She shook her head. “Definitely not his style.”
“That’s not an explanation that’s going to wash with the police. Any man’s style can change if he’s feeling desperate enough.”
“Okay, then, there was no gun.” She regarded Tucker with a helpless look. “That means he had to have been murdered, right? There’s no other explanation.”
“You’re sure about the gun? Think, Mary Elizabeth. Could it have fallen on the floor, slid under the chair?”
Fresh tears welled up in her eyes at his harsh tone. “I looked,” she whispered. “I looked everywhere, and then I realized that someone had shot him and that I was going to be the first person everyone thought of. I panicked. All I could think about was coming here and telling you, letting you figure out what happened.”
“Why would anyone think you’d done it?” he asked, even though he knew that the spouse was the most likely suspect in a case like this, at least until things had sorted themselves out and more clues had been uncovered.
“Because I was leaving him for good.”
Tucker was as shocked by that as he had been by her announcement that Chandler was dead. “You were?”
She nodded. “It was a well-kept secret that we were having problems. I’d moved out of the Richmond house months ago.”
“You didn’t come back here,” he said. He would have known, would have heard if she’d been back at Swan Ridge alone. If nothing else, King would have warned him away from her.
“No, I traveled with a friend. Larry told everyone I was taking an extended vacation, that he’d planned to go along but that pressing matters in Richmond had kept him here.”
“Any of that reported in the media, any speculation that you two were splitting?”
“No. His press secretary was very careful. He knew Larry would fire him if so much as a hint leaked out.”
“Okay, then, if everything was so hushed up, what makes you think people would suspect you of killing him?”
“I got back to town two days ago. I’d made up my mind to end things. We went to dinner in Richmond, and I told him it was over. We had a really nasty, very public brawl. I had thought it would be better if I told him in public, that he wouldn’t risk a scene because of the political ramifications, but I was wrong. He went crazy. He started accusing me of cheating on him.”
“Were you?”
“Of course not,” she retorted. “I couldn’t believe the lies that came pouring out of his mouth. He didn’t believe a word he was saying. He was just trying to give me a taste of what it would be like if I went through with a divorce. He wanted me to see that my name would end up being dragged through the mud.” She shuddered. “People were staring, starting to whisper. It was obvious that he was already off to a good start at ruining me to save his own political career.”
“So there were a lot of witnesses to this scene?” Tucker said. “Anyone you knew?”
“I don’t know. I was too humiliated to look around. It was a restaurant that’s popular with the movers and shakers in Richmond, so I imagine it’s a safe bet that there were people there we knew. Why?”
His mind was already whirling in a dozen different directions. That scene couldn’t have done a better job of setting Mary Elizabeth up to take a fall. “Because if one of them had a grudge against your husband and wanted him out of the picture, you had just handed him the perfect opportunity to arrange it and throw greater-than-usual suspicion on you.”
She looked shaken by his assessment. “Greater than usual?” she repeated in a whisper.
“You knew you’d be under suspicion,” he said. “You said that was why you’d come to me.”
“I know. Hearing you say it, though…” Her voice trailed off. “I’m scared, Tucker.”
Again, he fought the temptation to offer comfort. She needed real help more than she needed empty reassurances. “Let’s get all the facts on the table, okay? How did Chandler end up at Swan Ridge? Did he come back here with you after dinner that night?”
“No. I told him I was coming here and that he should stay in Richmond, that I didn’t want him anywhere near me.”
“He agreed?”
“He said he’d stay in Richmond and come down here later to pick up a few things. I made it a point to be out of the house all day yesterday to avoid another confrontation.”
“Where? Were you with anyone?”
She shook her head. “I took the boat out.”
“And stayed on the water till eleven?” he asked skeptically.
“No, till dusk.”
“Where do you keep the boat?”
“At the marina at Colonial Beach. I didn’t think we should keep it here because of…well, you know.”
“Because my brother owns the marina,” Tucker said, realizing anew in just how many small ways they had managed to keep their lives from intersecting. “What did you do next?”
“I stopped over there and had dinner.”
“Did you see anyone you knew?”
“No. The restaurant was almost empty.”
“Would the waitress remember you?”
“I don’t know. Maybe. We talked about her daughter and the trouble she’s having in school and about standardized testing. I know a lot about it, because it’s one of Larry’s campaign issues.”
“Did you mention Larry? Did she realize he was your husband?”
“No. At least, I don’t think so. His name never came up.”
“What time did you leave there?”
“Around ten-thirty, maybe a little later.”
“Then what?”
“I drove home. When I got to Swan Ridge, his car was in the driveway, so I knew he was inside. I almost turned around and left, but I didn’t want to act like a coward, not in my own home.”
“So you went in, and that’s when you found him?”
“Yes.”
“Do you have help working at the house?”
“Just Mrs. Gilman, but she only works when I call her. I hadn’t let her know that I was back in town.”
“Is that unusual? Wouldn’t you normally call her to get the place ready for your return? Maybe to go in and dust, stock the refrigerator, whatever?”
Her face paled. “Yes, but I…I didn’t this time.”
Tucker could see exactly how suspicious that would look to a jury. “Why?”
“I was too upset after I saw Larry that night. I came straight down here without calling. I just wanted to get away from him, to be alone.” Her gaze clashed with his. “It looks bad, doesn’t it? Like I didn’t want anyone around so I could kill him?”
“That’s one interpretation,” he agreed. “But your explanation is just as logical. The man had just given you a taste of how vengeful he could be. It’s little wonder you wanted to get away from him as fast as possible.”
“Will people believe that?”
He met her gaze. “I do.”
“Thank you. It’s more than I deserve.”
“Look, let’s get one thing straight,” he said bluntly.