“She wouldn’t listen to reason,” Sam said. “Blake didn’t know I was going there. He really didn’t. That’s why he sent you that night, Ryan. I didn’t tell him I was trying to solve the problem on my own. I got the feeling she didn’t really want to get Blake in trouble. She wasn’t hanging on like a woman scorned. But she clearly wanted us both to squirm. She liked having that power over us. And she used it. So I offered her money, money I’ve received from my parents over the years. Not a small amount. And that set her off. She was offended, and she shut down. So things escalated from there. I wasn’t leaving without those letters. We couldn’t have the loose end dangling.”

“Escalated until you killed her?” I asked. “Smashed her over the head or whatever you did?”

“I got angry because she was so unreasonable.” Her voice caught. For the first time she showed something besides defensiveness and anger. Sam looked up to the sky. She again lifted a finger to her right eye, which was perfectly framed by eyeliner. She seemed to be trying to keep a single tear from falling. “I just wanted the letters. That’s it. So I tried to just take them. You know, just grab them and go. If she wanted to call the police or make a stink later, she could. But I didn’t think she would. Not really. Not if I took them and left.”

Blake watched her with an intense protectiveness. And a look that resembled admiration.

“I went into the bedroom and started looking in the closet and ruffling through the clothes. I was scrambling. I had to get out of there as fast as possible, and I thought I’d be going empty-handed. For a minute or two, Jennifer watched me from the bedroom doorway. She was almost laughing at me. Then I started opening drawers, and when I pulled open the one in the top of the dresser, she came into the room behind me.”

“That’s the drawer you told me to look in,” I said to Blake.

“That’s where the letters were,” he said.

“And before I could grab them, she grabbed me. By the hair. She pulled me back and told me to get out. She pulled so hard my eyes filled with tears.” Sam shivered at the memory. “I don’t like it when people think they can push me around. They think I’ll take anything and not give it right back. You thought that, Ryan. You thought I was just the little woman sitting idly by while Blake did whatever he wanted. Well, I’m not. And I pushed back against Jennifer. Hard.”

“How hard?” I asked.