Free The Secrets She Kept by Brenda Novak Page A

small thing to someone like Josephine,” Chief Underwood pointed out. “You said that yourself.”
    “True,” Keith allowed. “But you don’t know our mother if you think she’d wimp out that easily.”
    Underwood tucked several strands of her honey-colored hair behind one ear. “From what I’ve seen, she’s been battling financial problems for at least three years, ever since I got here. That was when she first bought into the resort.”
    “Still,” Keith said.
    The police chief scooted her chair closer to the desk. “Look, Mr. Lazarow. I can see how hard this is for you.” She shifted those pretty eyes to Maisey. “For both of you. If she were my mother, I’d be just as convinced she’d never take her own life. But...we can’t overlook the facts.”
    “What facts?” Keith asked. “The autopsy hasn’t even been done yet.”
    “At this point, the coroner and I believe the autopsy is merely a formality.”
    “Which is what makes me uncomfortable,” Keith said.
    “That’s why we’re permitting you to select a qualified pathologist from a list of doctors we recognize as having the proper credentials and experience—to compensate for any prejudice you feel we might have. Didn’t Maisey tell you? We spoke about it this morning.”
    “Maisey told me, and I appreciate that you’re working with us.” He had enough money, and his name carried enough clout, that he could create a fuss if she didn’t. Whether that had been a factor or not, he hated to guess. She’d agreed; that was what mattered.
    “I’m happy to make the concession,” she said.
    “That’s good. Thank you. But we need more,” he responded. “We need an aggressive investigation.”
    Underwood’s chair creaked when she shifted in it, even though she didn’t weigh all that much. “O-kay.” She stretched out the word as if she was surprised he was still pushing. “Let’s look at other possibilities, shall we? Who would’ve wanted your mother dead?”
    Now she was playing along just to show them how ridiculous they were being. Keith resented the fact that she was patronizing him, but at least she was listening.
    “Our mother wouldn’t end it all without providing for Pippa and Tyrone,” Maisey said. “She had other help—people who assisted whenever she had a party or drove her if she preferred not to drive—but they were only on call and weren’t nearly as close to her. She wouldn’t have left Pippa and Tyrone high and dry, especially since they’re getting on in age.”
    “Even if she’d lived, she wouldn’t have been able to continue paying them,” Underwood said.
    “You can’t say that for sure,” Maisey argued. “She was dating a wealthy man from Australia. Maybe they would’ve married, and that would’ve solved everything.”
    “You’re talking about Hugh Pointer.”
    It wasn’t a question, more of a confirmation. “Yes.”
    “I thought so.” Underwood clasped her hands in front of her. “He’s already married, Maisey.”
    This news hit Keith like a solid right hook. “What?”
    “You heard correctly. I called to get a statement from him before he could hear the news from someone else.”
    “So...what was he doing with our mother?” Keith asked.
    She moved some papers onto a pile to her left. “This wouldn’t be the first time someone’s cheated.”
    “I’d be willing to bet it was the first time someone cheated on our mother,” Maisey said. “Did she know he was married?”
    Keith answered before Chief Underwood could. “No way. Mom would nevertolerate second place.”
    “I tend to agree,” Underwood said. “She didn’t strike me as someone who’d accept anything less than total devotion. Although I couldn’t say we were friends, I met her on several occasions—at the playhouse one night, at the opening of the new art gallery a block over, at the event we held to raise money to equip our volunteer firefighters. She was...formidable, to say the least. So I’m guessing she