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“I just don’t understand why she reacted that way,” I said as Jody scanned my books.
“Don’t you?” Jody asked. “You went on a date, and you’re wondering why Cord, who is not only your best friend but an ex, is acting weird?”
“It hasn’t been like that between us in a lot of years. I’ve dated other times, and she’s never gotten jealous.”
Jody shrugged. “I’m not the type to get jealous, so I don’t understand the reaction. All I know is I’ve had people insist they wouldn’t get jealous only to turn around and say I shouldn’t be talking to that person or going to lunch with a new friend. Maybe you should talk to her.”
Sure. I would have done that if Cord stuck around the previous night. “Thanks,” I told Jody. “For letting me know these books were in. I’ve been excited to start them. Also for listening.”
“That’s never a problem,” ze told me.
I grabbed my books and headed toward the doors, waving to Jody before letting the door swing closed. I was almost to my truck when I saw a familiar figure on the sidewalk. “Nun on a bun,” I swore. I unlocked my truck, tossed the books inside, whispering an apology to them for treating them like that, then slammed the door.
I wouldn’t get another chance like this. I had to take it. “Hey, Whitney,” I called as I jogged across the street.
She turned her head and after a moment smiled. “What do you want? I have things to see to.”
On a Saturday morning? How busy could she be? She didn’t look as if she’d dressed for errands. More like she was headed somewhere fancy. Her lips were still curved up, so maybe I’d imagined the irritated tone to her voice.
“Where are you going?” I asked. “I was just at the library, but I plan to spend the rest of the day at home. I don’t know about you, but I’d rather spend my days off not running around like I’ve lost my head.”
“You’re right,” Whitney said sharply. She still seemed to be smiling. The disconnect had me off balance.
“I am?” About what, exactly? I’d rambled a bit there.
“Yes. Now, if that is all, I have somewhere to be.”
“Did you hear about Mayra?” I asked before she could walk away.
Her steps faltered, then she turned toward me. “Did I hear what? That she has made everything about herself once again?”
“By dying? I hardly see how that is her fault.”
Whitney made a dramatic show of rolling her eyes. “She had it all, including the most eligible bachelor among our set. Then she thought she needed to write a book detailing everybody else’s flaws, as if she didn’t have her own. Apparently, that wasn’t bringing her enough attention.”
I struggled to process everything she’d said, still stuck on ‘our set’. Hadn’t that attitude disappeared at the turn of the century? The twentieth century, not the twenty-first. “You were upset about her writing this book.” Was that the same book we’d already talked about?
“I don’t know why you think it had anything to do with me. I didn’t have secrets for her to expose. You’re not pinning this on me. Like you did to Josiah.”
“I did nothing to him,” I said. “He’s the one who tried to kill me.” Twice.
Her face softened, but her eyes stayed hard. “Right,” she said. “Of course you didn’t. I shouldn’t have said that. I’m sure the cops will make an arrest any day now. If she didn’t do this to herself.”
“Who?” I didn’t like her expression. Was it pitying or smug? I wasn’t sure I’d appreciate either option.
“I’d be looking at the men she’s always used to make herself feel better. If anybody killed her, it was likely one of them. I told the cops to dig deeper into her fiancé. He’s not as squeaky clean as he’d like people to think.”
“Not Deke then.” Relief rushed through me.
“Him? Is it possible to talk somebody to death?”
“What about the fiancé? Where is he staying? What was he doing when she died?”
She flipped her hand between us. “How should I know? If I can’t help you with anything else, I need to be going.”
I didn’t think I was any closer to exonerating Deke than I’d been before all that. I needed to talk to Duncan Morrau.
I stood outside the house, staring at the crime scene tape over the front door. I shouldn’t have even stopped. I still had to get to the park to meet Ross and Eli. It’s not like I could go inside. I just wish I knew something or had a clue what to do next.
I’d gotten cocky after solving Brenten’s murder. He’d lived here. So had all the suspects. Mayra had only been visiting. I wasn’t sure about Whitney. I hadn’t seen her before the reunion. If she lived in town, I thought I would have. Though as small as Coalville was, I still didn’t know everyone. If she knew Josiah, she might have lived close to him. We didn’t frequent the same places, and I rarely had jobs there. Which was how I’d learned most of the information last time. I wasn’t sure where to start.
How would I be able to talk to Mayra’s fiancé if I couldn’t track him down? If he didn’t live here, I couldn’t use the excuse of work to ask those questions.
“Can I help you?”
I faced the owner of the deep voice who had questioned me. He appeared to be in his mid-thirties, a year or two older than me. He had a solid build, dark hair swept across his forehead, not quite falling into his green eyes. Cord had shown his picture to me the other day. I guess I wouldn’t have to track him down.
“Duncan Morrau?”
His face hardened, his eyes shuttering. “Who are you, and why do you want to know?”
“Lou Carsley. I own Jax of All Trade. I was here—”
“We don’t need your assistance. I don’t need it. The agreement we signed with the rental company said they’d handle any damages when we left. I’m not leaving until the police release this house and find out what happened to my fiancée.”
“You were staying here with her?” I asked him, trying to sound casual.
Not casual enough. “Why do you want to know? I just said we... I don’t need your services.”
“I was here when her body was found.”
His eyes sharpened. “You? What were you doing here?”
“A friend called after he found her. I’m the one who called the police.”
“So, your friend’s the one who killed her, and you’re protecting them.”
Where had he gotten that? “Deke would never do that. I’m interested in finding who did.” So much for casually looking into things.
“Deke,” Duncan snarled out his name. “That two-timing bastard is involved? I’d believe that over Claudia or even Damon.”
“Who are they?” Those names hadn’t come up for us yet.
“What does it matter? They didn’t kill her. Your friend did.”
“It matters,” I said. “Who are they?”
“Just people Mayra knew. Damon Kohner and Claudia Hansen. They didn’t hurt her. They wouldn’t. I wouldn’t put so much faith in that—”
“Have you ever met him?” I demanded. It hadn’t been at the reunion. I was sure I would have remembered him if he’d been there. “Do you know what he’s like?”
“I don’t need to meet him. He cheated on Mayra when all she ever did was want a future with him. He used girl after girl to make her jealous, and he rubbed it in her face.”
I wasn’t sure what to say for a moment. “You’re not serious, are you?”
“She was the kindest, sweetest person, and he took advantage.”
“We must be talking about different people. Did your fiancée tell you she lost it when she saw him kissing someone else after they’d broken up?”
“They weren’t—”
“Did you even know her then? I’m guessing not. Do you know the reason she freaked out wasn’t because he kissed anyone else? It was because he kissed a guy.”
All the color drained out of his face, then he shook his head vigorously. “You’re wrong.” I almost thought spit landed on my cheek. “She would have wished him well. She was the most accepting—”
“Now, I know we’re discussing different people. Deke does not cheat. He’s aromantic, not an asshole.” Not that the two were mutually exclusive. In this case, I’d say they were.
His face paled. “You’re wrong about him.”
“I’ve known him for five years. I’d say I know him better than you do from hearing things from a woman who still harassed an ex-boyfriend who moved on.”
“She wouldn’t have done that,” he said, but his voice was shaky. Maybe his confidence was too. “She only emailed him because of this book we’re writing. Were going to write. She was using people she knew for inspiration. To help form the characters.”
“She used them all right.”
“You’re wrong. You are. She wanted to write a story about small towns. It was going to be a fun activity we did together. She never would have hurt anybody.”
I would have argued, but what would be the point? Nothing, not even evidence to the contrary, would change his mind. I thought we could take his name off the suspect list. If he didn’t believe his fiancée would have said anything cruel to another person, why would he kill her?
As I turned away, Brian Morein approached. Great, and I’d been able to avoid him so far. A few steps behind him walked the officer who’d been with Matthias the other day. What was with that? Had he lost his partner and this case? That didn’t seem right.
Morein glared as he passed me, but Officer Lato gave me a nod before glancing away. “Mr. Duncan Morrau?” Morein asked.
“Yes. What do you want?”
I glimpsed Morein show Duncan his badge. “You need to come to the station with us. I have questions for you.”
“I told an officer everything I know. You should hunt down the person responsible.”
“That’s what we’re trying to do.” I swore his gaze drilled right into me. Just what did he think? That I’d killed Mayra. I hadn’t even known her.
“If you would come with me, we can do this easily. Once we know a bit more, it will be simple to find who killed her.” Right, like he cared about that.
“You should talk to the guy who broke her heart. He wanted to break her in other ways, too.” His voice wavered, but he sure was sticking to that theory. “Take Deke McBryde in, not me.”
“We’ve spoken with him and probably will again. Right now, we need to talk to you, too. Have a good day, Mx. Carsley,” he called out to me. “You should get on, unless you want to answer some questions as well.”
I waved dismissively and headed to my truck. I couldn’t let him get to me. I had more important things to do, like talking to my brother, then figure out who had done this before Deke paid too high a price for dating the wrong person when he was young and didn’t know better.