Page 97 of The Right to Remain

“Something is up. Theo is not one for heartfelt conversations. But this morning, when we were in the car, he wanted to know if he told me something private, could he count on me not to tell anyone—including you.”

“Hmm. That’s interesting. What did you say?”

“I said it would depend on—”

“Wait. You said ‘it depends’?” she asked, incredulous.

Jack was taken aback. “I was going to say it depends on—”

“It doesn’t depend onanything,” she said, interrupting again. “You don’t keep secrets from your wife.”

“It’s not about keeping secrets. I was talking about professional confidences.”

“Oh, that makes all the difference, Jack. Anything Theo doesn’t want you to tell me is a professional confidence. Anything that he says is okay to tell me is not.”

Jack needed a second to catch up. It had been a long time since they’d talked past each other like this. “No, that’s not what I’m saying.”

“I honestly don’t know what you’re saying, Jack. But Theo is your best friend. He’s not your wife.I’myour wife. Please remember that.”

“Andie, come on. You’re not being fair.”

She grabbed her wineglass, but she’d clearly reached a breaking point. “You know what, Jack? This has been a terrible week. My assignment was canceled. I left an eighteen-year-old girl high and dry,and God only knows what’s going to happen to her. Now you and I are fighting again. I just want to lie down with Righley and hug my girl. You go have your boys’ night with Theo.”

She walked out and started down the hallway to Righley’s room.

Jack stood for a moment, not sure what had just hit him. Slowly, he shuffled toward the bed and took a seat on the edge of the mattress, next to Andie’s dresses.

Max pushed himself up from his dog bed in the corner, lazily crossed the room, and laid his big head in Jack’s lap. He was getting old, but he was still the most “talkative” golden retriever Jack had ever known, and he seemed to grunt out a few words as Jack stroked his snout.

“You’re right,” Jack said. “I should have picked the black one.”

Chapter 35

Helena left Austen at home with a babysitter and drove to C. J. Vandermeer’s waterfront estate on Miami Beach.

It was time for a showdown.

North of the famous South Beach area, a line of towering Australian palm trees stretched for about forty blocks, dividing north-south traffic on a street known, appropriately enough, as Pine Tree Drive. CJ’s modern two-story mansion was on the east side, facing the Intracoastal Waterway, though the massive house and lush landscaping made it impossible to gather even a glimpse of the waterway from the street. His driveway was packed with vehicles when Helena pulled up, so she parked on the median beneath a pine tree and walked across the street.

CJ lived alone, but he was rarely without company. Owen had told her that every night was a party at CJ’s. Helena had never witnessed anything firsthand, but CJ had told her on multiple occasions that she was always welcome—so long as she didn’t bring Owen. She’d never taken him up on the offer. Never needed to. Until tonight.

Helena climbed the grand staircase to the glass entrance doors on the second level, which was the main floor. The doors were fourteen feet high, and the back of the house was completely glass, so Helena could see all the way through to the infinity pool and, beyond that, a drop-dead view of the waterway and twinkling skyline of Miami Beach. Helena counted far too many partiers for the number of cars in the driveway, which probably meant that most had arrived by ride service—a wise move in a neighborhood where not even Justin Bieber could talk his way out of an arrest for drag racing past the pine trees in his yellow Lamborghini.

Helena rang the doorbell. A server answered, and the moment the door opened, it was as if someone had suddenly cranked the stereo to maximum volume.

“Can I help you?” the server asked. She was just three feet away from Helena, but she practically had to shout to be heard over the music.

“I’m here to see CJ,” said Helena.

“Name?”

Helena gave it, and the server checked the guest list on her phone. “You’re not on the list,” she said. “I can let you in, but only if you go straight to the swimming pool.”

Helena took another look. As far as she could tell, everyone in the pool was younger than her and completely naked. A few looked even younger than her dance students.

“I just need five minutes with CJ,” said Helena.

“That’s a little quick. Even for CJ.”