I turned to my daughter. She couldn’t hear this. It was just too much. “Aria, could you wait for me in the hallway? I need to talk with the detective privately for a minute.”

“Mom, no. We stick together—we always have. I’m not leaving you.”

“Aria—” I began, before Detective Rossi cut me off.

“Do you trust your mom, Aria?” She nodded. “Then give us a minute. She’ll be okay.” The detective pulled out his wallet and handed her a dollar bill. “Grab a snack from the vending machine. We’ll be done by the time you get back.”

Aria hesitantly accepted the cash, then closed the door behind her.

“Go on, Mrs. Fischer.”

“I might have something that will help you. I didn’t know what he was talking about when I first heard it, but it’s all starting to make sense now.” I placed my phone in the center of the table, clicked on the voicemail icon, put it on speaker, and waited. Owen’s voice from beyond the grave filled the austere room.

“Hey, Macky-poo.” I still hated that nickname. Even dead, Owen managed to push my buttons. “I know you’re upset, but I wish you’d come home. I owe you an apology for earlier. And another apology for lying to you. I figure I should just come clean now so that we can get everything out in the open. Then you can decide if you still want to come home or leave me forever.”

His message was interrupted with a sob, and I faintly heard him crying before he found the words again.

“Remember last week when you asked me about that woman leaving the house? She was Geoffrey’s mom. She knows about . . . what I did. I guess she had been looking for him—found Nico instead, using his identity. Nico told her everything about that night. I guess the guilt was too much for him. I told her that her son was a sick rapist and that’s why I killed him, to protect every other woman from him. But the truth is I’m no better. I treat you like a whore, not the woman I love. I’m so sorry, Mac. I love you, and I promise to change . . . if I get that chance. I don’t know if the cops’ll be coming for me, probably Nico too, poor bastard, but I’ll face it like a man. Hell, I’ll face it like you would, because you’re the bravest person I know. And you’ve raised Aria the same. Until my last breath I’ll try to be a better man for you. I’d die for you.”

Poor Owen. He had no idea how prescient that vow would prove to be.

Chapter 43

Aria

FRIDAY NIGHT