Page 32 of Deadly Sins: Envy

“Does your wife know what you did?”

He shook his head. “My brother is the only one who knows becauseyoutold him.”

The expression on his face told me he thought I’d betrayed his sacred trust. I’d exposed him, revealed a side of him he didn’t want shown unless he showed it himself.

“Will you tell Linda now?” I asked.

“She’s too fragile. Why don’t we talk about something else? What happened today? What did you find out?”

I checked the time. Murphy was due to arrive in five minutes.

“I’ll go into the specifics when Detective Murphy gets here,” I said. “I can tell you a man we’re looking into appears to match the description of the guy Dean Watson said broke into his house.”

Dale reached for the coffee mug and took a sip. “Do you have a name?”

“Alex Marshall.”

Dale’s hands began shaking, and he struggled to set the coffee cup back onto the desk.

“Are you all right?” I asked.

He cleared his throat. “I ... no.”

“What is it? What’s wrong?”

“I know him.”

“Alex Marshall?”

He nodded. “His full name is Alexander Marshall. His mother used to be our housekeeper.”

CHAPTER 15

“Explain,” I said.

“Alex’s mother, Rita, started working for us when Willow was seven years old,” Dale said. “Alex was eleven at the time. He used to come here after school on the days she worked, and he’d play with Willow until she finished for the day.”

“What was Alex and Willow’s relationship like?”

“Willow adored Alex. She always said he was like the brother she’d always wished for but never had.”

“And how didyoufeel about him?”

“They were close—too closefor my liking.”

“Meaning?”

“The age difference between them bothered me, among other things. He was on the cusp of puberty, and she was still a little girl. I sat Rita down one day and told her I thought it was best if we adjusted her hours so she could finish work before Willow and Alex arrived home from school. That way, there was no reason for Alex to be at the house anymore. As an incentive, I offered her an increase in pay, which she was wise to accept.”

“Did Rita understand why you wanted to change her schedule?”

He nodded. “I was straightforward with my concerns.”

“How did she respond?”

He glanced to the side, giving my question some thought. “She said she understood.”

“And?” I asked.