It’s the same number that’s been texting her and calling her. The guy. He’s trying to reach her. She’s probably forgotten about some get-together they had because she’s been too focused on Quinn.
Some of my anger fades. Claudia is going through a lot right now with Derek being killed and Quinn maybe being held hostage. Not that it’s any excuse for what she did. But she’s already distraught.
That doesn’t mean I’m not going to answer this phone and tell this guy to stay the hell away from my wife. So I click the button to accept the call.
“Hello, asshole,” I say through my teeth.
There is a long pause on the other line. He’s probably shocked Claudia didn’t pick up and wondering if he should hang up. It doesn’t matter. I’m going to find him either way.
“Who am I speaking to?” a voice says. It’s a male voice, deep and overly formal. It’s not what I expected.
“I’m Claudia’s husband,” I say. “And you’re busted. I want you to leave her alone from now on. You got me?”
Another long pause. “This is Robert Delaney?” “Yeah. Who’d you think it was?”
A throat clears on the other line. “Mr. Delaney, this is Officer Higgins. We found this phone number on a burner phone in the pocket of your brother-in-law, Derek Alexander.”
My world tilts sideways as my mouth drops open. “What?”
There is shuffling on the other line while I sit on the bed, gripping the phone so hard that it hurts my fingers. I’ve almost driven myself crazy by the time I hear another voice come on the line: “Mr. Delaney, this is Deputy Dwyer.”
Scott Dwyer has been on the police force since I’ve lived here. As far as I know, he’s a good man and a good cop. But none of that makes me feel any better.
“Deputy,” I choke out. “What’s going on?” “Mr. Delaney, is this your phone?”
“No!” I burst out. “Christ, no. I found it.” “Found it where?”
The answer to this question is going to get Claudia in a world of trouble. But I can’t lie. Even if I wanted to, I wouldn’t.
“I found it in Claudia’s dresser drawer.”
There’s another long silence on the other line. I can only imagine the conversation going on right now.
“Where are you, Mr. Delaney?” Dwyer finally says. “I… I’m home.”
“Is your wife there as well?” “No…”
“Are you expecting her home soon?”
“I didn’t even expect her not to be here.” I let out a laugh that sounds strangled. “But yeah, I think she’ll be home soon.”
“Don’t go anywhere, Mr. Delaney. I’m on my way.”
My hair is still damp from the shower by the time Deputy Dwyer’s police car pulls up in front of my house. Right after we hung up, I went down to the kitchen, poured myself a shot of scotch and downed it in one gulp. I should be sober for when I talk to the police, but the hell with it. I needed a drink.
It won’t make me drunk. Just something to get my hands to stop shaking.
I’m already rising off the sofa when Dwyer makes it to the front door. I’ve got the door open half a second after he hits the doorbell. He’s wearing his blue cop uniform, and I’m
glad he doesn’t try to shake my hand, because my palms are cold and damp.
“Hello, Mr. Delaney,” he says. “Sorry to disturb you. Can I come in?”
I wordlessly step aside to let him enter my home. Scott Dwyer is around thirty, with hair that looks reddish in the overhead lights of our living room. He looks like he might’ve had freckles when he was younger, but they’ve faded. Claudia once said in a disparaging kind of way that Quinn dated Scott Dwyer when they were in high school. She laughed when she talked about how Dwyer showed up at their door like a puppy dog, always searching for Quinn.
I wonder what Dwyer thinks happened to Derek Alexander. I wonder if he thinks Quinn killed him.
“Can I get you something to drink, Deputy?” I ask as I lead him to the sofa. I suddenly worry he can smell the scotch on my breath. “Water, I mean.”
He shakes his head and settles down on the cushions of our worn blue sofa. “No, thanks.”
I sit down on the loveseat across from him. Claudia is always saying we need new furniture. Every time she goes over to Quinn’s house, she goes on a rant about how our stuff isn’t as nice as theirs. But our stuff is fine. You don’t have to own a ten thousand dollar leather sofa.
“So.” I dig the phone out of my pocket and hold it out to him. “Here it is. If you want it.”
Damn straight he wants it. He reaches for it, flips it open and stares at the screen. I sit there watching him as he scrolls through the text messages, the same way I did. I wait patiently, but I’m sitting on my hands. After a couple of minutes, he finally focuses his attention back on me. “Where did you find the phone?”
“I was putting away Claudia’s laundry. I found it tucked between two shirts.”
“So… it was hidden.”
“Yeah.” My jaw tightens. “You can see why.”
“Yes,” he says. “Did you suspect Claudia was having an affair at any point?”
“No. Never.” Although now it makes me feel stupid to say it. I should have known. But how could I? I was too busy supporting my family. Digging rats out of pipes and all that crap.
“Were you and Claudia close with Derek and Quinn?”
“Claudia and Quinn were close.” I cough into my hand. “Well, I thought they were.”
“Do you think Claudia could have hurt Quinn?”
I frown. “Wait. Do you think Claudia might have been the one who stabbed Derek? And… done something to Quinn?”
Deputy Dwyer folds his arms across his chest. “We’re just trying to explore every possibility.”
“Oh,” I breathe. “Yeah, okay. Makes sense.”
“Do you think she might have, Mr. Delaney? Do you think she’s capable of it?”
I reach out and touch the scar on my hairline. The one that required five stitches in the emergency room.
“Yes,” I say. “She’s capable of it.”
