“I meant what do you think of Conner Brandt as a person. Something about him strikes me as off.”

“As a couple, they don’t go together. He’s Mr. FBI Type A personality and she’s two inches away from being a Unabomber.”

“Come on, Zoe Brandt isn’t dangerous.”

“Maybe not, but she’s got a few frayed connections.”

“Maybe he found her eccentricities endearing at first but over time they grated on his FBI nerves,” said Daryl. “Let’s swing by Regency Hospital before we head home tonight.”

At a little after 1pm, Conner entered his wife’s hospital room.

“How are you feeling? You’ve got more color in your face, babe,” said Conner, smiling as he moved towards her. A faint look of fear flashed in her eyes but he didn’t notice.

“I saw your doctor when I signed your release forms,” he continued as he moved closer. “They’re going to move you tomorrow morning by hospital transport to the Cherry Ridge facility. I’ll meet you up there.”

“Don’t come any closer,” said Zoe backing up.

“What are you talking about?”

“It was you,” she hissed. “All this time, it was always you. You tried to have me killed. You were behind the whole thing with that woman.”

“Behind what whole thing?”

“I know everything, Conner. I know about the woman.”

“What woman?”

“That Wardrobe Consultant person.”

Conner remained poker-faced. “What are you talking about?”

“From Thayer and Company. You’re having an affair with her. You both planned my murder.”

“Here we go with Zoe’s crazy conspiracy theories again. Everyone is always out to get Zoe. That’s your problem, you make up something from nothing. You invent crazy things in your head. I never tried to kill you. How could you think such a terrible thing?”

“I know what I know,” said Zoe emphatically.

“Just like you knew the attaché to the Canadian ambassador was running a slave ring and transporting young women to Vancouver?” said Conner shaking his head mockingly.

“Maybe I was mistaken about that, but you trying to kill me, that I am sure of.”

“Like you were sure the Korean manicurist in our neighborhood was trying to recruit you to become a drug mule? Like then?” said Conner with the same tone in his voice. “She threatened to sue you for slander, remember? Another situation that ended badly.”

“She asked me some very peculiar questions when I was getting my nails done,” said Zoe. “But this time it’s different.”

“Okay, you got me,” said Conner, putting his fists together in front of him as if to allow her to handcuff him. “I was trying to kill you.”

“You’re having an affair and you wanted to get rid of me,” said Zoe as Conner smirked. “I saw that mask in your closet, Conner. It was the same mask I saw on the woman in the park.”

“What woman in the park?”