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“You do,” I said. “You think Malcolm murdered my sister. Why would he?”

I could see he didn’t want to say it—and for good reason. “He’s the obvious—”

“Jesus. LikeIwas the obvious suspect?That’syour case?”

“I don’t have a case yet. That’s the problem.”

“And you’re not going to have a case because, as usual, you’re on the wrong track.”

“Now, wait a minute.” Raleigh was clearly trying to be patient. “The spouse, the significant other,hasto be considered.”

“Okay. But keep in mind, Malcolm doesn’t inherit anything. The house—the estate—goes to me. Bredahl goes to me.”

“Astrid had a million-dollar life insurance policy.”

“Yes, same as Malcolm. Those policies have been in effect for fifteen years. They took them out when they married. And you know what? That million-dollar policy is afractionof Malcolm’s shared income with Astrid. Your theory is he waited fifteen years and then cut his income by two thirds? Clearly, he’s a mastermind!”

Raleigh’s lips tightened, but he said mildly, “Okay, all that means is he didn’t kill her for the money.”

“Why did he kill her?”

Raleigh hesitated, possibly out of consideration for my sensitive feelings. “Because of her affair with Tom Peyton.”

I looked ceilingward. “So, he killed Tom too? He’s what? A serial killer now?”

Raleigh ignored that. “He was there that night. At Bredahl’s. The alarm system’s activity history showed that he left the building a little before Astrid, about ninety minutes before Peyton’s estimated time of death. But half an hour after Astrid left, someone used the universal access code to get into the administrative building. Only Astrid and leadership, including department heads, had that code.”

I was so shocked I couldn’t say anything for a moment. “When did you find that out?”

“During the initial investigation.” His gray gaze met mine and then fell.

“So, from the very beginning, you knew—youallknew—that someone else had been in the building.”

“The prevailing theory was that you went out through an unmonitored point of egress—maybe a window—”

“Went out through a window? Was I fucking Huck Finn?”

“—then used the universal code to get back in the building in order to make it look like someone else had been in the building with you and Peyton.”

“Why was that never mentioned?”

I could see he didn’t want to say it. “It would have come out in discovery.”

I opened my mouth, but then all I could do was stare at him.

“It wasn’t helping your case.” Raleigh sounded like he thought that explained everything.

“Itshouldhave. You’re telling me, knowing someone else could have been in the building, didn’t give you second thoughts about whether I was guilty?”

That seemed to get under his skin. “You think I didn’t have second thoughts? Second, third, fuckingfourththoughts? I couldn’tbelieveyou did it. But that’s where the evidence led.I heard you confess. I thought. I thought that’s what I heard. I was afraid I would let my feelings for you blind me to the truth.”

“Instead, you let your fear of your feelings blind you to the truth.”

He blinked, said more quietly, “Yes. You’re right. Thatiswhat I did. Which is why I’m determined to get this right now. For you.”

“By taking away the last living family member I have?”

“Hon—Caz, if Malcolm killed Astrid—”