over here just to pick her up. They’re sweet like that.”
“Okay. Thank you. It appears it was an accident, but we have to ask questions.”
She nodded. “I understand. Do you think he’ll be okay?”
He shook his head. “I don’t know.”
As she trudged back to Riki, a bloodcurdling scream sliced through the night. She darted her eyes to where Lily stood. The paramedics were covering Hugh’s body with a white sheet.
CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE
Tuesday, March 21
The sun wasn’t up yet when Sylvia’s alarm blared. She slapped the bedside table in search of her phone, wondering why it had gone off so early.
Reality punched her in the gut, and she lurched upright. Hugh was dead. Her mind eagerly showed her clips of the tragic evening, but she forced them away. Hugh had been a terrible person. No need to attempt any sentimental thoughts about him. She gripped her sheets. None of this was her fault. Sure, she had led Lily to the truth, but she hadn’t killed him. No one could accuse her of a thing. And if anyone found the burner—well, it could be traced back only to Hugh. She was free of guilt.
Exhaling, she showered and dressed quickly. It was time to visit Jonathan. Armed with a box of tissues, a sleeve of saltine crackers, and a quart of orange juice, she let herself into Nadine’s apartment once more.
All was quiet.
Setting her groceries on the kitchen table, she summoned her courage and headed for the bedroom. Jonathan was on his side, slumped like a corpse. Blergh. Her mind was certainly morbid today. She couldn’t blame herself after all that had happened. The man wasn’t dead. He was only sleeping, just like he had been last night. “Good morning!” she called.
Jonathan stirred, and her body went limp with relief. She hadn’t realized she’d been stiff with tension.
“Wha’s . . . Where?”
Channeling her mother, whose bedside manner had been efficient rather than warm, she strode to the window and threw open the curtains before turning to him. “You must’ve caught a nasty bug. How are you feeling?”
“Huh? Did I sleep here?” he asked, his voice sounding like he had a mouth full of cotton. Glancing at his body, he said, “Looks like I did. What happened?”
She gave him a pitying look. “Don’t you remember?”
“Not really.” He rubbed the side of his head as he sat up, touching his feet to the ground.
“I brought you some orange juice and crackers. Based on how you seemed last night, I wasn’t sure if it was a cold or the flu that hit you.”
“Right. Yeah. We were talking and had that wine . . .”
She frowned. “You did have two glasses. I know you said you can hold your alcohol, but if your immune system were already compromised, it might not have been a good idea.”
He suddenly jumped from the bed. “My meeting!”
Holding up a hand, she said, “It’s okay. After you fell asleep on me, I waited here for your guy to show up, but after an hour passed and no one had stopped by, I tucked you in and left. Your phone rang while I was here, but I didn’t want to answer it. Maybe it was him who called?”
He stuck his hands through his limp hair and turned to her. “Thanks. You’ve been really helpful. I just don’t know what came over me. It’s true I’ve been going hard and fast. Maybe I picked up a virus in Europe.”
She frowned. “Or on the plane. The incubation period can be a week or more.” She looked around the room. “Is there anything I can get for you? Do you want me to pour you a glass of juice before I go? I have to get to work.”
“Uh, no. I’m okay.” Standing, he said, “I’m embarrassed you had to take care of me like that.”
“Don’t be. And maybe the investor had to reschedule anyway, so it will all work out, right?”
He patted his pockets for his phone and slid it from a front one. “Yeah. I’ll just check my messages.”
“One last thing.” She softened her voice. “I hate to tell you this, but a friend’s husband fell down my stairs last night.”
“What? The broken step?”
She nodded, even though it wasn’t true. He should have had that stair fixed when she’d asked him to. “He fell from the landing. It was horrifying.” Her eyes drifted to the ground as she tried to block the vile memory. “He’s dead.”
Jonathan flinched. “Dead? Someone died here last night?”