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office to tell Ben that Meghan was in the hospital,” Durk said. “I never expected to find him dead.”
    “You wouldn’t have gone there if you hadn’t suspected something was wrong. Meghan told you he was in danger. Don’t deny it. She probably sent you to warn him, but you didn’t get there in time.”
    Durk worked to keep his voice calm. “You have this all wrong, Mary Nell. Meghan had no idea I was going to look for Ben. She’d been assaulted and needed emergency care to save her own life.”
    “It’s still her fault. She should have realized the killer was on to her scheme.”
    Now they were getting somewhere. “What scheme is that?”
    “Whatever scheme Meghan had going. She was always putting herself and Ben in danger.”
    Durk could all but hear the thud when they hit nowhere again. “Look, I’m really sorry about Ben, Mary Nell,” Durk said, determined not to sound defensive. He’d done nothing that needed defending. “But his death was a criminal act. The only person to blame is the one who pulled the trigger.”
    Mary Nell pushed back from the table and jumped out of her chair. “Everybody always sides with Meghan, the same as Ben did. But I’m tired of staying silent. I won’t stop until I talk to every reporter in Dallas. And I’ll tell Meghan Sinclair exactly how I feel to her face.”
    Not today she wasn’t, not if Durk had to physically carry her out of the hospital and escort her home. “You have every right to be distressed, but I won’t let you upset Meghan. Unless you have something to tell me about the case Meghan and Ben were working on, you need to go home and call a friend to come and stay with you.”
    “I’ll tell you about the case. Ben was worried. I overheard him warn Meghan the night before to back off and let the police handle this one. She didn’t listen. She never listens.”
    “What else did you hear him say?”
    “I don’t remember. Something about the situation getting out of hand and it being too risky.”
    Durk had no trouble believing that. Meghan would do anything to solve one of her cases, even dangle herself out there like a worm on a fishhook. He felt the old frustrations building.
    “Try to remember if Ben said anything else about the case. It could help us find your husband’s killer.”
    Mary Nell shuddered and sat back down. “I don’t remember. But he was upset. He hardly slept that night after talking to Meghan.”
    Carolina put a hand over Mary Nell’s. “I know this is hard for you,” Carolina said, “but you need to stay strong and focused. We want to help you, but you have to tell us what Meghan was doing that was so dangerous.”
    Tears filled Mary Nell’s eyes and began to stream down her cheeks. Carolina handed her one of the paper napkins in lieu of a tissue.
    “I’ve begged Ben time and again to quit his job. He was going to be a father. He shouldn’t risk his life just because Meghan had a death wish.”
    “Are you expecting a baby?” Carolina asked.
    Mary Nell placed her hands on her stomach. “I’m almost four months pregnant,” she said through her tears and sobs. “Ben was so excited. Now he’ll never see his child.”
    Carolina wrapped her arms around Mary Nell’s shoulders.
    Durk’s heart went out to her, but he really needed Mary Nell to be coherent. “Did Ben mention a name? Please, think hard. Did he ever say the name of either the client who had hired him for this job or the person Meghan was tracking?”
    “No.”
    “Did he ever say what made this person particularly dangerous?”
    “No. He never told me names or any details about his work, not until a case was closed. He claimed he wanted to protect me from the sordid situations he dealt in. He should have been protecting himself.”
    Mary Nell dabbed her eyes with the napkin.
    “Did Ben have a home office?” Durk asked, still hoping for some clue that would lead to the killer.
    “No. He usually just worked on his laptop at the kitchen table when