The Secret Wife. Carrie Weaver
she supposed it might seem that way under different circumstances.
“We’re almost there.” J.D.’s voice interrupted her thoughts.
“It’s a nice neighborhood.”
“Yes, it is.”
J.D. steered into a long, circular drive made up of cinder rock. “Here we are.” His voice was light, but she could feel his gaze on her face, as if assessing her reaction.
“It’s beautiful,” she breathed. J.D.’s eyes sparked with pride. “I bought it as a repo. The owners defaulted on the mortgage and it stood vacant for a couple years. It’s one of the few colonial reproductions in the area.”
“The two-story houses with big pillars? Those are colonial reproductions?”
“Yep. I’ll grab your bags while you get David.”
Maggie got out of the car and stretched her cramped muscles. She felt as if she had walked into a dream. The house, J.D., Eric’s murder, it was all surreal.
David rubbed his eyes and yawned when she opened the car door.
“Come on, sweetie. We’re going to stay at Uncle J.D.’s house for a while.” How long, she had no idea. Maggie tried to pretend this was a normal visit and not the living nightmare she knew it to be. There was no use upsetting David. “And you and I will have a real bed to sleep in. Won’t that be nice?”
The baby waved his approval.
Maggie settled him on her hip, pulling the hem of his shirt down over his tummy. She inhaled deeply. The air carried the scent of honeysuckle. It seemed like years since she’d been in Arizona, yet it was only a matter of days. The slow, sleepy pace of the South wasn’t all that different from the laid-back Southwest.
The trunk slammed and J.D. came around the side of the car with her suitcase. “Ready?” he asked.
“Yes.”
The cool shade was a welcome relief as she climbed the steps to the porch. The atmosphere of old-fashioned homeyness surprised her. Several rustic rockers were grouped together, a perfect spot to watch the sunset and chat.
It was somehow easy for her to visualize J.D. relaxing and enjoying the view, but she doubted Eric had ever joined him. Eric couldn’t sit still long enough.
Maggie swallowed hard. Eric had been very, very still the last time she’d seen him. She just couldn’t reconcile the body she’d seen with the larger-than-life father of her child.
J.D. opened the screen door and then the simple carved oak door, holding it wide for her to pass.
Stepping over the threshold, Maggie stumbled. Fatigue made her clumsy.
J.D. grasped her arm to steady her. “You okay?”
Maggie managed to right herself by sheer force of will. “I’m fine. Just tired.” Glancing at his face, she tried to assess his mood. His expression was remote, polite, not that of a man grieving for his murdered brother. Did he not feel, or did he just not show it? “How are you, um, holding up?” she asked.
Surprise sparked briefly in his solemn eyes. “Don’t worry about me. I’ll be fine. But, um, thanks for asking.” For a split second his shoulders sagged. Then he straightened, tall, strong, in control. He gestured toward the living room. “Make yourself at home. I’m hoping Belmont can get this mess straightened out quickly. Confirm your alibi with the hotel staff.”
“I hope so.”
Though Maggie was exhausted, David seemed recharged by his nap in the car. He squealed his approval of the place, wiggling to get down.
Maggie eyed the floor, her protective instincts overriding her exhaustion. Hardwood gleamed, a burgundy Oriental area rug gave a splash of color. But not nearly enough padding should David bump his head. She held him close, which only infuriated him. He screeched and squirmed.
“Go ahead and put him down.”
Maggie hesitated. Sighing, she placed her son on the rug. “He’s probably too wound up to nap now.”
J.D. nodded. “Looks like he’s raring to go. How about if I put your bags in the guest room and then we head on over to my grandmother’s house? She’s very eager to meet you.”
“I don’t think so. Maybe after I’ve had some sleep—”
“I imagine you’re exhausted, but she was very insistent about seeing you. Immediately, if not sooner.” He frowned. “Patience isn’t one of her virtues.”
“You love her very much.”
“Yes, I do. That’s why I don’t think this meeting is a good idea, but she wouldn’t listen to reason. Eric was her favorite. I hope you won’t upset her.”
“I’m not a monster, J.D. I wouldn’t even think of broaching the subject of David right now.” Maggie’s heart ached at what the woman must be going through. “You said favorite? Eric always swore he was the black sheep.”
“Beloved black sheep, maybe. My grandmother adores him. Always did, no matter how much trouble he made.”
“I didn’t intend to cause trouble for you or your grandmother. If there had been another way…”
“Why now? Why not right after your baby was born?”
Maggie sighed. “I was in love and I was foolish. Eric was with me the first month or so. He left, but I kept expecting him to come back. It took me a while to realize he wasn’t going to.”
“If you thought you were married, why didn’t you divorce him?”
“Attorneys cost money, Mr. McGuire. I figured he’d file. Maybe I was hoping he’d reconsidered.”
“At least you have an alibi. All the sheriff has to do is confirm it with the hotel staff.”
Maggie was confused. “I was there. At the track. They didn’t tell you?”
J.D. froze. His eyes narrowed. “They didn’t tell me anything. Just that you’d been brought in for questioning and had asked them to call me. I figured the only reason you were being questioned was the fiasco at the banquet. I thought you’d agreed not to leave the hotel.”
“No, I didn’t agree. You assumed.”
“Semantics.” He grasped her arms, his voice harsh when he said, “Tell me the truth. Did you kill my brother?”
“No, I didn’t. He was dead when I got there.”
“Why should I believe you?”
“Why shouldn’t you? There were certainly enough other people who might want to see him dead.”
He glanced down at her arms, where his fingers dug into her flesh. He dropped her arms as if he’d been burned. “But I know them. I don’t know you.”
“If the sheriff really thought I did it, he wouldn’t have released me. Can we argue this another time? I’m about ready to drop.”
“No way. We’re gonna hash this out before I let you anywhere near my grandmother. Tell me what happened and I’ll judge for myself.”
Maggie drew a breath and counted to ten. Then she told him everything.
“Okay, your story is plausible. But my bet is that you were hopping mad when you met with Eric. He’d made a fool of you.”
Maggie winced.
“Maybe things got out of hand and you grabbed the knife….”
“I did not kill Eric. I didn’t even get the chance to talk to him. He was already dead.”
“So you say. Just like you claim he married you.”
“Of course he married me. I have the wedding license to prove it.”