A word she’d never uttered flashed through her mind, but she managed to hold on to her bewildered expression. “What are you talking about?”

The sheriff shifted his attention to the hand she’d wrapped around the edge of the door. “Nice ring.”

She was still wearing the ruby- and diamond-encrusted band.

The profanity she’d stifled almost tripped off her tongue.

Think, Eleanor!

Her brain began firing on all cylinders.

Lying would be a mistake. They had a search warrant. While it was unlikely they’d find her well-hidden stash of ground-up dried yew needles and seeds, they would find the rest of her jewelry. Not to mention her suitcases packed with designer clothes.

But she didn’t have to talk to them or explain anything. Not without a lawyer present.

“What are you searching for?” Another cruiser pulled up in front of the house, and Beth—one of the deputies on duty today—slid from behind the wheel.

“Anything related to English yews or offshore accounts.”

Her lungs locked, and she tightened her grip on the edge of the door.

How could they know about the yew? She’d left no clue to tip them off to the source of the poison, and the stupid sunflower seeds Grace had noticed that had led to this whole nightmare were of no relevance.

As for the offshore accounts—had Dave caved? Told the truth rather than fabricated a cover story that day he’d visited the sheriff?

She couldn’t ask any of those questions without incriminating herself, however.

“Beth, keep Eleanor company in the living room while Deke and I do a walk-through.” The sheriff motioned behind her. “Shall we go inside?”

It wasn’t a request.

“I want to call my attorney.”

“Fine. Beth will sit with you while you do that.”

“My cell is in the kitchen.”

“Beth will get it for you.”

Slowly she loosened her grip on the edge of the door and walked into the living room, her legs as stiff as they’d been after she’d overdone it at an exercise class in her younger days.

This wasn’t how her plan was supposed to work.

And the catastrophe was all Grace Reilly’s fault.

Panic morphing to anger, she fisted her hands at her sides until her nails bit into her palms. She was not going down without a fight. She could beat this. There was no challenge too difficult to overcome. Yes, the soup was an issue, but a smart lawyer could help her figure out how to deal with that complication.

The offshore account was less of a problem. It wouldn’t be easy for US law enforcement to get access to that. Ensuring such accounts were inaccessible was a huge selling point for the companies that ran them.

She’d misjudged Dave, though. The man had more gumption than she’d given him credit for if he’d been willing to risk his marriage to approach law enforcement with what he knew.

Sometimes people just weren’t what they seemed.

Eleanor sat and took the phone from Beth while the sheriff and Deke headed down the hall toward her bedroom. Scrolled through her contacts until she came to the name of the hotshot criminal defense lawyer she’d researched when this scheme began in case she ever needed him.