“Just that I don’t really know what was in it. Or in whose handwriting.”
My heart starts to thump. “You’re so clever and quick. I miss you so much. These airheads down here.” I look around the restaurant, which is filling up. “Remember what it was like on Nassau when it was just our two families? I mean, before Lisa and Marcus moved in?”
Aimee nods. “Those were fun times.”
“We shared everything. SAGA time! Right? I still have my #SAGA T-shirt. I don’t wear it, of course, it might upset Marcus. There’s no ‘M’ in SAGA. But it was amazing. It was crazy that you and me both had twins. It was like fate, we were meant to be friends.”
“I thought it was interesting that you switched that in the book. You had Lisa and Marcus be the ones who were there first, when they were actually the ones who moved in later.”
“Oh, well, I thought it added to the story.” What did Aimee ever see in Lisa, anyway? She was tacky and loud and vulgar. But everyone thought she was funny and sexy like a cut-rate Sophia Vergara. I cringe at the memory of Anton practically drooling over Lisa when we first met in Aimee’s backyard. Her boobsfalling out of her top like that. I knew he wanted her, but I didn’t think Lisa would take him up on it.
“Gwen, you were the one who wrote in that notebook, weren’t you? Those interviews with Cathy Stocker that you read to me,” she says. “It was your handwriting, wasn’t it?”
“Does it matter?” I can feel myself letting my guard down. Maybe it’s the alcohol, or maybe it’s the thrill of having someone I can talk to. Aimee was there. She understands.
Aimee shrugs. “Maybe not. But it means that you were the one who was interviewing Cathy Stocker.”
“What’s the point of all this?”
“Curiosity. I want to know the truth.”
“Really? The last time you went in search of the truth, you found out your husband was a fugitive who had robbed a drug dealer.”
Silence, and then Aimee bursts out laughing. I join her. “Oh, Gwen, I miss you so damn much!”
My heart sings. There’s nothing better than Aimee’s laugh. “Me, too.”
“Did you cook up this whole thing yourself? I mean, were you the one?” She grins slyly. “I mean, Anton? Lisa? They’re not the brightest bulbs.”
“What, you don’t see Anton doing investigative journalism?” I giggle. “Well, he wasn’t Bob fucking Woodward, that’s for sure. He was so lazy.”
“So you did. Good for you!” Aimee raises her glass. “Men can be so disappointing sometimes.”
“Yeah? So you’re not mad about Scott?”
“No, I’m grateful that you found all this out. You’re a true friend. You were doing it to help me, right?”
“Yes!” I can feel tears of joy warming my eyes. “Thank you. I’m so glad you see it like that. You have no idea how anxious I’ve been about seeing you. I’ve always wanted to tell you, but things got so freaking out of hand.”
“Did Lisa or Anton have anything to do with the blackmailing at all?”
“No. They were in la-la land screwing each other. I’m the one who sent the original email to Scott from American University. Anton had no clue, not until the day he found my notebook. We got in a huge fight about it. I had to tell him what was going on. He got so self-righteous with me, I couldn’t believe it. That was the day we went to dinner at your place, and I heard him warn you. We got in a huge fight when we got home.”
“But how did you, you know…? I mean, there was Anton’s blood on Lisa’s car.”
I laugh. “Oh my God, I didn’t kill him. Did you think I killed Anton? No, I didn’t do that. The police would have been all over me. Theywereall over me!”
“You mean Lisa did kill him? But why, if they weren’t blackmailing Scott?”
I shake my head. I want to tell her, but it’s not my secret to tell. “I can’t tell you.”
“Please, Gwen, I’m dying here.” Aimee groans. Her hand goes to her neck, where she toys with the top button of her dress. Her skin is mottled pink, like it always gets when she drinks. She’s such a lightweight. “You can tell me. The case is closed. There’s nothing the police can do now.”
“Well, what can I say? I wanted to kill the bastard when I found out he was cheating on me, again. But I couldn’t. Then one night in the spring, I was walking Sababa, and Marcus was coming back from some event. He walked with me, and we just started confiding in each other. At first, we were just friends, two spouses being wronged, offering each other support. But then it grew into something else.” I shrug, letting her fill in the blanks.
“You and Marcus, all the way back then? I had no idea.”
“We were very careful. Marcus, poor guy, he felt so betrayed. Humiliated. I mean, so did I, but it wasn’t my first time beingcheated on. He was really devastated. Neither one of us wanted a divorce. He would have lost millions. We decided to help each other out. I’d take care of Lisa, and you know…”