Deceptive Practices Read online

  Proctor put a fist to his mouth. His breathing turned ragged. Tears welled up, and he turned away from her.

  Olivia realized this man was barely holding it together. She understood that feeling all too well, but it must have been even worse for him. He’d gone much further than she had, and he’d done it alone. At least she’d had Andrew to support her.

  It was a good minute before he turned back to her. “I never thought it would be over. Not like this. Not getting my life back.”

  “Well, it is.”

  “Did you kill Roy?”

  “No.”

  “Who are you?”

  It was time to be cruel. “I’m the wife of the man you killed.”

  Whatever fragile shell that had been keeping Proctor together fractured. He came apart in front of her, shrinking away from her and collapsing to his knees before bursting into tears.

  Proctor grabbed her hand and yanked it to him, jerking her forward. “Forgive me.”

  Forgiveness. She wasn’t sure she had that in her to give. He’d been used by Roy like all of Infidelity Limited’s victims. In some ways, he was nothing more than a weapon. But like her, he had a choice. She’d given in to her anger at Richard, and that had gotten him killed. She would have to live with that mistake for the rest of her life. But she’d also chosen to resist Infidelity Limited. When Roy had ordered her to kill, she’d fought to bring him down. Proctor hadn’t. She didn’t know if she could forgive him for that, but she wasn’t going to turn him in to Finz either. He’d been punished enough and would continue to be punished. He’d have to live with Richard’s death on his conscience.

  “Forgive me,” he repeated.

  The words wouldn’t come. Richard was dead because of him. Because of Roy. Because of her.

  He looked up at her. “I need to hear you say it.”

  “I forgive you,” she said, her words barely audible.

  “Thank you. Thank you.” The rest of what he said was lost to more sobbing.

  Her own tears ran then. The bond between them was unique—both guilty and innocent at the same time. True justice would never be seen for their loved ones, but in an Infidelity Limited universe, this was as close as it got. She pulled her hand free of his, then shrugged the backpack off her shoulders and held it out to him.

  “What’s this?”

  “Everything Roy had on you.”

  Still on his knees, he took the backpack from her. He unzipped it, then peered in and ran a thumb over the exposed papers. “Have you read it?”

  “Only briefly. Just to make sure it was yours.”

  “Does it say who killed my wife?”

  “Yes.”

  Proctor zipped the backpack shut. Olivia guessed he didn’t need to know the identity of his wife’s killer.

  “I suggest you destroy that.”

  Proctor nodded as he got to his feet.

  “What do we do now?” he asked.

  “Try and live our lives,” she said.

  Olivia left Proctor standing there with the backpack and tried to imagine how she was going to do that.

  Andrew was waiting for her at his lookout point. She stopped the car and walked over to him. He pulled her into a tight embrace, and she reached up and kissed him. After standing there in each other’s arms for a few minutes, they got into the car.

  “You’re finally free,” he said.

  That wasn’t entirely true, not while Finz continued to beaver away at the case, but she was as free as she could be under the circumstances, and that was okay with her. She’d take it. That was the price of freedom in a post–Infidelity Limited world.

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  In many of my books, the supporting characters are named after some of my readers who have volunteered their identities. This book is a little different. At the request of a reader, several of the supporting characters are named after deceased friends and family members. I’d like to thank Mike Finz (nominated by Janet Finz), Robert Bertholf (nominated by Julie Wood), Mark Renko (nominated by Carole Javaux), Leo Steele (nominated by Rhonda Holley Ray), Isaac Rivera (nominated by Meagan Beaumont), Henry Freitas (nominated by Annette Mahon), Rick Casey (nominated by Colleen Casey), Nicholas Bonanni (nominated by Nikki Bonanni), Allen Yager (nominated by Elise Dee Beraru), and Lou Carrington (nominated by Kari Wainwright). I’d also like to thank Madeleine Lyon, Maxine Groves, Amy K. Marbach, Cassie Hill, and Heather Brown Moore for donating their names.

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  A former race-car driver, licensed pilot, endurance cyclist, and private investigator, Simon Wood is the author of more than a dozen novels, including The One That Got Away, Accidents Waiting to Happen, and Paying the Piper. He has also penned more than 150 short stories. Wood has won the Anthony Award for his mystery fiction and was nominated for a CWA Dagger Award. A native of the United Kingdom, he lives with his wife, Julie, in California. Learn more at www.simonwood.net.