What's Done In the Dark(40)

“Ugh, are those his drawers?” she said, eyeing the briefs I was holding in my hand.

“Yeah.”

“Yuck. Why are they giving you back his underwear? Did you take him some clean ones to be buried in or something?”

“No,” I said, shaking my head. “That’s what I’m sitting here trying to figure out. Why is his underwear among his belongings? They only returned what they found in the hotel room.”

She shrugged. “I don’t know. Maybe they took his underwear off?”

I narrowed my eyes at her. “But why? I mean, he died in his sleep.”

“I don’t know,” she replied. “I guess he wasn’t wearing any underwear when he went to sleep.”

“That’s just it,” I said as my puzzlement started to come into focus. “Steven never sleeps in the nude,” I said. “The only time he does . . .” I paused as the words formed on my lips. “The only time he sleeps naked is when he’s having sex and he falls asleep.”

My sister’s mouth fell open. “You don’t . . . You don’t think . . .”

My mind started churning. I knew my husband well. There was no other explanation as to why he’d be naked when he died. Acting on instinct, I dug in the box until I pulled out his wallet, which I remembered dropping back in when I’d first gotten the box. I sifted through the wallet until I found a receipt. Several Coronas, hot wings, and that’s it. The bill was fifty-seven dollars. I tossed that receipt aside and continued going through his stuff. Then I noticed another credit card receipt. This one had two vodka and cranberries and then two apple martinis.

“Hold up,” I said.

“What? What?” my sister said, leaning in as she sat down next to me.

“This receipt paid for apple martinis.”

“And?”

“What man do you know drinks apple martinis? Certainly not my man.”

My sister grabbed her chest. “You’re not saying . . . You really think Steven was with somebody else?”

“Of course I don’t want to believe it, but that would make sense. That’s why he was naked in the bed. That would explain this.” I held up his underwear as realization swept over me. “My husband was with another woman when he died.” The words hurt just coming out of my mouth.

“Do you think she killed him?”

I took a deep breath as I tried to process what I’d learned. “I don’t know. The autopsy said he died of a heart attack, but maybe someone caused the heart attack.”

We sat in silence, shocked by this new revelation, before my sister said, “You know what? I think you’re letting your mind get the best of you. Steven was one of the good guys, and I’m sure there’s an explanation. I mean, he would buy some woman a drink and never have to see her again. You know, just to be nice. That doesn’t mean anything.”

I nodded as I took in what she was saying. My heart didn’t want to believe that Steven had been in that hotel room with someone else, but everything was pointing to that. Including my gut. Now I had an entirely new problem. I had to find out who that woman was.





27


Felise


THIS WAS THE FIRST TIME that I had felt halfway okay about being around Paula. Fran was right. I had to push the guilt aside. I’d never forgive myself for what I’d done, but I needed to help Tahiry and Paula. So when she’d called me this morning, telling me she needed to talk, I didn’t ask about what. I told her I’d come over as soon as my shift ended.

“Knock, knock,” I said, slowly pushing open the front door.

“We’re back here,” Paula called out from the den.

I headed down the hall and to the spacious den in back.

“I brought you some—” I stopped when I saw Sabrina sitting there, holding a teacup in her hand.

“Well, hello, Felise. So good to see you,” she said with an evil smile.

“Hey, Sabrina,” I slowly said. Sabrina had been more my friend than Paula’s, so why she was sitting here in Paula’s living room was beyond me. Unless . . .

“Hey, Felise.” Paula stood up and gave me a hug. “Sabrina surprised me and stopped by. I asked her to look into Steven’s death, to ask around the hotel to see if she could find out anything.”

I had yet to call her since she gave me her number, so I had no idea what Sabrina was up to, but the way she was watching me, like a predator, was not good. “Paula here was just telling me what a blessing you’ve been to her and her family,” Sabrina remarked.

Paula draped her arm through mine. “Yes, Felise has been a lifesaver.”

Sabrina clicked her lips. “Good ol’ Felise. Always saving lives,” she said with a smirk.