When Secrets Die Read Online Free PDF

one side. “I think it’s probably rare, but yeah, I believe it. I wish I didn’t. But I do. But I guarantee you I’m not one of them.”
    â€œDid you ever consider the possibility your ex-husband, excuse me, ex-whatever, might be?”
    â€œI thought it was only women.”
    â€œI’m sure that’s what they’d like you to think.”
    She put a slice of Caribbean cornbread on her plate and broke off a piece with her fingers. She chewed, a small thread of coconut on her lips. “There’s no way Clayton hurt Ned. I promise you, he didn’t. I know him that well at least. He truly loved Ned more than anything in the world. He’d have laid down his life, happily and without hesitation, if it would have taken one hour of suffering from our little boy. I have no doubts about Clayton in that way. He loved Ned like he loved his life. He needs to have more children. But he’ll never be the same. He wouldn’t let me box up any of Ned’s things until he moved out. Then he boxed them up and took them with him.”
    â€œWas that okay with you?”
    â€œIt’s not like he asked.” She wiped her lips and the coconut disappeared.
    â€œDo you think he seriously suspects you of having something to do with Ned’s death?”
    She shook her head. “I don’t think so.”
    â€œReally? Even after tonight?”
    â€œYou’d have to know the guy, Lena.”
    It was funny the way she said my name. It reminded me of the way my sister used to say it. Other things about her were reminding me of Whitney. Her confidence. Her air of knowing what was what.
    â€œHe’s just trying to cover every base and stay in control of something that scares him shitless. I can understand it. I can let it go. But I want you to work for me . What I need to know is how much you charge. And what you think this case will cost, in the long run.”
    â€œI charge fifty-five dollars an hour and pay my own expenses unless something really unusual comes up, or we start getting into travel and airline tickets. Then I’d discuss it with you first.”
    â€œUnusual like what?”
    â€œUsually the money starts flying out the window when you hire consultants—attorneys, doctors, forensic experts. And I guess if you needed me to fly to, say, Paris, France, or something, I might need you to help out with the airline ticket. Paris, Kentucky, is on me. As to how many hours, it’s hard to say. They add up pretty fast. I can always work to your budget—as in, stop when the money runs out. Limit my areas of inquiry.”
    â€œI have a proposition. How about I give you my car?”
    â€œThe BMW?”
    â€œYep. And in return, you spend a lot of time following up every possible area of inquiry, and if the case takes weeks or months, you work it. And you take care of all expenses no matter what comes up, including Paris, France.”
    â€œYou mean the BMW?”
    â€œYeah. I can sign it into your name tomorrow, if you want to meet me at the courthouse.”
    â€œSounds like I’m being overpaid. Or is there a lien I have to pay off?”
    â€œI own it free and clear. There’s no way I can get a good resale value out of it with that big dent in the side. And I don’t have any kind of cash available. And I expect to get a lot of work out of you. It would be nice for me to know no matter how expensive it gets, I’m paid up, and I don’t need to get Clayton in the middle of it.”
    â€œWhat are you going to do for a car?”
    â€œI have a ’94 Jeep Wrangler I was saving for my daughter. It’s paid for. I can keep banging around in that. It’s what I was driving when I met Clayton. The Roadster used to be his, then he decided to get a new car and the dent took a lot out of the trade-in value so he just gave it to me. And you can sell whatever you’re driving now, and keep that money to cover your