Chapter 2
I was in the kitchen preparing Salmon for dinner when there was a knock at the door. Rinsing my hands at the sink, I walked over, opened it, and stared at my neighbor Kris as she stood there holding a jar with a lid.
“I brought you raspberries from my garden.” She grinned, holding up the jar.
As much as her perkiness annoyed me, I couldn’t be rude. So I invited her in.
“Thank you, Kris. That was so sweet of you. Come in. Can I offer you something to drink?”
“No, thank you. I can’t stay. I need to pick Charlotte and Carly up from soccer practice soon.” She followed me into the kitchen. “Isn’t it such a coincidence that your Alex and my Kevin work at the same university? Can I let you in on a little secret?”
“Do tell.” I smiled. “I love secrets.”
“Kevin really likes Alex, and he hopes he sticks around.”
“So do I.” A smile perched on my lips.
“Kevin secretly hopes Alex’s house takes extra-long to renovate. He likes him being here. You know, in a house full of girls, he loves his guy time.”
Kris and Kevin had been married for twenty years. They had three teenage daughters, two of whom were twins. They seemed happy. But many couples loved to put on that facade in front of others.
“Did you hear about that poor young girl they found at the state park?” she asked.
“I did. Such a tragedy.”
“They said earlier that they believe it’s The Last Chapter Killer.”
“Huh?” My brows furrowed.
“That’s what the FBI is calling the killer.
They found a carving on her abdomen: This is her last chapter.
Gives me the chills just thinking about it.
Apparently, there have been similar murders in several states over the past eight years.
Kevin and I are having a serious conversation with the girls tonight about it.
” She glanced at her watch. “Oops. Time to run and pick up Charlotte and Carly from practice. Enjoy the raspberries.” She grinned.
“I definitely will. Thank you again for them.”
After she left, I opened the jar and stared at the perfectly ripped raspberries. As I returned to finish prepping the salmon, my phone rang. Glancing at it, Marlowe Gallery flashed across the screen. I smiled.
“Hello.”
“Dahlia, it’s Tess. If you’re still interested, I’d love for you to work at the gallery.”
“I take it you called Elliot.”
“I did. And the manager had nothing but wonderful things to say about you. Please say you’ll accept my offer.”
“Nothing would give me greater pleasure than to work in your art gallery, Tess.”
“Excellent! Today was one of our associates’ last days. She’s pregnant and has decided to be a stay-at-home mom. So, if you could start tomorrow at ten o’clock, I’d be thrilled.”
“I will see you tomorrow at ten a.m.”
“Perfect. I’ll see you tomorrow, Dahlia.”
“Goodbye, Tess.”
Good boy, Daniel. You just saved your own life.
The front door opened, and I heard a briefcase hit the ground. Alex walked into the kitchen and wrapped his arms around me.
“It’s good to see you.” He pulled me closer and kissed the top of my head.
“How was your day?” I asked.
“Good.” He broke our embrace, grabbed the bottle of scotch from the counter, and poured himself a glass. “How did your interview go?”
“It went great. I got the job.” I grinned. “I start tomorrow morning.”
“I knew it!” He smiled, walked over, grabbed me, and swung me around. “Congratulations.”
“Thank you.” I kissed his lips.
“I see you’re making salmon for dinner. You know it’s my favorite.”
“I know.” I smiled.
Once dinner was ready, I took the plates over to the table and set them down while Alex poured us a glass of wine.
“You’d better be careful.” I pointed my fork at him with a smirk.
“Oh yeah? Why is that? God, this salmon is good.”
“Kevin from next door really likes you and hopes you stick around.”
He chuckled. “Kev is a good guy. Well, semi-good.”
“What do you mean?” My brows furrowed.
“You cannot tell anyone what I’m about to tell you. Do you promise?”
“Alex, the one thing you can count on me for is to keep a secret. I’m very good at that.”
“I know. I just hate talking about other people’s business. Anyway, he’s cheating on his wife.”
I felt a twinge in my belly.
“What? They seem so happy.”
“A couple of days ago, I saw him and his assistant leave campus together. He had his hand on the small of her back, which I thought was odd. They reached his car, shared a kiss, climbed inside, and drove off. I confronted him about it today.”
“And what did he tell you?” I asked, finishing the last bite of my salmon.
“He said it just happened. He was feeling overwhelmed at home with Kris and the girls. He said he and Kris had an argument that day, and he vented to his assistant about it. One thing led to another, and they’ve been seeing each other for the past six months.”
“Six months?” My brow raised. “And Kris has no idea?”
“Nope.” He shook his head. “I told him that he should end it with his assistant, and he told me he didn’t want to and that she makes him love life again.”
Maybe he’d like death better.
“Then he needs to divorce Kris,” I said, because the overwhelming feeling was coursing through my veins again.
“He won’t. He said she’d get half of everything, and he’d have to pay child support for the three girls, possibly alimony since Kris doesn’t work, and he can’t afford it. He said he’d have no money left for himself at the end of the month.”
“Of course. It’s always about him. His needs, his wants, and screw anyone else.”
“Personal experience?” he asked, grabbing the wine bottle.
“My father had an affair,” I said, tracing the rim of my glass with my fingertip.
“I’m sorry.”
“It went on for a couple of years.” I set my glass down.
“Did your mother know?”
“Eventually, she found out.”
“How? Did he tell her? Did he come home with lipstick on his collar?”
“I never asked.” I shrugged. “One day she just knew.”
“And what happened?” Alex asked.
“She took care of it.”
His brows furrowed. “What do you mean?”
“My father never cheated again.” My brow raised.
“I assume your parents divorced after she found out?”
“They didn’t stay together,” I said, picking up my plate and taking it over to the sink.
“That must have been really hard on you.”
“I was very young. Anyway, both of them are dead now.”
“Wow. I’m sorry, Dahlia. I figured they still lived in Seattle. You didn’t tell me they passed.”
“My father passed away first, and then my mother a few years later.”
“From?” he asked.
“Both had cancer. Same type. Isn’t that strange?” I looked over at him.
“Yeah. That’s really weird.” He brought his plate over to the sink, set it down, and gripped my hips. “Enough talk about parents and the neighbors.” His lips met mine. “How about we take this to the bedroom?”
“I’d love to.” I smiled, hooking my arms around his neck.