“It’s hard to believe Rip would want people to think John was guilty just to further his own aims. Despite his feelings for his brother, that would mean he didn’t care if the real killer was found or not.” As I said the words, I realized it could mean something much worse. Maybe Rip wasn’t concerned with finding the real murderer because he already knew who the killer was.

I locked gazes with Maureen. I needed to ask her something, and I wanted to see her reaction when I did. “Rip said you’re his alibi. I need to know the truth. Was he home with you the night of the murder?”

“I’ll tell you what I told the police,” she said, holding my gaze steady. “He was when I went to bed. At eight o’clock. With a sleeping pill.”

A bitter gust of wind swirled around us.

“Ms. Warren, I know your family has a reputation for helping people in unusual circumstances, so I’m trusting you to deliver that letter. John deserves to know what is in it even if it is too late for him to do anything about it. I will never forgive myself for not getting it to him sooner.”

“It sounds like you care a lot about John.”

She gave me an unpleasant smile. “It didn’t take long after my wedding for me to realize I had chosen the wrong Graves man.”

She turned to leave, but I couldn’t let that happen. Not yet. “Maureen?”

She raised an eyebrow.

“You must know the police are looking at my aunt as a potential suspect. I realize I can’t expect you to believe Nora is innocent based on my word, but I’m giving it to you anyway. So, if there’s anything you know that could help her, I would be so grateful if you shared it with me. Any detail that’s been bothering you? Anything strange about your husband’s behavior?”

Maureen sighed, almost as though she had been waiting to be asked. “There is one thing.” She stepped in closer. “The past few days Rip has been spending a lot of time on the phone. That’s not so unusual, but he’s been secretive about it. I was worried he might have picked up on what I’ve been doing.” She shot me a quick look, realizing she had said more than she’d intended. “Never mind all that, it’s of no importance to you. The point is, I was suspicious, so I waited until he was distracted, then I looked at his caller list. The same unlisted number kept coming up. Yesterday, Rip was in the shower, and the number called again, so I answered it.”

My heartbeat quickened.

“A young woman was on the other end. But it’s not what you think,” she added quickly. “You see, all Graves family members have a particular lilt to their voice, so even though I’ve only met her a handful of times, I am almost certain about who it was.”

I gripped the letter in my hand.