“Yeah, it was.”

“I can’t believe you told her the best thing she could do as a mother was kill herself. That was cold.”

I turn back and look at him. “I needed to say something to push her over the edge, enough that she would hit me. This whole charade of us going back and forth needed to end. It’s exhausting and it’s not helping the case.”

“So, you took one for the team?” He crosses one leg in front of the other.

I turn back to the one-way glass. “You could say that.”

I’ve dealt with Eleanor’s cutting remarks, insults, condescending comments, and overall bullshit for more than a decade. It felt good to watch her lose her shit and finally come down to earth for once. The slap was worth it.

Sheriff Stevens enters the interrogation room and takes a seat across from Anne. He offers her water. She declines. He explains her rights. She nods. He tells her that the conversation will be recorded and may be used as evidence. She stares at him blankly and then he begins his interrogation.

“Where were you the night of October 15th?”

“I went out for drinks with my boss, Sarah Morgan.”

“Is this a common occurrence?”

“Yeah, Sarah and I are friends… or at least we were,” she says sheepishly.

She’s got that right. Friends tell you if your husband is cheating.

“How do you know Kelly Summers?” Sheriff Stevens leans back in his chair.

“I don’t.”

“But you knew of her before her murder?” Sheriff Stevens taps his fingers on the table.

Anne swallows hard and nods. “Yes, not her name or anything. I just saw her with Adam.”

“And what were you doing in Prince William County?” He cocks his head.

“I had been there in the summer for vacation, and I loved the scenery for my photography, and I thought it would be even more beautiful in the fall. I wasn’t expecting to see what I saw. I was just taking some photos. It was completely innocent.”

“Innocent?”

“Well, it was,” Anne says.

“But you decided to take that information and threaten Adam with it?”

“It wasn’t my best judgment.” She frowns. “I just didn’t want to be the one to tell Sarah. I didn’t want to hurt her.” Anne fidgets with her fingernails.

“End it, or I will sounds like a death threat. Would you agree?”

She hangs her head. “I can see that now. But that wasn’t my intention. I had planned on telling Sarah if Adam didn’t end it or didn’t tell her himself.”

“Did you ever see Kelly with anyone else?” Sheriff Stevens asks.

Anne glances around the room.

“What an odd question,” Matthew says from behind me.

“It is. Isn’t it?” I glance back at him and then return my attention to Anne and Sheriff Stevens. What is he getting at? What’s his angle?