you.”
“Did you wear a watch or jewelry over the weekend?”
Gemma flashed on the pretty moonstone dangles Mike and Mary Kate had given her as a birthday present years ago. “I added a pair of drops to these.” She removed the gold hoops from her ears and handed them to Teng. “They’re on the nightstand.”
Gemma felt as if her world was spinning wildly out of orbit, but when she came back into the living room, the men were all still in the same places. Brady sat still as a house cat, looking almost domesticated. Everyone else behaved as if he were invisible. Mike seemed at ease. Gemma wondered if she was the only one who wasn’t fooled by his casual act. She took a seat beside him and tried to wipe her clammy hands on her pants as unobtrusively as she could manage.
“Did your husband have any enemies?” That was Abernathy, again.
“Ned?” She lifted a corner of her mouth. “He’s an attorney. Of course he does. His law partner will know more about that than I do. We don’t discuss his work, much.”
“Do you know whether he had received any threats lately? Was he worried about anything, as far as you know?”
“No. Not that he ever mentioned.” Gemma glanced at Mike and took a shaky breath. The dizziness had ebbed, but her head felt wooden and heavy. Her midsection had gone hollow, as if someone had stolen her stomach and left a basket of butterflies in its place. She knew she wasn’t thinking clearly or quickly, but right now, it was probably a blessing.
Mike asked, “Is Ms. Cavanagh a suspect?”
“Not at this time. We’re just trying to cover all the bases.” Olsen focused on Gemma. “We’ll want to set up a formal interview, ask you some questions, try to get a picture of your relationship with the deceased.”
“Ms. Cavanagh can be available tomorrow at your convenience,” Mike rose to his full six foot three. “I think we’re done, here. If you have any other questions for Ms. Cavanagh, please remember she is represented by counsel and direct your questions to me.”
The minute she shut the door behind the police, Mike turned to her. “What did you say to them, Gemma?” he asked, his voice low and intense. “They’ve got a cruiser parked across the street, keeping an eye on you.”
She flicked her eyes to the window, but shrubs blocked her view. “I didn’t have to say a word. They took one look at the boxes and went cop-faced.”
“Shit.”
“It didn’t help that I got all flustered when they said he’d been murdered. And then Brady was here...” She glanced over at him. “I’m sorry you got dragged into this.”
Brady just tightened his chin and shook his head, dismissing the hassle.
Mike put his arm around her shoulders and gave her a squeeze. “You okay?”
She nodded. “I’m all right.”
“If I didn’t know you better, I might even believe you.”
“A little wobbly, I guess. I keep thinking he’s going to call, like last time, and say, ‘I bet you believed every word.’”
Mike glowered and exchanged a furious look with Brady. “I don’t think that’s going to happen.”
“Mike, am I really a suspect?”
“Offhand, I’d say they’re trying to sort out all the information for threads to follow. You know the drill.”
She nodded.
“The packing boxes didn’t help, though,” he said.
“I was meaning to get all that stuff done this morning, but Lubbock State called—their proposal is in its last stages, and I just got swept up.”
“Ned hadn’t changed his driver’s license, yet. It didn’t sound as if they know about his apartment,” Mike said.
“They didn’t even seem to know we were separated. Come on. I’ll walk you out.”
“I don’t think so. You look pretty shaky. Let me take you home with me. You shouldn’t be alone right now.”
“I’m fine.” Then tears came. “Dammit.”
Mike’s expression tightened. “Look, I know you’re going to go all tough on me, Ms. Independence, but I’m serious, here. You
The Big Rich: The Rise, Fall of the Greatest Texas Oil Fortunes