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Mark’s brow furrowed. “If you’d come to me—”
“What would you have done?”
“You tried to keep us together,” Mark said. “Despite everything. Through what you thought was an affair and blackmail and everything else.”
“You are my husband. The father of my children.” Anne’s voice rose. “I’m a housewife with no credentials and a decades-old résumé. I couldn’t afford to do anything but keep us together.”
“Is that why?” Mark asked. “Or do you still love me?”
“Why did you do it?” Tears streamed down Anne’s face. “Why did you take the money?”
“Extenuating circumstances!” Mark shot to his feet, the outburst too loud for their quiet conversation. He paced back and forth before turning to Anne. “It was a month before the twins were born. You remember that time, don’t you?”
Anne thought back. She’d been huge with pregnancy and wildly uncomfortable. The other children were going through rough phases. Money was tighter than ever. Mark was working long hours, and their marriage was holding on by a thread. They’d hardly been an example of a happy family.
“I was on the drug unit at the time.”
“Working lots of hours,” Anne said. “I remember.”
“I was trying to make ends meet. We had two babies on the way and could barely afford the two we had. I borrowed money from a friend to pay the mortgage a few months running. I didn’t tell you about that because I was embarrassed. What sort of man can’t support his family?”
“What sort of man hides things from his wife?”
Mark sat down in response. “One night on the job, we had a huge bust. Keep in mind, I’d been chasing these guys for months. Going on a year. During that time, I’d been shot at twice. Once, they stabbed me in the leg—almost hit an artery. The hell I’d been through to get these assholes…”
Anne remembered that part well. The phone call, the hospital visit. The pit in her stomach as she wondered if her husband would survive his injuries.
“I was back on duty by the time we moved in for the final bust and demanded to be present. These idiots had almost stolen everything from me—my wife, my children, my life—and I was determined to put them behind bars. I never expected we’d find money on the scene. These guys don’t usually keep money on them.”
“But you did find money.”
“There was over $1.2 million.” Mark let the number hang there. “Over a million dollars in drug money. I saw it, and I grabbed a stack. I didn’t bother counting it. Didn’t think twice about it. I couldn’t, or I would have put it back.”
“You should have.”
“In that moment, all I could see was red. I was so angry at these thugs, so worried about you and the kids. Gretchen was going to need braces. Sam needed those special shoes. The hospital bill for the twins’ deliveries was going to use up our savings. We deserved that money.”
“It was illegal, Mark. So, so illegal.”
“Don’t you think I know that?” He raised his beer, finished it off. “I regret it. I regret taking the money. Hell, in a sense, I almost regret getting away with it. But I don’t regret doing what I thought was best for my family.”
Anne’s breath hitched as her husband locked eyes on her.
“I would do anything for you, Anne. For the kids.” His other hand fisted in his lap. “It’s probably good you didn’t tell me what Roman knew, because I might have done something I regretted.”
“Apparently someone else did it for you.”
Mark didn’t look all that upset at the notion. Anne’s frazzled mind ached as she stared at the man she’d thought she’d known better than anyone else on earth. And she wondered if it was true. The true murderer hadn’t been caught yet. Anne was convinced Eliza hadn’t done it…so who had?
Is it possible? Mark had already lied so much…
“Why was Roman looking into me?” Mark asked suddenly.
“I hired a private investigator to tail you.” Anne tried to keep her chin up. “I’m not proud of it, but I had to know. The PI then sold the information he turned up to Roman. It’s a long story. My question is how did the investigator find out? Does someone at work know? Are we in danger?”
“There’s an account,” Mark said dully. “A banking account I opened up and didn’t tell you about, and if the PI is any good, he would’ve found it. There’s more money in there than I should ever have earned to date. He could’ve dug around, matched the deposits up with my work history, and connected the dots.”
“You still have money left over?”
