“Luke told me she found it buried in the greenhouse. Apparently she and Sean were out there gardening when he and Artemis began digging in the dirt. Art dug so deep that they found a wooden box.”
“Who is Artemis?”
“Our dog. He died just after that. Luke told me he escaped and ran in front of a car.”
She doesn’t mention seeing Sean or talking to him. “How long since you’ve seen your son, Jolene?” The question blurts out before I even realise. It certainly wasn’t on my list to ask.
Her gaze dips and she begins picking at her nails again. “Three months. And before that, it was almost another three months.” She looks back up. “After Luke decided I was guilty, he stopped letting me see Sean.” She swallows hard. “He came back recently and told me he had an investigator again. Apparently he had some leads and needed information from me. I gave him what he needed and I thought he’d bring Sean the next time he came. I didn’t push him or nag him. I didn’t want to give him any reason to not want to visit. But he never came back. Instead, a lawyer came and told me he’s proceeding with our divorce.” A tear slides down her face.
My soul is twisted with confusion, hurt, anger, sadness and so many more emotions I don’t think I can even pinpoint. If Jolene really is innocent, my heart will crack completely. I want to reach across the table and hold her hand. I want to console her. And yet, that thought conflicts me in so many ways. The man I love has sworn to me that this woman is a calculating and manipulative murderer and I would never doubt anything he told me. But I can’t help it. I’m beginning to seriously doubt Jolene’s guilt.
Visiting time is almost up. “I’m going to come back soon, okay?”
Jolene is still watching me warily. I don’t blame her. She doesn’t know me. She can only judge my agenda by what I’ve told her, and that’s a hard thing to do when you don’t know someone. Possibly even harder to do if you’re innocent and alone. But she nods. “Okay.”
“One last thing—where would I begin if I wanted to work out who your mother’s enemies were?”
“That’s easy. Go and visit Joe at the Old Northern in The Valley. Tell him I sent you and what you need to know. I told my lawyer to do it, but she didn’t seem to find out much.” She gets up and gives me one last appraisal. “Can you get in touch with my husband? Tell him what you’re doing so he knows. Maybe he’ll listen to you.” With that, she turns and leaves.
I stare at her, watching her limp out of the courtyard.
Fuck.
I’m in a pickle now.
30
Callie
Me: I have to cancel tonight sorry. I’ve got work.
He rings. “Hey, you,” I say when I answer it. After my visit with Jolene this morning, I’m feeling weird with him. Guilty.
“What’s going on, Callie?” Uh-oh. He sounds like he has his bossy pants on today. I don’t do well when he’s wearing them.
“They’re loading me up with work at the moment. And you know I work better in complete silence. I would co
me over after I finish, but I think it’s going to be a really late one.”
Lie.
Liar.
All the lies.
You’re going to hell.
Silence.
“How long will this be going on?”
“God, I don’t know, Luke.” That comes out a little snappy.
“I’ve only got tonight off this week. Tim’s away for the week so I’m taking his shifts.” Code for—when the fuck am I going to see you?
“I’m sorry. I’ll try to get through as much as I can tonight.”
“They’re working you too hard,” he mutters.