“My husband is dead. I’m single. And not getting any younger.”
“Oh, honey. You’re way too young to worry about getting older.”
“You’re forgetting that I have to have time to meet someone, get to know them, learn to trust, fall in love, get married, then start a family.”
“Does it have to be in that order?”
“I mean, marriage andthenkids is the ideal.” She thought on that as we walked. “I guess I kind of cleave to the traditional because I didn’t have that. I mean, I haven’t ever known mymom or my dad. Even though they’re both alive. Well, as far as I know, anyway.”
“There’s nothing wrong with tradition. But sometimes the best things in life don’t go to plan.”
“True,” she agreed, then exhaled hard. “I just don’t know how I can trust again. Knowing everything I know now. And, let’s face it, I’m sure there is a lot I don’t know about Matthew.”
That was a segue if I ever saw one.
“While we’re on the topic—”
“Oh, God. What else did he lie to me about?”
“I was actually going to suggest you let me help you open his safe. That might help us answer some lingering questions.”
“Like who killed him,” she said, stopping in the middle of the sidewalk.
“Yes, that. And maybe who broke into your place and why.”
“Shouldn’t we maybe leave that up to the police?”
“From what I can tell, they’re not actively working his case right now. There are three to four hundred murders in the city each year. And while the NYPD has a better clearance rate than almost anywhere else in the country, almost a hundred of those murders a year never get solved. It’s an acceptable statistic for them. They’re not going to kill themselves over the ones that slip past them.”
Something sparked in Blair’s eyes then. Something I didn’t like seeing there. It was a mixture of suspicion and distrust. “How do you know that?”
It was my turn to be confused.
Because was it actually possible that she didn’t know what I did for a living? Had Matt never mentioned that? I’d never known him for being able to keep his mouth shut.
But, no.
That was no longer true, was it?
Matt was apparently incredibly adept at keeping shit to himself, at lying and deceiving.
This was the point where some part of me wanted to lie, to not expose her to any more discomfort.
But that made me no better than Matt.
I glanced around, aware of so many ears nearby.
“Can we discuss that back at one of our apartments?”
Blair’s suspicion was cutting, but she gave me a slight nod. “Okay.”
We both slipped into a cab and rode back to our building in silence.
As I tried to tell myself that this was for the best.
She would finally figure out who I was.
It would kill whatever attraction she had toward me.
