Page 59 of Kiss Marry Kill

I sighed. “I’m sorry, Janelle. I don’t want to insult you. I’m just trying to figure out how your parents felt about Archie.”

“Well, according to you, my mother wasveryfond of him.” Her voice was hard.

“That was Kobe, not me. The only things I know about Archie are the things you all tell me. That’s why I’m asking questions. I’m trying to get an idea of who he was.”

“Seems to me you only believe the bad stuff about him.”

“Not true.”

She rolled her eyes, looking unconvinced.

Taking in her stubborn demeanor, I decided to change the subject yet again. “How about we talk about Archie’s past?”

“Okay,” she said warily.

“How much do you know about Archie’s life before you met?”

She wrinkled her brow. “I know that he lived in California before coming to Rainy Dale and that he was married before.”

“Until the wedding, had you ever met his parents?”

“No. Archie said they weren’t close.”

“Do you know why?”

“It’s hard to be close to someone when they live in another country.” She lifted her chin. “They moved to Panama when Archie was eighteen. He didn’t want to go with them, and they just left him behind.”

“I see.”

“He said they cared more about their taxes than him. Archie hardly ever saw them, and he didn’t even seem to care.”

Archie’s parents were a complete unknown to me. I had an interview scheduled with them tomorrow, but from what Janelle was saying, they wouldn’t be able to shed much light on who Archie was.

“That must have been very difficult for Archie. To be left by his parents when he was so young.”

“Of course. But Archie was strong.” She dabbed at her eyes. “He had to be because he was all alone.”

“He wasn’t always alone though, right? He had his first wife, Kimora?”

Uneasiness shifted across her features. “Yes.”

“How long was he married to Kimora?”

“Six years.”

“I see.” I hesitated. “I hate to bring this up, but do you remember yesterday when you thought you saw her?”

She looked embarrassed. “Yes.”

“Have you seen her… ghost… since yesterday?”

“No.” She grimaced. “I think you and Dr. Thornton were right. It was probably stress that made me think I saw her.”

“So suddenly she’s gone?” With the murder of her new husband, wouldn’t her stress have skyrocketed?

“All I know is I haven’t seen her, and… and I don’t want to.”

I smiled reassuringly. “I don’t blame you.”