They inform Ned that Edmund's eyeglasses, which he always wore, are missing. Two of Ned's friends, assistant deputy prosecutor Peter Lowenstein, and police detective Oscar Grace, begin to suspect Ned is involved in Edmund's death. Matty later reveals to Ned that she forged the will, knowing it would be nullified. The new will was improperly prepared, making it null and void, resulting in Matty inheriting Edmund's entire fortune while disinheriting his surviving blood relatives.
Soon after, Edmund's lawyer contacts Ned about a new will that Racine supposedly drafted for Edmund and was witnessed by Mary Ann Simpson. Ned detonates the bomb to look like Edmund died during a botched arson job. Ned, aided by Matty, kills Edmund and moves the body to an abandoned building connected to Edmund's business interests. He consults a shady former client, Teddy Lewis, an expert on incendiary devices, who supplies Ned with a bomb, though he strongly encourages Ned to abandon whatever he is scheming. Ned suggests murdering Edmund so Matty can inherit his wealth. Soon after, Matty tells Ned she wants to divorce Edmund, but their prenuptial agreement would leave her with little money. The woman is Mary Ann Simpson, Matty's visiting high school friend. One night Ned arrives at the Walker mansion and playfully propositions a woman who he mistakenly thinks is Matty.
During a particularly intense Florida heatwave, inept lawyer Ned Racine begins an affair with Matty, wife of wealthy businessman, Edmund Walker.