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Natalie’s first love.
“Congratulations on your purchase of thatdump,” Howard said, smiling in a way that showed too many teeth. “What’s your vision for the place?”
Rose’s voice shook. “I’m thinking a hotel or a bed-and-breakfast.”
“Right. Like Nantucket needs more of those.” Howard’s voice sparkled with sarcasm.
“On the contrary, more and more tourists come every summer. I think another bed-and-breakfast is just the ticket. And it’s been a shame to watch that plot of land go to waste over the years,” Sean affirmed, sticking up for Rose. He wasn’t wearing his police officer uniform and had opted for a pair of slacks and a dark green sweater. He looked good. Understated.
Howard’s eyes flickered as though he wanted to roll them. He folded his hands across his desk and looked at Rose. “How can I help you today?” He said it distractedly.
Rose filled her lungs, then took the plunge. “We want to know why you let the old place sit like that for so many years. Why buy a half-destroyed property and do nothing with it?”
“It happens all the time,” Howard insisted. “My wife says I have too many irons in the fire. I had to take some out.”
“But this particular place,” Sean pressed. “It once belonged to Oren Grayson. Are you familiar with that name?”
“Only in as much as I bought the place from him,” Howard lied.
His face was like a stone. It was time to bring out the big guns.
Rose reached for her purse and pulled out the oldphotograph of Howard and Natalie. “We know that isn’t true,” she breathed, placing it on the desk between them.
Howard’s bushy eyebrows shot up his forehead. The color drained from his cheeks. Slowly, he dropped his hand to take the photograph and raise it closer to his face. He looked captivated.
“Where did you get this?” he breathed.
All the air was taken out of the room. It was difficult to breathe.
“We’re trying to get to the bottom of an investigation abandoned many years ago,” Sean said after a pause.
“Natalie,” Howard whispered.
Rose nodded. “We don’t think it was an accident.”
“Of course, it wasn’t an accident,” Howard shot. “Oren Grayson wasn’t the kind of guy who hadaccidents.”
Rose thought of the miscarriage in Paris.An accident Oren couldn’t avoid.But she wouldn’t bring that up with Howard. She didn’t even plan to tell him she was Oren’s second wife.
Howard fixed his face and set the photograph down in front of him.
“We know why we think it wasn’t an accident,” Sean said. “But why don’t you think it was?”
Howard snorted. It seemed difficult for him to keep still. “You should have seen the way Oren sauntered up to Natalie at the bar the night we met him. He had this air about him. Like he owned the world, but he was the kind of guy who gotwhatever he wantedfrom birth. He never had to work for anything in his life. Natalie ranted about him all night after he left. But I knew in the pit of my stomach that something was wrong. And not long after that, Natalie left me for him.”
Howard chewed the inside of his cheek and turned to gaze out the window. It was as though he wanted to remind himself of all he’d earned. All he’d fought for.
“I kept tabs on Natalie after they got married,” Howard said. “I felt like I owed it to her. She’d been hypnotized by Oren’s wealth, his multiple homes, and all the adventures he could take her on. But I knew there would be a crash landing. I just didn’t imagine it would end like that.”
Rose’s heart throbbed. She thought she might throw up.
“When I found out Natalie died in the fire, I went insane,” Howard sputtered. “I got in my car and drove to Nantucket immediately to see the old place. I couldn’t believe how massive it was. It looked haunted. Terrifying. I went into town after that and heard whispers from the islanders. They all assumed Oren had killed Natalie. They didn’t know my background; they couldn’t have known I loved Natalie, so they told me everything. They told me that they’d once seen Oren smack her upside the head in public. They told me that if you drove back to the mansion at a certain time of night, you could hear the married couple fighting. I was mystified. Why had Natalie left me for this outright evil man?”
In her chair now, Rose felt Sean’s eyes settle on her.Does he know Oren was cruel to me, too?She wondered. She felt Howard was giving up pieces of her past through the retelling of Natalie’s story.
“I wanted to stay and go to the funeral,” Howard said. “I wanted to pay my respects to her family, whom I hadn’t spoken to since Natalie left me. But when I inquired about the funeral, I learned there would be aprivate memorial service.” Howard used air quotes. “Whyprivate? It didn’t make any sense. I started my own investigation after that. I went to the police and pretended to be someone else. I gave a false name.”
Sean twitched in his chair. Did he remember Howard now?
