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I hadn’t made it more than three steps inside the office before Zoey charged at me, her voice raised, demanding information about Dominic.

I squared off with her, lifting a finger as I uttered, “No.”

“No ... what ?”

“If you want to have a conversation with me, you need to calm down and behave in a more civilized manner.”

“I am being civilized. It’s obvious you don’t care about my feelings, or about what I’m going through!”

“Take a breath, Zoey, and then we’ll have a conversation. Or don’t, and we won’t. It’s up to you.”

“You can’t talk to me this way. I’m your client.”

“Does being my client give you free rein to treat me any way you like? If you believe it does, you’re mistaken.”

Zoey fisted her hands, and I stepped back. For a moment, I thought she might attempt to strike me, but she didn’t. She burst into tears and plopped down on the sofa, bawling into her hands.

I thought about consoling her in some way but decided against it. Perhaps the best thing to do was to give her a moment to work through her feelings.

I walked past her toward Simone and Hunter. I suggested they take a break and leave the office, returning for our scheduled meeting in an hour—a suggestion they were happy to accept. As they made their exit, I went to the kitchen, fixing myself a cup of tea, which I took to my office. Thinking some relaxing music might help ease the tension, I flipped through my playlists, finding one of my meditation soundtracks.

A few minutes went by and then Zoey stood, straightening her shirt before sauntering in my direction.

She entered the office and crossed her arms, looking at me like she was waiting for me to say something.

“Are you feeling any better?” I asked.

“I ... yeah, a little.”

“Good, take a seat. Can I get you a glass of water, or some herbal tea, or a soda?”

She glanced at my teacup and scrunched up her face. “I’ve never cared for tea. You have anything stronger?”

It was ten o’clock in the morning, but given how wound up she was, I had no problem doing whatever was needed to make her comfortable.

“What’s your idea of stronger?” I asked. “Coffee?”

“Gin, if you’ve got it, and if you don’t, coffee will have to do.”

Gin wasn’t something I kept on hand. When I did indulge in spirits, I much preferred vodka. Simone, on the other hand, loved a gin and tonic, and I was sure she wouldn’t mind sparing a shot or two for a good cause.

“Let me see what I can find,” I said. “I’ll be right back.”

I found gin, and a variety of other things, in a small cabinet in Simone’s office. Poking my head out of her office door, I said, “How do you take it?”

“I’m partial to Negroni’s, but I don’t expect you have anything to make a cocktail.”

“I can make a gin and tonic.”

“That works.”

I nodded, whipped up her drink and then returned to my desk.

“I heard about Dominic,” she said, as I handed her a glass.

“I figured.”

She sniffled a few times. “I also heard you were there around the time he ... you know ... offed himself.”

“Who told you?”

“Lenore called me about an hour ago.”

“Were you aware she visited Dominic a few times after Noelle died?”

“What do you mean?”

“Dominic told me she stopped by to see him more than once.”

“Lenore said she bought him a casserole this morning, and the police were there. One of the neighbors told her they’d overheard Dominic was dead. She’d overheard a cop saying something to another cop about Dominic taking his own life.”

“It’s funny she brought him another casserole.”

“ Another casserole?”

“Yeah, she took him one yesterday too.”

“I wonder why she’s been by to see him so many times.”

I leaned back, crossing one leg over the other. “Lenore is single, right?”

“Yeah, she is, why?”

“When I saw her at Dominic’s house yesterday, I got the feeling she may have been checking in because she was interested in him.”

“ Interested ... in a romantic way?”

“Yes.”

“How could she even consider such a thing? He’d just lost his wife.”

“I don’t know,” I said. “It was just an observation. Inviting Lenore to your engagement party didn’t bother you at all?”

She shrugged. “It didn’t. Lucas sees her like a sister now, and she’s always been respectful of our relationship. He wanted her to come, so I thought, why not?”

I could think of a few reasons, though I didn’t say.

“What happened yesterday, when you went to see Dominic?” she asked.

I paused a moment, considering how much I wanted to say.

“After I was there for a few minutes, Dominic asked Lenore to leave, and we talked for a while,” I said. “He wasn’t in the best of spirits. At first, he didn’t want to talk to me, and then he changed his mind, telling me I could ask him anything I wanted. Why didn’t you tell me about the women’s center?”

“It didn’t come to mind when we spoke the first time.”

“Seems to me it’s an important detail, one I should have been told about.”

“Why?”

“What if the reason she was murdered is tied to the center in some way?”

Zoey raised a brow. “You think so?”

“I do.”

“I don’t see how it could be. Noelle was careful, not just with the alias she used. To my knowledge, none of the women who came to the center knew much about her personal life, or even where she lived.”

Someone knew where she lived, the same someone who wanted her dead.

Zoey went quiet for a moment, then said, “Sorry about ... you know, my attitude when you first got here.”

“I’m just glad you’re in a place where we can talk now. I’m sure hearing about Dominic was unsettling. I’d hoped to tell you myself, but Lenore beat me to it.”

“I’m upset about Dominic’s suicide, but that’s not all. Lucas called off the wedding last night.”

“Why? What happened?”

“He’s been struggling with the way I’ve handled Noelle’s death. I’ll admit, I haven’t been the best person to be around lately.”

“I lost someone once, someone who was my entire world, and what I learned is that we all grieve in our own way, in our own time.”

“How did you get through it?”

“I quit my job, bought an Airstream, and I went off the grid for a while.”

“You seem to have it together now. How did you get past it?”

“I don’t think I’ll ever get past it, not all the way. I just decided to focus on what I can control instead of what I can’t. It will take time. You’ll get there.”

“It wasn’t my intention to push Lucas away the last couple of weeks. I didn’t even realize I was doing it.”

“Is that what he said—that he felt you’d distanced yourself from him?” I asked.

“Yeah, among other things.”

“When you say Lucas called off the wedding, is it temporary? Are the two of you still together?”

“I’m not sure. He said he thought it would be best if we took some time apart. We’re living together, but last night, he packed a bunch of his things, and he left. I don’t even know where he went. I tried calling, and he didn’t answer. He texted me to say he wanted a day to clear his head. I’m trying to give it to him, but it’s killing me.”

Her erratic outburst earlier made a lot more sense to me now.

First, Noelle was murdered, then Lucas either postponed or canceled the wedding, then he packed a bag and left, and today she learned Dominic was dead too. It would be enough for anyone to break.

Zoey finished off the gin and tonic and dropped the empty cup into the trash. “Why do you think Dominic killed himself? He had a daughter. How could he do that to her after what she’s already going through?”

“I got the impression he didn’t want to live in a world if Noelle wasn’t in it. The way he talked about her when I visited with him made me feel like she meant everything to him. Would you agree?”

“Yes, I would. It was the first thing that came to mind when I heard about what happened, even though I didn’t want to believe it. I figured he’d have a rough go of it for a time, but somehow, he’d muddle through and be there for Kiera. I feel so sorry for her. Losing two parents in a month. It’s heartbreaking.”

My thoughts turned to another question I wanted to ask.

“Do you know a man named Gabe Romero?” I asked.

She blinked at me, shocked at the name I’d just spoken.

Based on her expression, she knew him.

“How do you know about Gabe?” she asked.

“Dominic told me about him, and about what happened when they were in high school. You know about it, right?”

“I know he forced Noelle to have sex after she’d said no. It was a long time before she shared the story with me, but when she did, she told me everything.”

“Did you know he was released from prison?”

She nodded. “I guess now would be a good time for me to confess something. Not only do I know he’s been out for a while, I went to see him.”

“When?”

“Oh, about a week after he was released.”

“Did Noelle and Dominic know about your visit?”

“Well, no. I thought it would be best to keep it to myself.”

“Why?”

“I didn’t want Noelle to be reminded of a past she was trying to forget.”

Spoken like a true friend.

“What did you say to him?” I asked.

“My plan was to get in his face, tell him I’d kill him if he ever came anywhere near Noelle again. I had this vision of who I thought he was, an evil, horrible person. And then I saw him face to face, and he was a lot different than I expected.”

“In what way?”

“He got super religious in prison. I’m not sure what he was like when Dominic and Noelle knew him, but now he’s soft-spoken, and he referred to several different scripture passages during our conversation. When I said Noelle’s name, it was like his body went limp. He grabbed the door for support, and then he started crying and saying he was sorry over and over again.”

“Do you think it could have all been an act?”

“I’ve always felt like I can get a good read on people. His behavior, the tears, the remorse, it all seemed genuine to me.”

Genuine.

Ted Bundy had been described as genuine in character.

And then he murdered thirty women over a four-year killing spree.

I wasn’t buying it.

I was also starting to question all the things she hadn’t told me during our first meeting. If she wanted justice for her friend, I would have expected her to tell me everything, no matter how irrelevant it may have seemed.

“Don’t you think you should have told me about Gabe and the visit you had with him during our first meeting?” I asked.

“I mean, maybe. I guess I don’t know why her past with him is relevant. He didn’t kill her.”

“How can you be so sure?”

“I just am.”

“Do you know where he lives?”

“I know where he was living when I went to see him. Not sure where he is now.”

It seemed odd to me that Zoey went to see Gabe with the intention of threatening him if he ever tried to see Noelle again. And yet, here she was standing up for him, acting like the rapist was now a saint.

Some people think others can change.

I say, maybe they can, but not that much.

“How many people work at the women’s center?” I asked.

“I’m not sure. Even though Noelle was passionate about it, she was private when it came to sharing any personal details. It didn’t surprise me. She’d always been a private person.”

“Is there a specific person who runs the center?”

“Yeah, a woman named Barbara. Not sure about the last name.”

Barbara.

I jotted the name down in my notebook.

“I’ve got another name for you,” Zoey said. “I’ve been going over the conversations I had with Noelle in the weeks before her death, and I remembered something.”

“Go on.”

“Noelle taught tennis lessons once a week at Royal Palms. She didn’t need the money, of course. She did it for the love of the game. A few weeks ago, I picked her up for lunch, and she was upset, which wasn’t like her.”

“Did she say why?”

“A woman who works at Royal Palms told Noelle she suspected someone working at the club was embezzling money.”

“Who was this woman?”

“I’m not sure. Noelle didn’t give me a name. I’m guessing she would be someone who knows about the financials of the company.”

“Did she tell Noelle who she suspected of stealing money?”

“She did, and Noelle even told me the man’s name, but no matter how much I’ve thought about it, I can’t recall it.”

“You know it’s a man. That’s something.”

Was it possible Noelle had confronted the man?

If she had, and if she’d said something like he needed to turn himself in or she would do it for him, it was a perfect motive for murder.

Zoey’s phone made a dinging sound, and she grabbed it, reading the text message she’d just received. A few seconds later, she shot out of her chair, saying, “I gotta go. Lucas wants to meet.”

“Good luck.”

“Hey, thanks, I need it. And about earlier ... will you apologize to your coworkers for me? I was a bit snippy with them when I first arrived.”

I nodded. “Will do.”