“Courtney came over for a visit before she and Ben were supposed to travel to Maine for a conference. I had made us both some coffee and the minute I set it down in front of her, she immediately took off for the bathroom. At first, I was so happy for her, and when I asked about the father, she told me it was a guy she had been seeing for a while. She was gushing about how in love with him she was. I was excited for her,” she relays.
“Then you went to Maine to surprise your husband,” I say, piecing it all together now.
“I took a few days off, thought we could spend some time together, reconnect when he wasn’t in his conference. I had this whole fantasy played out in my head. I would surprise him when he got off the train, but instead, I got the surprise. He had his arm around her shoulder, she was snuggled into his side, and I watched as he leaned down and KISSED HER,” she screams the last part.
“They walked right by me, and neither noticed. So, I followed them to their hotel, watched all weekend as they went sightseeing, eating out, and spending time together. There was no conference, it was just a way for both of them to spend a fabulous weekend together. I even watched my husband rub her belly and give her a blinding smile. I never got that look when I was pregnant, and then when I miscarried, all he told me was, ‘Maybe it’s for the best, babe. We both have demanding jobs.’”
“Then what happened?” I ask quietly.
“I followed them onto the train, found them in a car by themselves, making out. I watched and waited for them to realize they weren’t alone. Then I saw the divorce papers sticking out of his bag, and I lost it.”
I nod for her to keep going.
“They both screamed and shouted at being caught. Courtney was crying, saying she never wanted to hurt me, but they were in love, all that blah, blah, bullshit,” she says with a sarcastic laugh.
“Ben was saying he wanted to discuss everything calmly. I told him I wouldn’t sign the divorce papers, and he was stupid enough to tell me, ‘She’s pregnant with my child, and we are getting married.’ I don’t know where the knife came from, I just had it in my hand, and I lunged at him, stabbing him, over and over, asking him what about our baby. Next thing I knew, he was dead on the floor, and Courtney was screaming.”
“What happened to Courtney, Nora?” Shane asks.
“Do you think I’m so cold to kill a woman who is pregnant with my husband’s child, Shane?”
“No, he doesn’t,” I tell her. “She’s here, isn’t she?”
Nora says nothing, but I know if we search the property, we will find her.
“What about the other couples? Why did you kill them?” Shane asks.
“No woman should ever have to feel what I felt or got through what I went through,” she says.
“How did you know?” I ask her.
“I started an ad as a P.I., and women would call me wanting to know if their husbands were cheating. I would follow them,” she says with a shrug.
“How did you get the NMBA?” Shane asks.
“That was easy, I blackmailed Fields and Fischer. I knew they were stealing medication from the hospital and selling it, also they were both having an affair.”
“Why did you kill them?” I ask.
“Fields wanted to meet, and when I showed up, he told me I needed to do something, otherwise he would tell my partner everything. I slit his throat and then called Fischer to meet with me, knowing she was a liability.”
“Cavanaugh recognized you, didn’t he?” I ask her.
“I should have never gone down to booking. After the files came back corrupted, I needed to know what else he knew. I was processing him when he figured it out. He was trying to blackmail me." She laughs, before continuing, "I got him a cup of water, lacing the rim with fentanyl, then took him to his cell. I left him in his cell with a promise I would get him out.”
The Commander pulls up with several cop cars.
“Nora Riley, you're under arrest for murder,” Shane says, handcuffing her hands behind her back.
She looks at me and says, “I’m not sorry.”
“I know,” I whisper to her.
The officers begin to search her home, but something is niggling at me about the barn. I begin to walk over there, and Shane catches up.
“What are you doing?” he asks.
“I have this feeling that I need to check the barn. I can’t explain it,” I tell him as I walk.
I open the barn, and at first glance, nothing seems out of the ordinary except there are no animals in here, but then I hear a noise. I walk in further, and I hear it again, like chains clinking.
I walk over to a stall and find a very pregnant Courtney chained up.
“Shane, over here,” I call to him as I unlock the door. “Hi, Courtney, don’t be afraid, I’m Agent Mya Morgan from the FBI. You are safe now,” I tell her.
Shane calls for an ambulance to be brought to the barn.
“Shane, we need to find something to get these chains off her,” I call out to him.
“On it,” he says, running out of the barn.
I hear a knock on the stall wall next to Courtney. I get up and check the stall next to her and find a blond female, very dirty.
“Rayeanne Burton?” I ask and watch as the tears fall down her face. “Don’t worry, sweetie, help is here, we have you, and I know your parents and grandfather are going to be so relieved,” I tell her.
“Mya,” I hear a groggy voice call out, and it sounds like Heath.
“Heath?” I call back.
