Read Online Not Guilty by Patricia MacDonald - Free Book Online Page B

“go and pick her up, please. Bring her to me.”
    “But Mom—” he protested.
    “Do it now,” she insisted.
    Shaking his head and muttering, the boy left the room. In a few seconds, the screaming stopped abruptly. Keely took a deep breath and tried to speak evenly. There was no point in being defensive about this. She had nothing to hide, she reminded herself. “Detective Stratton, let me explain this. There is no question that Richard shot himself. But as you know, many insurance policies specify that there will be no payment in the case of suicide. My husband Mark, who was my lawyer at the time, convinced me to allow him to suggest that Richard’s death was accidental—”
    “So you’re saying it wasn’t an accident.”
    Keely started to speak and then stopped herself, trying to think how her words would strike this policeman. Then, she decided not to weigh her words so carefully. “I know . . . I believe that he committed suicide.”
    “You defrauded the insurance company, in other words.”
    His words were deliberately insulting. There was little doubt of that. But Keely struggled not to let the accusation throw her. It could be seen that way, she thought. If she were honest with herself, she had always felt a little bit guilty about collecting that insurance money. Not too guilty—after all, they’d paid their premiums faithfully, and Richard’s death happened only a matter of months from the time when the company would be required to pay, no matter how he died. Still, she knew it could be seen that way. She had to explain. And she had to maintain a calm demeanor. “My . . . Mark explained to me that what I believed about Richard’s death was not the issue—legally. Without a suicide note stating his intentions, it was possible to make a case that Richard’s death was accidental. Apparently, Mark was able to make a convincing case to them that it was . . . might have been an accident,” she said. “They agreed to pay. There’s nothing fraudulent about it.”
    “But there’s some question about the truth,” he said, staring at her with his penetrating gaze.
    “Not to me,” said Keely, not flinching from his stare.
    “Well,” he said, “I’m sure you can see my problem. There are certain-discrepancies in these stories you are telling—”
    “Stories!” she cried.
    The detective nodded. “Until we are sure about what happened . . .”
    “I’ve tried to be cooperative, but really, enough is enough. Please, leave my house,” she said.
    “I’m afraid we’re not finished with this,” he said.
    “Please go,” said Keely. “Leave us alone.”
    “I’ll go for now,” he said, “but this investigation is still open, ma’am.”
    She turned her back on him as he walked to the door. She didn’t look when she heard the door slam. Dylan came into the living room carrying Abby.
    “Is he gone?” Dylan asked.
    “Yes,” she said.
    “What’s the matter, Mom? What does he want?” Dylan asked, and his voice sounded like a child’s.
    She needed a moment to get her wits together. The fear in his eyes made her feel angry and helpless. Wasn’t it bad enough that they had to live through this again, without having to be badgered about it as well? However improbable it might seem to lose two husbands in a short span of time, she could testify that it was possible. She walked over to Dylan and lifted the baby from his arms, then set her down on the rug.
    Crouched beside the baby, she shook a jingling set of plastic doughnuts on a chain, and Abby shrieked with glee. “It’s a misunderstanding,” Keely said with a nonchalance she did not feel. “Nothing to worry about.”
    Dylan stepped up beside her, looming over them in his black shirt and jeans like a dark shadow. “What did you tell him?”
    “Honey, don’t you worry about it,” she said, rising to her feet. She looked him in the eyes and said, “I promise you. It’s nothing to worry about.”
    A sudden rap at the door made her