Chapter 18 - Diane's Version
Diane asked to speak to me without Charles in the room.
I agreed because I wanted to hear her lie with nowhere left to hide.
She sat behind a glass partition at the county detention center, still composed, still wearing the pearl earrings she had worn at Christmas dinner.
"Did you know Victor removed the guardrail bolts?" I asked.
"No."
"Your signature paid the contractor."
"I approved a road delay. Victor said David needed to be frightened into backing off."
"Frightened how?"
"A fake breakdown. A blocked lane. Something inconvenient."
I stared at her.
"And when my father died?"
Her eyes dropped.
"Victor told me it went wrong."
"You covered for him."
"I covered for myself."
"Why did you hate me?"
She almost laughed.
"I didn't hate you at first. I hated what you represented. Your father knew everything. The trust meant his daughter would eventually control the house and the company if we made one wrong move. Every time I looked at you, I saw a deadline."
"So you encouraged Ryan to use my money."
"Ryan needed help."
"Ryan stole."
"He is my son."
"And I was your daughter-in-law."
She shrugged.
"You were useful until you weren't."
I sat back.
There was nothing left to ask.
As I stood, Diane leaned toward the glass.
"Emily. Ryan knew about your father's accident before he married you."
I stopped.
"What?"
"Not everything. But enough."
"You're lying."
"Ask him why he proposed three weeks after Charles told him about the Morgan trust."
I walked out without answering.
Detective Lane was waiting in the hall.
"Ryan wants to cooperate," he said.
"Of course he does."
"He says he'll testify against Victor and Diane."
"In exchange for what?"
"A reduced recommendation."
I stared through the narrow window in the interview-room door.
Ryan sat inside with his head down.
My husband.
Maybe the man who had chosen me partly because he knew what I would inherit.
Then he looked up and saw me.
May you like
He mouthed two words through the glass.
I'm sorry.
