Wild Secret

day and age, but the ladies didn't seem to mind.
We stood at the back of the class, observing. Relaxing music filtered through the air.
After class, the students rolled up their mats, and a few ladies chatted briefly with Aaron before he made his way over to speak to us. He looked unnerved, as well he should be. He put on a good smile. "Gentlemen, to what do I owe the pleasure?"
“We’d like to talk to you about Vanessa Redman."
His throat tightened. "Who?"
"Cut the crap,” JD said. "You know who. You were a person of interest in her husband’s murder."
He swallowed hard and glanced around to see if anyone had heard the comment.
The students were filtering out the door, and nobody really paid attention.
“You changed your name and moved to a new town," I said. “Seems suspicious.”
"I needed a change of scenery and a fresh start. I didn't have anything to do with Ray Redman's death. You know how rumors start. There was a full investigation. I cooperated with law enforcement. No charges were ever brought."
"That doesn't mean you're innocent."
"What happened to innocent until proven guilty?"
"How long have you been having an affair with Ellie Atwood?" I asked.
“I’m not having an affair with Ellie.”
“Really?” I said, incredulous.
"Ellie and I are just friends. I'm trying to offer comfort in her time of need. That's all."
"It would be a lot better for you if you stopped lying."
"I'm not lying."
"You know, Vanessa Redman didn’t have anything good to say about you. It's my understanding that you ran off with close to a million dollars of her money.”
“I didn't run off with anything. Investments are risky. I fully disclosed the risks to her."
"Ellie is about to come into a sizable sum of money as well. Do you have any investment advice for her?"
The muscles in his jaw flexed. "Like I said, I'm just a friend offering comfort in a trying time."
“Does Ellie know about Vanessa?”
He scoffed. “No, but I’m sure you’ll tell her.”
"Do you own a gun?"
"No, I do not own a gun."
“It’s really hard to keep a secret between multiple people,” I said.
“I don’t follow.”
“You worked with an accomplice for both shootings. You conspired with Vanessa and maybe Ellie. How long before one of them flips?”
“No one is going to flip because there was no conspiracy. Your theory is ridiculous."
“I’ve known Ellie for a long time. I'll admit, the whole affair blindsided me. I didn't see it coming. Apparently, Chuck didn’t either.”
“There was nothing to see coming,” he protested.
“Ellie is going to crack under the pressure. And the pressure will increase. The only reason Vanessa didn't rat you out was because she didn’t want to get charged with conspiracy to commit murder."
Aaron’s cheeks reddened. "I've got nothing further to say to you."
I smiled. "We'll see you around."
JD and I left the yoga studio and stepped onto the sidewalk. The fresh morning air blew down the avenue.
"That bastard is guilty as sin,” JD said. “It’s written all over his face."
I looked through the large glass windows of the Yoga studio. Aaron’s nervous eyes flicked about as he made a phone call.
“I bet he’s calling Ellie right now, doing damage control.”
“I think we should check in on her,” JD said.

31
“Oh, hi guys,” Ellie said when she pulled open the door. “I wish you would have let me know you were stopping by. I'm just about to head out."
She frowned.
“This will only take a minute,” I said.
She noted my tone. “Is this a social visit or case related?"
"A little of both," I said.
"Have you found something?"
"We're closing in," I said.
"Fantastic. What can you tell me?"
I exchanged a glance with JD.
"You mind if we come inside?"
"Sure." She stepped aside and let us into the foyer. She closed the door and looked at her watch.
"I hope we won’t make you late," I said.
She shook her head. "No. Nothing is more important than this."
"About Aaron,” I said.
"I know things must have looked awkward the other night. Aaron is a dear friend. He's really been supportive and has been someone I could talk to lately."
"Aaron might not be who you think he is," I said.
Her face crinkled. "What do you mean?"
"Well, for starters, his last name isn’t Pennington. It's Patterson.” I told her the story of Vanessa Redman.
Her jaw dropped.
"Still want to tell me there's nothing going on between you two?" I asked. "Now is the time to come clean. Otherwise, you’re just digging yourself deeper."
She hesitated for a moment. Then exhaled a guilty breath. “Okay. Yes. I've been having an affair with Aaron for about six months now." She cringed. "I know you must think I'm a horrible person. The truth is that Chuck and I were having problems. He wanted one thing, and I wanted another."
"Clearly," JD muttered.
She shot him a look. "I don't know how to explain it. It just happened.”
"You just slipped and fell into Aaron’s lap," JD said dryly.
"I know you guys were close to Chuck. You must think I'm a monster. But I swear to you, I did not conspire to kill my husband. You really think Aaron had something to do with Ray Redman's death?"
We both nodded.
“And you think he was involved in Chuck's death?"
We both nodded again.
She sighed. "I don't know what to think."
“Has he talked to you about potential investments?"
"He mentioned that he thought I could make a lot of money in cryptocurrency. He said if I wanted, he could show me how to 10x my money."
JD and I shared a glance.
"I don't really understand the stuff.” She paused. “You're saying he ran off with a million dollars of that woman's money, right?"
"It appears that way."
I wasn’t sure if she was playing dumb or if she had been duped.
Her eyes welled, and tears spilled over. "So, Aaron never really cared about me?"
"Doubtful."
“I’m such a fool."
If she was acting, she put on a good show.
"I hope for your sake you’re not involved."
She shook her head, sobbing. "I wasn't. I would never do something like that to Chuck."
JD stifled an eye roll.
“We're gonna