Apparently Genevieve didn’t have arthritis at all, and Sophia’s rotator cuff was in perfect shape. Investigators uncovered a small local network of doctors and pharmacists, and Cavin was chief among them. Not only did he supply Sophia but he also wrote prescriptions for many of her friends, including Austin Colvin. Maryann might not have known Sophia, but Austin definitely did.
And after a while, to help pay for her own habit, Sophia started blackmailing Cavin. Quite a few of his “gambling losses” were actually payments to Sophia. He has been indicted, along with his cohorts. Sophia got no more nor less than what she deserved, and neither did he.
Which puts me in a unique position. Obviously my resources were what attracted Cavin to me in the first place. Eli was right about that, too, and I am chagrined to have glossed over the assertion without more thought. I won’t ever let down my guard like that again. Not like I didn’t know better.
Love?
It’s a myth.
As husbands go, I’m not sure doctors are worth the investment of time and energy. In the past, I’ve chosen to marry men who were capable of building my personal wealth, and if things had gone differently, I’m afraid Cavin would’ve ultimately proven himself net negative. Superlative bedside manner will never be a benchmark in the future. If I happen to yearn for a fling with a man in scrubs, there’s always Cory Heinlen, though I won’t be living in Tahoe much longer.
Cavin did make the mistake of putting his properties half in my name, and nothing in the prenup denies me ownership because he’s likely facing prison. We’ll have to sell the Glenbrook house to cover his legal expenses. I sure as hell won’t take care of them. He’ll never see another penny of mine, and he’ll probably never practice medicine again.
Carmel is on the table, though. My thought is to trade equities in the two properties. I don’t mind assuming the loan. While our attorneys squabble about the details, I plan to spend quite some time on the California coast, reorganizing my life.
Again.
Despite the insanity, Eli will graduate high school with honors and has been accepted into Sierra Nevada College. Until then, he has asked if he can stay with me in Carmel when he gets back from Australia. I mean, after we get back. I’m joining him there for an extended vacation. Considering his relative loyalty to me, I decided to ice his cake.
“Does this information surprise you, Mom?”
I’m sitting on the fresh sod blanketing a grave in the Glenn Rest Cemetery. It’s a luscious blue November morning, the autumn trees already skeletal, and that seems appropriate when conversing with a ghost.
I admit much of this story surprised me at first. I would never in a billion years have thought my sister capable of murder. I witnessed her unraveling but didn’t recognize the extent of the damage until I got hold of Pederson’s report. Once I discovered my name on the file, my suspicious mind started working overtime. I asked for a copy, which Pederson happily supplied. It wasn’t difficult to put two and two together.
You suspected Melody had murder in mind.
“I did.”
You could have saved Sophia.
“Probably. But why would I have wanted to? No. Better to help Mel accomplish her goal. I even chanced taking those bites of mango strudel, knowing the EpiPen and Glock were together there in that handbag.”
You set up your sister?
“Hey, what goes around comes around. Now it’s Melody who’ll face years behind bars or, at the very least, a padded cell in a high-security psych ward.”
And you plan on having sex with your husband’s son?
“Cavin’s my ex-husband, or he will be soon enough. And as a sort of tribute to Sophia, why not see what Eli’s made of? He’s eighteen, and as far as I can tell after much dissection of memory, he’s always told me the truth, or at least some version of it. Unlike his father.”
How does the boy feel about everything that’s happened?
“Sophia’s murder shook him up, of course. It was the first time an overt act of violence struck him so close to home. But while he most definitely was in lust with her, love didn’t play a role. It rarely does for sociopaths, and I ought to know.
“As for his father, Eli says he deserved to go down. A mantle of resentment roils inside the kid, hot and thick and sticky. Originally, he wanted to move in with Cavin and me to cause friction between us, but once he and I connected, he wanted to protect me. I got that straight from Eli, and I believe him.
“Well, it’s been interesting chatting with you, Mom. Odd to discover it was you I’ve been talking to in my head. It’s the most conversation we’ve ever shared. I suppose I should be going, though. Graham’s waiting in the rental car. I sprang for a Lexus. Nice ride.”
Wait.
“What?”
Was Melody Ann right about you and Graham?
“I would never have cheated on Cavin with Graham. Not my style.”
What about before you met Cavin?
“I think I’ll plead the Fifth.”
But you always claimed you were averse to sleeping with married men.
I enjoy a long draw of sage-scented air, exhale steam into the brisk autumn azure.
“True. But I never said I wasn’t a liar.”
acknowledgments
W OMEN MUST MANEUVER THIS world thoughtfully. Look pretty. Act sexy. Be a good mommy, a hell-raiser in bed. But don’t dare demand your place at the table. And should you be offered a seat, expect less money and an uninvited hand up your skirt, and be grateful you were invited at all. It is heartening to see women step up, push forward, gather momentum, and earn the respect they so deserve. And we must honor those who paved the way—women like my mother who survived neglect, abuse, poverty, and war, and emerged kind, creative, and full of heart. Thank you, Mama, for gifting me with words, faith, and abundant love. I miss you every day.
about the author
ELLEN HOPKINS is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of eleven young adult novels, as well as the adult novels Triangles, Collateral, and Love Lies Beneath. She lives with her family in Carson City, Nevada. Visit her at EllenHopkins.com and on Facebook, and follow her on Twitter @EllenHopkinsLit.
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Hopkins, Ellen, author.
Title: A sin such as this : a novel / Ellen Hopkins.
Description: First Atria Paperback edition. | N
ew York : Atria Paperback, 2018.
Identifiers: LCCN 2017045968 (print) | LCCN 2017052739 (ebook) | ISBN 9781476743707 (ebook) | ISBN 9781476743684 (softcover : acid-free paper)
Subjects: LCSH: Dysfunctional families—Fiction. | Married women—Fiction. | Rich people—Fiction. | BISAC: FICTION / Psychological. | FICTION / Contemporary Women. | FICTION / Suspense. | GSAFD: Romantic suspense fiction.
Classification: LCC PS3608.O647 (ebook) | LCC PS3608.O647 S56 2018 (print) | DDC 813/.6—dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2017045968
ISBN 978-1-4767-4369-1
ISBN 978-1-4767-4368-4 (pbk)
ISBN 978-1-4767-4370-7 (ebook)
A Sin Such as This Page 32
