Chapter 34
Mia walked downstairs with an overnight bag over one shoulder. She paused in the kitchen, glancing out the front window at Adrian’s house. The tension she’d had at the start of the day when she learned Renee was coming to visit had subsided some, though it wasn’t gone.
“How did your talk go with Adrian?” she asked.
“He has more grit than charm, but he answered all my questions, even though he could have refused. It’s obvious he’s hurting over the fact that his dog is missing. He said Moose means everything to him, that the dog’s his whole life.” I paused, then added, “Can I ask you something?”
“Of course.”
“The bag you left on his front porch, did it include a threatening note?”
She set the overnight bag on a chair at the bar and bit down on her lip. “I thought he might have said something to you about that.”
“Then why didn’t you tell me?”
“I guess I was embarrassed. I hated the way he acted about it. Every time I confronted him, he brushed me off like I was overreacting. I was tired of it, and I thought if I pushed him a little harder, he’d take me more seriously. I wasn’t threatening him.”
“You told him to keep his dog off your lawn or there would be consequences.
Before, I couldn't understand why he jumped to the conclusion that you took Moose. I understood why he was frustrated with you, but the accusation felt like a stretch. Now that I know about the note, I can see how he got there.”
She threw up her hands. “I was angry, so yeah, maybe I took it too far.”
“Do you think Adrian allowed his dog to keep coming into your yard on purpose?”
“Oh, I know he did.”
There was genuine frustration in her voice now.
“He’d walk Moose past multiple lawns,” she said, “and somehow that dog always ended up relieving himself on my property. Seems deliberate to me.”
“Do you think Adrian has something against you?” I asked.
“I think he has a bone to pick with everyone. You’ve met him. You’ve seen what he’s like. He’s condescending and rude. Every conversation with him feels like some weird competition, like a battle for power and control.”
She took a few breaths in and out, attempting to calm herself.
“He asked about you and how you’re doing,” I said.
She raised a brow. “He did? I’m shocked.”
“He also said he doesn’t think you took his dog.”
“Well, that’s not true.”
Before the conversation could continue any further, Mia’s phone rang. She picked it up, looked at the text message, and swallowed—hard.
“What is it?” I asked.
“Nothing.”
“Doesn’t look like nothing. Mia?”
“It’s Jeremy.”
“What did he say?”
She hesitated, but by now she knew me well enough to know I wasn’t about to drop it.
“He said: ‘I know you hate me right now, and maybe I deserve it. But please, give me a chance to talk to you in person so I can explain things better. One conversation. If you still don’t want to talk to me after that, I’ll never bug you again.’”
“Is this the first time you’ve heard from him since everything happened?”
She shook her head.
“What else has he been saying?” I asked.
“Things like he never wanted to hurt me, and he knows he handled everything wrong. He also said his feelings for me are genuine.” She shook her head, setting her phone down on the counter. “I don’t know what to do.”
“You do nothing, for now. You ignore him. He’s a suspect. Seeing him is out of the question.”
“It’s not that simple when feelings are involved.” She took a shaky breath. “Simon—I mean Jeremy—listened to me. He made me laugh. He remembered things I told him, even small things. And now every memory feels contaminated.”
“That’s what deception does.”
“I know, so why do I still want to see him?”
There it was, the confession beneath the confession.
“He inserted himself into your life under false pretenses,” I said, “during a time when he knew you were grieving. Even if he had nothing to do with Wren’s murder, what he did and the way he went about it is still messed up.”
“I get it. I just—”
I raised a hand. “Look, Mia, I can give you the same advice all day on this subject if you want, and I can warn you not to see him, but you have to decide for yourself. I’m telling you it’s not a good idea because it isn’t.”
“Part of me wants a better understanding of why he did it.”
“So let him tell you after the case is solved.” I leaned against the counter. “Listen to me. Right now, you are vulnerable. I’m concerned he’s trying to take advantage of that.”
“I am too.”
“Your entire life has imploded in a matter of weeks. You lost your sister. Someone tried to break into your house. That makes it easy to latch onto anyone offering comfort.”
“That’s not fair.”
“No, but it’s true.”
She picked up the phone again, staring at the messages. “What do you want me to do?”
“Stop communicating with him until this case is over.”
She looked miserable hearing it, which told me everything I needed to know.
If she did what I asked and stayed away from him for now, I’d be shocked.
“I’ve given it a lot of thought,” she said. “How could he be involved in Wren’s murder when he was with me at the conference in Las Vegas?”
“It would be tricky, but not impossible. He could have left the conference Monday after lunch and returned that night or even the next morning, in time to meet up with you. On the day of the murder, you saw him at breakfast and then at lunch, but did you see him in any sessions after that or around the hotel the rest of that day?”
She gave the question some thought. “You know what? I didn’t.”
“In the text messages to your sister Tuesday morning, you said you were getting ready to have coffee with him. Did you?”
“I did. It wasn’t long. Thirty minutes, maybe.”
“What did you talk about?”
“We discussed where we lived. I showed him a few photos of Coco, and I said that my sister was watching her while I was away.”
“Did you ask him about his family?”
“I did, and now that I think about it, he didn’t share anything about them.
He must have changed the subject. Huh. I didn’t even realize it until now.
You’re right. He’s good at twisting the circumstances to his advantage.
I’ve had trust issues with men for years, and he’s the perfect example of why. ”
She grabbed her phone, typed something in, and then turned the screen toward me so I could read it.
Jeremy, I can’t speak to you while the investigation is ongoing. And the truth is, I think it would be best not to speak to you at all. Don’t contact me again.
I gave her a thumbs-up, and she sent the message.
I’d spent far too many years watching intelligent women convince themselves they could manage unhealthy relationships because emotions were involved. It was easy to lead with emotion instead of logic. But today, she had chosen reason, and I considered that a win.