The detective’s hands tightened around the glass she was holding. “We’ll get more information later, of course, but initial indications point to suicide.”

“God, no.” Gabby fought through the confused and conflicting thoughts pummeling her. How secretive he’d become at the end of their marriage. The can’t-be-touched showmanship he deployed during the divorce. He’d changed from the man she married until he became this businessman who thrived on being difficult.

The detective put her glass to the side before starting again. “Some people deal with long-term depression. Others have desperate thoughts that are more situational in nature, stemming from a bad business deal, for example. Loneliness or disappointment. Divorce is a loss, even if someone wants out.”

Understatement. “Baines would never kill himself.” The idea was . . . laughable. It took all the composure Gabby could muster not to give in to her nerves, make a joke, and accidentally make herself a target.

“Do you know if there was a gun in the house?” Detective Schone asked.

But . . . no. Gabby shook her head. “You’re not getting this.”

The detective sat back in her chair. “Enlighten us.”

Gabby had no idea why it was so important to her that they understand the man who right now might be in a body bag, but it was. “I don’t know how my life ended up here. That will take years of therapy for me to figure out.” Off track. Gabby fought to find her way back to the topic through all the fragments of memories and dizzying surprise flooding through her. “That doesn’t matter. The point is my ex-husband loved himself far too much to deprive the world of his existence.”

Silence followed the comment. Even a guy in the hall glanced up.

“People don’t usually beg us to declare a homicide has occurred then paint themselves as an angry suspect.” The detective’s voice carried a not-so-subtle warning.

“I didn’t do it. Yes, he made me furious, and I might have joked about . . . but I didn’t. Never. I couldn’t.” Gabby took in their unconvinced stares and regretted her nervous laugh and racing mouth. They would not pin this on her. Gabby refused to let that happen. She’d fought all her life and she wouldn’t stop now. “What about the other person?”

They stared at her.

“There was someone else was in the room when I walked in,” Gabby said, growing more confident in the declaration the longer she talked. The strange sound and odd sensation right before she blacked out. “Someone attacked me.”

Chapter Five
The Foundation

They met on the second Tuesday of the month. Members only.