Chapter 32
Mia said almost nothing during the drive. It wasn’t until we turned onto her street and approached the house that she showed any sign of what she was feeling. She let out a long breath, the nerves she’d been holding in beginning to show.
I’d hoped to find a sign that Adrian was home as we neared his place, but as we approached, Mia said, “Adrian’s not home.”
“How do you know?”
“If he was, his truck would be in the driveway.”
I parked along the curb and saw a silver SUV waiting in Mia’s driveway. The moment Renee spotted us, she waved, stepping out of the vehicle with a look of excitement on her face. And she wasn’t alone. Bryan was with her.
Renee hurried across the driveway, wrapping Mia in a tight embrace the moment she got to her, saying, “It’s so good to see you!”
Mia’s body tensed beneath the embrace, the reaction of someone unaccustomed to such open displays of affection. If Renee noticed, she gave no indication.
“It’s good to see you too,” Mia said, though the words came out as more of a formality than anything else.
Renee released her and stepped back. “You look exhausted.”
“I suppose I am.”
“Oh, honey. Everything is going to be okay now. I got you.”
Mia glanced at me over Renee’s shoulder, rolling her eyes as if to say, Help.
Bryan approached a moment later, far more reserved than his wife, his expression marked by sorrow and quiet compassion.
“It’s good to see you, Mia.” He hugged her, but unlike Renee, he kept it brief. “I’m so sorry about everything you’re going through right now.”
“Thank you.”
“You holding up okay?”
“I’m doing my best.”
“That’s about all anyone can do.” His gaze shifted toward me, and he tipped his head. “Hello again, Georgiana.”
“Bryan.”
“I wasn’t aware you were coming with Renee,” Mia said.
“We talked about it, and I figured it was for the best. I didn’t feel right letting her drive out here alone since Wren’s murder hasn’t been solved yet.”
It made perfect sense, and unlike some people, Bryan struck me as someone whose concern came from logic, not emotional impulse, like his wife.
“I understand,” Mia said.
I tipped my head toward the patrol car. “She’s got people looking out for her. The police department is one of them, and I’m another.”
Bryan nodded. “That makes me feel better.”
“I didn’t expect to see you this morning, Georgiana,” Renee said.
“Mia stayed at our house last night,” I said.
“I see.”
A slight look of disappointment crossed her face.
It was subtle, but it was there.
Bryan excused himself, and a minute later, he pulled a suitcase out of the SUV. Then another, and another, like they were prepared to stay for weeks, not a couple of days.
Mia’s jaw dropped, and she turned toward Renee. “What’s going on?”
“Sorry,” Renee said, swishing a hand through the air. “I hope we didn’t bring too much. I didn’t know what all we’d need, so I threw in a little of everything.”
A look of concern flickered across Mia’s face. “It’s just that I … I …”
Before things became any more awkward, I stepped in to offer my assistance.
“The house is still considered an active crime scene, so Mia’s been staying with us,” I said.
It wasn’t a total lie, but it bordered on one. Not that I cared.
“I had no idea,” Renee said. “If that’s true, what are you doing here?”
“We stopped by so Mia could grab a few more things,” I said.
“Oh.”
Realizing some wires had been crossed, Bryan said, “We didn’t mean to assume. We just thought—”
“No, it’s all right,” Mia said. “It’s easy to miscommunicate over text.”
Renee’s face flushed like she was embarrassed. “When we messaged each other last night, and you said you didn’t want to be alone, I guess I thought you had invited me to stay with you at your house.”
Despite the awkwardness, I could see why Renee would assume such a thing. And to make things even worse, it was obvious how excited she was about the idea.
“Hey,” Mia said. “It’s okay. It’s my fault. I should have been clearer about what was going on.”
“It’s all just a simple misunderstanding,” Bryan said.
Renee tried to smile, though her disappointment lingered.
“Well,” she said, as if forcing an upbeat tone of voice, “I suppose we’ll need to find a hotel, then.”
“I can pay for a room for the two of you for the weekend,” Mia said.
Bryan shook his head. “That’s generous, but don’t worry about it. We’ll get the hotel.”
“Bryan—”
“It’s the right thing to do.”
Mia hesitated. “Are you sure?”
“I am, but I appreciate the offer.”
Renee tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and turned toward me. “Has there been any more progress on the case?”
I considered how much to tell her, deciding to keep it at a minimum.
I had no intention of bringing Jeremy into the conversation.
“There hasn’t been as much progress as I would like,” I said.
And I left it at that.
“We talked about it on the drive over,” Renee said. “Mia, if you'd feel safer coming back to Bakersfield with us after the weekend, our home is open to you. Stay as long as you need. We can move the kids around so you have a room of your own.”
“You’d want that?” Mia asked.
“Of course we would,” Renee said. “It would mean a lot to us if we could help you through this difficult time.”
Mia seemed touched by the offer. “I appreciate it, but I think it’s best if I remain here. I’m safe staying with Georgiana. She has an armed security person at her front gate.”
Renee’s eyes widened. “She does?”
“Yep,” Mia said, some of her humor returning as she added, “You’d think her husband was in the mafia or something.”
Renee laughed, yet when Mia glanced my way, I got the impression the idea had crossed her mind.
“Why don’t the two of you get settled into a hotel,” Mia said. “And then we can meet for lunch in a couple of hours.”
“Sounds good,” Bryan said.
Renee nodded but looked reluctant to leave. “I guess I was hoping we’d be able to spend the entire weekend with you.”
Bryan placed a hand on Renee’s arm. “It will be fine, honey. I’m sure you’ll get plenty of time with your cousin while we’re here.”
“I’m glad you came,” Mia said.
Renee’s face lit up. “You are?”
She hugged Mia once more, gentler this time.
“We’ll meet you for lunch at two at the Blue Pelican,” she said.
“Sounds good.”
Bryan loaded the suitcases back into the SUV while Mia and Renee said their goodbyes, and I stepped aside, glancing around the neighborhood while they talked.
A large truck turned onto the street, catching my attention.
Mia noticed it at the same time I did, and she leaned toward me. “That’s Adrian.”
The truck slowed as it approached. It was larger than I’d expected, the kind of vehicle that looked as though it required a ladder to climb inside.
The windows were heavily tinted, too dark to reveal who was behind the wheel, even though Mia had recognized the vehicle Adrian’s.
When it turned into the driveway across the street, a surge of anticipation ran through me.
Adrian stepped out a minute later. Even from across the street, I could see he looked displeased to find a crowd gathered in Mia’s driveway.
His gaze landed on Mia first.
Then me.
Then Bryan and Renee.
It was as if he was assessing the situation.
Beside me, Mia shifted.
“Does Adrian always seem annoyed when he looks at you?” I asked.
“Most of the time.”
Having no context about the situation, Renee chimed in with, “He may just have one of those faces.”
“No,” Mia said. “We’ve met. He doesn’t like me.”
“Why not?” Bryan asked.
“It’s a long story. I’ll tell you at lunch.”
Bryan nodded and then smiled at Renee, gesturing for her to follow him to the SUV. He started the engine, backed out of the driveway, and Mia waved as they started down the road.
“That was weird, wasn’t it?” she said.
“I thought it went all right for a first visit.”
“You’ll come to lunch with me, won’t you?”
Had she not asked, I was planning to suggest it anyway, if only so I’d know she was safe.
“Sure, if that’s what you want,” I said.
Adrian slammed his truck door harder than necessary and started toward his front porch. He stopped halfway and glanced over at us again, not waving or acknowledging either of us at first. It was as if he wanted us to know he was watching, which was even more unsettling.
When his gaze landed on me a second time, he tipped his head at me in acknowledgement and offered a slight smile. Then he disappeared inside the house.
“What convenient timing,” I said.
Mia looked at me. “You’re going to talk to him now, aren’t you?”
“I sure am.”
“Should I go with you?”
“Why don’t you go inside and grab your things? I think it would be best if I spoke to him alone.”
“You sure? I’m worried. What if he’s dangerous?”
“He’s angry,” I replied. “There’s a difference. Once I speak to him again I’ll have a better sense of who he is and whether he poses a threat.”
Mia went inside the house, and Adrian’s front door opened. He walked back to the truck, grabbing what looked like a stack of papers off the passenger seat. He rolled them up and turned toward me again, staring. I stared back, our eyes fixed on each other.
Something about him felt wrong.
Not necessarily murderous.
But there was no denying the tension that lived inside him.
He cupped a hand to the side of his mouth and shouted, “Can I help you with something?”
Why yes, Adrian.
You sure can.