Page 34 of Little Dark Deeds

“I am.”

I turned and saw a bald, middle-aged man leaning against an office doorway, his arms crossed in front of him.He was dressed in a white polo shirt, gray slacks, and shiny, copper-colored loafers.“Is there something I can do for you, Miss ...?”

“It’s Mrs., and yes, you can start by telling me why Tyler asked you to do his job this morning.”

He glanced around, looking uncomfortable.“We should talk in my office.”

I followed him down the hall and into his office.He shut the door behind us, then pointed at a set of chairs, saying, “Please, take a seat.”

I sat and looked around.

On his desk, a few file folders were stacked in a neat pile.Beside them were a couple of framed photos—one of a labrador retriever and another of Audrey Hepburn arm in arm with Fred Astaire.There was also a mug with the name of the real estate office on the front.Inside it were several pens, pencils, and a travel-sized bottle of hand sanitizer.

Shifting my attention from the desk to a box sitting on the floor behind it, I said, “That’s a big box of candles.”

He sat across from me, tapping his foot against the floor.“I use them in my open houses.The scent creates an inviting atmosphere, makes it smell homey and lived in.Tyler is a good friend, aclosefriend.Why are you here asking questions?”

“Tiffany Wheeler wasmyclose friend.”

“What does that have to do with Tyler?”

“Tiffany was murdered, or haven’t you heard?”

His smug grin faded, replaced by a look of sadness.“Yeah, I heard.I expect the entire town’s buzzing about it by now.”

I hesitated a moment, trying to decide which direction to take the conversation in next.As much as I wanted to push, I realized a slow start might be better.

“Tyler was Tiffany’s real estate agent,” I said.“I understand he was helping her find a house to buy.Were you aware he was working with her?”

“I was, yes, though there’s not much I can tell you.I met her once when she dropped by the office to meet Tyler.We spoke for a few minutes, just light chitchat.I thought she was a nice woman, an attractive one too.I was shocked when I heard about what happened to her.”

“I understand the meeting Tyler missed this morning was an important one.”

He shrugged.“Whatever Lila told you ...well, she tends to exaggerate.It’s not a big deal.I handled it.We stand in for each other from time to time.”

“Did Tyler say why he missed the meeting?”

“In his text message he said something came up, and he couldn’t make it to work on time.”

“Did he give you any other information?”

“He didn’t, and I didn’t ask.Like I said before, it’s no big deal.I’m here, and I was happy to help.”

“Did his clients seem bothered that he wasn’t available?”

“I explained he had a personal emergency, and they were fine.”

“But you don’tknowif he had a personal emergency, do you?”

Jordan leaned back.“I mean, no ...but he could have had one.”

“So, you lied to his clients.”

“I did what I thought was best.I covered for him the best I could, and it all worked out.”

“Since you’re here and Tyler’s not, I have a few questions,” I said.“Tyler and Tiffany were—”

“I think it would be best if you waited and talked to Tyler.”