‘Good idea,’ Glenda agrees. Olivia looks like she’s about to collapse. ‘Why don’t you go lie down in the living room? I’ll clean up.’

She tucks a blanket around Olivia on the sofa and glances out the window to the street. Everyone has gone away. She imagines they will be back tomorrow. Murder is always big news.

Why did Robert and Amanda Pierce ever have to move here? she thinks bitterly.

Olivia falls asleep on the sofa. Finally, around nine o’clock, Glenda decides to go. She can’t stay at the Sharpes’ for ever; Adam needs her at home. She leaves a note that she’ll be back in the morning, and walks home in the dark, her footsteps echoing hollowly on the pavement.

When she arrives at home, Adam tells her that they’re out of milk and bread. ‘Fine,’ she says, not even taking off her coat. ‘Why don’t you come with me to the store then?’

He puts on his jacket and heads out with her.

‘How are they doing?’ Adam asks, obviously worried.

‘They’re going to be okay. Everything’s going to be all right,’ Glenda says. She doesn’t know what else to say. They walk the rest of the way in silence.

The bell on the door chimes as they enter the convenience store. Glenda is completely drained and just wants to pick up her things and go home. As she turns away from the refrigerator with her milk, Adam trailing behind her, she spots Carmine in the aisle in front of her. Shit. She definitely doesn’t want to talk to her. She’s a busybody, and Glenda is in no mood for it. She resents the way she’s been sticking her nose in everywhere about the break-ins, hounding Olivia. She wishes she’d leave Raleigh alone. And she certainly doesn’t want to talk about Paul being arrested – Carmine will be all over that. Glenda considers putting the milk down quietly on the floor and making a quick exit. Too late – at that moment, Carmine turns her head and sees them. A smile of recognition lights her face. Shit.

‘Glenda, isn’t it?’ Carmine asks, approaching her.

‘Yes,’ Glenda says, making her way briskly to the front of the store where the bread is, avoiding her eye. But Carmine follows her. She’s really not great at reading social cues, Glenda thinks.

‘Hi, Adam,’ Carmine adds.

Glenda notices that her son is trying to avoid Carmine, too.

‘You know, you remind me of my own son a bit,’ Carmine says to Adam. ‘Same dark hair and eyes.’

Adam looks as if he wishes he could disappear, and Glenda wants to tell Carmine to get lost.

‘My Luke was a bit of a handful. He used to get up to all kinds of trouble. Drinking, taking my car without permission.’

Glenda stares at her.

But Carmine focuses her eyes on Adam and says, ‘Did you tell your mom that I saw you the other night?’

Glenda says, ‘What are you talking about?’

‘Oh, nothing. Never mind,’ Carmine says, as if finally getting the hint. ‘Have a good night.’ And she wanders off to another aisle.

Glenda makes her purchases, eager to get away from Carmine.

Late at night, Olivia pads down the carpeted hall to look in on Raleigh. She silently pushes open the door. She stands there for a moment in the dark, studying the bed. Then, alarmed, she flicks the light switch on. Her son isn’t there.

Her heart speeds up and she turns away from his bedroom and creeps downstairs. The kitchen, living room and den are dark. He’s not there either, sitting alone, brooding in the dark – she turns on the lights to be sure. She returns to the kitchen and opens the door to the adjoining garage. Raleigh’s bike is where it should be, his helmet hanging from the handlebars.

She returns upstairs and quietly makes her way to the only room she hasn’t checked – the office at the end of the hall. The room is completely dark, except for the slight glow coming from the computer. It’s her husband’s computer, and Raleigh is engrossed in its contents.

‘Raleigh, what are you doing?’ she says.

Chapter Thirty-three

WEBB ARRIVES VERY early at the station the next morning, after a poor night’s sleep. He grabs a coffee and heads to his office, then he sits back in his chair, gazing at the wall opposite, his mind busy.

They can’t hold Paul Sharpe in custody much longer before the prosecutor has to charge him or let him go. It’s Amanda Pierce’s blood in his cabin. His hammer is missing. Sharpe was seen arguing with the victim shortly before she disappeared, but his story that he was warning her away from Larry Harris has a certain plausibility – they know Larry was seeing her.

Olivia Sharpe said that Larry Harris had never been to the cabin. Is it possible she was wrong? Could Harris have arranged to meet Amanda at the Sharpes’ cabin that weekend, while he was at the conference? Maybe he killed her. He parked in the outside lot at the resort and had his story ready that he was working and fell asleep. No one seemed to care that he missed most of the reception – until he became involved in a murder investigation. The only thing that went wrong is that they found Amanda’s car with her body in the boot. She’d made that convenient fib to her husband, so it would look like Amanda had arranged her own disappearance. Paul Sharpe was the only one who knew about the affair, and he wouldn’t say anything, especially if he hadn’t known they’d been at his cabin.

Possibly. But Paul Sharpe might have said something. When she disappeared, staff at the hotel might have come forward about seeing them together, and then Harris would have been under the microscope. But still, with no hard evidence – and especially no body – it would look as if an unhappy, unfaithful wife had run from her life.

Or maybe Robert Pierce is the killer. Pierce has been lying to them. According to Harris, Pierce had access to Amanda’s burner phone and knew about their affair. And Raleigh Sharpe saw the burner phone in Pierce’s desk after Amanda had disappeared. But it wasn’t there when they searched the house. Pierce must have got rid of it. Maybe he’d been watching her. He seemed the type. Maybe he knew where she was going that night, drove up to the cabin, saw her with her lover – Larry Harris? Paul Sharpe? – waited for her to be alone, and bashed her head in. Pierce doesn’t have an alibi either.

He’ll talk to the prosecutor. They’ll let Paul Sharpe go for now, and see how everybody reacts. Webb has time. Time to get under everybody’s skin. There’s no statute of limitations on murder.

Olivia is startled by the kitchen phone ringing early Wednesday morning. It’s Detective Webb, telling her that they are releasing her husband without charge. She hangs up and stands perfectly still. Her drive to the police station passes in a blur. She feels numb.

Olivia sits in the waiting area at the station, watching for Paul to appear. Torn between relief and dread, she wants to put the moment off. But it’s come; she hears footsteps and stands up. Then she sees Paul. She walks up and hugs him, like she’s done a thousand times before, but this time is different. She’s not sure about him. She can feel both their hearts beating. After a moment, she pulls away.

He looks at her warily.

‘Let’s get you home,’ she says, and turns away so he can’t see the doubt in her eyes.

She’s already texted Glenda with the news, telling her not to come by.