Page 14 of Little Dark Deeds

“Well, good morning to you too, dear.”

She fell silent once more, lingering in the doorway without extending an invitation for me to enter the suite.

“I need to talk to Harvey,” I said.“Is he here?”

“What do you need to talk to him about?”

We stared at each other for a moment, the expression on her face telling me what her words did not.

“How long have you known?”I asked.

“About what?”

“Be straight with me, please.I know you know about Tiffany.”

She placed her hands on her hips.“Now, Georgiana, listen to me.”

“I mean no disrespect, Mom, but I am all out of patience right now.”

I heard what sounded like a sliding door opening and then Harvey walked toward us, sighing as he said, “It’s fine.We knew this was coming.Putting it off won’t change anything.What’s done can’t be undone.”

My mother threw her hands in the air.“Oh, all right, come in.We can talk outside on the balcony.”

As I followed them to the back of the suite, my mother began mumbling.

“I just don’t understand what’s wrong with people.You give a person one simple task.Onetask, to keep quiet.And they can’t even manage it.”

“If you’re thinking someone told me about Tiffany, they didn’t,” I said.

In truth, someonehadtold me.

That someone just wasn’t among the living.

“If no one told you, how do you know?”my mother asked.

“Let’s just say it was a gut feeling.Yesterday, when she didn’t arrive for the wedding, I knew something was wrong.If something had come up, she would have told me.”

“I’m sorry it happened this way, on the day of your wedding, no less.We’ve been worried sick about when the right time would be to give you the news.We didn’t want to spoil your special day, but we should have known you’d figure it out on your own.I’m guessing you’ve also noticed a few of the overnight guests have gone.”

“Your room was my first stop.By guests, I assume you mean Foley, Whitlock, and Silas.”

“They left as soon as the reception was over, hopped on a red-eye flight.”

It made sense.

Rex Foley was the chief of police in San Luis Obispo County.He was also married to my sister.Whitlock worked under him as a detective.

The three of us took a seat at the bistro table outside, and Harvey began cracking his knuckles.It was one of his tells, something he always did when he was nervous.I’d noticed him doing it last night.I just hadn’t thought much of it until now.

Before we had a chance to get to the details, there was a knock at the door.

My mother threw her hands in the air.“My goodness.What now?”

“Come on in,” Harvey shouted.“Door’s open.”

I craned my neck, curious about the unexpected visitor, relieved to see it was Giovanni.

He walked over, setting the tea I’d left in our room in front of me.“I apologize if I interrupted your conversation.”