They sat, and she crossed one long leg over the other, her expression dejected.
“Just when you think you know someone well enough to walk down the aisle with them.”
“Trouble in paradise?”
“Do we have to play this game?” she snapped.
“Have you spoken to him?”
“More than that. I told him I would not be marrying him, ever. I also gave him back his crummy ring before the collection people came aftermefor it.”
“Was he living beyond his means?”
“My people did a quick check on him, which I should have done when I first met him. He owes everybody. It’s not that he’s a bad lawyer. He makes good money. It’s that he has a gambling problem, which is why he really wanted to go to Vegas for the honeymoon. To gamble awaymymoney.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Are you really?”
He glanced at the envelope. “Proof’s in the pudding, as they say.”
“Right. You could have let me marry him and there would go all my money.”
“I wasn’t so much worried about your money as I was about your safety.”
“You really think he’s dangerous?”
“That prostitute didn’t assault herself.”
She pursed her lips. “Have I been a complete fool?”
“The hardest thing for someone to do is admit they’ve been suckered. It’s easier to say the emperor is wearing his new clothes when he’s really stark naked, right up until the moment everything goes to shit and you have to pay the price for your bad judgment.” He leaned forward. “But moving on—do you stand by your alibi for him?”
She played with the latch on her purse. “Let’s just say that I was not counting the minutes when he was gone. I was actually in the shower and getting…spruced up.”
“So, longer than twenty minutes?”
“I think he found out when he needed an alibi for and then ‘reminded’ me how long he was gone. I can’t say for sure how long he was out, actually.”
“An hour or more?”
“I take a while to spruce up. So, yes, clearly an hour or more.”
“And you’ll stick to that if it comes to legal proceedings?”
“Count on it.”
She rose and so did Decker. She put out her hand, which he shook.
“Thank you, Agent Decker.”
“Thank you for being candid.”
“It’s not my usual forte, but an old dog can learn new tricks, I guess.”
“I guess so,” said Decker, thinking about himself.
***