Chapter 4Turning His Lies Into Life Sentences

The man had planned it all out: pretend to be "arrested" at the victim’s house so I wouldn't go looking for him at the local precinct.

"Mom," I gasped, clutching her hand. "I have to see him. Take me to the station."

Diane backed away as if I were radioactive. "The officers said no visitors! He’s being processed. It’s high-security."

She wiped her eyes, her gaze darting toward Ben. "But Natalie, we have to think about his soul. We need to send money to that family. If they sign a waiver saying they forgive him, his sentence might be lighter."

She was laying it on thick, nodding at Ben to join in.

"Mommy, please! Save Daddy!" the boy cried, clutching my skirt.

I felt a chill. They were asking me to fund his honeymoon with Valerie. They thought I was the world’s biggest idiot.

I nodded. "You’re right. Let me get my card."

I went back into the room. I saw the relief on Diane’s face through the crack in the door. I didn't grab my card. I grabbed the folder of "evidence" Mark had been "keeping" in his desk—the fake documents he’d used to convince me of his crime. But tucked in the back, I found something real.

I drove straight to the address of the "victim," Valerie Thorne.

When she opened the door, she looked the part of the grieving widow—sad eyes, messy hair—but she couldn't hide the smug superiority in her gaze.

"What are you doing here?" she snapped. "Haven't you people done enough to us?"

She was holding the hand of a thin, pale little girl. The performance was flawless. You’d think her world had actually ended.

Diane, who had followed me, immediately dropped to her knees, sobbing at Valerie’s feet. "Valerie... please. We were wrong. I’ll do anything. Just please, find it in your heart to forgive my Mark."

She almost let the word "dear" slip out before "Mark." It confirmed everything.

Then Diane reached up and tried to pull me down to the floor with her. "Natalie, kneel! Beg her for your husband’s life!"