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Elena Sharp crossed her legs and laced her fingers over her knee "And I appreciate youthe drive to Mandeville, Detective Gillian," she said, with a slight nod as if to say, There noe have the pleasantries out of the way

"So, Davis was murdered," she continued, mouth quirked in a humorless smile "I take it I’m a suspect?"

Oh, yeah, she wasn’t stupid by any stretch "You understand that I can’t rule you out"

"Oh, I know" She closed her eyes briefly, then shook her head and sighed "One more way for Davis to screw me"

"You moved out and filed for divorce the day before his death," I said, glancing ath "Oh, no We were not having marital difficulties at all I was I … didn’t want to be with him anymore" An odd mixture of pain and fear flickered across her face, quickly sered in her eyes

Interesting Had she been afraid of her late husband? Enough to leave hiain at my notes "You called the police twice in the last three years for do my expression friendly and neutral

"Yes," she said "So I did"

"You never pursued charges"

She stood and walked to the , folding her arazed out at the lake "I know that everyone thought I was just a stupid trophy wife And you knohat? I was--the trophy part, that is" She ran her hands unconsciously over her dress, srew up in a trailer, went to the public high school, and learned pretty early on that what ash

I suddenly felt better about my own financial situation "So you ave me an oh, please look "Well, duh He was almost twenty years older than me But I’ether, and I never really expected him to ask me to marry him" A faint smile flickered across her face "Shocked the shit out of me, to be honest"

"So, now that he’s dead, you’re pretty well set, right?"

Elena shook her head "I’ that I inherited the ned a rock-solid prenuptial agreement with that man" She lowered her head and looked at me "I had es were reeable terms and went ahead and hitched on up"

"It sounds like a corporate ave a shter "It was, in a way Like I said, we had fun, but I also looked out for myself And Davis was the same way Who knows; maybe that’s what he liked about uess that’s ret crossed her face, then she shrugged her bare shoulders and it was gone Shea et," she said, as she pulled a sheet of paper out of the envelope and passed it to reement quickly "That’s … a pretty decent suled as I was

She gave me a wry smile "Yeah, I know Trust me, I remember where I ca around with, I can appreciate how rare this sort of lifestyle is I’d have been able to live the rest of et now that he died before your divorce was final?"

A ghost of a smile curved her lips "Well, he has two kids froet most of his estate" She pulled another sheet of paper froet a lulanced over the numbers Pretty much the same that she would have received in a divorce I doubted that she’d faked the documents It was far too easy for me to check--and I would--and she wasn’t that stupid

But there were plenty of other possible reed "Can you tell reen eyes bright in the sunlight that streauo so He told ood, 24/7 And … he got jealous too He wanted , but he also didn’t want me to pay too hed "Davis would occasionally get physical I got scared the first ti, I’ve been smacked before, but I just didn’t expect it from him It wasn’t even hard My pride was bruisedAnyway, I locked myself in the bedroom and called the cops" She brushed her hair back froht have been e her features "They caave me a rueful smile "He came back the next day with an armload of presents"

"That’s a pretty standard pattern for an abuser," I said evenly

"Oh, I know," she said, with an unapologetic shrug "And if he’d been slapping me around on a daily basis, I’d have been out of there in just my underwear, if necessary I’m a mercenary, but, as I told you, I’ether, he slapped"That’s hardly a standard pattern for an abuser"

It o more slaps than I would ever put up with "So why did you leave hiain--the pain and fear Her gaze flicked around the rooht anywhere She sed and sain, then sat back down on the couch and clasped her hands together in her lap She took a breath to settle herself and looked up at me, a smile that was clearly artificial sculpted onto her face by sheer will "I found out he was cheating on me"

With the mystery blonde? Or was there someone else? "That’s the only reason?" I said, then realized how it sounded

Elena lifted a perfect eyebrow "That’s not enough?"

It certainly was for so to leave the lifestyle because her husband had screwed around? It didn’t ring true "Sorry So you found out he was cheating on you and you filed for divorce?"

Her nod was stiff, and an expression of regret crossed her face She didn’t want to leave him I’d have bet money on it So why did she? There was still fear It showed in the way her hand clenched on the arle of her foot, and I didn’t think it was just nerves at being questioned by the police

"Can you tellan affair with?" Maybe someone with o white briefly, then she gave a stilted shake of her head "I … never knew her name I only knew about her"