I made the introductions, then explained, “Helen had a little fainting spell a while ago.”
“Oh, you poor thing.” Mom sat down next to Helen and patted her back. “Can we get you some water?”
“No, I’ll be fine,” Helen said weakly. “It was just such a shock.”
“Of course it was,” Mom said sympathetically, although she had no idea what had happened. Or did she? Maybe Romlar X had told her.
“A friend was killed last night,” I explained, realizing they would all find out sooner or later anyway.
Mom glared right into my third eye. “I knew it.”
Trying to avoid her perceptive gaze, I continued. “Kyle was a good friend of mine and Helen’s. There was a memorial service a few minutes ago. It was difficult. Helen fainted.”
“Kyle?” Robin said. “Weren’t the two of you-”
I cut her off with a warning glance. “We found his body last night.”
Helen let out a tiny cry and Mom pulled her into her arms. “Of course you’re in pain,” she said, rocking her gently. “You lost a good friend.”
Tears sprang to my eyes and I was abruptly glad Mom was here. If anyone could deal with Helen’s grief, it was my mother. She was the queen of empathy. I wouldn’t be surprised to return home in a week and find that Helen had moved in. That was how good Mom was at this shoulder-to-cry-on thing.
“I’ll never believe it,” Helen whispered.
“What’s that, sweetie?” Mom asked Helen. But she was looking at me for the answer. Everyone turned to me.
I gave Robin another look of warning, then said, “Kyle and Helen were in love.”
“Oh,” Mom cried, wrapping Helen in another hug. “How awful for you.”
“But it turns out that Kyle was already married,” I continued. “His wife showed up at the memorial service.”
“That could get sticky,” Dad said.
Derek nodded in agreement but said nothing.
“It could all be a sham,” I said lamely. “Minka LaBoeuf was the one who announced the news. It wouldn’t surprise me if she was lying.”
“Minka?” Mom said. “Your chubby friend who made up those stories about you?”
“She is so not my friend,” I insisted. I didn’t correct the chubby part, so sue me. “But yes, she’s the one.”
Helen peeked up at me. “You have a real problem with her, don’t you?”
I gritted my teeth. “She’s a total psychopath.”
Helen nodded. “I always thought she was sort of odd.”
“Yes, that’s a good way to put it,” Mom said.
“You’re both being way too kind,” I said, rubbing my temple where Minka had managed to whack me upside the head, the chubby bitch.
I had to wonder why Minka would go to the trouble of making all this stuff up about Kyle and Serena if it wasn’t true. What did she have to gain, either way? And why would that meek woman, Serena, play along with her? Was she an actress? Minka was more than capable of deception, but the other woman had appeared genuinely distraught. I could only conclude that she really was Kyle’s wife. I still didn’t want to believe it, mainly because she didn’t look like she was a whole lot of fun. Kyle would’ve needed someone full of life and fun like him.
Wouldn’t he?
Oh, how would I know? I didn’t know him anymore.
And that hurt. I no longer had the right to judge what Kyle needed in a relationship. Obviously, he hadn’t needed me. If he had, he never would’ve cheated on me.
But had Kyle needed Helen? Had they planned to marry? Maybe Kyle had been trying to get a divorce from this Serena person. Helen seemed so sure of him and their shared love. But if he was married, how had she gotten that impression? She’d been genuinely shocked to hear he had a wife. Now wasn’t the time or place to ask Helen just how certain she was about Kyle’s feelings, but I’d find a time later to pursue the question.
Derek glanced at his watch, and I realized I’d been staring into space ever since Minka’s name was mentioned.
I shook myself out of my thoughts and turned to Robin. “What are your plans? I have to give a presentation in two hours and I need a little prep time. But I’ll be free around four.”
I explained that I was giving a seminar on book fraud and two bookbinding classes at the book fair this week.
“Can we sit in on your workshop this afternoon?” Mom asked.
I laughed. “You didn’t travel over six thousand miles to sit in a stuffy conference room with me, did you?”
“Of course we did,” she said with a grin.
“Suit yourself, but the subject matter’s pretty dry.”
“You’ll make it sing,” she predicted.