When he stayed quiet, she retreated. Maybe she was being too presumptuous. “If you don’t want to talk about it right now, that’s okay, too. It can wait.”
“It’s not like that.” He took a long breath. “I just don’t know where Catherine got that idea. She never met Lisa, and I never talked abo
ut her once everything was over.”
“Oh. Then…yeah. What the hell was Catherine thinking?”
“Maybe Jacob mentioned something about it.”
“But it’s not like she knows me well enough to make the comparison.”
“True,” Ethan said. “Lisa was my girlfriend in college. We were…infatuated with each other. We even got an apartment together, though I didn’t know until later that she hadn’t told her folks about me. Two months after we moved in, she cut her wrists.”
“What? Oh my god. I’m so sorry, Ethan.”
“Her family was grief-stricken, of course. And really, really angry. Looking for someone to blame. The idea that Lisa might kill herself was just…unacceptable to them even though there was no evidence of a struggle or breakin. Long story short, they blamed me.”
“That’s ridiculous!” She clenched her hands. Though it had happened years ago, it infuriated her. How dare they!
“Boyfriends and husbands are always number one on the list of suspects when a woman dies. That’s what the cops told me as they investigated. My family hired the best lawyer available as a precaution. That made Lisa’s family even angrier. They thought if I had nothing to hide, I wouldn’t need a lawyer.”
“That’s dumb. Either way, you have the right to an attorney.”
“I also had an iron-clad alibi since I was with one of my professors to discuss midterms at the time of her death. But they didn’t think that was good enough since some of his research money came from a big grant from my family about a month before the investigation started. If it hadn’t been for the PI we hired, things could’ve gotten a lot more complicated.”
Kerri wrapped her arms around him. “I’m so sorry about what happened,” she said, doing her best to modulate her tone. She was furious with herself for making Ethan relive this horrible nightmare. It was like when people asked her about her childhood.
“It was a long time ago.”
“I can’t believe how stupid I’ve been.”
“Honey, you’re never stupid. Except maybe when you insist on facing the world on your own or try to get a ‘manageable’ man.” Ethan gave her a small smile. “I’m glad I was able to talk about this. I never did with my family. They only knew what the police decided to make public, nothing more. It makes me feel… I don’t know, lighter to share it with you.”
“Still…” Kerri scowled. “Catherine must’ve mentioned Lisa just to upset you, and I fell for it. And to think I felt sorry for her.”
“Did you?”
“I admit it’s kind of hard to feel sorry for someone who’s that gorgeous. But her life’s falling apart, and she wanted to lash out at somebody. I can relate. But that doesn’t mean she gets to be a bitch. She’s lucky she’s not here.” She wanted to hurt Catherine for hurting Ethan. The woman had no right, even if she thought she might be facing jail time.
“Actually, Gavin said something similar. About you and Lisa, I mean.”
“Why would he think that?”
“He did meet Lisa, and you seemed so sad at times.”
This was news to Kerri. “How so?”
“Well, for example, when you see children, you get this distant, pensive look.”
“I do?”
“You do. And Gavin doesn’t miss much.”
She blinked. She had no idea she’d been that obvious or easy to read.
“But that isn’t quite right either, because Lisa was never really sad. Just depressed from time to time…but then she’d be perfectly fine and full of energy again,” he said, thinking out loud. “It wasn’t until after her death that one of her friends said Lisa’s doctor wanted her to see a psychiatrist, but her family refused to seek proper treatment for her. Her father thought it was something she could just get over, except it didn’t work out that way. But I think that’s where Gavin might have thought you were like Lisa. He only saw her a few times and didn’t know her that well.” He shook his head. “He thought I might be overcompensating for Lisa, but I wasn’t. Kerri, you know how much my family means to me. I vowed never to put them through another crisis like that. If I hadn’t seen the strength in you, I never would have asked you to move in, work for me, nothing.”
“I see.” She sighed. “Kinda sorry I asked.”