Page 88 of Little Hidden Fears

I took a seat, wasting no time in getting to the point of my visit.

“I’ve been investigating Noelle’s murder for several days now, and I believe I know who murdered her and why,” I said.

She bit her lip. “Why are you telling me this?”

“I believe Clark murdered Noelle.”

“I can’t believe ... I don’t ... I don’t understand. Noelle and Clark were friends. How could you say such a thing?”

“Has Clark always been faithful to you?”

“Our marriage has had its ups and downs. He loves me, and I love him.”

It was a polite way of admitting he hadn’t always been faithful.

“Infidelity isn’t love,” I said.

“Every relationship dynamic is different. What does my husband’s fidelity have to do with your accusation?”

She was asking all the right questions, but there was no mistaking the look in her eye or the meaning behind it. Did she know her husband was a murderer?

“A woman named Dawn Salisbury is missing. Before she disappeared, she went to the Ophelia Albrecht Center. It’s a safehouse for battered women. While she was there, Noelle recognized her. She thought she’d seen her somewhere, and she had.”

“Where?”

“In the parking lot of the tennis club, talking, or I imagine it was more like arguing, with your husband.”

Heidi went quiet, staring at the floor as she fiddled with her fingers.

“I believe Noelle saw Dawn arguing with Clark, and not long after, she showed up at the women’s center, bruised and beaten. Noelle took her to the hospital. A doctor ran some tests, and do you know what he discovered? Dawn is pregnant.”

Heidi shook her head, covering her face with her hands as tears spilled down her cheeks.

“When Dawn went missing, Noelle tried to find her, but she was not successful,” I said. “I’m guessing she confronted Clark, accusing him of battery. Before she could go to the police, she was murdered. So, my question to you is ... where was your husband on the night Noelle threw Zoey’s engagement party?”

Heidi rubbed her hands across her face, trying to stop the tears, but they kept on coming.

“I ... he was ... I ...”

She turned, staring down the hall.

“Where’s Clark?” I asked. “It’s all right. You can tell me.”

As she raised a shaky finger, Clark stepped into the room, gun in hand.

“Heidi, go to the bedroom and close the door,” he said.

“But Clark ...”

“Do it—now!”

“No, Clark. It’s time for all this madness to stop.”

“What are you talking about?”

“I know about Dawn,” Heidi said. “She came to see me.”

“When?”