The Second Wife by Brenda Chapman

off. He could have blown the whole deal.”
    â€œI’m guessing you have all this documented?”
    I reached in my bag and handed him the file I’d been gathering.
    He looked down, then back at me. “I can see I have some work to do.”
    â€œLike find out where Marjory and her husband are living.”
    â€œThat’s top of my list. If all this checks out, Brian owes you big-time.”
    â€œAll in the line of duty,” I said.
    I reached the front door and turned. Cal was already talking into his cell phone and slipping one arm into the sleeve of his jacket. His eyes met mine. I could tell he believed me. He had the look of a bloodhound tracking a new scent.
    I smiled and let myself out.

CHAPTER SIXTEEN
    B y late Friday morning, Jason was sitting in the Duluth jail. It didn’t take him long to spill his guts. He’d helped his mother kill Alice Coates. He and his mom had moved to Duluth to get a fresh start after some money went missing at her previous job. Marjory came up with the plan to clean up on her insurance only after a chance meeting with Alice at the mall. She remembered how people used to confuse the two of them in high school. It took her a while to work out the details. She used the time to reel in Brian. He was to be her backup plan.
    Jason gave Cal his father’s address in a little town in Wisconsin. His father was living a few towns over from where Marjory and Alice grew up. Cal called the Wisconsin state police. They picked up Jason’s dad before lunch. They also arrested a woman who turned out to be the very much alive and kicking Marjory.
    I sat at my desk. The excitement of the chase was over. I felt as deflated as a balloon after a nail had been poked into it. The past week had made me realize how empty my life had become since Brian left. I had a boring desk job and nobody waiting at home. My life sucked.
    Jan Hill from hr stopped by for a chat. “Have you heard the big news?” she asked. “Cal broke the Marjory White case wide-open. He figured out that she faked her own death and pinned it on your ex, Brian. Her son Jason killed a woman who looked like Marjory. Marjory and her son even managed to switch dental records. They would have gotten away with it if Cal hadn’t kept digging. He’s like…a hero.”
    My mouth fell open. I could feel anger shoot up from my stomach. I couldn’t breathe. For a few moments I thought that I was having a heart attack. I made myself inhale deeply and pushed the anger back down. There was no use fighting. Of course Cal claimed the victory for himself. He couldn’t let himself be outsmarted by a desk officer. “Cal’s a cracker all right,” I said.
    I was a loser and it was time I accepted it.
    The rest of the day dragged. I couldn’t concentrate on my work. All I wanted to do was go home and sit in front of the tv with the remote and a bottle of wine.
    Midafternoon, the inbox on my computer dinged. An email message had arrived from the chief. I clicked it open and skimmed the words. He wanted everyone to meet in the boardroom at three o’clock. I sighed and deleted the message. O’Malley was always sending emails to the wrong people. He should leave computer tasks to his assistant.
    At ten after three, I received a phone call. It was the chief ’s assistant. She told me that I was late for the meeting and they were waiting for me. Everyone on staff was expected. Even little old me.
    I hurried to the room with a pen and notepad. I tried to slip in without being noticed. The only empty seat was between Cal and Chief O’Malley. Neither of them looked at me when I sat down.
    O’Malley stood up to speak. He was a short bald man but tough as they come. He’d been chief for the past ten years. “I am letting you know today that I’ve promoted Cal Rodgers to assistant chief,” he said. “Cal has done outstanding work on many files. The Marjory