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CHAPTER THIRTEEN Too wired to nap, I go for a walk along the horse trail. While walking I phone my dad, I ask him to come by next week after work to check on his wife in my absence. “Sure. Just give her a heads up. She doesn’t like it when I show up unannounced.” “I will.” Then I follow with, “By the way, did you ever see Elizabeth at the gym or when you played tennis?” “No. Why?” “Graydon said his wife had an affair. I wondered if it was someone…” “Goddammit, Nora. When will you wake up and ditch this guy? His wife has disappeared and is most likely dead.” “What? How can you say that without proof? You’re a lawyer.” “Because I defend clients who lie to me all the time and he’s no different. If she had an affair, like he told …show more content…

Also, how he’d given me contradictory reasons as to her whereabouts right from the start. That first afternoon in his living room, I wanted to use her as a one-person focus group. To get into her head why she loved going on cruises when her husband hated them. It was research for my work, nothing else. He shut me down fast telling me, “My wife is unavailable.” I accepted that unavailable meant: unavailable because she was playing tennis… or shopping… or at lunch with friends, etc. Soon after, we had dinner at The Club. Later, sitting in his car in the driveway, he asked me in for a nightcap. I had reservations about being with a married man and more. Nonetheless his words were enough to lure me into his bed that evening. They were, “Elizabeth left me. I don’t know where she is.” What an odd thing to say in light of how his story made a U-turn yesterday when he said with a straight face, “My wife left me to be with someone else.” Then he blamed himself for her cheating, which made me empathetic to him and her. Oh, god, I cover my face with my hands. I’ve been so naïve and infatuated with him. Most of all, I’m too afraid of losing my job. All or any of these were valid reasons I got tangled up with him. And then, I get a text from my dad: Need proof? www.ossd.org.” I bemoan his tenacity. Still I click on the link that opens to: The Orange County Sheriff’s Department website. Under the heading, HOW DO I… I click

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