Page 55 of You'll Be Sorry

Then, as she turned toward the front door, her chest inexplicably constricting: She dropped to a knee, held the dog close. She raised her voice enough to carry, just in case.

“I know this won’t make any sense to you,” she addressed the dog. “It’s never made any sense to me. But Theo…he’s one of the good ones. He leads with optimism, sees the best in everyone, and offers up pure compassion. The world needs more Theos in it. Me, not so much. You wanna dance in hell, I’m totally your gal.

“Whatever you have planned, I’m happy to show up at the party. Just bear in mind…” She rose to standing, stared hard at the woods. “Game on, sweetheart. And trust me on this, I have no intention of fighting fair. So buckle up. Whatever this is, I promise to make it a bumpy ride.”

She strode back into the house, the dog hot on her heels, only to run straight into Theo, who, to judge by his expression, had just gotten off the phone with his mother.

Fuck it all.

Theo greeted the dog with a head pat and ear scratch, as if he’d been expecting him. In return, their on-again, off-again mutt followed Theo into the kitchen, where he took up position in front of the stove. Theo agreeably offered a few morsels of scrambled eggs to thedog, before dumping the rest of his breakfast into a bowl and carrying it to their dining room table.

Raquel grabbed her yogurt and followed. She sat down kitty-corner to her husband and waited. Sure enough:

“It’s time to think of getting a lawyer. Also a media consultant.”

Yep, he’d definitely been on the phone with his parents.

“I thought we had a lawyer,” she responded carefully. “If not four or five.”

“Ah, but do we have therightlawyer? They come in many different sizes and shapes, or at least, specialties.”

“Which specialty are you thinking?”

“Criminal.”

“We’ve broken the law?” She arched a brow.

“I hope not. But having a skeleton discovered on our property opens up a whole slew of questions and possibilities. Just want to make sure we don’t make any missteps. Two-hundred-year-old historic homicide, great, nothing to worry about. But a more recent event resulting in an active investigation…Things could get more complicated. Hence paying some suit the big bucks.”

Raquel simply nodded. Where she came from, there were no big bucks to pay, and you’d certainly never hand over precious dollars to a stuffed shirt. But she’d long since learned the rich really were different. “And the media consultant?”

“This property was infamous to begin with. Add to that yet another macabre discovery, and this is gonna get real intense real fast.”

Another nod. He wasn’t saying anything she didn’t already know. And dread.

Theo used his fingers to offer up another bite of egg whites to the dog, who accepted delicately. Both man and dog stared at her. She swallowed another spoonful of yogurt, returned their gaze just as levelly.

“My mother hired a private investigator to look into you,” Theo stated.

Ah, so they really were going to do this.

“After the first time I brought you home. She was worried. Plus, let’s face it, she’s a naturally cold and suspicious creature. It’s part of her charm.”

Raquel gave him a look

“She didn’t find anything. Or maybe, she didn’t find what she hoped.”

“No smoking gun that I’m a con woman, or thief, or, I don’t know, serial killer.” Raquel was pleased with how even her voice sounded. All these years later, she could still lie with the best of them. Maybe next time around she would become a secret agent.

“She determined you were financially sound, with no crippling debts and a better-than-average credit rating. Also, no arrests, convictions, or outstanding warrants.”

“Be still my beating heart.”

“You’re also a homeowner.”

Raquel stilled slightly, forced herself to take another bite of yogurt.

“Small cabin in rural Pennsylvania. I’ve never heard you mention it. I didn’t even know you had ties to that area.”