Page 62 of Little Dark Deeds

Queenie shifted positions, leaning closer.

“I planned on telling you as soon as we got to the park,” he said.“I was there to water the plants.”

Queenie wagged a disapproving finger in his direction.“No offense, but I find it curious why she askedyouto do it when she could have asked one of her neighbors.”

“They’re good friends,” I said.

“If they were such good friends, why did he leave her house with a piece of paper in his hand, eh?”

I had to say, I was impressed with her questions.

“A couple of weeks ago, we took on a new client,” Everett said.“We were supposed to meet with them, but after what happened to Tiffany, I took some days off.This morning the client pressed me to have the meeting, and I realized I was missing the last page of their signed agreement.”

“How did you know you’d find it at Tiffany’s house?”

“She’d taken the file home to look it over a few days before she died, and she’d made me a copy.I hadn’t noticed the missing page until this morning.I went to the house, watered the plants, and looked around for it.”

“Why bother watering the plants now that she’s dead?”

“I ...ahh, the plant in the living room has sentimental meaning.I bought it for her as a housewarming gift.I thought I’d water it, then talk to you to see when you thought I could take it from her house.”

“I don’t understand how the missing page just happened to be there,” I said.“The police did a full sweep of her place.Wouldn’t they have found it and taken it in with the rest of the evidence?”

“I found the missing page on the scanner, and since the lid was closed, I’m guessing she forgot to take it out, and they didn’t look under there.”

It made sense, though I was still on the suspicious side.

But Everett was one of the best people I knew, and I didn’t take him for a liar.

“You’re not supposed to enter a house that’s an active crime scene until it’s been cleared,” I said.

“There was no crime scene tape up.I thought it would be okay.I have the paper I took in my car.I can show it to you if you want.”

I shook my head.“There’s no need.I believe you.”

“I don’t,” Queenie said.“I’ve seen just about everyone who’s been in and out of her home.If you’re such a good friend, why haven’t I seenyoubefore?”

“We’re together all day at work,” he said.“And I have a family—a wife, and two kids.If we needed to talk about work stuff after hours, we called or texted each other.”

Queenie looked at me.“What do we think?Is Mr.Everett here telling the truth?”

“My last name’s Whittaker.”

“Shush, young man.I wasn’t speaking to you, now was I?”

“I’ve known him a long time,” I said.“I believe he’s telling the truth.I appreciate the fact you’re keeping an eye out, Queenie.But, please, stop following people.I can take it from here.”