The room went completely still.
Andrew looked at her.
“Help who?”
Mary looked from Andrew to Harry.
Her lawyer had probably told her to say nothing.
But Mary had always believed she could explain anything.
“I thought it would be temporary,” she said. “Betty said she could keep him safe until things settled. We had bills. We were drowning. You were falling apart. The insurance money gave us time.”
Harry stared at her.
Andrew reached into his pocket and pressed record on his phone.
Mary kept talking.
“I thought if you believed he was really gone, you could move on. Heal. Start over. Then too much time passed, and we couldn’t just bring him back. How would we explain it?”
Andrew’s voice was quiet.
“You were never going to bring him back.”
Mary’s face crumpled.
“I didn’t know how anymore.”
Harry whispered, “You left me there.”
Mary covered her mouth.
“I loved you.”
Harry shook his head.
“You locked me in the dark.”
Andrew called Officer Dennison.
“My wife just confessed,” he said. “I have it recorded. Please come now.”
Mary’s face twisted.
“You recorded this?”
“Wisconsin is one-party consent,” Andrew said. “I didn’t need your permission.”
“You manipulative bastard.”
Andrew moved Harry behind him.
“Careful,” he said. “Your lawyer told you to stay quiet.”
The police arrived within ten minutes.
