Page 39 of The Secrets We Hide
The energy from the panicked look between the two of them could’ve powered the sun.
Emmy said, “Allison felt like she was forced into retirement after she ended her sexual relationship with Reggie. She filed alawsuit against both the city and the police department for workplace retaliation, correct?”
Reggie hissed air between his teeth. “Careful, girlie.”
Emmy said, “Allison was demoted from the drug squad after she ended the affair.”
Bernadette said, “Well—”
Emmy waited, but there was nothing more from either of them. “Allison withdrew the lawsuit two months ago, right?”
Bernadette turned cagey. “I’m not sure about the timing.”
“Did you get to the deposition stage?” Emmy sensed a thread she could pull. “I’d like to read them.”
“Good luck,” Reggie said. “The case was sealed.”
“The depositions from a lawsuit against the city are not available to the public?” Emmy felt the thread start to play out. “Who asked the judge to seal it?”
Bernadette looked out at the squad room. Her lips were pursed. “I wish I could tell you more, but we’re under an NDA.”
“You signed a non-disclosure agreement in a case that was withdrawn?” Emmy pulled at the next thread. “Or maybe it wasn’t withdrawn. Maybe you settled privately with Allison so that she would drop the lawsuit.”
Bernadette didn’t respond, but the truth was fairly obvious.
Reggie gave a dramatic sigh. “Lookit, sugar, you’re hunting with the wrong dog. Bill is who you need to focus on. Are you gonna arrest him or do I have to step up?”
Emmy doubted he could get out of the chair without assistance. “Do you think it’s a good idea for the ex-lover of a murdered woman to arrest her husband?”
“You gonna keep playing dirty like that, somebody’s gonna put your ass in the mud.”
“Are you threatening me?”
“Hey, now,” Bernadette said. “Let’s dial down the temperature, please.”
Emmy wasn’t going to dial down anything. “Reggie, the thing you were saying before about the husband always being the top suspect—does that apply to the ex-lover, too?”
Reggie started twisting his cane like he was screwing it into the floor.
Emmy asked, “Chief Wilder, can you tell me where you were today between the hours of noon and one-thirty?”
The question changed the tone of the conversation completely. No one spoke. The only sound was the loud tick as the second hand traveled around the clock.
“All righty.” Bernadette broke the silence. Her legal brain had clearly told her not to witness a conversation she might later be called on to testify about in court. She grabbed her purse and stood up. “Sheriff, thank you for your time. I trust you’ve got the investigation under control.”
The mayor left so quickly that the only thing left was the scent of expensive perfume. Reggie’s eyes tracked her progress across the squad room and through to the lobby. Emmy couldn’t tell if he was being predatory or appreciative. Bernadette was the kind of rich that took years off your face and added tone to your body.
Reggie waited until she disappeared into the lobby, then he reached out with his cane and closed the office door.
He studied Emmy with a very different look from the one he’d given the mayor. “That’s why you didn’t want me inside the house, right? I’m a suspect?”
Emmy said nothing.
“You coulda told me instead of taking out my knee.”
“You coulda complied with my order to stop.”
Reggie leaned his cane against her desk. Sat back in his chair.
