No Happily Every After (Mia and Roman Psychic Suspense #4)

Chapter Six

At the same time as Eliza recorded her vlog, Mia sat in Roman’s office, surrounded by her pack of dogs, and listened while he brought Jennifer Lamb up to date on Eliza’s background check.

He sat tipped back in his chair with the cell phone lying on the desk in front of him. “We’ve done a basic background on Eliza and, surface-wise, she looks clean. No major debts. No felonies or even any minor crimes that I could find. Still, I can’t pinpoint it exactly, but there’s something off in her past. With her family,” he said.

“Off how?” Jennifer’s voice filled the office.

“It could be nothing. But my gut’s telling me we should pull on this thread. It’s totally your call though. I just wanted to bring you up to date.”

“Okay. I trust your judgment and I want you to keep going.”

“Great. I’ll need to hunt up family friends and people who knew Eliza and see if anyone is willing to talk. It could take a couple of days to get a basic sketch.”

“Fine. I understand. And remember, money is no object. My only concern is keeping Scott safe. Thanks so much.”

“No problem. I’ll be in touch.”

He swung his feet down to the floor and tapped his cell to end the call.

“She’s definitely eager to keep going.” Mia glanced up at the clock. “It’s too late to start cold calling people tonight, though.”

“Yeah, which is a bummer. I’ll jump on it first thing in the morning and see if I can set up some meets for later in the day.”

“And with that, the dogs and I are going to bed.”

He held out a hand to her. “Come here.”

When she got to her feet and stepped over to the desk, he pulled her onto his lap. His arms circled her waist, and his chin rested on her shoulder. “Thanks for the help. I appreciate it.”

“You won’t appreciate it if I’m sending you off on a wild goose chase. I didn’t get a vision or anything. It’s not like I saw Eliza under the car cutting brake lines. It was just a feeling. A sort of dread in my stomach.”

He nuzzled her neck and goosebumps popped out along her skin. “I have one hundred percent faith in your feelings. There’s never been a wild goose chase from you.”

“I guess we’ll see when we see, right?”

He reached up and cupped her chin, turning her face to his so he could lay a soft kiss on her lips. “Go on to bed. I want to poke around for a bit longer.”

The next morning, Roman stepped into Mia’s workroom. He nodded to Sheryl. “How’s it going?”

She pursed her lips and nodded. “Good as ever. I’m working on the email list. I read about how we can segment the subscribers and create better automation flows.”

“I’m not totally sure what you just said, but it sounds impressive.”

Mia snorted out a laugh. “I agree. You know how much I hate dealing with the email list, so I handed it over to Sheryl. She picked up the ball and she’s running with it. I sense a touchdown on the horizon. Best assistant ever.”

“Oh, well now. It’s just an idea. It may not even work,” Sheryl said, her cheeks stained with pink, and she patted at her frizzy gray hair.

“It’ll work. I feel it. How’s it going with you?” Mia said to Roman.

“Good. I’ve got a couple of interviews set up starting at four-thirty. You want in?”

Mia tipped her head toward Sheryl. “What’s the order sheet look like?”

“Um … well … you have that amethyst necklace and earring set and a couple of bracelets due to ship out tomorrow. Next day there’re six more pieces to complete.”

Mia glanced down at her worktable. “Okay. I already finished the rose quartz from yesterday, and I can get the bracelets done in the next couple of hours. The necklace-earring combo is more intricate, so hopefully I’ll have time to get back to it later tonight. If need be, I can always start early tomorrow and finish the set before the UPS pickup.”

“You have a lot on your plate. Maybe I’ll go solo and if anything seems off, we’ll circle back and bring you in.”

“No. It should work. I’ll go.”

***

“Who are we interviewing?” Mia asked while Roman drove them through a residential section of Walkerton.

“First stop is the Drapers. Rita and Brad. They were close friends of Stephanie and Phillip Wentworth. Apparently, the guys hit it off at a town golf tournament and the families were close from then on. The Drapers are younger than the Wentworths. They also have two daughters, but since they’re currently only twelve and fourteen, it’s not likely they spent much time with Eliza.”

When Mia stepped out of the car, she took in the well-appointed two-story brick home, nestled in the quiet neighborhood. The manicured lawn and tasteful landscaping spoke of a comfortable life, but not an overly abundant one.

As they approached the front door, Mia glanced at Roman, noting the determined set of his jaw. She really hoped her instinct about Eliza was wrong, because the alternative was enough to turn her stomach.

Rita must have been watching for them, because the door swung open even before they had a chance to knock. She was a slightly plump woman with short brown hair and wide-set grey eyes.

“Hi, Roman and Mia, right?”

“That’s us. Thanks for agreeing to this meeting. We really appreciate it,” Roman said.

Rita stepped back and ushered them to the right and into a sunken living room with an upright piano tucked along one wall. Brad rose from his armchair and offered his hand to each of them. He was tall and broad with short-cropped blond hair and a deep tan.

“So, real-life PIs huh? That’s gotta be some exciting work.” When he smiled, Mia noted it didn't quite reach his eyes.

“Or it could mostly be a bunch of boring time spent sitting at a computer running background searches. Still, it’s nice to be out in the field today meeting you fine folks, even though the circumstances are less than ideal. We’re very sorry for your loss,” Roman said.

“It’s still hard. I know it’s been almost two years since they died, but sometimes I still go to pull out my cell and call Stephanie just to tell her some funny thing that happened. You know, when my eldest girl had her first crush all I wanted was to get Steph’s take on it. It doesn’t seem real that she’s just gone like that,” Rita said.

“Wait, Maddie has a crush? How come I wasn’t looped in on this?” Brad asked.

Rita made a shooing gesture with her hand. “Because it’s silly grade nine girl stuff. And it’s already blown over. That boy—Connor—is so last month. Now we’re back to boys being lame and immature.”

“Good. That’s what I like to hear. I don’t want my girls dating until college, at least. Anyway, enough about my daughter’s love life. Why don’t you grab a seat?”

He motioned toward a large tan couch and Mia and Roman walked across the room and sank down.

“Can I get you anything to drink? Soda? Water? Coffee?” Rita asked.

“We’re good, thanks,” Mia said.

Rita slid onto the lounge chair beside Brad and folded her hands on her lap. “What exactly are you investigating? The car crash that killed Stephanie and Phillip was ruled accidental. No foul play at work, right?”

“As far as we know, but we were actually hoping to talk to you about Eliza,” Roman said.

Rita flicked a look to Brad then shrugged her shoulders. “Sure. Okay. What do you want to know?”

Roman spread his hands wide. “You were friends with the Wentworths for about a decade. What can you tell us about Eliza?”

“Is she a nice person? Did she get along well with her parents and Maryanne?” Mia added.

At the mention of Maryanne, Rita briefly squeezed her eyes shut. “I’m still in shock over losing her. It was so sudden—like Steph and Phillip—but somehow so much worse.”

“Poor kid. She must have been in a lot of pain,” Brad added. “I only wish she’d reached out to us, asked for help. We did check in from time to time, but it’s not like we laid eyes on her regularly. She was away at school, and well … looking back … I can’t help wondering if we dropped the ball.”

“Honey, no. I don’t think that’s true. I texted her every week. We called a couple of times a month. She came and stayed with us that first birthday after they died.” Rita paused and swallowed. “I guess it was the only birthday she got before the suicide … anyway, she was grieving, no doubt about it. But also seemed focused on her studies and excited to graduate and get a job. Become self-sufficient.”

“How was Eliza during this period?” Roman asked.

Rita shared a weighted look with Brad. “Eliza was always a spirted child,” she began carefully. “She had a strong personality, even from a young age."

"She and Maryanne were so different, despite being twins. Maryanne was the studious one, constantly had her nose in a book. Eliza, on the other hand, was more interested in fashion and popularity and … um … consumerism, I guess,” Brad added.

"Did that cause tension between the sisters?" Roman asked

"Sometimes," Rita admitted. "Like any siblings, they had their moments. But they loved one another deeply."

Mia sensed there was more to the story, but the undercurrent of emotion was so dark and heavy she didn't want to push too hard. "The night Stephanie and Phillip died ... do you know what happened?"

Now Rita's eyes glistened with unshed tears. "It was awful. They were on their way to the hospital because Phillip had an allergic reaction during dinner. Stephanie was usually so careful about his peanut allergy ....”

“Didn’t they have one of those EpiPens in the house?” Roman asked.

“That’s the thing that’s so sad about the whole situation. Because they’d managed his allergy so well, he hadn’t had a reaction in a couple of years. They’d lost track of the EpiPen or hadn’t renewed the prescription—I’m not entirely clear—but either way Steph couldn’t find one.” Brad paused and looked down at his hands. “I know Phillip always kept a spare in the car, but it just so happened the car was in the shop that week. And his reaction was apparently severe. Worse than any he’d had before. I guess Stephanie panicked.”

“But why didn’t they call an ambulance?” Mia asked.

“We don’t know. Apparently, she just bundled Phillip into the car and they took off,” Rita said.

“And Eliza didn’t go to the hospital with them?” Roman said.

“I think there’d been a big fight the day before. And she’d gone out right before dinner to some event or other, something to do with boosting her Instagram. Like I said before, she could be headstrong. It sounded like the fight got ugly. I know she feels awful about how things were between them. She told me that she can’t believe their last real conversation was so nasty, and she regrets not staying and having dinner with them that night. She kept saying how if she’d been there, maybe been the one to drive to the hospital, her parents wouldn’t have died.”

“And then, when Maryanne ....” Brad shook his head. "It was devastating for Eliza. Losing her twin, her other half. She was inconsolable at the funeral."

"I can't even begin to fathom that kind of loss," Mia said softly.

Rita slowly exhaled and worked up a smile. "Eliza's been through so much. I think, in her own way, she's trying to move forward, to find happiness again."

"With her new fiancé?" Roman prompted.

"Yes, she seems quite taken with him," Brad said, but there was a note of hesitation in his voice. "I just hope ... well, I hope she's marrying for the right reasons."

Mia's intuition prickled at the unspoken implication. Did Brad suspect that Eliza's motives were less than pure?

“Have you met him?” she asked.

“Oh, no. She called to tell us she was engaged and went on and on about her ring—it’s apparently gorgeous—and how rich he is. She seemed very happy.”

“Am I right in thinking Eliza’s job is posting on social media?” Roman asked.

“I know. It’s strange, isn’t it? But apparently that’s a legitimate way to earn a living these days. According to her, she’s making good money every month and she wants to grow her channel even more. I guess there’s some sort of threshold and once you hit a million subscribers, you really get into the big bucks,” Rita said.

“I noticed she has a little over a hundred thousand now. That’s a long way from a million.” Roman paused and glanced between the Drapers. “Do you have any idea what kind of money Eliza would have inherited? I saw there was a GoFundMe campaign when her parents died.”

“Yes. Tracey set it up. Such a nice girl. She and Maryanne have been tight for years.” She sighed. “There was some money, maybe a few hundred thousand once the house sold. The timing couldn’t have been worse because Phillip and Steph were investing in the new business.”

“Scary for the girls,” Mia said. “I heard there was also a college fund set up by the grandparents.”

“That’s right. Stephanie’s folks were all about education. It was a sore point for Eliza since she didn’t want to go to college, but I guess she eventually got hold of that money, too.”

Brad leaned forward in his chair. “Why all the questions about Eliza? Has something happened?”

“No, she’s fine, as far as we know,” Roman said.

Rita studied her husband’s face for several beats then turned to Roman and Mia with a disgusted expression. “When you called, I asked if you were reporters. I told you we won’t speak to the press.”

“We’re not reporters. We’re not here to dig up dirt for a story,” Mia said.

Brad frowned and crossed his arms over his chest. “We’re not saying anything else until you tell us your purpose.”