It was two o’clock in the afternoon when Luke poked his head inside the bedroom door and whispered, “Lia McReedy’s at the door.”
Addison half-opened one eye and looked at him. She’d seen his lips moving, but was unclear about what he’d just said. “What did you say?”
“Remember the medical examiner from several months back? She’s downstairs.”
“Yeah,” Addison said, propping herself into a sitting position. “I saw her last night.”
“You … ahh … didn’t mention it to me.”
She hadn’t mentioned it because he’d prevented her from doing so, choosing to go straight to bed when they arrived home hours before. She’d scooted beside him in bed, tapped him on the shoulder, asked if he was awake. No response. She told herself he was already asleep, even though she knew better.
“There are a lot of things we need to talk about,” Addison said. “I want you to know how sorry I am about everything. I never should have gone to Rosecliff Manor without telling you. If I could take it back, I would.”
Luke rubbed a hand across his jaw. He seemed disappointed. Angry even. “I’ve never once given you a reason to doubt me, Addison. Last night when I realized you weren’t next to me, realized you weren’t even in this house, I called your cell phone. Did you answer? No. I got your voicemail. How would you feel if you were trying to get in touch with the person you love, and … you know what? I can’t do this. I can’t talk about this right now.”
He turned.
“Luke, wait.”
It was too late. He’d already walked out, closing the bedroom door behind him.
Addison flung the covers to the side and hopped off the bed, picking a pair of sweat pants off the floor and pulling them over her bare legs. She twisted her hair into a ponytail, passing the bedroom mirror without glancing into it. She didn’t need to. She knew how hammered she looked.
When she descended the stairs, she saw Lia perched on the far end of the couch, hands interlaced over her lap.
“Did you see where Luke went?” Addison asked.
She pointed to the front door. “He walked out a few seconds ago. He seemed irritated. Is everything okay?”
Addison sat across from her. “I don’t know. I hope so.”
“Tom is my boyfriend,” Lia blurted.
“Yeah, I kind of figured when I saw your picture.”
“I don’t even know why I’m telling you. When his book came out, he took all the heat for everything he said about the Clark twins. Never once mentioned me, or my involvement.”
“He’s trying to protect you.”
“I guess so. I’ve never been in a decent relationship. I mean, I’ve dated a lot of guys, but they all turned out to be self-absorbed pricks. It’s hard to find a good guy these days, you know? Tom is almost too good to be true.”
She did know. Luke had loved her in a way no one ever had. In return, she’d pushed him away. “Tom seems like a great guy.”
“He is. I’m the screw-up.”
“Trust me. Right now, you couldn’t possibly be the screw-up I am.”
Lia smiled. “Thanks, but, I should have never put Tom in the position he’s in.”
Suggesting she’d put him in a position at all was an admission of something.
“What has people so enraged? Tom told me the older people in the community questioned his motives for saying what he did. It’s been several decades. Why do people care if another theory is put forward now?”
“Some see it as an attack on the police department. He pointed a finger, said they didn’t do their job. Pleasant Valley is a town, not a city. They band together. They don’t appreciate outsiders coming in and making accusations.”
Addison leaned back, crossed one leg over the other. “Are you going to tell me why you wanted Tom to say what he did in his book?”
Lia paused.
“Lia, you can trust me.”
“I … okay. My grandfather worked on the original investigation.”
“He was one of the investigating officers?”
She shook her head. “He was an ME, just like I am. When he looked over the twins’ bodies, he couldn’t find any evidence of foul play, but their deaths … they just seemed off somehow.”
“Did he try talking to anyone about it?”
“He talked to everyone. He pushed to keep the case open when the police wanted it closed. He went to the family, talked to everyone there that night. The fact he wouldn’t let it go pissed off a lot of people.”
“When you say people, are you referring to the Clarks?”
“He took a lot of heat from the cops working the investigation at the time. They were convinced my grandfather was trying to say they were incompetent, just like Tom is doing now. My grandfather wasn’t incompetent. He was just trying to pick up where they left off, see what he could find out on his own time.”
“Did he discover anything suspicious?” Addison asked.
“Most people he talked to were tight-lipped, too nervous to talk about it. My grandfather suspected it was because what happened was so tragic, everyone wanted to put it far from their minds.”
“I imagine your grandfather is retired. Why resurrect his suspicions now? Why is it so important to you?”
“A year after the case was closed, my grandfather continued to bring the twins up in conversation when he could. At that point, even the sheriff was sick of hearing it. My grandfather was fired. He went to work for another county, but Vivian and Grace were always in the back of his mind. Last year, he died. A few weeks before his death he admitted his one regret was never finding out what really happened to the Clark girls.” She glanced out the window. “Now you know my story. What’s yours? Why are you so interested in the Clark girls?”
Addison liked Lia. She had since the first time they met, when she’d followed her into the wooded area behind her house and was told to steer clear of the crime scene. She even imagined the two could be friends. But right now didn’t seem like the time to bond over stories of visions and spirits. “I read Tom’s book. It piqued my interest.”
“Piqued it enough to break into Rose’s house? Oh, come on. Tell me there’s more to it. There has to be.”
Addison despised lying, but having no other choice, she blurted the first thing that popped into her head. “I’m writing a book too.”
“You’re what?”
“When we first met, and Roxanne Rafferty’s body was discovered, it made me wonder how many other unusual or unsolved cases there are in New York. I did some research. Turns out, there are quite a few.”
“You didn’t mention your book to Tom when you spoke to him.”
“I didn’t want to offend him, or for him to feel like I’m using him for information.”
“That’s exactly what you’re doing, isn’t it?”
“I’m only trying to find more stories like Roxy’s and bring them to light.”
The sound of the clock on the mantle ticking seemed to go on forever while Addison waited, hoping Lia would believe what she’d just told her. When she couldn’t bear the silence any longer, she said, “I’d like to help you find the answers you’re looking for—prove your grandfather was right.”
“Why? So you can take all the credit in your story?”
“I won’t take any of the credit. I’ll give all the credit to him.”
“What makes you think you can get anywhere? All Tom managed to do was to make people angry.”
“He did more than you think. He got people talking, got them thinking about it again.”
“People like who?”
“Rose Clark. She’s always had her suspicions.”
“How do you know?”
“I talked to her.”
“Wait a minute. She’s the one who had the charges dropped, isn’t she?”
Addison smiled. “She is. We talked, and I’m hoping everything’s fine now.”
“You talked? I didn’t think Rose talked to anyone.”
“For over an hour.”
“Well? What did she say?”
“I’ll make you a deal. You tell me what you know, and I’ll tell you what I know.”
“And then?”
“Then I find our murderer.”