"Blanchard, Al - What Now My Love" - читать интересную книгу автора (Blanchard Al)

Her eyes narrowed and a flash of anger crossed her face. "Happy? With Clayton dead? I loved my husband. He was a wonderful man."

"Save your acting for someone else," William said.

She took a drag on her cigarette, her gaze boring through him. "William, I've never known you to be cruel. What's wrong with you?"

He leaned close to her ear. "You do remember the walk in the woods we took after last summerТs dinner party? You said what you needed was a real lover to come in and save you. The kiss. The way you held me."

"Oh, for God's sake. I was drunk. Sure, sometimes Clayton and I had problems, but so do most married couples. You couldnТt have possibly taken me seriously."

"Of course I did. Your message was very clear."

Carrie's cheeks flushed. "That's the way I am, William. I flirt. That doesn't mean I didn't love my husband."

O' Rourke grabbed Carrie's arm. "You wanted to be with me. I could tell. You told me he left his keys in the bedroom bureau. Why would you do that if you didnТt want me to figure out a way to kill him?"

Carrie tried to jerk away, but William held her firmly.

"You're hurting me."

"I did it for us, Carrie." He leaned close to her ear and lowered his voice. "I knew the only way we could be together was if I killed Clayton."

"Adriana warned me about you." The words came out like a hiss.

"What did she say?"

"That you were falling in love with me. That you are like a child who will say anything to impress people and I shouldn't believe most of what you say. But making up this story is beyond anything I could have imagined."

"Made up?" OТRourke said. "I planned his death for six months."

Carrie's mouth opened, but nothing came out.

OТ Rourke jabbed a finger at her. "Once the idea got hold of me I couldnТt get rid of it. At one of your parties I went into the bedroom and took clay impressions of Clayton's keys. Friday night at dinner I faked being sick and when Adriana offered to drive me home I said I needed fresh air and would walk. I used ClaytonТs keys to slip into the basement. On Saturday when you went to the Hamptons and Clayton was at the office I did my preliminary work. So you see, when Clayton came into his library on Sunday I was already there, hiding behind the curtains. I staged the whole scene so the police would think it an accident."

"Stop this, now," Carrie said. "I donТt believe you for an instant. The police had to break the door down to get in and the surveillance cameras would have picked you up leaving the property."

"DonТt underestimate me, my love. The door was a simple job, really. The old oak door had rusting hinges. On Saturday I loosened them and once I killed Clayton it was a simple job to remove them, open the door, then replace the hinges so the door would remain locked from the inside. You didn't see me at the funeral because I was still in the basement waiting for the grieving crowds to show up so I could mingle and pretend I'd just arrived."

"YouТd been in the basement for four days?" OТRourke nodded. "ItТs very well stocked. IТd have stayed months longer for you, Carrie."

Carrie flicked her cigarette into the sink. "I've had enough. Get out of my sight. You sicken me."

OТRourke felt his mind tumble. This wasnТt how things had come out in his head. "Cut the act, Carrie. You wanted Clayton dead as much as I did. Whether you believe it or not, we're meant to be together, my love."

" I took my marriage vows seriously, William. I cherished my husband. YouТre a demented man."

WilliamТs eye twitched. The air in the kitchen suffocated him like warm wool.

"Please, leave," Carrie said.