Ring of Lies (13 page)

She frowned.
‘
Daniel never really discussed his work
with me
, but
I do know
he
monitored
the
foreign exchange rates
.
There are numerous books in his study on
overseas
tax laws.
I could ask
his
business partner, Shaun
,
for more details if you want.
’

‘
No need.
’
Jack leaned forward, his dark eyes intense.
‘
Had there been any change in
his
habits?
Did he stay later at the office than usual, that sort of thing.
’

She glanced at him sharply. He was asking a lot of questions. But he was also listening. Talking to him helped, but made her feel uneasy. She took a breath and answered his question.

‘
After our marriage he
stop
ped
trying
, as if it were too much effort to ensure I was happy. He
became very critical
, unfriendly, cold almost.
’

‘
In what way?
’

‘
He stopped buying me flowers and taking me out for dinner.
We never had a holiday.
He was very particular. The house had to be spotlessly clean, yet he didn’t want anyone apart from
Catherine
to visit.
’

‘
What about the friend you mentioned?
’

‘
Olivia? We met in town or at her house.
’

‘
That’s indicative of abusive behaviour.
First you isolate your victim, undermine their confidence, and make them feel worthless.
Did he ever—
’

‘
Hit me?
’
She
hesitated
,
wondering how much to reveal.
‘
No. But verbally
,
Daniel
could be very cruel
.
’

Jack swore under his breath, but said nothing. Instead, his hand closed over hers, his thumb brushing the
soft
s
kin on the inside of her wrist.

‘
It was just after we were married. I entered his
study
without knocking.
I’d never seen anyone get so angry.
After that,
I did as he requested and never went in there, even when he was at work.
’

‘
What about more recently? Any changes in his routine or behaviour?
’

She paused to take a sip of water.
‘
He seemed nervous, more tight-lipped. When I asked if there was anything troubling him, he didn’t answer. I assumed it was pressure of work.
’

Grace sat back in her chair. There was a slight tremor in her hand as she reached for her coffee.

‘
Did you ever consider divorce
?
’

She looked at the
platinum
band on the third finger of her left hand.
‘
I made a commitment. W
hy should I
break my vows
?
’

‘
Not even after
you found out about his uncontrollable temper
?
’

‘
I told you, that was my fault.
’

‘
Bullshit!
Le
t’s put
the question of whose fault it was
to one side for the moment.
The dates in the passport—
’

Grace cast her eyes downward.
‘
—correspond with
dates
Daniel
was
supposedly
attending
work-related
seminars
or
conferences
.
’

‘
And you
had no
idea
he was actually out of the country
?
’

She shook her head.
‘
Why would I?
He was never away for more than
five days
.
He phoned each evening and we’d chat for
a few minutes
.
’
That now familiar feeling of uneasiness crawled over her skin.
‘
Do
you
think Daniel was involved in something
illegal?
’

‘
I can’t tell you at this point,
but
I can tell
you p
ropert
y
, especially
a beach house
,
is very expensive
.
U
nless your
late
husband won the lottery or inherited a whole
stack
of money
,
then he must have been involved in some pretty heavy stuff.
’

Grace stared at Jack.
She wanted to scream at him
. T
ell him he was wrong.
Daniel was a good man
, a
kind,
and thoughtful
man.
He would never jeopardi
z
e his career by being involved in
a
criminal activity.
But the truth was there in
Jack’s
eyes.
Her world spun, her breat
h came in great wheezing gasps.

‘
Oh, shit!
’
Jack yanked her chair back from the table and push
ed her head between her knees.
‘
Don’t you dare faint on me,
’
he said roughly.
‘
Breathe!
In.
Out.
In.
That’s it, slow and easy.
’

Grace struggled to sit up, but the weight of his
hand
on her back held her in place.
‘
Not… fainting… pills… in… m
y…
’
she
hissed.

Jack released her, grabbed her purse
,
and riffled through the contents.
Finally, his hand closed on a small brown bottle.

‘
These
?
’

She
merely
n
o
dd
ed her head
.
He
quickly read the instructions on the label,
shook one into her hand
,
and held
out a glass of water.
He
waited while h
er breathing gradually settled into a more normal rhythm and the
colo
u
r
returned to her cheeks.

‘
Damn it, Grace, you scared the hell out of me.
Feeling better?
’
His gaze roved over her face.

‘
I’ll be fine.
It was just a minor panic attack.
Give me
a minute
.
’
She squeezed her eyes shut and concentrated on her breathing.
When she opened them again, Jack was w
atching her intently.

‘
When did they start?
’

‘
Seven
months ago
.
My doctor says they’re caused by stress
and
are
probably only temporary
.
’

‘
I have to ask
. Were
you and Elliott
having marital problems
?
’

Grace felt the
colo
u
r
flood her cheeks.
‘
We had our differences, but we got through them.
’

He held up his hands.
‘
I’m sorry.
I’m just trying to figure out why Elliott would lie about his business trips.
Could he have been
involved
with someone
else
?
’

‘
You mean having an affair?
No
, definitely not
.
’
However,
as soon as the word
s
escaped her lips, Grace
realize
d
she wasn’t
certain
.
Most days Daniel would
come home from work, eat his dinner, and then lock himself in the study for the rest of the evening.
His interest in t
heir sex life amounted to a
two-minute
fumble once a month.