb interjected and David nodded.
“How?” Vivi asked.
David shrugged. “That’s the question. Like I said, the ME didn’t have enough of the remains to run a comprehensive toxicology screen, but even if he had, I’m not sure if it would have shown anything. If you asked me to guess, honestly, I would say he was probably electrocuted somehow before the fire. The jolt would have knocked him out and the subsequent fire would have killed him.”
“And the fire would have then erased all evidence of the electrocution,” Ian supplied.
“Electrocuted?” Jesse found herself repeating the word. When it had just been about her, everything that was happening had seemed unlikely but something she could deal with. But now that it was possible that Mark was murdered, everything just seemed surreal.
David held her hand between both of his. “It’s just a hypothesis, but it’s one I think we should consider.”
She held his gaze for a long moment. What she was trying to read in his expression she didn’t know, so she asked the most relevant question. “Okay, so if we think Mark might have been murdered and we think he had multiple affairs, where does that get us in terms of trying to figure out who is doing all these things now?”
“Maybe nowhere,” Caleb supplied, not surprisingly.
“But maybe somewhere,” Vivi countered. “If he was having an affair with someone who took exception to him ending it, it would be motive.”
“For his murder, maybe, but what about me and what about the time lag between Mark’s death and the events that have happened to me?” Jesse pointed out.
“There are a hundred and one reasons why a jealous lover would come after the wife. As for the time lag, we don’t see it all that often, but we do see it.”
“And what is it attributed to?” David asked.
“The two most common things are a change of location and incarceration,” Vivi supplied.
“Meaning maybe after she killed Mark she left the area for a while to avoid detection?” Kit asked.
Vivi nodded. “Or she, assuming it’s a she, which we are at this moment, was incarcerated on an unrelated charge. We tend to see equal numbers of both in situations like this.”
“But I still don’t get why she would come after me once Mark died. It’s not like she’s going to woo him away from me.”
“Anger, hatred, feeling wronged—she might even blame you for his death in some way. All those things might affect her perception when she thinks of you. And might drive her to want to hurt you, to want to punish you,” Vivi explained.
It was all still so unbelievable, but she had to give it some credit. She wasn’t in a position to think clearly about it, and her friends, with the exception of Kit, were all trained in this kind of stuff. If nothing else, she felt she needed to trust them and go with it just to see where it went.
“So, where does this get us? I mean, what do we do next?” Jesse asked.
Vivi turned to David. “How certain are you?”
He seemed to consider the question for several moments. “If it had been my case from the beginning, I would have looked into it a lot more than my predecessor did. But going off of old files, it’s hard to say. Even so, my gut tells me something is off.”
She saw Ian look at Caleb, who gave a nearly imperceptible nod. Then Ian turned back to the group and spoke. “Then this is what we do. We look into the women we know he was involved with as well as take a look at his student list from the semester he was teaching when he died.”
“No,” Jesse interjected. “I know Mark, or thought I did, but even so, he wouldn’t go for his current students. He was killed in the early spring. I would look for students he’d had the previous fall semester. And I would look for students who weren’t economics majors.”
She couldn’t believe what she was saying, what she was ready to accept, but the truth was, she didn’t have much of a choice.
“I was a public policy major and had to take an economics course as part of my degree. I took it as a summer course before my first fall semester, that’s how we met. I know the first woman he had an affair with was a political science major and had to take economics for the same reason. I don’t know about Susan Parmenter or any of the others, but I would look into that. If they were in a similar situation, I would probably focus my attention on other students with the similar setup.”
Everyone was silent for a long moment. She wasn’t sure if it was because what she’d said was way off base—after all, she was in hospital administration, not law enforcement—or because it was right on target. But either way, an awkward few moments passed before Vivi jumped in.
“Thank you, Jesse. I know this can’t be easy for you, but believe me, what you’ve just told us, the insight you’ve shared, is tremendously helpful.” Vivi turned to her husband. “Ian, I think Jesse is probably right. Let’s start with looking into those female students who took Mark’s classes in the semester before he was killed who were not economics majors. Those parameters should narrow down the search considerably. Once we have that list, we can go from there.”
Ian nodded and shared a look with Caleb who also nodded, then stood. Taking Caleb’s cue and needing to be out of there, Jesse stood as well. Kit rose and gave her a silent hug before collecting her things.
“I want to have a quick talk with Ian before we leave,” David said before brushing a kiss against Jesse’s hair and stepping away. She watched him go, feeling disconnected from everything around her. On automatic, she grabbed her coat and made her way toward the front door. Toward fresh air.
Caleb stepped in front of her and bracketed her face in his hands, forcing her to look at him. “Do not blame yourself for any of this.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she shot back.
“Don’t play dumb. It’s beneath you.”
She glared into his gold eyes. And then her shoulders slumped. “It’s hard not to, Caleb. I was married to him for sixteen years.”
“You work in a hospital. You know how convincing sociopaths can be, and from what I’ve heard, Mark was a sociopath.”
“And that’s supposed to make me feel better? He’s the father of my children, Caleb.”
“Yeah, he is, but they have you for their mother. Look,” he said, moving his hands down underneath her hair. “You have a lot of good people in your life. A lot of solid,
honest people who care for you. Don’t let what Mark did ruin or taint that. Don’t let his life and his choices echo through yours.”
She’d been so wrapped up in trying to process what she’d learned today, what Caleb had just said to her wasn’t anything she thought she was ready to hear. But once the words were out, she knew it was exactly what she needed to hear. She needed to be reminded that Mark was only one person.
She offered him a smile. “You like David, don’t you?” she asked, changing the subject.
He grunted.
“So, what was the story with that fire in California you were so hung up about?”
His lips thinned. “Turns out the woman was a firefighter groupie. She and David had gone out a time or two but he called it off. She took exception to that and set her own house on fire and blamed him.”
“And she injured herself?” Jesse asked with a frown.
“Last ditch effort. She thought her chances with him might be better if he felt sorry for her.”
The thought turned her stomach. “Or if she wasn’t crazy,” she added, sad sarcasm in her voice. He inclined his head.
“So then, you’re okay with him?” She teased him.
“He’s sleeping with you. On principle that means he’s going to bug me.” She knew he wasn’t being serious. She reached up and slipped a hand behind his neck, brought his face down and placed a kiss on his cheek. When she drew back she looked at him again. He was stooped, his knees bent and his back hunched. She laughed.
“See it’s the mechanics of it all, Caleb. It never would have worked.”
“That and the fact that you love me,” David said, coming up beside her and slipping an arm around her waist.
“And the fact that I love him,” she repeated. Caleb rolled his eyes and walked away.
***
They watched Caleb walk back into the house, then David led Jesse to his truck and held the door as she climbed in. She’d taken a blow today and he wasn’t sure how she would handle it. Learning that the person you shared your life with for over a decade had been lying to you for years was enough to shake anyone. And adding that piece of information on top of everything else, like the possibility of Mark having been murdered, well, he could hardly blame her if she retreated into a protective shell.
“How are you?” he asked once he was behind the wheel. He turned and traced a finger down her cheek.
“Honestly? I don’t know.” Her big hazel eyes looked straight into him.
“You know I would never do that, right?” He didn’t need to elaborate on what he was talking about. She gave him a soft smile and cupped his cheek with her palm.
“Yes, I know.” Her complete lack of hesitation almost took his breath away. He leaned forward and kissed her, lingering over her lips. When he finished, he rested his forehead against hers. She smiled at him.
“Caleb was right,” she said. He raised an eyebrow at her. “He said I shouldn’t let Mark’s decisions, Mark’s life and his betrayals, echo through my own. That I shouldn’t give him that power.”
“Caleb said all that?” David asked with a smile tugging one side of his mouth.
Jesse smiled. “Well, maybe not all of that, but he did imply it and he did say that I shouldn’t let what I learned today ruin the good things in my life.” She gave him a pointed look.
“I really, really don’t want to like that guy, but it’s getting hard to keep it up,” he responded.
“He likes you. Doesn’t want to admit it, but he does.”
David pulled back and laughed. “I’m not sure I’d go that far, but I get the sense he’s reluctantly accepting me.”
She picked up his hand and kissed it. “He doesn’t have a choice if he wants to help me. Now, let’s go home. I need to get the kids ready for the next week and I want to talk to Matt about heading back to school.”
“He’s not going to want to do that,” he said, starting the truck.
“I know, and I want to be sensitive to that. But he does need to go back.”
“Well, then, let’s go see what we can do.”
In the end, they compromised. Matt wanted to stay another week, Jesse wanted him to go back Monday, as it was, they agreed he would get up early Thursday morning and head back in time to get to his classes. They had a quiet night at home, and David was awed by Jesse’s ability to stay focused on the boys, on the here and now, given what she had learned earlier in the day. The only time he saw her falter was as she was saying goodnight to Matt that night. David had been waiting for her at the bottom of the stairs and had watched as she’d poked her head into Matt’s room.
“Good night, honey,” she’d said. David had expected her to come right down after a perfunctory response from Matt but something had held her back. “How are you?” she’d asked her oldest son.
“I’m okay,” he’d heard Matt say. They’d filled him in on everything they’d told James about what had been going on. The boys both now knew about the potential of their father being involved, but both were more focused on the fact that their mother might be in danger. Jesse had seemed to think the reason for Matt wanting to stay was because of Danielle, but David suspected it had something to do with looking out for his mother, too.
“Mom, do you miss Dad?” Matt had asked. David had watched Jesse lean against the doorframe, giving the illusion of being relaxed when he knew she was anything but.
“Why do you ask?”
“Just with Danielle and everything, you know.”
She inclined her head. “Yes, I do know. How is she?”
“As good as can be expected, I guess. Mom,” Matt had paused, hesitating. “How old were you when you met Dad?”
“I had just turned eighteen. A few months older than you.”
“And do you regret anything? Getting married so young, having us so young?” David’s heart had climbed into his throat as he’d watched her struggle with the question.
“How could I regret anything when I have you and James?” she’d said.
Matt had laughed at that. “I figured you would say something like that. But if James and I weren’t in the equation and it was just you and Dad, would you have done things the same?”
David had wanted to interrupt, had wanted to save her from having to answer the question, especially on this day of all days. But he had known she needed to do this on her own so he had just stood there and waited.
Finally, she’d shaken her head. “Knowing what I know now, I don’t think I would have. Maybe I still would have ended up with your father, but I probably would have taken more time to grow up, to have a life of my own.”
“To figure out who you are?” David had heard the smile in the boy’s comment.
“We’re always figuring out who we are, but yes, to get to know myself better. But Mark was a good father, Matt. He was smart and funny and kind.” And that’s when David had heard her hesitate for the first time since starting this conversation, but she straightened and continued. “And I did love him, Matt.”
“I know you did. And he loved us.”
Jesse hadn’t answered but did acknowledge the comment with a small gesture of her head.
“Thanks, Mom.”
“For?”
“Just because.”
David had seen her smile at that.
“Good night, Matt. I love you.”
“Love you, too, Mom.”
She had shut the door quietly and then turned toward the stairs. When he’d held out a hand to her, she’d walked down and straight into his arms.
Now, standing at the bottom of the stairs, he held her loosely in his arms. “Have I told you how amazing you are?” he asked. She didn’t say anything but just nuzzled into him.
Knowing sleep would come easier for her tonight after her long day, he led her into her room and they slid into bed together. Tomorrow, James would be back at school. Tomorrow, Jesse had to go to work. And Tuesday, he was back on shift. Life would begin to get back to normal, at least the norma
l routine of things. Unfortunately, there was still the little matter of someone out there who wanted to hurt Jesse.
As she slipped off into sleep, he lay awake thinking about everything they’d talked about at Ian and Vivi’s home earlier that day. He was glad he had never known Mark and couldn’t imagine doing what that man had done to Jesse and his family. Six affairs. At least.
In the dark, he frowned, as a thought came to him. Susan Parmenter was the woman Mark was having an affair with right before he died—the second woman Jesse found out about and the one that initiated the talks about divorce. If Susan was his most recent, did that mean he’d met her the semester before the affair? The fall semester Jesse had suggested they look into?
He wondered if Ian had looked into Susan. Since the sheriff was given her name a few days ago, David guessed that he had. So, assuming Susan was in the clear, since Ian hadn’t mentioned her today, maybe the person they were looking for was from a prior semester. Of course, it was possible Mark had more than one affair at a time, but what if he just picked one a semester or so? That would mean that whoever they were looking for was probably a student before Susan.
Checking on Jesse, he reached for his phone. Hitting a few numbers he texted Ian to look back another two semesters with a short explanation as to why. It wasn’t too late at night, but with Vivi more than seven months pregnant, David didn’t want to take a chance on waking her with a call.
But less than a minute later he received a text back from Ian. “Done” was all it said.
Setting his phone back down, he turned to curl up behind Jesse. At his touch, she shot bolt upright. In a flash he was beside her. She looked wildly at him for a moment then gripped his arm so tight he could feel her nails biting into his skin.
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