Page 47 of Knife in the Back (New Orleans #4)

That would have been the first home they’d owned in the Garden District, Naomi thought. The one that was far nicer than this one. And this one was still nice.

“How did your husband explain the sudden income?” Burke asked.

“He said he’d had another huge win at the track and had invested it. I believed him. I guess I wanted to.”

“When did you discover that your husband was involved in a criminal enterprise?” Burke asked kindly.

“Not until he got arrested. I should have figured it out. I worried sometimes that the money was too good, that he couldn’t have won that much at the track. I should have listened to my gut.”

“Did your husband ever tell you about his activities?” Naomi asked.

“No. I found out about them at the same time the rest of the world did. I was…devastated. Appalled. Ashamed. I immediately put the house up for sale. I knew we couldn’t afford to keep it.”

“I’m surprised that the court allowed you to do so,” Burke said. “That the house wasn’t seized as part of his restitution.”

“It was in my name and I was cleared by the NOPD. I wondered at the time why Arthur put the house in my name.”

“When did you get a visit from Gaffney?” Naomi asked, glancing at the prosthetic.

“A week after Arthur went to prison. I hadn’t planned on visiting him there.

I was so angry. I still am.” She swallowed hard.

“I was packing dishes and heard a sound from out back. There was an old carriage house that we used for storage. I thought there might be intruders, looking to steal things after reading about Arthur’s conviction.

So I went out there.” She swallowed again, her breathing growing shallow and rapid.

“It was John Gaffney and he was leaning against a table saw that I’d bought Arthur for his birthday years before.

Arthur never actually used it and I’d already put it up for sale. Gaffney was…Well, I never liked him.”

“Me either,” Naomi said dryly.

“Same,” Burke said. “You don’t have to tell us what he did if it’s too painful to share.”

“I need to. He grabbed my hand and told me that I wouldn’t be saying anything about Arthur to anyone.

That I’d keep my mouth shut. I told him that I didn’t know anything and he said that it didn’t matter.

He was there to give Arthur incentive not to say anything, either.

Then he…” She exhaled heavily. “He put tape over my mouth and…did this. With the table saw. I was screaming, but the tape made it so that no one could hear me. He took the finger with him and left me there, bleeding.”

Naomi shuddered. “I’m so sorry he did that to you.”

Both of Amanda’s children were crying.

“Mom,” Matthew choked out, “why didn’t you call the cops?”

“Because Gaffney said if I did, that he’d be back and the next time it would be you or Milly.

I did what he said. I told the hospital that I’d been trying to move my husband’s saw, but I hadn’t put on the safety.

They asked where the finger was and I told them that I didn’t know.

Someone came to the house to search, but it was gone.

I was too terrified to say anything else. ”

“I don’t blame you,” Naomi murmured. “I let Gaffney send me to prison for five years so that he wouldn’t go after my son. So I don’t blame you a bit.”

“You said you went to the prison once to see your husband,” Burke said. “When was that?”

“About a week after Gaffney hurt me. I wanted Arthur to know. I wanted to see if he even cared. So I went to the prison and they brought him to a private visiting room. They said it was because he was in protective custody. There was a guard in the room. When Arthur sat down, he wouldn’t even look me in the eye. ”

Amanda had begun to cry, whether from grief or rage, Naomi didn’t know. Probably both. She slid a box of tissues across the coffee table.

“Thank you,” Amanda said, drying her eyes.

But the tears kept flowing, becoming sobs.

“I said, ‘Look at me!’ I said, ‘Your friend came to the house.’ And then I put my hand on the table and demanded again that he look at me. He wouldn’t.

So I got up and leaned over the table until my hand was in his line of sight.

The guard rushed over to pull me back, but that was okay.

Arthur had seen it. He looked up and I don’t think I’ll ever forget it. ”

“He was shocked?” Naomi asked.

“No. The opposite. He wasn’t surprised at all.

He looked guilty, but not surprised. He cried, but I don’t know if those tears were for me or for him, because he got caught.

When I realized that he’d already known about my finger, I figured someone had told him.

That that was why he was saying nothing, because they’d threatened him, too.

He loved our children. I don’t know for sure that he loved me, but he did love the kids.

If they were threatened, he would have kept his mouth closed. ”

“He did keep his mouth closed,” Naomi said. “He never said a word. I think he wanted to. I think he wanted to accept Burke’s offer of protection for you all, but he never spoke a word. He was too terrified.”

Amanda nodded at that. “There’s one more thing.

I should have handed it over to the police, but after Gaffney…

I just didn’t.” Rising, she went to a desk in the corner and brought out a fire safe.

She unlocked it and took out a three-ring binder, which she set on the coffee table between them.

“Our important papers. Birth certificates and the like. They were in my safe-deposit box, in my name. Again, Arthur made sure most of the important things were in my name. I should have been suspicious that he was so hands-off about all those important things, but he said that because I paid the bills, it made sense that I should keep all the records, too. I managed everything except his gambling winnings. Looking back, I was naive.”

Amanda flipped through the plastic sleeves until she came to what she’d been looking for. She withdrew a plain white envelope and handed it to Burke.

Burke took it hesitantly. “What is this?”

“I don’t know. I found it in the safe-deposit box.

I’d never seen it before. Arthur came into the bank vault with me only once.

I’m thinking he put that in the box then.

Since it’s in my name and I wasn’t accused of anything, there was no warrant for it.

I’m sure they checked my bank accounts. You’ve probably checked, too.

But they didn’t know about my safe-deposit box and I didn’t offer the information. ”

Burke ran his fingers along the edges of the envelope. “An SD card.”

“I know. I’ve never even opened the envelope.

I was afraid to know what’s on the card.

I didn’t want to lose another finger. Or have anything happen to my children.

But now Arthur is dead and your children are being threatened, too.

If you protect my kids and can use whatever’s in there to make this stop once and for all, then please take it. ”

Burke took a plastic evidence bag from his jacket pocket and put the envelope inside before slipping the bag back in his pocket.

Once a cop , Naomi thought affectionately.

“Thank you.” Burke checked his phone, where a new text was displayed.

“Devonte is here. He’ll be your bodyguard for the time being.

I’ll create a staff roster and send it to you, so you’ll know who else to expect.

Can your kids stay home from school for the rest of the week?

That will make our job easier. Next week they have vacation. ”

“We’re homeschooled,” Milly said. “I can’t go back there. Every day there were…” She trailed off, shrugging thin shoulders.

“Kids can be cruel,” Amanda said. “And I was afraid to let my kids out of my sight after this.” She held up the hand with the prosthetic. “We’ve been living under a dark cloud.”

“We’re going to put a stop to that,” Burke said. “For all of us.” He went to the front door and returned with Devonte. “Meet your new bodyguard.”