Page 14 of Little Dark Deeds (Georgiana Germaine #12)

I stepped into the real estate office where Tyler worked and made my way to the front desk, where a young woman with curly red hair and a sprinkle of freckles looked up at me. Her nametag read Lila .

“Hello, Lila,” I said. “I would like to speak with Tyler Seymour. Is he here?”

She shook her head. “He hasn’t been in yet today.”

I glanced at a mid-century metal sunburst clock on the wall, noting the time. It was eleven o’clock on a Monday, and given realtors often had flexible schedules, the fact he wasn’t there didn’t concern me—at first.

“Do you know when Tyler will be in today?” I asked.

“I don’t.”

She looked past me, eyeing the cars in the parking lot, and frowned.

“Is everything all right?” I asked.

“Yeah ... it’s just, Tyler often gets to work before me most days. He missed a meeting with one of his clients this morning.”

“Was the meeting important?”

“I’d say so. His client was supposed to be signing the real estate paperwork for a new house.”

“Does Tyler miss meetings like this often?”

“No, never.”

I wondered where he was and why he was a no-show.

“Did you try calling him?” I asked.

“Of course, I did.”

“And?”

“It rang a few times and then went to voicemail, so I sent him a text message. He responded, saying he was running late, and had asked Jordan to step in.” She reached out, straightening a few papers on her desk. “I’m sorry.”

“For what?”

“I shouldn’t have told you what I just did. Bad habit, I guess. I get too chatty sometimes, and it gets me in trouble. Do you want me to leave Tyler a message?”

“Will you tell him Georgiana Germaine stopped by?”

She scribbled my name down on a notepad. “Does he have your number?”

“Not yet. I’m here to talk to him about one of his clients, Tiffany Wheeler.”

“Why?”

“I’m a private investigator.”

Lila’s eyes widened. “Oh. Shoot.”

She clammed up, her focus shifting from me to the computer in front of her.

But I wasn’t finished with her yet.

“Who’s Jordan?” I asked.

“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, a close friend. Why are you here asking questions?”

“Tiffany Wheeler was my close 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’t know if 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.”

He’d interrupted me, a fact I decided to overlook, for now.

“When I was speaking to Lila a few minutes ago, did you hear our conversation?” I asked.

“Most of it. I heard you say you’re a private investigator.”

“I am. I’m also assisting the police with their investigation.”

“Again, I’m not sure how I can help.”

“You said Tyler’s a close friend. I assume you know a fair bit about his private life. Don’t you?”

“I mean, we’re men. We don’t go into all the details about our lives outside the workplace. We hang out sometimes, grab a few beers, that kind of thing.”

He’d shifted from portraying Tyler as a close friend to downplaying their connection, now referring to him like he was an acquaintance.

“Has Tyler ever talked to you about Tiffany?” I asked.

“Why would he?”

Jordan was playing coy, and I couldn’t decide if he knew about the affair or not. I was about to mention it when he sighed, looking me in the eye as he said, “Aside from working with Tiffany to find a house, she was a client, just like any other client.”

Unless Tyler made a habit of sleeping with many of his female clients, she was a lot more than that, and I’d grown tired of Jordan’s deflections.

“Did you know Tiffany and Tyler were having an affair?” I asked.

“I ... to be honest, no,” he stuttered. “Where are you getting your information from?”

“I had lunch with Tiffany before she died, and she told me she was in a relationship with Tyler. At the time, she didn’t know he was married. Do you think I’m misinformed?”

“I’ve known Tyler and Jana for years. I’m not sure why your friend told you what she did, but I don’t believe it.”

It was obvious I was pushing buttons he didn’t want pushed, and based on the look on his face, he was just about at his breaking point.

“I get why you believe she was telling you the truth, given she was your friend and all,” he said. “To me, it makes no sense.”

It was about to ...

I leaned forward, looking him in the eye. “Given Tyler is your close friend, I understand why you’re being protective and covering for him.”

“I’m not.”

“You know what’s interesting about my job? I’m good at reading people. It helps me know when to turn up the heat with someone I’m questioning, or when to tone it down. I often know when a person is lying to me.”

Up to now, he’d kept his cool, but after my last comment, his expression soured. “I don’t like what you’re insinuating.”

“And I don’t like that you’re lying to me.”

Shaking his head, he said, “This conversation is over.”

Over for him, perhaps.

Not for me.

“Let’s go over the facts,” I said. “You’ve been tapping your foot on the floor nonstop for the last ten minutes. And then there are the words you’ve chosen to use, words like ‘to be honest.’ These are just a couple of indicators that a person is lying.”

He tipped his head toward his office door. “I’d like you to leave now, unless you’d rather I call the police and tell them I’m being harassed.”

Crossing one leg over the other, I said, “What a marvelous idea. Go right ahead.”

“What?”

“I said—Go. Right. Ahead.”

“Fine ... I—”

“Maybe between all of us we can get to the truth. There’s something I haven’t told you. Tiffany’s father had dinner with her before she died, and he met Tyler. I didn’t mention it before because I wanted to give you a chance to be honest with me.”

“I ... well, I ...”

“I’m not finished yet. You can lie to me and get away with it, but if you lie to the police, you’re breaking the law. Here’s another fact. Tyler’s wife knows about the affair. She confronted Tiffany at work, and they discussed it. So, what do you say, Jordan? Shall we try again?”