Page 44 of Little Dark Deeds

“Tyler texted me.He said you’d be coming.”

“I was hoping to ask you a few questions.”

She tipped her head to the side, gesturing at the chair next to her.“Take a seat.”

I sat on a wicker chair with a red-and-orange striped cushion, surprised to find it was a lot more comfortable than I expected.

“What else did Tyler say when he messaged you?”I asked.

“He told me who you are, and he mentioned you and Tiffany were close friends.I’m guessing you spoke with him about his relationship with her.”

“She is one of the reasons I went to see him, but he wasn’t there when I first arrived, so I talked to Jordan.He lied to me about having any knowledge of the affair.Then I told him I knew about it, and when I gave him the facts, he changed his story.”

She twisted the black bracelets she was wearing, nodding.“I’m sure he was just trying to protect his friend.We’re all on edge.You can’t tell me you wouldn’t do the same thing if you were in our situation.Tyler and I both know we’re suspects, though neither of us had anything to do with her murder.”

“I’d refuse to answer a question I didn’t want to answer.I wouldn’t lie.”

“Refusing to answer would seem suspicious.”

She had a point.

And I was ready to move on.

“Who told you about Tyler and Tiffany?”I asked.

“Tyler and Tiffany,” she said, singing their names like they were lyrics in a song.“Rolls off the tongue like they go together, doesn’t it?Not like Tyler and Jana, which has more of an oil and vinegar ring to it.”

It was an odd comment, almost like she was paying them a compliment.

“To your question,” she continued.“No one told me.”

“If no one told you, how did you find out?”

She cracked a smile and reached for the mug.“I have my ways.”

“Care to elaborate?”

“At the moment, no.I’d rather not.”

Jana seemed open to me asking questions but closed to answering them.

She pointed at me.“See?”

“See what?”

“The way you just looked at me with a skeptical look on your face like you questioned my response.That’s what I’m talking about.Refusing to answer your questions makes me look suspicious.”

“I’ll admit, it does.”

As I contemplated what to say next, a scent, earthy and pine-like, filled the air.Incense, I guessed, wafting through an open window of her house.

“After I spoke to Jordan, I had a long conversation with Tyler,” I said.“And based on the fact he told you I was coming over, it seems like the two of you are getting along all right.”

“He’s making more of an effort than I am.”

“I heard when you confronted Tyler about the affair, he asked you for a divorce.”

“Oh, I don’t know about a divorce.We talked about a lot of things that night.We decided to separate, for now, to give him the chance to work through his feelings.I think he’s confused and trying to figure out what he wants and doesn’t want.”