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Chapter One

“It’s bad luck!” one of the shower guests shouted. “Every time you break a ribbon it means you’re going to have another baby.”

My fingers froze. I balanced the giant gift-wrapped box on my lap, poised to rip the bow off the top.

“Having babies isn’t bad luck,” my sister Vangie said. She sat next to me, holding a pen and paper in her hand, marking down the contents of every gift and who it was from. On my other side, Tori, the bride-to-be, held up the cherry-wood salad bowl Miranda had picked up from her trip to Holland, Michigan a month ago. It came with matching utensils.

Tori smiled. “I think that particular horse is out of the barn.” True enough, her son, my two-year-old nephew Sean, toddled out from the kitchen, his face covered in pink frosting from the cupcake he’d purloined off the table.

“Let ‘er rip, Cass,” Tori said. She looked radiant in a pink halter dress, her hair expertly styled, cascading down her back. She was strong, healthy, and vibrant. That hadn’t always been the case over the last couple of years, ever since Tori had been injured in a horrific car crash. Now, she and my brother, Matty, finally felt they could move forward with their lives.

“Fine,” I said. “But can anybody confirm if the bow breaking baby curse can transfer to the maid of honor?”

“I think you’re safe,” Jeanie Mills yelled from the kitchen. She’d been little Sean’s accomplice in the cupcake thievery. She popped the last bite of her own treat in her mouth. Jeanie was the closest thing we had to a mother of the groom today. She’d taken my brother and the rest of us under her wing years ago after our actual mother died. Steady, stalwart, Jeanie. I didn’t know what any of us would do without her.

“Fine,” I said. I broke through the ribbon and handed the package to Tori. The box contained the attachments to a mixer Tori had listed on her registry.

Twenty minutes later, with the gifts all opened and stacked in the corner of my living room, Tori’s guests made their way out to the side yard where we’d set up tables under two big tents overlooking the lake. I watched in awe as Tori navigated my stone pavers, only catching her balance once on the porch railing.

“She looks good,” Vangie said. “It wasn’t so long ago I didn’t think she’d ever walk without a cane again.”

“She’s a miracle,” I agreed. And so was Sean. He raced out of the back door. I scooped him up before he could get off the porch. Tossing him up, I blew a raspberry into his belly, making him chortle.

“What’s the rule, Turbo?” I asked him.

“Wife jacket,” he answered.

“Yep.” I kept his life jacket on a hook near the back door. Little man wasn’t allowed to step foot outside without wearing the thing. My house sat nestled on several wooded acres with several hundred feet of lakefront just a few steps off the back porch. Even though the sandy bottom was only three feet until the drop off, we took no chances with Sean.

“I’ve got him.” My niece Jessa appeared. Nearing her fourteenth birthday, she’d grown taller than me in the last few months. She grabbed Sean’s jacket and helped him put it on. Then she took his hand and led him to the table with the cocktail wieners and meatballs.

“I love her with him,” Vangie said.

“They’re adorable.”

Jeanie came to join us on the porch, followed by Miranda Sulier, my office manager and another of my most trusted humans.

“You did a nice job,” Miranda said. “Is she going to have the reception here?”

“I offered,” I said. “But no. Matty got some kind of deal at the lodge downtown. With their date so late in the fall, they’re worried if it’s really cold.”

“No predicting a Michigan fall,” Jeanie agreed.

We stood there, Vangie, me, Jeanie, and Miranda, watching as Jessa helped fill Sean’s plate. Then Tori took his hand and the two of them made their way to one of the tables surrounded by some of Tori’s friends from college.

My other niece, Emma, came out to the porch to join us. For the last few months, she’d been interning in my law office. She had plans to start law school next fall. I hadn’t yet been successful in talking her out of it.

Something distracted her today. She’d been on her phone more than usual. Even now, she stared at her screen with a frown as she made her way down the porch to stand next to Jeanie. It was subtle. I don’t think either Jeanie or Emma meant for me to see it. But Emma tilted her phone screen so Jeanie could read whatever was on it. Jeanie nodded, then made a slight downward gesture with her hand, as if to tell Emma to put the thing away.

“What’s going on?” Vangie asked, picking up the same signals I did.

Emma and Jeanie passed a look. “Nothing,” Emma answered. “Just a meme I thought Jeanie would think was funny.”

Miranda caught my eye. Then she turned to Jeanie. “A meme? Jeanie doesn’t know what a meme is. You’re both lousy liars. What’s going on? You two have been plotting something all afternoon.”

“It’s nothing,” Emma insisted. “Nothing that can’t wait until Monday.”

“Really?” I said.

Emma bit her lip. She looked at Jeanie. Jeanie shrugged. “You might as well tell ‘em. She’s gonna find out soon enough.”

“Mom!” Jessa shouted from the lawn. Sean had managed to roll a sauce-covered meatball down the front of his white shirt.

“On it,” Vangie said. “Oy. That’s gonna stain. I should have thought to put a bib on that little guy.”

Vangie bounded off the porch and made a beeline for Jessa and Sean, just as Sean slapped a sauce-covered hand on Jessa’s dress.

Tori looked up from her conversation and saw the carnage. As she moved to join the clean-up effort, Vangie waved her off. Shaking her head, Tori came to join the rest of us on the porch.

“I told Matty we should just wrap him in plastic the day of the wedding. The odds of him keeping his little tux clean are zero.”

“He only has to wear it for the ceremony,” Miranda said. “Then we’ll get him changed. Don’t worry about it. That’s what Sean’s Nanas are for.”

I smiled at the word. Sean didn’t have any biological grandmothers. But he had Jeanie and Miranda and they were just as good.

Emma’s text tone went off again. She frowned as she looked at the screen, then quickly pocketed it.

“What’s going on with you?” Tori said. “You and Jeanie have been plotting something all morning.”

“It’s nothing!” Both Emma and Jeanie said in unison.

“Right,” I said. “I think it’s time for you to share it with the class.”

Out on the lawn, Tori’s college friends tried to wave her over. She waved back but didn’t move.

“I miss them,” she said. “But I’m beginning to remember why I like them in small doses.”

I tried not to laugh. They were nice enough women. But Tori didn’t really seem to fit in with them. She was the only one of her friend group who had a kid. One of the only ones who was about to get married. The rest of them were all in their late twenties and still trying to figure out what they wanted to do with the rest of their lives. Tori had a son. She’d found the love of her life in my brother. And she’d survived something horrible and fought her way back from it. I could understand why she felt disconnected from women who seemed more carefree to her.

That…and she was one of us now.

“Come on,” Tori said. “Spit it out, Jeanie. What plot are the two of you hatching and why are you trying to keep it such a secret?”

“Let’s go inside,” Jeanie said.

I looked back. The house was empty now. It seemed a little rude to leave all of Tori’s shower guests out in the yard without us. At the same time, none of them were paying attention to anything but the food and mimosa table. It didn’t seem like that big of a deal to steal away for five minutes.

Miranda held the door open as the women of the Leary Law Group made their way to my kitchen.

“All right,” Jeanie said to Emma. “Fill them in. But let me preface this by saying I think this is a horrible idea. No good will come of it. But I know your Aunt Cass well enough to know this is exactly the kind of shit sandwich she can’t help herself from biting into.”

“Well thanks,” I said.

Emma took a breath. “I got a phone call from a lady I used to babysit for. Over in the Apple Creek neighborhood.”

“Ohh,” Miranda said. “Swanky.” Apple Creek was on the west side of town. The rich side. The subdivision had been put in about fifty years ago, catering to those with a minimum high six-figure incomes.

“I used to nanny her daughter Elyse for the summer,” Emma continued. “The Bakers. It was a while ago. You were still living in Chicago, Aunt Cass.”

“Okay?” I said, dubious.

“Well, the Bakers live through the woods and behind the Karls. It sounds like they got to talking. Kim Baker knows I’ve been working for you. So she suggested maybe she could break the ice. You know, using me.”

“Break the ice for what?” None of these names rang any sort of bell for me. I didn’t know the Bakers or the Karls.

“Dahlia Karl,” Emma said, exasperated.

“Ooooooh crap,” Tori said. Clearly, the name had meaning to her.

“Who’s Dahlia Karl?”

Jeanie had her own phone out. She typed something into it and turned the screen toward me. A news article popped up. The headline read:

Taney County Sheriff’s Deputy Slain by Married Lover

“Wait a minute,” I said, my pulse starting to ratchet up.

“Megan Lewis,” Miranda said, filling in the blanks my brain was trying to close as well.

“Detective Megan Lewis,” I said. Lewis used to work for the Delphi Police Department. Years ago, she’d gotten demoted after I brought to light some mistakes she’d made in a murder investigation. She’d left the department shortly after.

“Deputy Lewis was beaten to death last June,” Jeanie said. “Dahlia Karl is married to the man who did it.”

“Okay. So what’s this all about?”

“She wants to meet with you,” Emma said.

“Wait a minute. Her husband was sleeping with Megan Lewis. He killed her. Now his wife wants to talk to me? Why?”

Emma and Jeanie exchanged that look again.

“Oh man,” Tori said. “Does she want to hire us? For him?”

“We really shouldn’t talk about this here,” I said. “Tori, it’s your day. Your bridal shower. Why don’t we just get back to the party and talk about all of this on Monday?”

“She wants you to come to Dahlia’s house and meet with her,” Emma said. “Kim Baker…her friend. The one I babysat for. She’s really worried about Dahlia’s mental health. This whole thing has taken a toll on her.”

“I would imagine.”

“Trust me,” Tori said. “This is way more interesting than what’s going out on the lawn. We could use another juicy case, Cass.”

“What? I was hoping we could maybe coast on some mundane, boring real estate closings for a while.”

Jeanie, Miranda, and Tori all burst into laughter together.

“It’s just a meeting,” Emma said. “That’s all she’s asking for. Maybe an hour of your time. If you don’t want to get involved…and trust me…you probably shouldn’t…at least you’ll have given Mrs. Karl the time of day and we move on.”

“She’s got money?” Miranda asked.

“No,” I said. “No way. Don’t start.”

Miranda shrugged. “I’m just saying. From what I’ve read in the news so far, the Karls can probably afford to pay for a top tier defense.”

“Megan Lewis is a cop,” I said. “Which makes Dahlia Karl’s husband a cop killer. Even if…”

“It’s a meeting,” Jeanie said. “One meeting. See what the woman has to say. I’ll admit. I’m curious. That’s all.”

Laughter reached us from the yard. Vangie had Tori’s guests playing a shower game, making veils out of crepe paper and plastic plates.

“What do we know?” I asked.

“Not much more than what’s been in the news,” Jeanie said. “Deputy Lewis was bludgeoned to death in her own bed. Reed Karl confessed to killing her. They’d been having an affair for a while.”

I winced at the description. There would be crime scene photos if I agreed to get involved. Awful ones.

“Then I don’t get it,” I said. “Why does your friend Kim Baker think I can be any help at all?”

“She says Reed refused to talk to any lawyers. But Kim seems to think Dahlia…that’s the wife…has something to say.”

“She ought to cut her losses,” Jeanie said. “Sounds like Reed Karl…I’m sorry. The name even puts me off. Never trust a man who’s got a last name for a first name and a first name for a last name.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.” I smiled.

“What do you want me to tell her?” Emma asked.

I knew I should have told her no. The victim, Megan Lewis, had been very well liked by the Delphi Police Department. I was certain she had the same reputation in Taney County. But Jeanie’s words rang true for me too.

I was curious. That’s all. And I knew the old saying about what curiosity does to cats.

“Set it up,” I told Emma. Then I resisted the urge to meow.

Chapter Two

When I was a kid, I never came to places like the Apple Creek neighborhood. Learys were east side trash. Apple Creek was decidedly west side with its stately, two-story homes, manicured lawns and pools. Doctors lived here. Professors. Every major business owner. Even now, nearly half a century after these luxury homes went up, it still felt odd for me to be here. Things you think about yourself…or things other people tell you about yourself when you’re a kid can be hard to shake.

The Karl’s home was unique even for this neighborhood. Tucked back in the southernmost corner of the subdivision, on a cul-de-sac, they had only one neighbor to their east. The home abutted the woods. Through those woods, their friends, the Bakers presumably lived. It was about as private as you could get and still live in a platted subdivision.

Emma got out before me. The Karl’s next-door neighbor was an older gentleman, mid-sixties with a shock of white hair. He stood on his porch, sweeping off some fallen leaves. He gave us a wave and stopped for a moment, curious as to who we might be.

Dahlia Karl had a wooden welcome sign propped up against her yellow-painted front door. The door swung open and a pretty, red-haired woman greeted us with a wide smile.

“Emma!” she beamed. “Look at you!” She rushed forward and enveloped Emma in a hug.

“Aunt Cass,” Emma said. “This is Kim Baker. I used to babysit Elyse, her daughter. Is she here?”

“She’s at volleyball practice,” Kim answered. “She’s an eighth grader. Can you believe that? I think that’s about the age you were when you first started working for us.”

“Wow,” Emma said. “Well, tell her I said hello.”

“She’s going to be so sorry she missed you. Come on in. Dahlia’s in the back bedroom.”

Kim Baker’s smile faded a bit as she said it. She led us down a long, slate-tiled foyer and into the kitchen.

We weren’t alone. A young girl with long blonde-hair tied back in a loose bun stood at the kitchen sink. She wore a red apron and busied herself drying dishes and putting them on a wooden rack. She had earbuds in and didn’t hear us come in.

The kitchen itself gleamed. I couldn’t see so much as a single fingerprint on any of the stainless steel appliances. Something delicious was baking in the oven.

“Clara!” Kim shouted. She stepped forward and put a hand on the girl’s arm. She jumped back and pulled out one of her earbuds. She gave us an unsure smile.

“Clara, this is Cass Leary. And maybe you remember her niece? Emma? She used to stay with Elyse for us when she was little.”

“Oh hi,” Clara said.

“Clara is Dahlia and Reed’s daughter,” she said. “She and Elyse are pretty close. Sisters from another mister.”

Clara strode forward. She shook my hand with the confidence and maturity of a twenty-five-year-old, not a kid of maybe thirteen or fourteen that she clearly was. For a moment, I felt a kind of déjà vu. Clara was washing dishes. Cooking. Cleaning the house. Her father was in jail. Her mother, by all accounts, was a wreck. Who was looking after Clara? I knew the answer before I even asked the question. Nobody. Clara Karl had no choice but to grow up fast. She probably didn’t feel like she could rely on any of the adults in her life right now. The same thing had happened to me at roughly the same age when my mother died and my father couldn’t drag himself away from a bottle of whiskey.

“Mom’s still getting dressed,” Clara said. “I told her you were coming. Let me go check on her.”

Clara took her earbuds out and set them on the counter. She slipped the apron off her neck and hung it on a hook as she disappeared down another first floor hallway.

“She’s been a trooper,” Kim said. “Dahlia wouldn’t have made it this far without Clara. I do what I can to help out, but I work full-time.”

“Is there any other family?” I asked.

“No,” Kim said. “Both Dahlia and Reed are only children. Their parents are long gone. Dahlia’s from England. Just outside of London, I think. Clara and Reed are the only family she has in the States.”

It was hard to fathom. I had my brother, Joe. Though I’d taken on the role of a de facto mother to my two younger siblings, I’d never felt completely alone.

“Clara’s been doing everything,” Kim said. “She’s making her own doctor’s appointments. She’s making them for Dahlia, too. The other day, she had me take her to the grocery store to do the weekly shopping. I mean Dahlia gives her money, but she’s just been so out of it the last few weeks. I’m trying to step in where I can. Clara knows she’s welcome at our house anytime. We’re just through the woods behind their house. Dean and Reed cut a path for the girls when they were little. Clara just doesn’t come over as much anymore. She’s afraid to leave her mother now. But Clara helped me convince Dahlia to get in touch with you.”

“How awful,” Emma said. “I hope there’s something we can do to help.”

Clara reappeared. “She’s okay. She forgot to take her morning pills.”

Clara went over to the counter. There were pill bottles lined up along the wall. Clara took one pill from two different bottles and carried them back down the hall. A moment later, she reappeared along with her mother.

Clara Karl resembled her mother. Dahlia too was tall and blonde. She wore no makeup and practically blended into the wall as her daughter gently pushed her forward.

It almost seemed like she was holding her up. Dahlia looked like she’d dried fresh tears on the way out. She was pretty. Beautiful, actually. She had big, almond-shaped eyes, high cheekbones and a slender, well-muscled frame.

“Hello,” she said in a voice so breathy she sounded like Jackie Kennedy.

“Thanks for coming out here on a Sunday and with such short notice,” Kim said. “Dahlia’s just been beside herself. I don’t know if you can help, but she has to talk to somebody. This is just too big for her to handle it all by herself.”

“She’s not by herself,” Clara said. “I’m here, Mom. It’s going to be okay.”

Dahlia looked absently at her daughter. She smiled, then kissed her. “Honey. It’s okay. Why don’t you go up to your room for a while?”

“I can stay,” Clara said. “If you need anything…”

“Clara, it’s okay. You’ve been working yourself to the bone all morning. I’m not an invalid.” Dahlia Karl was indeed English. She sounded like the former Queen herself.

Clara looked unsure. But finally, she relented. She gave her mother a hug and went upstairs, hopefully out of earshot.

“She’s been amazing,” Dahlia said. “What kind of teenager has to be encouraged to go play on a screen for a while?”

“Clara’s a good kid,” Kim agreed.

“We can talk in the living room,” Dahlia said. We followed her back toward the front of the house. She had a large, coved-ceiling living room with a grand piano in one corner and two couches and two chairs arranged facing the center of the room.

Emma and I sat together on one couch. Dahlia took the other couch. Emma pulled out a notepad and poised her pen over it.

“I’m going to just be outside,” Kim said. “Some of those flower beds out front need some attention. Dahlia, if you need anything, you just give a shout.”

“I’ll be fine,” Dahlia said. Kim said a hasty goodbye. Flower beds in October? It was a weak excuse for an exit, but Dahlia didn’t seem to pick up on it.

“Mrs. Karl,” I said, cutting right to it. “Are you looking for legal representation for yourself? Is there something…”

“No,” she said. “Not for me. But Reed…I was hoping you could talk to him. He’s all alone in that jail cell. He’s terrified even though he won’t say it. He won’t let me visit him. He won’t let me anywhere near him.”

“He’s confessed to killing Megan Lewis. I’m not sure what help I could be.”

Dahlia had a handkerchief in her hand. She twisted it between her fingers. “What happened…it’s not…it’s not like it’s been portrayed in the press. Or on social media. I know what people are saying about Reed. But he needs someone to help him get his story out.”

“It seems like he did a pretty good job of that all by himself. He gave a detailed statement to the police as I understand it.”

Dahlia shook her head. “The last few months have been a nightmare, Ms. Leary.”

“I’m sure they have. And it’s Cass.”

She nodded. “I’m not saying I condone what Reed did. But I understand why he did it.”

“Okay,” I said. “So why did he do it?”

She took a great, heaving breath. “I know how this will make me sound. I know what happened to Megan Lewis was unspeakable. Awful. But she isn’t the person people think she was. She…Ms. Leary…Er…Cass…Megan made our lives a living hell for months. She terrorized my family. And nobody is going to believe it…they won’t even know about it if you don’t help my husband.”

Emma caught my eye, then she quickly went back to her note taking.

“Ms. Karl, maybe you better start at the beginning.”

She nodded, then blew her nose into her handkerchief. “It’s just us. Just the three of us. Me. Reed. Clara. She’s just fourteen. I’m so worried about her. She’s missed so much school.”

“That has to be so hard,” I said.

“I know what you’re probably thinking. That I should be furious with my husband. And I am. Believe me. Part of me hates him for what he brought into our lives. I try not to. But I’m a human being.”

“Did you know your husband was having an affair?” I asked.

She nodded. “Not at first. But then you start to notice things. You worry. Things have been so difficult between us for a very long time and that’s my fault.”

“Why is it your fault?” Emma blurted, with all the indignation of her generation.

Dahlia Karl’s entire posture changed. Her shoulders slumped and she made herself very small. “I haven’t been an active participant in my marriage for a very long time. I wasn’t there when my husband needed me.”

I could see Emma bristle beside me. I understood what she was thinking. I was thinking it too. What kind of number had Reed Karl done on his wife to get her to think his cheating was justified?

“What do you mean?” I asked.

“I’ve tried,” she said. “But mostly for Clara. Whatever energy I have left, I’ve given to her. Making sure she has everything she needs for school. Helping her with her homework. Driving her where she needs to go. Making sure she eats three meals a day. Being a mom. When it comes to Reed, I just…I haven’t been there for him. And I see the way you’re looking at me.”

I tried to make my face neutral. So far, what I’d seen was the exact opposite of what this woman was saying. Kim Baker had just said she was the one taking Clara to the store. I could still smell whatever meal Clara was cooking in the oven.

“I’m not looking at you any way,” I said. “I’m just trying to understand…”

“I don’t think I deserved to have my husband cheat on me,” she blurted. “That’s not the point I’m trying to make. I just mean…I understand how he fell into it all. Up until a year ago, Reed was the best husband I could have asked for. And a wonderful father. God. Clara is Daddy’s girl for sure. He adores her. This whole thing has just destroyed her. And that’s why I’m here. Not for me. For my daughter. I couldn’t live with myself if I didn’t at least try to do something to make sure Reed’s rights are being protected.”

“Okay,” I said. “That I can understand. But you said something about Megan Lewis. You said she terrorized your family. What do you mean?”

Dahlia looked out the window. “Reed was going to leave me for her. He doesn’t want me to know that. But I do. I felt it in my heart. Maybe if I’d have just let him go, none of this would have happened. The thing is…Cass…I still love Reed. In spite of all of it. I love him. I love his mind. I love his passion. I love the kind father he is. And I don’t know who I’d be without him. Even now.”

“Tell me about Megan Lewis,” I pressed her again.

Her eyelids fluttered. “She wasn’t…she’s not…she was not a good person. She did things. Horrible things. I’m not saying she deserved to die because of them. But the jury needs to hear about it. They need to know all the facts before they decide what Reed is guilty of.”

“What things did she do?”

Dahlia met my eyes. “Megan Lewis was obsessed with my husband. And she believed I was the thing keeping him from being with her fully. So she tried to get me out of the way.”

Her tone had dropped and gone flat. I got the sense this might be the first time she’d spoken those words out loud.

“Okay,” I said. “Mrs. Karl…”

“Dahlia,” she said.

“Dahlia. I need to be clear on something. If I were to agree to get involved in this case, I wouldn’t be your lawyer. I’d be your husband’s. If that is indeed what you’re asking me.”

“It is.”

“So…whatever you tell me here. It wouldn’t be protected by attorney client privilege. Do you understand that?”

“I do.”

“All right. So what do you mean Megan Lewis tried to get rid of you?”

“There were a series of things. First, I had this sensation of being followed home from the grocery store. I would find little notes on my windshield. Typed letters calling me bad names. Names I’d rather not repeat. And the neighbors saw her. She would drive by the house. All hours of the day and night.”

“You’re saying Megan did all of this? You have proof of that?”

“The police must have proof of it,” she said. “They searched Megan’s phone and computer.”

Emma took furious notes. I crossed my legs. “Dahlia, did Megan Lewis directly threaten your life?”

“Things were escalating. The police know all of this. But they don’t care because she’s one of them. They were protecting her. They didn’t care what she did. She knew she could get away with it. And then she…”

Dahlia let out a sob.

“And then she what?” I asked.

“She broke into my home,” she said. “She…she took Ian’s things. She destroyed them. She laid them out where she knew I would find them.”

“Ian?” Emma and I said it together.

“Reed was so angry. He swore to me he would make sure nothing bad happened to me. That he’d end it with Megan once and for all. I believed him for a while. I don’t know. Maybe he did. But then she broke in here.”

“Who is Ian?” I asked.

Dahlia broke down in tears, burying her face in her hands.

“Ian was my brother.”

The voice came from the hallway. Clara stood there, her face ashen. Emma and I exchanged a look. Clara came into the room and put her hands on her mother’s shoulders.

“Ian was my little brother,” she said again. “He passed away a few years ago. My mom’s talking about his toys. We had a break-in a few months ago. Before…everything else happened. Someone took Ian’s toys. His favorite stuffed bear. Mom found them hanging from the ceiling in her bedroom.”

“How awful,” Emma said. “I’m so sorry that happened to you.”

“Clara please,” Dahlia said. “Honey, I’m okay. It’s okay. I can talk to these ladies. You don’t have to take care of me.”

“Clara,” Emma said. “I think whatever you’re got in the oven might be starting to burn. Why don’t we go check?”

Clara was reluctant to leave her mother’s side, but Emma was able to guide her away.

Dahlia wiped her nose with her tissue. “I was terrified. Clara was devastated. We filed a police report. They were just starting to look into it when…Look. I don’t know what happened to Megan Lewis. What led up to it? That’s something you’ll have to ask Reed if you decide to help us. But I am telling you. What Reed did, he did because he was trying to protect us. I don’t know how much further that woman would have taken things. But what kind of person rips open a dead child’s toys? Clara saw! Megan could have done anything she wanted to me. But Clara is completely innocent in this. She’s my baby. Reed was only trying to protect us. He took it too far. I won’t deny that. It’s just…there are mitigating circumstances and people need to know.”

I had far more questions than answers. But Dahlia collapsed into a fit of tears. A moment later, Kim Baker walked back in. She went to her friend and gathered her into her arms.

“Will you talk to him?” Dahlia asked through sobs. “Will you at least go see him? I know my husband. For all his faults, he thinks he’s being noble or chivalrous or something. I told you, I don’t condone what he did. He’s going to go to jail for it. I know that. He has to. But he isn’t just some cold-blooded killer.”

Dahlia stood straight up, shrugging off Kim’s embrace. “I can’t breathe,” she said. “I need air.”

Before Kim or anyone could stop her, she bolted down the hallway back to what I assumed was the primary bedroom.

“I’m sorry,” Kim said. “She’s been a mess. She blames herself. Which is nuts. I know. But Dahlia’s very fragile. Even before all of this. We almost lost her about a year ago.”

“What do you mean?” I asked.

“Dahlia’s been depressed. She and Reed lost their son a few years ago. Ian was only four years old. She hasn’t been the same since. That’s why she thinks Reed sought comfort in another woman. I hate him for it. I’d like to scratch his damn eyes out for putting her through all of this. But Dahlia isn’t wrong. I saw the notes Megan Lewis left on her car. I know how frightened she was. And listen…they can afford to pay you. Reed has money. Lots of it. He invented this app people use to find used car parts. He sold it for millions a few years ago. I know you’re one of the best defense lawyers in the state, Ms. Leary.”

“I’ll talk to him,” I said the words almost before I formed the thought. Kim’s shoulders sagged with relief.

“I’ll tell Dahlia,” Kim said. Then she crossed the room and actually hugged me.

Emma came back to the living room. She’d managed to distract Clara and keep her in the kitchen so now it was just the grown-ups.

“Thank you for everything,” Kim said to Emma, then hugged her again. She showed us out the front door.

For a moment, I didn’t know what to say. I couldn’t stop looking at the Karl’s house. I put the car in gear and backed out of the driveway. For a moment, Apple Creek didn’t seem luxurious. It seemed oppressive.

Neither Emma nor I said anything as we drove back to my house. I made my way down the driveway into the woods. As I hit the garage door opener, Emma finally broke the silence.

“Well,” she said. “Miranda’s going to be thrilled about the size of the retainer the Karls can afford to pay. But what are you going to do about the bigger problem?”

“Which one?” I asked. Just as I said it, another car pulled in behind me with my bigger problem behind the wheel.

###

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