The Betrayal of Lies Read Online Free PDF Page A

her voicemail. Not wanting to leave such a disturbing message, she simply asked Kaitlyn to call her back as soon as possible.
    So far this morning, Emily hadn’t heard back from the girl. She tried again, but just got voicemail, so she went on and phoned Elise’s sister, Janet, who lived in Boston. Shocked by the news, Janet told Emily that she did know that Elise was unhappy in her marriage and she was thinking of leaving Patrick.
    That comment didn’t line up with what Patrick Murphy had told them when he’d said that they had occasional arguments, but in general they got along fine. Nor did it line up with his actions. His concern for Elise’s welfare seemed genuine, as well as his offer to do anything, pay anything, necessary to bring her home. Was the husband lying? Could he manufacture tears on demand? Or was he simply unaware of how unhappy his wife truly was?
    “Do you think your brother-in-law knew about Elise’s plans to divorce him?” Emily asked out of earshot of everyone else.
    “I doubt it,” Janet replied. “Patrick’s not around much. According to my sister, he’s either at work or traveling on business most of the time.”
    “Sounds like a lonely life.” A twinge of sadness pricked Emily’s heart, but she pressed on. “Did Elise ever mention any friends she might be having trouble with?”
    “Not really. Oh, there were other women where she volunteered, but from the way she spoke about them, they seemed more like acquaintances than friends. As far as anyone she might have problems with, she never told me about anyone.”
    After hanging up, Emily spoke to several of the women Elise had worked on charities with, those whose names and numbers Patrick had provided. Nothing new came from any of those conversations. Janet was right—the women sounded more like acquaintances than friends.
    No wonder Elise wanted the job as a wedding planner—to fill her time and her life with happy people, not to mention that she and Camille seemed to be forming a close friendship. Perhaps Camille could tell her more about Elise.
    Emily stopped by Camille’s shop for a chat.
    “Oh, Emily, I can’t believe Elise is missing,” Camille gasped. “Let’s sit down.” She dragged out a chair for herself at the conference table and sank down onto it. “We were all sitting around this table talking about your wedding just yesterday.”
    “I know. “Emily took a seat beside her. “I was starting to like the woman.” She paused, watching Camille stare blankly across the room, presumably thinking about Elise. “What can you tell me about her?”
    Emily waited for a moment with no reply. “Camille?”
    The redhead’s attention snapped back to Emily. “Tell you about her? Like what?”
    “For instance, did she ever mention anyone she was having a problem with? Someone who might want to harm her?”
    “Elise?” A puzzled looked swept across Camille’s face. “Oh, my gosh, who would want to harm Elise? She was a good person—I mean she is a good person. She always has a smile on her face, she volunteers her time at a number of charities, she’s warm and kindhearted. I can’t imagine anyone would want to hurt a hair on her head. Now her husband on the other hand…”
    “What do you mean?” Emily’s interest piqued.
    “Well, you know…he’s rich and powerful. I’m sure that man has trampled over a few people as he climbed to the top.”
    “Did Elise ever mention any of them?”
    “No, never.”
    “What about her husband? Did she ever talk to you about him?”
    “Just that he had provided her with everything she ever needed—except himself.” Camille sat back and crossed her arms. “I can relate. My Jonathan travels a lot for work, too.”
    “But you and Jonathan seem to have a great marriage.” At least that’s how it looked from the outside, Emily surmised.
    “We have our share of conflicts, like anybody else, but we’re committed to each other—for better or worse. Thankfully, it’s