Page 9 of Little Hidden Fears

“Zoey just wants answers, and though she’s friends with Noelle’s husband Dominic, she told me he’s not talking to anyone much anymore.”

“Why would he?” Foley said. “The man’s mourning his wife. A bit hard to do it in peace with that friend around. Ask me, there isn’t a peaceful bone in the woman’s body.”

“I’m glad you’re on the case,” Whitlock said. “Between the three of us, I’m sure we’ll be able to solve her murder and bring peace to Noelle’s loved ones.”

I’d always admired Whitlock’s optimism. He’d come out of retirement to become a detective again. We’d collaborated on several cases over the past four years, and though he was in hisearly seventies, the fact I’d always considered myself an old soul made it easy for us to bond.

“What do you know about the murder so far?” I asked.

“We’ve been conducting interviews,” Foley said. “A whole lotta them.”

“Have you come across any useful information?”

“Not much. None of the guests seem to have a motive. Most of ’em either didn’t know Noelle, or if they did, they didn’t know her well.”

“We’ve crossed them off the suspect list ...for now,” Whitlock added.

“Did any of the guests see or hear anything around the time of the murder?” I asked.

“One of the women we spoke to was standing by the stairs when the lights went out.”

“Who?”

Foley leaned to the side, reaching for a folder on his desk. Opening it, he added, “Let’s see now, guest’s name was Lenore Whittaker.”

“How does she know Zoey and Lucas?”

“Get this, she’s Lucas’ ex-girlfriend, if you can believe it. Said she remained friends with him after they broke up.”

Friends was one thing.

Attending the engagement party of your ex was another.

“How long ago did their relationship end?” I asked.

“It’s been a couple of years. She admitted they get together from time to time.”

“Do you mean they see each other, or are you saying they’ve had sex post breakup?”

Foley’s face went red.

Whitlock, who seemed amused by Foley’s expression, cleared his throat, like he was trying not to laugh.

“Who knows what they’re doing,” Foley said. “Not my business.”

“What else did Lenore say?”

“She claims when she met Zoey, they became fast friends. Such a different world we live in today, isn’t it?”

A world with all manner of different dynamics.

“What else did Lenore say?” I asked.

“Like I said before, she was standing by the stairs when the power went out. She swears no one went up or down the stairs during that time. Even with the commotion it caused, she insisted she would have heard someone if they were on the stairs at the time.”

“Was Lenore there alone, or with a date?”

“If she was with a date, she didn’t mention it,” Whitlock said. “This might sound strange, but when we spoke, I got the impression she was flirting with me.”