“Her husband confirms it. She’d been anxious about something for a while. She was taking Xanax. She was especially upset last night. So upset that he was frantically trying to reach her. But she wouldn’t take his calls or answer his texts.”

Barrett shrugged. “That could mean anything.”

“What does it mean to say I can’t do this anymore?”

Slowly Barrett came down off the stage. “You’re referring to the text she sent me last night.”

“That’s right. And if you’d like to do this in private—” Cruz nodded in Culligan’s direction.

“No, Jack can stay. He’s already acquainted with these facts. As I told you this morning, I directed Lucy to fire Lambert last night. I wanted her gone before the office opened this morning. Lucy was reluctant, I admit it. She wanted to open an investigation, give Lambert a chance to defend herself, paper up the file. But I wasn’t worried about blowback. Lambert wouldn’t dare sue us with that bald-faced lie on her résumé. Lucy didn’t like doing it that way, though. It didn’t sit right with her. If she was upset about anything last night, that’s what it was. Now that I think of it, that’s probably why she forgot to get the keycard back. In any event, that’s what she meant when she said I can’t do this anymore.”

“You can’t know that.”

“In fact, I can. She spoke the identical words to me on the phone earlier when I told her to fire Lambert.”

“But she said she can’t do this anymore. Like this wasn’t an isolated case. This was something ongoing.”

Barrett acknowledged it with a grim shrug. “Not ongoing, exactly. But it happened once before, with another young lawyer I wanted gone. That was on a weekend, too, and Lucy wasn’t happy about the way that was done, either.”

“Why’d you fire that one? Another case of résumé fraud?”

Barrett scowled at the jibe. “That one wasn’t willing to do the work. Look, I’m a tough taskmaster. I make no apologies.” He took a breath and let his expression relax. “But I did apologize to Lucy. I told her I wouldn’t ask her to do it this way again. After this I’d follow protocol. She sent me that text to let me know she’d be holding me to that promise.”

The detectives looked at each other. “Interesting spin.” Riley hauled himself to his feet. “Let me give you another one.”

Barrett spread his arms wide, like Take your best shot.

“Ms. Carter-Jones was having an affair. With you, Mr. Barrett. And the guilt was eating her up.”

Barrett barked a laugh. He wished he had that superpower now: he’d freeze this scene until he could work it out. He had to wonder if that wouldn’t have been a better play all around. It would have given Lucy a reason for suicide that had nothing to do with business. No one would go digging for any other skeletons in her closet if they could write this all off as a sex scandal. And it would have been a solution that didn’t require the sacrifice of Shay Lambert. But manufacturing an affair? He couldn’t do that to Melanie, not in their no-prenup marriage, and there was even the risk that the board might demand his resignation. No, better to stick to the course they were on. “That’s absurd,” he said.