Page 40 of Trust No One

Curiosity blended with annoyance. “What does he want?”

I dropped my voice and leaned closer. “He said Maria was poisoned.”

A sharp flex rippled along his jawline. “How does he know?”

“He has contacts everywhere. I bet he’s been on the phone with the state lab.”

“Why does he care?”

“Me.”

Judson shook his head. “I haven’t gotten any results.” Fingers flexed. “Tell your husband to stay out of my case.”

“He’s not my husband.”

“Until you sign divorce papers, he is.”

“I’ve signed. The ball is in his court now.”

Judson drew in a sharp breath. Was he jealous? This green-eyed monster was unexpected, satisfying. “Don’t trust that he’s finished with you.”

“I don’t.”

“What does he want?”

“Money, most likely. We’ve sold our Alexandria house. He wants his portion.”

“Why haven’t you sent it?”

“It settles on Friday. And I’m also not sending a dime until he signs the divorce papers. He’s found a half dozen reasons not to. And when he does sign, I’m not obligated to cut the check for ninety additional days.”

“Why does he need the money?”

“Gambling debts, I think.”

“Gambling.”

“Sports. Still loves any game.”

There was no empathy in his expression. “Why did you marry him?”

“His charm is something when it shines. It hit me when I was lonely. When I saw him, I remembered our senior year. First time in a while I’d been happy. He was a part of that. I didn’t learn about the gambling debts until two weeks ago.”

“How did you find out?”

“Ken confessed that a guy he’d owed money to had pressured one of my clients to beat me up. The client was Pete Miller.”

His jaw pulsed. “Ken was behind the attack?”

“Not him. A guy who wanted payment.”

Judson’s eyes sharpened. “How bad was the attack?”

“If the deputies hadn’t pulled him off me, Pete would’ve choked me to death.”

Judson frowned. “The ribs. Your stiff neck.”

“As he was choking me, Pete landed a couple of hard punches.”