“Because of something I found on David’s laptop,” he whispered back. She looked at him in surprise. He just shrugged and didn’t say anything more. “Keep in mind, his death was already something the police had to look into.”
Kate appreciated that. If everybody stopped assuming that they knew what was going on, Kate might get to the heart of the matter and be on her way. But, at the same time, she didn’t have a whole lot that she could share at the moment either.
The coffee now dripping in the pot behind her, Louisa turned around nervously. “So what can I help you with?”
Kate started with the easy questions and went through the simple ones, about how long they had been married and how long they had lived at the address. When she got into the more troublesome ones—about if they had any problems in their marriage—she saw the jolt of surprise in Louisa’s face at the question.
She stared in horror at Kate. “You don’t think I had anything to do with his suicide, do you?” Her bottom lip trembled, and immediately Helena raced over.
“No, of course she doesn’t. Nobody would think that,” Helena said. She turned a hard glance toward Kate. “Do you?” she challenged.
“We’re checking into all areas, also some information that we received.”
At that, Louisa turned to look at Simon in shock.
He shook his head. “Just answer the question. She’s not looking at you for complicity in anything.” He tried to say it reassuringly, but it was obvious that the woman was still struggling.
Kate decided to carry on with the last of the questions. By the time she was done, Louisa was almost comatose with shock. Kate turned to Simon. “That’s all I need.”
He nodded and said, “I’ll see you to the door.”
“Good.”
At that, Helena broke away from Louisa, raced to the front door with them, and she said in a harsh whisper, “Make sure you don’t come back,” she snapped. “That’s the last thing she needed.”
“Maybe so,” Simon said, his voice equally hard. “But sometimes this shit has to happen in order for us to get to the bottom of the problem.”
“There is no problem here. Isn’t it enough that he already betrayed her by committing suicide, and then you just throw acid into the wound by bringing up all this stuff? The last thing that she wants to discuss is their marriage or anything else. She already feels guilty enough,” she snapped.
“I get it,” he said, his tone still hard, “butyoudon’t know the whole story.”
“Well, explain it to me then,” she challenged.
He shook his head and said, “No,thatI will not do.”
And, with that, Kate turned to look at him and said, “Thank you.” And she turned and walked out.
“Listen to her,” Helena said, in a hoarse whisper. “You brought the bloody cops in here. She already talked to an officer. You didn’t have to raise this all up again.”
“Of course I did,” he said, his voice rising, hoping Louisa heard this part, “and I’d do it again if I found that there was a problem. You don’t know the first thing about this,” he said. “So don’t even try to tell me what to do. I acted in the best interests of Louisa. Can you say the same thing?”
And, with that, he turned and walked out, ignoring her. When he got to the car, he stopped, took a look up at the house on a sigh. “Do you hear the sound of the breaking of a very old friendship?”
“Well, if something is wrong, she’ll forgive you. And, if not, I’m sorry. It obviously wasn’t meant to be.”
He looked at her in surprise. “Is it that easy for you?”
“Well, part of the issue is, who was your friendship with?” she asked quietly. “Was it with him or with her?”
“With him of course.”
“And he’s gone,” she said. “So outside of being there for moral support, I don’t know if that relationship is something you could have continued anyway. You said you didn’t have very much to do with her in the last few years.”
“I didn’t have much to do withthem,” he corrected thoughtfully. “And you’re right. I didn’t, and I certainly hadn’t thought about what I would do and not do, should David die,” he said. “It’s all just happened. There hasn’t been any adjustment period.”
She nodded. “I get that,” she said. “I really do, and I’m sorry if this line of questioning has hurt your relationship with Louisa. Generally that’s not what happens, from my experience.”
“Then again, what you’re saying is, if this breaks up the friendship, then it was time to break it up anyway?”