Total pages in book: 76
Estimated words: 76717 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 384(@200wpm)___ 307(@250wpm)___ 256(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 76717 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 384(@200wpm)___ 307(@250wpm)___ 256(@300wpm)
“You’re welcome,” Dr. Engel replies. “And Dr. Lansing?”
“Yeah?”
“If you’ll continue therapy with me, I’ll tell the board that they should allow the surgery.”
“You mean…now?”
“Yes. As soon as it can be arranged.”
“I can’t believe it.”
“Believe it. I was leaning toward that recommendation anyway, and I was ready to make it in the next month or so. But after today’s conversation, I’m confident that you have the support you need, and that you’re finally dealing with your trauma of loss, even though your wife may not have left you of her own accord.”
“Yes,” I say. “Lindsay deserved better, for sure.”
“She did,” he says. “Life can be foul sometimes, but we must remember to cherish the moments of beauty and love it gives us. That’s what Lindsay would have wanted for you.”
“Okay,” I say, my voice choked with emotion. “Okay. I’ll do it. I’ll continue therapy, and I’ll fight to clear my name.”
“Good,” Dr. Engel says. “And remember, you don’t have to do this alone.”
After we end the call, I sit still in my car, my eyes closed, taking several deep breaths.
And I feel better—about everything—than I have in a long time.
The fog of all of this has lifted. I’m no longer drowning in a sea of chaos, of unanswered questions.
And I realize… Ralph did slip up. Just now.
As I left, he couldn’t resist getting one last taunt in.
You can’t prove anything, Lansing. Not about me, not about this Burgundy guy. It doesn’t matter how many of his friends you call.
I never told Ralph about calling his old friends.
He knew I was snooping around.
And… Oh my God.
How fucking convenient that his old friend Steve, the person who knew him best, died an hour before I tried to call him to ply him for information.
And then when I got information out of his brother, he ends up dead too.
Ralph must have hired someone to keep an eye on them. On me, too. And when I started looking into his past, he must have had Steve killed.
But Tom said that his brother’s death wasn’t unexpected. That Steve had been suffering from neurological issues ever since the car accident.
And then Tom himself—he had a preexisting heart issue.
Ralph chose targets whose deaths could be explained by something else easily. There wouldn’t be any suspicion, no investigation.
And an anvil sinks in my gut.
The same was true of Lindsay.
She had just suffered a devastating loss. The kind that no parent should ever experience.
It was easy enough to explain her death away as a suicide.
Just as Steve’s and Tom’s deaths were easily explained away.
That’s Ralph’s fucking MO.
But he got sloppy. Two deaths in the Chapman family separated by twenty-four hours? That can’t be explained away.
Then that last barb he threw at me as I left his hospital.
A security cam must have picked up what he said. If I can prove that he said that… If I can connect him to the Chapman deaths.
I can connect him to Lindsay’s death.
And then he’s fucking toast.
Chapter Forty-Five
Angie
“Hey, there you are,” I say to Jason when I open the door. “Henry’s already here, and Tabitha stopped by, too.”
“I’m really sorry I’m late.” He kisses my cheek. “I have so much to talk to you about.”
I brush a hand over his jaw and bring his lips to mine.
He widens his eyes. He sees Henry in the living room.
But fuck it. I can’t undo it now. Tabitha saw it as well. She and Henry know Jason and I are an item. He’s already on administrative leave—though hopefully that will be reversed soon. We may as well enjoy our newfound freedom.
I smile at him. “Come on and meet my brother.”
Henry rises, and only now do I realize that he’s even taller than Jason. At least by an inch or two.
Jason holds out his hand. “Jason Lansing.”
“Good to meet you, Jason. I’m Henry.”
“Nice to meet you too.”
“So what are you drinking tonight?” Henry asks.
He scratches the side of his head. “I’m going to start with water, I think. It’s been kind of a day. I can’t thank you enough for calling in some favors to get those warrants.”
“No problem at all,” Henry says. “I hear Angie got you Blake Haywood. He’s the best.”
“Yes, he’s doing a great job.” Jason sighs. “I hope you know I’m innocent of all the charges against me.”
“Hey, Angie trusts you, so I do too. Right about now, the DA’s investigators along with some police detectives should be checking all of the surveillance footage around Ralph Normandy’s apartment.” Something tugs at the edges of his lips. “And I have some other good news.”
“What’s that?” Jason asks.
“They’ll be going inside as well. We were able to get a search warrant.”
“Yes, Angie mentioned that as well. I can’t thank you enough for that.”
Henry narrows his eyes at me. “Come on, sis, you already spoiled the surprise?”
I shrug. “I think Jason is entitled to some good news after the last few days.”