Fidelity (Infidelity #5)

“Her identity has been confirmed as Melissa Summers. They haven’t said specifically how she was killed or where exactly she was found, only that a concerned employee called the police. They are estimating the time of death as only hours before discovery.”

The lunch I’d eaten earlier churned. That meant she was killed on Saturday, hours before our party.

“Hours?” Chelsea said. “Had she been there all along? Was he holding her there somewhere?” Her cheeks paled with each question.

Deloris shook her head. “They haven’t said.”

“He wanted me to come to Carmichael Hall on Saturday after I visited… you,” I said, turning to Momma.

She stared in silence waiting for more.

“But you had complications. Jane and I stayed with you.” I turned to the rest of the table. “He was angry. I mostly avoided his calls, but we did speak a few times.”

Chelsea nodded. “He wanted me to come over when Alex couldn’t. He blew up my phone, but Jane had asked me to help with things around town. Everywhere I went, I was afraid he’d be there. But he wasn’t. Was he with her… killing…?” She tucked her hands on her lap and looked up at me with round hazel eyes. “Do you think? Did she die because of us?”

“What?” Nox said. “She died because of that animal. Why would you say it was because of you?”

I covered his hand, the one that was still on my leg. “Not because of us, but in place of us…” Nox’s hand tensed. I looked to Chelsea. “…one of us.”

Pushing my chair back, I hurried around the table and wrapped my arms around my best friend. As she trembled in my embrace I looked up to Deloris. The anger I’d felt back in the hotel with Nox, learning that they’d been the ones to bring Chelsea into this mess came back to life. “This is your fault.” And to Nox. “And yours. This is your doing!”

“Alex,” Deloris said, “this is Edward Spencer’s doing. Chelsea, we’ll get you out of your agreement. You don’t even need to speak to anyone at Infidelity. I’ll take care of it.”

“Like you took care of her before?” I asked, my skin prickling with rage.

“There was always an out,” Deloris said.

“So instead of owning up to your part, you’re blaming Chelsea for not leaving him, for not walking out on her agreement, the one you told her to take?”

“No. That’s not what I’m saying. I take full responsibility for my role. As you both know, Chelsea’s agreement was meant for someone else. I turned away in a crisis and when I looked back, it was too late.” She looked at Chelsea. “Financial compensation will never take away what you went through, but you will get it, as long as you don’t press charges against Edward Spencer.”

“What?” Nox and I said together.

“It’s part of the Infidelity agreement. If Chelsea makes a statement against him that includes Infidelity, it will null and void her agreement and risk exposing Infidelity. She can report him to the company, but she can’t break the nondisclosure or confidentiality portion of her agreement. If she abides by it, Infidelity will pay its full one-year obligation.”

“B-but you said we were going to Savannah to make statements,” Chelsea said, looking up at me.

“I thought we were.”

We all looked to Deloris. “Now that they know the time of death, they’ll want to know where you both were on Saturday. Were you in contact with him? Did you ever see Melissa during the months you lived at Carmichael Hall?”

“I didn’t,” Chelsea said. “I never saw her. Oh God. The place is big, not as big as Montague, but there are other buildings, places I never went.” Chelsea turned to me. “Do you really think he had her there all those months?”

We both knew the answer. He’d made it perfectly clear that he intended to keep the two of us. We just hadn’t realized he’d not only had two, but three women at his disposal.

“Can I answer those questions? Will it hurt Infidelity?”

“You can. You can do whatever you want. I would suggest you do only that. Answer the questions. Don’t make accusations. Answer questions in regard to Saturday, to Mr. Spencer in general. Avoid the nature of your relationship from a legal perspective. Speak about it in general emotional terms.”

Chelsea’s hand moved to her battered cheek. “But they’ll see.”

Deloris nodded. “Which could be the nail in his coffin. Pictures speak louder than words.”

“What about me?” I asked.

“Technically, you don’t have to make a statement. A wife can’t be made to testify against her husband.”

My gaze met Nox’s as the small hairs on the back of my neck stood to attention. “I’m not married.”

“Then that’s where we need to start. I believe we have proof that the marriage is illegal, at the very least that it was signed without the knowledge of either of you, thus fraudulently.” She shrugged. “However, there is the slight problem that our proof was not legally obtained.”

“What proof?”

“I bugged your phone.”

My nose scrunched. “My phone? The one Alton gave me? How?”

Oh, shit. I still need to find it.

Deloris tilted her head. “The how isn’t as important as the audible recordings. Saturday morning Edward Spencer called you. I recently replayed the conversation.”