She usually did.

“Oh. Hello, Alex. I thought that was your truck out front.” She glanced behind him at the empty space. “Where’s Samuel?”

Alex twisted his lips and took both bags of groceries from her arms. “He’s pretty upset about Rosa and Hero. He went to his room.”

Kathy’s sweet face fell. “It’s so awful. He’s doing much better, but he seems so sad and angry all the time. He keeps picking arguments with the residents and my new assistant. I’ve brought in extra therapists this week to help everyone deal with it, but Samuel’s been tougher to handle since he’s the one who found the body.”

Alex’s stomach dropped. “The body?”

Kathy gave a confused look over her shoulder as she led him into the kitchen. “Rosa’s. Isn’t that what you were talking about?”

“I thought she moved out. Are you saying she’s dead and Samuel found her? Why wasn’t I told?” He dropped the bags on the counter as his voice rose.

“I told your wife on Tuesday. I had a long talk with her just after it happened. I assumed she’d told you.” Kathy paused, tilting her head at him. “I did wonder why you didn’t come out right away. Samuel could have used the support.”

He squeezed his eyes shut as his stomach churned.

Monica.

Why? Why would she not tell him? Did she think Samuel would forget by the following day? Or did she not want Alex running to the rescue and instead stay home with her?

Bile rose in his throat.

“Jesus Christ. He was the one to find the body? What happened to the woman?” Alex ran a hand through his hair.

“Samuel saw Rosa in the pool next door. Spotted her through the fence. I don’t know how she got over there. Our gate is locked, and the neighbors have always been so good about keeping their gate locked too. We’ve talked about it many times. And both gates were still locked when your brother spotted the body.”

“In the pool? He saw her in the pool?” Alex whispered as he stared at a scratch on the countertop. Icy chills were swirling around his spine. “Where was the dog?”

Kathy’s face fell. “It’s so sad. Hero was in the pool too. We don’t know if Rosa went in the pool to rescue him or if little Hero jumped in after Rosa. Either way it’s too sad to think about.”

“Who threw the dog in the pool?”

“What?” Confusion covered Kathy’s face, and she halted in the act of lifting cans of soup out of the sack.

“Samuel said the new guy threw Hero in the pool. Said he didn’t like dogs.”

“I never heard about Hero being deliberately thrown in the pool before. When was this?” She set down the cans, her tone bewildered.

Alex shrugged, meeting her eyes. Time was relative to Samuel. “Who didn’t like Hero?”

“Everybody liked Hero. He was the cutest little thing. I don’t usually allow dogs, but Hero barely qualified as a dog. Rosa carried him everywhere like a doll.”

“Who’s the new guy Samuel was talking about?”

“I don’t have any new residents…”

“You said you had a new assistant.”

“Oh, yes. Darrin. He’s been just wonderful. I don’t know how I got along without him. And he loved Rosa’s dog. He was always offering to hold Hero.”

Four days later Alex’s brother was dead.

Alex had sat silently in the pew after his brother’s funeral. It had been a small service. Kathy Maxwell had arranged for everyone from the group home to come, and most of the agents Alex worked with had shown up. But they’d come alone for the most part. A few brought their wives. No one from Monica’s side of the family came. He wondered if she’d even told her parents that her husband’s brother had died.

Alex’s family was simply him and his brother. Their parents were dead. No uncles, no aunts. It’d been just the two of them for a long time. Maybe that was why he’d tried so hard to take care of Samuel. He was his only real family. Now Alex was alone.

Except for Monica.

He’d been furious after discovering she’d not told him about Samuel finding Rosa’s body. It’d developed into one of their hottest fights. She’d claimed she’d forgotten.

“How on earth could you have forgotten to tell me something like that? Who can forget a death? Especially one that Samuel discovered? He must have been going crazy unable to see me.”

The tendons in Alex’s neck felt like they were about to snap.

“I forgot! I tried to call you on your cell and couldn’t get through. And then I had to get ready for dinner! I just forgot!” Her spine stiffened, but he’d seen the fear in her eyes. She’d known she’d messed up.

He’d balled up his suit jacket and thrown it across the bedroom, wanting to throw something harder, heavier. “It just shows where your priorities lie.”

“Samuel is your priority, not mine!” she’d shouted, tears welling in her eyes. “He’s all you think about.”

“If you really loved me, he’d be your priority too.” His gaze had been fierce. He was giving her one last chance. It was an unfair chance, he knew that. He also knew exactly how she’d answer. Maybe it was his way of admitting he couldn’t fight for their marriage anymore.

She’d pressed her lips closed and stared helplessly at him. Then she’d spun into the bathroom and slammed the door.