“I’m not disputing that. Were you aware that Ms. Reilly’s tires were slashed that evening, and a threatening note was left in her car?”

Meg’s heart skipped a beat. “No.”

“Your husband’s DNA was found within inches of her car door.”

That was kind of a weird coincidence.

As if he’d read her mind, Lange continued. “Don’t you think the odds of that are minuscule?”

She straightened her shoulders. “He was working at that facility. It could happen.”

Lange crossed an ankle over a knee. “Where was your husband that night?”

Steve had said they might ask that if they cornered her.

“Mostly at home, other than a quick trip to get gas.”

Except he’d been gone far longer than it took to fill up his tank at the corner station. A sudden urge to take a drive and clear his mind from the clutter of the week was how he’d explained his absence to her—but the police wouldn’t consider that a valid alibi. She had to verify his presence at the house.

Any woman would do as much for her husband.

“How quick?”

The detective wasn’t giving up—and while his tone was smooth as ever, his eyes were sharp. Probing.

“I didn’t time his absence.”

“An estimate would do. Ten minutes . . . an hour . . . two hours?”

She clenched her fingers together in her lap. “I don’t mean to be rude, but Steve said I’m not required to talk with you.”

“That’s true. However . . . since Eve is an old friend, I hoped you’d be willing to help us find who’s been targeting her.”

“Of course I am. But it’s not Steve.”

Lange watched her for a moment, then flipped open his notebook. “Do you know a woman by the name of Candy Norris?”

If the left-field query was intended to throw her, it succeeded.

“No.” She’d remember a name like Candy. “Why?”

“Your husband calls her on a regular basis. Has he bought you any jewelry lately?”

She twisted the combination wedding/engagement band with the line of diamond chips on top that adorned her finger. The only jewelry he’d ever given her.

“No. Why?”

“According to his credit card report, he’s made three purchases over the past year at a local jewelry store.”

A cold knot began to form in her stomach.

Why was Steve frequenting a jewelry store? Did those purchases have anything to do with this Candy woman the detective had mentioned?

Except . . . jewelry stores did sell other items, like watch batteries. And they did repairs and appraisals and—

“He bought an emerald ring, a diamond tennis bracelet, and a woman’s gold necklace.”