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Simone poked her head inside the door, her eyes darting around.

“You two can come in,” I said. “Zoey’s gone, and she apologized about her behavior.”

Simone breathed a sigh of relief and entered the office.

Hunter followed close behind.

Both ladies walked to my office and sat down.

“So ... how did it go?” Simone asked.

“Better than you think. It took some time, but I got her to calm down.”

“How?”

“She asked if we had any gin, and I found a bottle in your office. I made her one drink. Hope that’s okay.”

Simone swished a hand through the air. “Yeah, sure. Whatever works. What was her deal, anyway?”

“She found out about Dominic right before she came here, and she was already having a bad start to her morning. Her fiancé pulled the plug on their wedding last night.”

“Why?”

“I get the feeling Zoey’s been erratic since Noelle died. I’m sure it’s been hard for him to handle. He did text her while she was here, though, and asked to meet, so maybe there’s still hope for the two of them.”

Hunter nodded, folding her arms as she leaned back in the chair. “Let’s talk about the case. What can you tell us about it?”

I told them about the engagement party, the power outage, and Noelle’s murder. Then I talked about my visit with Dominic and what we discussed before his suicide.

When I finished, Simone shook her head. “Man, I feel so bad for the child. Both parents dying so close together. How’s she doing?”

“I don’t know. I’ve been so busy I haven’t had time to check in on her. I’m planning on doing it today.”

“Who’s the girl with, do you know?”

“Noelle’s mother. She lives in town.”

“Have you met with Silas about Noelle?”

“I have.”

“What did he have to say?”

“He focused on the cause of death. Noelle was manually strangled, and she had fingerprint indentations on her neck, bruises from where she’d been grabbed. He seems to think they’re too large to have been made by a woman.”

“That’s a start,” Hunter said.

“What about Foley and Whitlock?” Simone asked. “Do they know we’re investigating this case?”

“I spoke with them right after I accepted it.”

“Good, now ... how can we help?”

I grabbed my notebook, flipping back to the page I needed. I tore it out and set it in front of them. “Here’s a list of all the people who were still at the party when the murder took place. Hunter, I’d like you to run a background check on them, see what you can find.”

“What about me?” Simone asked.

“Once Hunter gives you their details, I’d like you to speak to them, get their version of what happened that night, so we can see if everyone’s stories match up. And, I have something for you.” I opened my drawer, pulling out the baggie of photos, and I handed it to her. “Zoey said these photos were taken at the engagement party. I’ve been through them, and none seem suspicious. As you talk to the party guests, look through the photos. Maybe you’ll see something important that I missed.”

“Sure thing. Any preference on who I should talk to first?”

I pressed a finger to Lenore’s name. “This woman’s a curious one.”

“How so?”

“She is Zoey’s fiancé’s ex-girlfriend, so the fact she was even invited to their engagement party seems strange to me. I guess they’re still good friends, and Zoey doesn’t seem to mind. Even stranger is that Lenore has been stopping by Dominic’s house ever since Noelle died.”

“What the ...? Does she even know the guy?”

“Not well. The first time they met was at the engagement party.”

“Then why was she going over there?”

“She said she was checking on him, bringing him a casserole. But from what I understand, there were multiple casseroles delivered.”

“Uhh, one casserole I can understand,” Simone said. “Multiple? Seems sketchy.”

“I think so too.”

“What’s your opinion about her visits?”

“I think she was interested in Dominic ... well, in his money, at least.”

Simone and Hunter exchanged glances, and Simone tapped a finger to the top of my desk, thinking. “Silas may be leaning toward a male killer. But what if ... and this is a bit of a stretch, but hear me out—what if Lenore showed up to the party, saw the lavish lifestyle Dominic and Noelle were living, and in a moment of jealousy, she murdered Noelle, hoping to step in and cash in on the lifestyle herself?”

“It’s a theory, and Lenore is on my radar. I don’t think someone would attend a party where they meet the hosts for the first time and make a rash decision to murder the wife in the hopes of assuming their lifestyle. If they’d known each other before, that would be different.”

“She was strangled by hand,” Simone said, “which tells me her death may have been personal.”

“I thought the same thing.”

“Do you have any suspects yet?” Hunter asked.

“When I was talking to Dominic, he shared a dark part of Noelle’s past. He admitted she was raped in high school by a guy named Gabe Romero, and Hunter, I’d like you to see if you can locate where he’s living now so I can pay him a visit. I also want to know about his background and who his parents are.”

Hunter grabbed a pen sitting next to my notebook and added his name to the list, along with the words EVIL RAPIST beside it.

“Gabe was Noelle’s boyfriend at the time of the rape, which happened when they were at the park one night. He pushed her to have sex, and when she refused, he hit her, and then he raped her. Not long after, Dominic walked by, saw her crying, and that’s how their relationship began. He talked her into telling the police about it, and she turned Gabe in.”

“Did he serve any time?”

“He did. He pled guilty, went to prison, and he’s out now. And here’s the strangest part—Zoey just admitted to me that she went to see him after his release. Her original plan, she said, was to threaten him if he ever came near Noelle again, but when she was face to face with him, he was full of humility, like he’d found Jesus and changed his ways. Zoey bought it. She doesn’t think he was involved with Noelle’s murder.”

“What do you think?”

“Many sociopaths are skilled in the area of deception. I want to meet this guy and see what I think of him myself. He may have fooled her. He won’t fool me.”

“I’ll see what I can find out about him,” Hunter said. “Anything else?”

“I want to know all the names of the staff members at Royal Palms.”

“The tennis club? Why?”

“Noelle taught lessons there once a week. During a recent lunch date, Noelle told Zoey she’d heard from one of the female employees that another employee—a male—was embezzling funds.”

“Does this woman have a name?”

“Noelle didn’t give it.”

“What about the man’s name?”

“Problem is, Zoey can’t remember it.”

Simone ran a hand through her hair, shaking her head as she said, “This is a lot to take in. But we’re off to a good start with these leads.”

“We are, and now it’s time we get to work.”