A Share in Death

“Come on. Let’s go sit down.” He placed a hand between her shoulders and guided her into the sitting room, wondering all the while how he could ease into what he wanted to say. Sitting down didn’t seem to calm Hannah—she sat hunched on the sofa’s edge and her hands trembled as she lifted her cup.

“Cold?” Kincaid asked.

“Me or the coffee?” 130 deborah crombie

“Weak. Your humor, not the coffee.” Kincaid smiled and she seemed to relax a bit. “Hannah,” he said slowly, “has Patrick Rennie ever said anything to you about Cassie Whitlake?”

 

“No,” she answered, puzzled, her eyes meeting his directly for the first time, “why should he? I mean,” her response grew more forceful, “why should he speak to me about Cassie, and why should he know anything to speak of? You don’t think that Cassie … had anything to do with …”

“I think that Patrick might know quite a bit about what Cassie has or hasn’t had anything to do with—might know, in fact, far more about Cassie Whitlake than he’d like anyone to guess, especially his wife.”

“Patrick … and Cassie?” The patches of rouge on Hannah’s cheekbones flared scarlet against the sudden chalkiness of her skin.

“Oh, I think so.” Kincaid spoke conversationally, sipping his coffee. “You see, Cassie’s been having an affair with Graham Frazer for some time, but I gather there’s been a change recently. A new lover, someone with real prospects, a rising star. And Cassie has become desperately anxious that no one find out she’s still seeing Graham.”

He paused, gauging Hannah’s reaction. She sat very still, the coffee cup sagging, forgotten, in her fingers. “In fact, 1 wouldn’t be surprised if she’s tried to end it with Graham, and he’s being stubborn about it. He strikes me as the stubborn type.

“Now,” Kincaid continued, “give the situation a halfdegree twist and look at it again. Cassie doesn’t want Patrick to find out about Graham, right? End of romance, end of prospects, real or imagined. But what about Patrick? What would it mean to Patrick if anyone, especially his wife, found out about Cassie? Marital squabble? Messy divorce? Scandal in the gutter press?”

He tilted his head questioningly, as if Hannah had expressed some skepticism. “Oldfashioned, you think? Not scandal enough to ruin a budding political career? Maybe not. But consider this—Marta Rennie’s parents are very politically active in the constituency where Patrick is

 

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