Silence.
Then, “What?”
I started the engine. “I left twenty minutes ago.”
Her voice shot up. “You left me at the mall?”
“You told me to wait in the car while you finished ‘a few things,’ Vanessa. You disappeared for almost an hour. I’m not paying for your shopping.”
“You can’t be serious.”
I checked my mirrors and pulled out of the parking space. “I am. Call your husband. Or use your own card.”
Her breathing turned ragged with anger. “This is unbelievable. I’m standing here at checkout!”
“That sounds like your problem.”
I hung up before she could answer.
For the first ten miles, adrenaline made me shake. I kept expecting guilt to catch up with me, but instead came something I had not felt in years around Mark’s family: relief.
Then my phone rang again. Not Vanessa this time.
It was a number I didn’t recognize.
When I answered, a calm male voice said, “Ma’am, this is Officer Daniel Ruiz with New York State Police. We have your sister-in-law here at the outlet mall. She’s claiming her wallet was stolen, that you abandoned her after taking her purse, and that you may have left with merchandise that hasn’t been paid for.”
My grip tightened on the wheel.
