Chapter 5
The guilt I was supposed to feel never came.
The need I had was satisfied, and peace coursed through my body.
Another cheating husband was gone. But Kris wouldn’t discover at first that her husband was cheating.
Not until the police questioned her about the exchanged text messages between her husband and Rachel.
The bell above the gallery door greeted me as I stepped inside.
“Dahlia!” Tess ran over before I could even put my purse away. “Thank God you’re here.”
“What’s wrong?” I asked.
“Have you heard?” She gripped my arm.
“Heard what?” My brows furrowed.
“The history professor.”
“What history professor?”
“Professor Kevin Hadley from the university.”
“He’s my neighbor. What happened?”
“Oh, my God.” She glanced around the empty gallery. “Someone murdered him.”
“What?” I acted shocked.
“They found him this morning.”
“Oh, my God. Where?”
“Fort Zachary Taylor State Park.”
“The same park where that young woman was found a couple of weeks ago?”
“They’re saying it might be the same killer. The body was found under the same tree as that girl.”
I pretended to panic. “Tess. Kevin and his wife, Kris, are my neighbors and good friends. Do you mind if I take the day off to be with her? She must be devastated. Alex and I just had them over to my house for dinner a few nights ago.”
“Of course. Go. The gallery will be fine.”
“I feel like I’m going to be sick.” I played the part.
“Go, Dahlia. Go comfort your friend.”
I grabbed my purse and headed to my car. The news had to reach Miami, and I was sure Alex would be calling soon. Bingo. I was right. His picture flashed on my screen before I climbed into my car.
“Alex, did you hear?” I answered.
“Dahlia, I can’t believe it. Who would do that to Kevin?”
“I don’t know. I just found out when Tess told me. I’m on my way to Kris’s house now.”
“I’m picking up my books and heading back. I’ll be home in a few hours. I just can’t believe this.”
“I’m shook, Alex.”
“So am I. I’m just heading into the bookshop. I’ll call you later. I love you.”
“I love you, too.”
I pulled into my driveway and noticed a police car next door. Climbing out, I ran over and rang the doorbell. One of the twins answered, her eyes red and swollen.
“Dahlia.” She threw her arms around me.
“I know, honey.” I softly rubbed her back. “I’m so sorry. Where is your mom?”
“In the living room, talking to the detectives.”
I stepped inside and headed to the living room, where I found Kris sobbing on the couch. The two detectives turned and looked at me.
“Kris.” I sat down and hooked my arm around her.
“Oh, Dahlia.” She sobbed. “I can’t believe he’s gone.”
“Excuse me, Mrs. Hadley,” one of the detectives said. “We need to ask you about something we found on your husband’s phone.”
“My husband’s phone?” She lifted the tissue in her hand to her eyes.
The detective pulled out Kevin’s phone and handed it to her.
“We were able to unlock it with his fingerprint at the crime scene.”
She took the phone and scrolled through the racy text messages between her husband and his assistant.
“Do you know who Rachel is?”
“She’s his assistant at the university,” Kris answered. “My God. They were having an affair?” She looked up at the detectives.
“It appears so.”
Her finger kept scrolling. “She was going to New York with him?” Tears started falling again.
“We’re bringing her in for questioning.”
“Is she a suspect?” I asked.
“We’re not sure yet. Mrs. Hadley, we’ll let you know more as the investigation continues. We’re sorry for your loss.” They turned and walked out of the house.
“I can’t believe it. I can’t believe Kevin was having an affair with his assistant. How could I have not seen it?” she sobbed.
“Love is blind, Kris. Most people don’t want to see the truth.”
“I bet there wasn’t a history conference in New York,” she cried.
Damn right, there wasn’t.
“I appreciate you coming by. But I need to spend some time with my girls.”
“Okay. Just know I’m here for you. If there’s anything you need, don’t hesitate to ask.”
“Thank you, Dahlia. You’re such a good friend.” She hugged me.
Alex should have been home by now. I grabbed my phone and dialed his number.
“Dahlia, I was just going to call you. I’ll be home in thirty minutes.”
“I expected you a while ago, Alex.”
“I know. I’m sorry. My phone died, and I couldn’t find my car charger, so I had to stop and pick up another one. As soon as it got some juice, your call came through. How is Kris?”
“Devastated,” I said.
“I’m sure. I still can’t believe Kevin was murdered. Has there been any more information?”
“She knows about his affair. I was at her house when the detectives showed her the text messages between Kevin and Rachel.”
“Oh, man. Poor Kris. Did you eat dinner yet?”
“No. I was waiting for you.”
“I’ll stop and pick up some Chinese food on the way home.”
“Sounds good. I’ll see you when you get here.”
I was in the kitchen pouring a glass of wine when I heard the front door open, and Alex call my name.
“Dahlia, I need a little help.”
I set the wine bottle down and walked to the front door.
“What on earth?” I laughed, staring at the stack of books against his chest and a large plastic bag in his hand.
I rushed over and grabbed the plastic bag with the Chinese food.
“You are looking at one of the greatest finds of my life.” He grinned.
“The books or the Chinese food?” I smirked.
“The books! The Chinese food is just a bonus.” He followed me into the kitchen.
He set the books on the island.
“Don’t touch them yet,” he said.
“I wasn’t planning on it.” I smiled.
“Right. But I know that look.” He pointed at me.
“What look?”
“The one where you’re pretending you don’t care.”
“I care. I’d rather eat first,” I said.
He picked up the first book with extra care.
“The Great Gatsby.” He proudly held it up.
“It looks very old.”
“It is.” His eyes lit up. “It’s a first edition. Third printing. Along with all the others.”
“And that’s a good thing?” My brow raised.
“You’re wounding me, Dahlia.” He clutched the book to his chest.
“I’m trying to understand, Alex.”
“Let me be clear. It would be like you being overly excited about a rare painting you found. Perhaps, so rare that there were only three in the entire world.”
“Okay. Okay. I get it. You really love them.”
“I do. They’re history. They’ve survived wars, floods, fires, and generations of owners. Long after we’re gone, they’ll still be here. They deserve to be preserved. But enough about the books. Let’s eat.” He grinned, taking the cartons of food to the table.
I glanced at the stack sitting on the island. Most people collected things because they were valuable. Like art. Alex collected rare edition books because they told stories. The same way I looked at art.
“You know,” Alex said, sticking a piece of General Tso’s Chicken into his mouth. “One day you’re going to tell me that Chinese food is better than anything you can cook.” A sly grin crossed his lips.
“Don’t push your luck, Mr. Whitmore.”
He chuckled and stared down at his plate. His smile slowly disappeared, and the kitchen became silent.
“What is it?” I asked.
He let out a sigh. “I can’t stop thinking about Kevin.”
I picked up a Crab Rangoon with my chopsticks.
“It’s understandable.”
He shook his head. “No. It’s strange. When I go to work on Monday, he won’t be in the faculty lounge complaining about something or asking if I want coffee.
His car won’t be parked two rows down from mine.
And he won’t just waltz over here to shoot the shit as he did.
It’s really hard wrapping my mind around it.
Sure, he had his flaws, but he was a good guy. ”
I reached my hand across the table and rested it over his.
“Dinners, conversations, jokes. Then one morning they’re just gone.”
I gently squeezed his hand. “I’m sorry, Alex.”
“For what? He was your friend too. I just hate unfinished goodbyes.”
I’m sorry I had to kill your friend.
It was getting late, so we cleaned up the kitchen and headed upstairs to get ready for bed. As I was in the bathroom, I heard the TV turn on. When I walked into the room, Alex was sitting on the edge of the bed, staring at the TV.
“Sources tell us that investigators are exploring possible connections to the recent murder of the young woman whose body was discovered beneath the same tree just as little as two weeks ago.”
Alex glanced at me and frowned. “The same tree? So, they’re saying they’re connected?”
I shrugged.
“The similarities are difficult to ignore,” the reporter continued. “Both victims were found carefully posed beneath the same tree in the same state park. Although the murders were significantly different.”
“I don’t understand,” Alex said. “Why Kevin? He didn’t do drugs. He didn’t have any gambling debts. And he certainly wasn’t the kind of person who made enemies. It just doesn’t make any sense.”
Not to him it didn’t. He knew Kevin had been unfaithful.
He knew about his assistant. He listened to Kevin confess and claim Rachel made him love life again.
Alex only saw a flawed man. A man who made a terrible choice.
But I saw something entirely different. I saw a man who looked his wife in the eyes every morning and lied without remorse.
A man who had become so comfortable with deception that it flowed naturally like breathing.
Kevin hadn’t been murdered because someone hated him.
It wasn’t random. He wasn’t murdered because he made a mistake.
He deliberately chose to deceive his family and would continue to do so instead of asking for a divorce because it would cause great financial difficulty for him.
I understood what had to be done and why. Every last reason.