“I put a camera in your bedroom. Pretty smart of me to suggest the police search for equipment. Of course, by then, I’d taken it out. I’ve learned a lot of technical skills doing research. It wasn’t hard to trick you.”

“You did all this to make him look guilty? My mother loved you. I loved you.” It was too much for Kate to take in. “Why did you kill my mother?”

Blaire gave her an exasperated sigh. “You’re not listening! I didn’t kill her. I loved her! I came back to solve the murder, and to make you suffer for taking her from me. But I told you, Kate, I changed my mind about that when I saw that our bond was just as close as ever. Over Christmas . . . staying here with you . . . it brought it all back.”

Kate tried to keep her voice even. She didn’t believe Blaire. She had Lily’s bracelet. She had to be the killer. “You had her bracelet, Blaire. Just tell me the truth.”

“I bought another diamond bracelet. They’re not that hard to find, and I remembered what it looked like. I was there when your father gave it to her at their twentieth anniversary party.” Blaire tapped on her temple and shook her head. “Seriously, Kate, use your head.”

“I don’t understand. Who killed her, then?”

Blaire’s voice rose. “I told you. Your husband. Who else?”

Kate pushed past her and hobbled down the stairs as fast as she could, her ankle throbbing. She had to get Anderson here immediately. She could hear Blaire’s footsteps right behind her.

“Where are you going? Kate, stop!”

Where had she left her cell phone? She went to the living room. When she went to pick it up, she felt a hard smack on her hand that caused her to yell out. She brought the hand to her chest. Blaire was holding the fire poker.

“Sit down, Kate. You’re not making any phone calls.”

“Blaire, put that down,” Kate pleaded.

Blaire shook her head. “You’re going to call the police. Tell them about what I did. I can’t let you do that. They’ll let Simon out of jail, and he’ll get away with it. That can’t happen. You really can’t have them send me away, not before I tell you something else.”

Kate threw her hands up, trying to show Blaire that she was no threat to her. She kept one eye on the poker still poised in Blaire’s hands. “Okay, okay. I’m listening.”

Blaire sighed. “I got a letter from Lily. It arrived two days before you called to tell me she’d been murdered.” Tears were streaming down Blaire’s face now. “Kate, listen to me. She was my mother too.”