The End of Her - Shari Lapena Page 0,99
worries that the bullets might not have his fingerprints on them and the gun will. Is that a problem? Her other worry is that he might check on his gun and find that it’s loaded before she gets a chance to use it. So she will have to do this very soon. The sooner the better. She loads the bullets into the gun.
On Monday morning, Stephanie tells Patrick that she’s taking the twins out. She has a story ready if he should ask where, but he doesn’t.
She’s going to visit a law firm that specializes in divorce. She doesn’t have an appointment, but she figures if she shows up and says it’s urgent, someone will see her. She considered leaving the twins with Hanna, but Hanna has done a lot of babysitting for her, and she has been unable to return the favour.
She pushes the double buggy into the lift and takes it to the top floor. She’s done her research and Thompson Doyle is the best divorce firm in Aylesford. She apologizes for showing up without an appointment but tells the receptionist that she needs to see a divorce attorney. The young woman asks her to wait. Stephanie takes a seat. The waiting room has a splendid view of the river, but she barely takes it in. She focuses on keeping the babies from fussing, and on what she’s going to say.
‘Gabriel Thompson can see you,’ the receptionist tells her after a few minutes.
She’s ushered into his office. She takes one look around and she knows this is going to be expensive, but she doesn’t care. She can afford it.
‘How can I help?’ the attorney asks, when she has wheeled the twins in and taken the seat in front of his desk.
‘I want to divorce my husband,’ she states baldly.
‘Then you’ve come to the right place,’ the attorney says dryly, with a kind smile. He’s an older man, dressed in a sober suit and tie, with tidy silver hair.
‘My husband is Patrick Kilgour,’ she says.
The attorney’s eyebrows go up and he leans forward attentively. Stephanie wonders how closely he followed the case. She hesitates for a moment, swallows.
‘I see,’ he says. ‘I’m somewhat familiar with the case.’ He looks at her encouragingly.
‘It has put a tremendous strain on our marriage.’ She falters and takes a moment to compose herself. ‘Everyone knows he cheated on his first wife. He’s admitted it. I don’t know if he’s cheated on me.’ She adds, ‘In any event, the marriage is over, and I need to know what I can do.’
‘Of course.’
‘I came into a large inheritance on my last birthday. He doesn’t have any rights to that, does he?’
‘None at all. In New York, inherited property does not go into marital assets to be divided when a marriage ends. You have no worries on that score.’
‘Good.’
He gives her a frank look. ‘Do you have a will?’
‘Yes, everything I have goes to Patrick on my death, as things currently stand.’
‘I think we need to change that,’ he says. ‘Any life insurance?’
She’s beginning to think this man had followed the case rather closely. She’s not surprised – it was a cause célèbre in Aylesford, as well as in Colorado. ‘Yes.’
His face is serious, his voice concerned. ‘Are you worried about your personal safety?’
She remembers what she came here to do. ‘No, not at all. But I am worried about how Patrick will take the news of the divorce. He’s very depressed already, after everything that’s happened. It’s been a difficult decision, but I have to do what’s right for me – and for the twins.’
‘Of course,’ the attorney agrees sympathetically. ‘Let’s do this as expeditiously as possible.’
CHAPTER FIFTY-SIX
THAT EVENING, AFTER the twins are asleep, Stephanie tries to coax her husband into having a couple of drinks with her. It will help if he has some whisky in him. And she needs something to steady her nerves.
She needs to get him into the kitchen. In a straight-backed chair with a glass of whisky in front of him.
‘I need a drink,’ Stephanie says, and gets up off the sofa. He lifts his head. ‘Care to join me?’ He looks almost pleased to be asked. She should feel bad about what she’s going to do, but she doesn’t. Because it’s not just for her. It’s for Emma and Jackie. They deserve better than to grow up with a father who is a liar and a cheater and a murderer.
‘Sure,’ he says, and follows her into the kitchen.
She sits