Page 65 of Whispers of Wisteria

Maria flinched, glanced out the window, and pursed her lips. A heavy silence fell over the vehicle before she finally sighed and answered, “I hate desk jobs. I boxed in high school and college.”

I tried not to show my elation. But this was somewhere I, Bianca Dubois, could finally assist. After all, there was no better thing than helping people reach their full potential.

It would be my first act of friendship.

“Then trust me.” I touched the card again and ran my thumb over the edge of the paper. “I’ll help you.”

My triumphant moment was short-lived because Maria’s expression twisted with guilt.

“In that case, I need to tell you something,” she said.

“What?” My stomach was already tightening.

Her voice was short when she answered, “We’ve been investigating Eric Richards.” She grabbed the steering wheel. “But we’re reaching the limits of what we can do without more information. Everyone is hesitant to talk to you about it.”

My ears buzzed, and my fingers tingled. But once I got ahold of myself, I’d tell her I was completely over it. Hadn’t I already said so more than once?

“I want to help you too.” She peered at me. “I think you’ll feel a lot better once you get closure. Help with the case, help them find him, and maybe you’ll be free.”

Free?

My stomach sank.

I wanted to argue with her, but I couldn’t. This was a time for bonding. We were supposed to share our worries and traumas while offering uplifting platitudes.

That was how itworked.

I could not mar the sanctity of this moment.

“What do they want from m-me? I can’t h-help with anything.” I pressed my finger firmly against the sharp edge of the card.

I couldn’t even explain why.

Maria was resting her temple on the steering wheel. She watched me with a soft expression, and when she spoke, sheseemed to choose her words carefully. “You don’t have to talk if you don’t want to. It’s up to you.”

The understanding in her voice made my head swim.

“Just do what you can,” she said. “Fuck their procedures; it’s only pushed you away. They can tailor the investigation to you. Anything will help, especially when we have almost nothing.”

I didn’t understand. “W-what do you want?”

“We need you at the scene,” Maria answered, and the world fell from under my feet. “There was a fire, and most of the building has been destroyed. If you could do a walk-through—even to explain the house’s layout—it would help tremendously.”

“You w-want me to go back?” My throat was closing up. I couldn’t!

Maria grabbed my hands. “I know it’ll be hard, but it’s over, Bianca. There’s nothing there that can hurt you.”

Yes, there was. He’d been possessive over that land—what if he was watching?

He would know if I helped. They would know.

“Eric Richards cannothurt you.” Maria shook my hands, her steady voice anchoring my drifting emotions. “You don’t even need to speak. You can spend the entire time walking around and pointing out anything we could use. Something we might not notice.”

Maybe, maybe.

That wasn’t so bad. Finally, I might be able to contribute something.

“It’s… burned?” I whispered through dry lips.