Over time, it would take its toll. Maybe he’d get tired of fighting or his kindness and righteous anger would fade. Maybe he’d stay strong, but the public would turn against him and his work would go unseen. She wasn’t going to be responsible for that.

“You should care, Sam,” she said, hugging her arms to her chest. “That’s not you, someone who doesn’t care about murder.”

“I trust you,” he said simply. “And I know you. If you killed him, it was self-defense, and I’m not going to judge you for it.”

Alva shook her head without meeting his gaze. He deserved to know the truth. She steeled herself to speak it aloud.

“I didn’t,” she said. “Which is different from I wouldn’t, because there were times when I thought about it. I fantasized about it, planned it a million different ways, knowing I’d never have the courage. God help me, I considered using robbers. When I heard the news, I worried maybe I had done it. Done it and blanked it out afterwards. I had to ask the hotel clerk if I’d left my room the night before.”

“What does he have on you?” Sam asked softly.

“I told you I was thinking of divorcing Alain before he died. If I’d had time to go through with it, if I’d divorced him, I would have been left with little more than the money I’d put aside from my columns. He would have retained control of my entire fortune. When he died…”

“You benefitted financially,” Sam said. “Hardly proof, Alva.”

“Not on its own,” she said. “But it was suspicious enough timing that before I left I made sure the lawyer wouldn’t mention I’d been to see him. I bribed him to stay quiet, but I forgot the clerks, and somehow the information got back to Alfred.”

“So you were thinking of divorcing him,” Sam said. “Shocking, perhaps, in some circles at least, but a pretty long ways from murder.”

“I was in Monte Carlo the night he died,” Alva said. “I … I’d gone there to see if we could work something out. I thought if we could negotiate a financial settlement that was hugely favorable to him, maybe he’d let me go. Maybe he was tired of all the ugliness.”

“That took a lot of courage,” Sam said, but Alva shook her head.