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“You know I would never expose myself. Erasing tracks is my specialty, but I don’t want to interfere. If you really want to solve everything yourself . . .”
“You’ve already done a lot, bringing me this.”
“It’s okay. Take care, Christos.”
He hangs up, and when I’m ready to complete the call to Beau, as I’m now sure it’s Mike he wants to talk about, Zoe shows up. I think she notices something in my expression because a little wrinkle in the middle of her forehead replaces her smile.
“What happened? Is it my parents?” She looks terrified.
“No. They’re fine, but we have to talk. Your ex-husband is dead.”
“What?”
“A car accident in Mexico. The car caught fire.”
“Are you sure it was him?”
No, I’m not, but I won’t tell her that. If Howard is still on this planet, it won’t be for long, anyway.
Before I answer, she continues. “I’m not sorry. I hope he suffered,” she says, surprising me. “Because of what he did, my parents’ lives were destroyed. Their history, their memories. He hurt Bia thinking it was me.”
“He almost killed you too,” I growl, feeling the same hate for the bastard as when I saw her in that hospital room.
My phone rings; I know it’s Beau. Maybe wanting to break the same news as Odin.
“I have to answer it,” I say and walk away because I have no idea how the conversation will go.
“What part of ‘urgent’ don’t you understand?”
“I was talking to my cousin, then Zoe. He told me Mike Howard is dead.”
“What?”
“Wait, isn’t that what you were going to tell me?”
“No, but it seems your news is better than mine. Was it him?”
“I don’t know. What do you think?”
“Well, I don’t believe it, perhaps because, like you, I’m skeptical by nature. But by tomorrow morning, I’ll know. Now, let’s get down to business. Whether he’s dead or alive, your girl will be rid of the bastard sooner than you think.”
“I don’t understand.”
“When he married your Zoe, the professor had already been married to someone for over ten years. He’s a bigamist, Christos, which means his second marriage, which turns out to be to your girl, is invalid.”
“I thought nothing else we’d find about him would surprise me, but the bastard managed to outdo himself.”
“It’s a win-win. Any good lawyer will be able to resolve the annulment... I don’t even know if that’s the correct term because how can you annul what never existed? Anyway, any good lawyer will be able to resolve that quickly.”
“I’ll contact my lawyers later today.”
“I’ll give you some advice for free. You said you’re not sure if he really died. Let your Zoe think so. If Howard is still walking this vale of tears, it won’t be for long.”
“I had already considered that. I don’t want to involve her in my plans.”
“Exactly. When we find him burned to death in a car, it will sound like heaven.”
“You’ve got that look again, like you want to say something but are holding back. Did you regret the trip?”
