“Date night?” I didn’t like the snark in my voice, but there it was anyway.
“Look, we’re trying. He’s agreed to stop sleeping around and I told him about Kent. I think he just needed to know I’d play the game, too, if he didn’t stop.” Evelyn let the dog’s leash extend as she continued. “Kent was my financial advisor. I have a little money my grandmother left me, so he was helping me invest. I don’t know much about the stock market, so he was teaching me what to buy and what to stay away from.”
“And one night it went too far?” I guessed.
A strained smile crossed her face. “One night we were celebrating the stock split of an investment. We bought wine for dinner. Thomas was out of town, and, well, you know the rest.”
“I need to ask: Would your husband kill Kent because of your relationship?” I studied the woman and knew she’d had the same thought.
We were at the end of a cul de sac and turned back toward the house before she spoke. “I don’t think so. Honestly, I don’t think he cares that much what I do.”
I said my good-byes and wished Evelyn Baker well. Watching her walk up the steps toward her beautiful home, I hoped she could find some peace within the stone walls. Having worked family law, I knew women sometimes stayed in relationships longer than they should for all the wrong reasons—including big houses.
I climbed into the car and got a wet doggy kiss from Emma. Amy put her phone into her purse, watching me expectantly. When I didn’t answer before I started the Jeep and pulled a U-turn toward the highway, she prompted, “Well?”
“I don’t think she killed Kent.” I hit the speed-dial for the shop and Toby answered.
“Coffee, Books, and More, what can I prepare for you today?” His low voice filled the cab of the Jeep and Emma let out a short, friendly bark. “Oh, hey, Emma. Who’s a good girl?”
Emma wiggled in her seat and smiled in her doggy way. I took my eyes off the rearview mirror and my happy pet and focused back on the road. “Oh, she is. I guess you have this effect on all types of females, huh?”
“Now, boss, don’t go dogging on my special talent. It brings in the business.” Toby laughed and I heard him welcome a customer into the store. “I take it you’re fine and on your way home?”
“Definitely. Just wanted to check in. See you on Tuesday.” I clicked off the phone and snuck a glance at Amy.
“You told Toby, not Greg?”
“You said someone needed to know where we were going. There was no reason to get Greg all upset before we knew something.” I sped up and merged into the highway traffic.
“And now?” Amy prodded.
I sighed and turned up the music. One of my favorite dance tunes from the eighties was talking about the abundance of men. I hoped it was true since my boyfriend just might dump me after this stunt. “Now I have something to tell him.”
I dropped Amy off at her apartment, waving at Dustin Austin as he sat in the sun, dressed in a Hawaiian shirt and khaki shorts, looking more like a tourist than a local business owner. The only thing that identified him as a professional was the laptop he had powered up on the table. As I watched, he turned the screen down as Amy walked by. Typical, he was probably surfing porn.
When I got home, I let Emma out the back, filled a Crock-Pot with a couple of frozen chicken breasts and a jar of salsa, and sat on the back porch with my phone in my hand. I took a sip of the iced tea I’d poured and speed-dialed Greg’s cell.
“Hey, you.” His voice came over the line warm and deep, and for a second, I regretted I’d ever made the trip into town. But you can’t change the past.
“Hey, yourself. Can you stop by the house for a few minutes? We need to talk.” My heartbeat raised as I waited for his answer.
“You ditching me for a younger man? Maybe someone who has bankers’ hours and weekends off?” He chuckled.
“Not funny. I just need to tell you something.” I threw the ball Emma had dropped on my feet out to the yard.
“I’ll be over in a couple of minutes. I need to take a break or I’ll blind myself on all this paperwork anyway.” He paused. “You aren’t in trouble, are you?”
“No. Just come over.” I felt the distance between us growing as the call extended. No way was he going to just take the information I had and run with it. It was time to pay the piper and ’fess up that I’d been playing amateur detective again. “Please.”
“Give me five minutes.” Then he hung up. No “love you,” no “see you soon,” only a dial tone. Yep, I was in for a lecture. Or worse.
I was still outside when his truck pulled into the driveway. When I heard the knock, I called out, “On the porch.”