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he testing me? Before I left, I wanted to put this man in his place as all the suffocating emotions made their way to the surface.
    I practically spit as I said, “How dare you ask me that! I came here for answers. This isn’t a game. I just lost my husband!”
    My shouting startled me quiet. I took a deep breath and focused on the cream-colored walls before I met the commander’s eyes again. “I’m sorry. I’m not a yeller. I honestly don’t know what you’re talking about with vendettas and games. All I want is some answers. Alex was with me the night before. Then he was gone. I know being undercover is dangerous. But as his wife, I thought I would be given a little more than ‘the case is still open’ and when his remains will be sent to the crematory.”
    A tear tracked down my face as I continued. “I know it’s against protocol to come in. Alex repeatedly warned me against it. I get it, but I need something more. Anything. I loved him.”
    The commander stood, and I backed against the door, twisting the knob. With his hands up, he sat back down. “Please have a seat. I’ll stay where I’m at. I understand why I’ve made you nervous.”
    This was a complete change from his earlier demeanor. He was softer.
    Tentatively, I took a few steps to one of the chairs in front of his desk, not trusting this sudden change.
    “Ms. Russo, I don’t know how to say this. I hope you’re not lying about the games. But I don’t think you are.” He paused, and I stared at him, not knowing what to say. He continued, “Your husband, Gabriel Alexander Thompson, was not an undercover cop. He blackmailed me to give you the illusion that he was. I kept up the farce at all costs. I don’t know what he was involved in, but it wasn’t good. His record is nearly blank. Trust me; I tried to find something on the bastard.”
    The blood drained from my face as the words registered. “Wh-what are you saying?”
    This wasn’t happening. No way. I wanted to leave, pretend the commander was lying.
    Alex was a lot of things, but I never thought of him as a liar.
    He leaned forward. “I’ve been reading people for a while, and I can tell you had no idea.”
    My only response was to shake my head.
    Alex wasn’t an undercover cop.
    He blackmailed someone.
    He lied to me.
    Wait, what if this man was for some reason lying? “Why was he blackmailing you?” Commander Taylor began to respond, but I interrupted him. “How do I know you’re telling me the truth?”
    Assessing me, the quietness settled over the room for a couple of minutes. “I made a mistake once at a club in Philadelphia. If it got out, it would ruin my personal life. Bastard set me up a little over six months ago.”
    That happened right before we were married. I swallowed hard, still holding on to the chance he was wrong or lying. I wasn’t sure what to say when he offered, “I have a recording of a conversation I had with Alex. Do you want to hear it?”
    My insides shook with fear as the lies engulfed me. This was beyond anything I’d thought possible. I was scared to reveal the truth of the white lies. Betrayal sliced through me bone deep. How was I so stupid not to see the depth of his deceit?
    By the seriousness of his face, I knew the commander was about to prove he told the truth.
    Alex had lied to me.
    Tears pricked the back of my eyes as my vision blurred. My heart ached. Barely above a whisper, I answered, “Yes.”

 
     
    I n a fog, I left the precinct and stopped for a second as the sun’s rays hit my face. It helped bring warmth to my chilled state.
    The conversation with Commander Taylor repeated in my head. The menace in Alex’s voice had been unmistakable. I hadn’t known that version of Alex, even during the bad times.
    Commander Taylor had told the truth. I shivered as the memory replayed.
     

     
    Alex’s voice came over the phone recording. “Are you prepared to sell it when you meet her at the precinct?”
    A long pause ensued