Page 18 of Little Dark Deeds

Whitlock turned, smiling at me.“I just may be able to help you out.”

“How so?”

“When you told me his name was Tyler just now, I remembered something.We found a day planner on the counter in the kitchen in Tiffany’s house.When I opened it, I noticed a pocket in front.Inside, we found a business card for a man named Tyler Seymour.And get this, there were hearts drawn on the back of the card in red pen.”

I guessed the hearts had been drawn by Tiffany.When we passed notes to each other in high school, whenever she talked about a guy she liked, she drew hearts around their name.

“What business is Tyler in?”I asked.

“Real estate.”

“It makes sense.When we met up, she said she’d been looking into buying a second house as an investment rental.”

“Huh, wonder why she gave you the guy’s name but didn’t tell you what he did for a living?”

“Tiffany’s been through some rough breakups over the years.Whenever she was seeing a new guy, she gave me a little information at the start.She’d wait a few months because she didn’t want to ‘jinx it.’She did say she expected their relationship would move fast, and as long as they were still going strong by the time my wedding came around, she’d tell me everything I wanted to know about him.”

We pulled up to the house, and Whitlock parked curbside, right behind Silas’ VW bus.

Turning toward me, he said, “Listen, kiddo, I know you’re a tough cookie.A much tougher cookie than me.But this is one of your closest friends.Seeing the crime scene of such a good friend ...well, I just want to make sure you’re ready for it.”

When it came to family, friends, and loved ones, was anyone everready for it?

“I appreciate your concern,” I said.“And I know you’re trying to look out for me.But if I’m going to investigate her murder, I need to see everythingandknow everything, whether I want to or not.”

He went quiet for a moment, then said, “There is another option, you know.Not that you’d agree to it.”

He didn’t even need to tell me what the option was; I knew what he was getting at.

“Is the other option to step away from it and allow you and Foley to investigate without me?”I asked.

“It is our job to find out what happened and give her the justice she deserves.If it’s too hard, it doesn’t have to be yours.This isn’t like your other cases.It’s personal.I may not be the detective you are, but I’m not too shabby.And I wouldn’t let up until we caught the guy, or gal, responsible.”

“You’re a great detective.And I’ve worked personal cases before.Yes, they’re hard, and they take a lot out of me, but they’re far more rewarding when they’re solved.The way I see it, the more of us looking into her murder, the better.”

“I figured you’d say as much.I just wanted you to know that you have our full support.Promise me one thing, though.If it ever feels like too much, I need you to tell me.”

It was already too much, and I was in more pain over her death than I thought possible.And I hadn’t even stepped foot inside her house yet.