Page 22 of Little Dark Deeds (Georgiana Germaine #12)

“Hello, Everett.”

He rubbed his temples as if trying to press the negative thoughts away. “It’s good to see you, Georgiana, though I’d prefer it if it were under different circumstances.”

“I would too. How have you been?”

It was a stupid question.

I knew how he was doing.

I guessed the same as me.

“I’ve been better,” he said. “You?”

“Trying to live with the reality of what’s happened, though I suspect it would be a whole lot easier to live in denial.”

“Tell me about it. I can’t believe it, you know? I just saw Tiffany a week ago. We had a nice chat, caught up on both of our lives. She wasn’t in the best of spirits that day, but she was excited for your wedding. I’m assuming it was a joyous occasion?”

“It was, although the moment I heard about what happened to Tiffany, everything changed,” I said.

“All I wanted was to get back here and nail the guy who did this to her. A few of the wedding guests knew what happened to Tiffany on the day of my wedding, but they waited until the next morning to tell me. I think I knew before that, though. I had a strange dream that night.”

“I’ve been having strange dreams too.”

If he only knew ...

“In the past week, I’ve learned some things Tiffany never mentioned to me,” I said.

He tapped a finger to the table, nodding. “Before we get too far into this conversation, I’m in desperate need of a cup of coffee.”

I scooted out of the booth. “I’ll get you one. How do you take it?”

“Black, no sugar.”

“Coming right up.”

As I walked to the front counter, my thoughts were on Everett.

While he looked polished and presentable on the outside, I imagined he was scarred on the inside, just like me.

Everett hadn’t just been Tiffany’s work colleague; he’d been her closest guy friend for over twenty years.

They first met in law school and had even tried dating each other at one time.

It wasn’t long before they realized that although they shared a great affection for one another, they were better friends than they were lovers.

If anyone knew about the things Tiffany hadn’t told me, it was him. Not only had he worked with her day in and day out, but I’d also always found him to be a perfect listener, offering unwavering support. He was a lot like Tiffany in that way.

I ordered Everett a coffee, a lavender, oat-milk latte for myself, and a couple of cheese Danishes, because ... well, anything that included cheese in its name was hard to resist, wasn’t it?

As I returned to the table, I glanced out the window, noticing a green vintage sedan parked across the street under a shade tree. It had been idling there since I’d pulled into the parking lot, idling. Maybe nothing of note, but I was sure I’d seen that exact car on Tiffany’s street yesterday.

I sat my offerings on the table and said, “I’m sure you know why I asked to see you this morning. If it’s too hard to talk here, we can go somewhere else—somewhere we’re not overheard as much as we might if we stay here.”

“Where do you suggest?”

“We could take a stroll around the park. It’s often quiet in the morning and not too busy. And given we can walk from here; it seems like a good option.”

He agreed, and we gathered up our items, exiting the coffee shop. As we crossed the street, I turned my attention back to the idling car and the lady I could see slouching in the driver’s seat.

I turned toward Everett, saying. “I think I’m being followed.”

“Oh?”

I tipped my head toward the car. “I met a few older ladies yesterday, inquisitive, boundary-pushing types. It seems one of them, the ringleader of the group, is tracking my every move now. I should go and talk with her. You’re welcome to come with me, if you’d like.”

“Sure, why not?”

We changed course, heading straight for the sedan. The moment its occupant spotted me, she attempted to lower herself even farther into the seat, but it was far too late.

She’d been made.

I tapped a knuckle to the glass. “Open up, Queenie. There’s no use hiding. I know you’ve been following me.”

She sat straight up, smiling as the window came down.

“Why hello, Detective,” she said. “Fancy meeting you here. I’ve been out running a few early morning errands.”

“Errands that include following me around town?”

“Oh, no. I’ve done nothing of the kind. In fact, I was just thinking of getting myself a cup of tea, and since 2 Little Figs has so many options ... well, here I am.”

I crossed my arms. “It doesn’t take ten minutes to get out of the car and walk over. If you planned on getting a cup of tea, why are you still sitting here?”

“How do you know how long I’ve been here?”

“I saw you out the window of the café.”

Queenie pressed her wrists together and extended them toward me, tossing her head back as she snorted a laugh. “Well, I suppose the jig is up. Go ahead, arrest me for being at the same place at the same time as you.”

“It’s not funny.”

She waved me off, shifting her attention to Everett. “And who might you be, handsome?”

I turned toward Everett, head shaking. “You don’t need to answer.”

“It’s all right. I’m Everett.”

“What are you doing here, Queenie?” I asked.

“Helping you with your case, of course.”

“How is following me helping?”

“I don’t know how many times I have to say I wasn’t following you, though I’m glad I ran into you. I tried calling. You didn’t answer.”

“When?”

“This morning.”

I picked my phone out of my pocket and looked at it, shocked to see I’d had two missed calls from the same unknown number. In my haste to get to the coffee shop on time, I’d forgotten to turn the ringer back on.

“My ringer was on silent,” I said. “Why did you call?”

“I saw someone,” Queenie said, “inside Tiffany’s house—a man, not one hour ago.”

“How do you know it was a man and not a woman?”

“He was tall.”

“Women can be tall too, you know. Did you get a look at his face?”

“I did not.”

“Where is he now?”

“He left in a white pickup truck. I have the license plate written down in my notebook, but we won’t be needing it now will we , Mr. Everett?”

It seemed she wasn’t following me, after all.

She was following him , and I was sure she was shocked to arrive at the coffee shop to find the two of us together.

I turned to Everett, whose face had gone pale. “Well? Were you at Tiffany’s house this morning?”

“I can explain,” he said.

“Good. I can’t wait to hear it.”

“I was there, yes. But I didn’t break in. I have a key.”

“Why?” I asked.

“After your wedding, Tiffany planned to stay in New York for a couple of weeks.”

“I had no idea. She never told me.”

“She thought a little time away might help her clear her head and move past the breakup.”

“Sounds like something she would do, though it doesn’t explain why you have a key to her house or why you were there this morning.”

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 asked you to 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 seen you before?”

“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.”