Page 52 of Tangled Up In You

While he wasn't going to date Molly, he still wanted to help her. He'd had no luck tracking down Ethan Mercer. Nor had he found a connection yet between Mercer and anyone in the families that Caroline had married into. But he wasn't going to stop looking. There hadn't been another break-in yet, but he wasn't convinced there wouldn't be, and that worried him, especially since Molly lived just above the store.

He'd gone to Nina Williamson's apartment complex and had discovered a few things about her. One, she had not been planning to move to Florida until next year but had shocked everyone by leaving the day after Phoebe died. One neighbor had suggested that Nina might have been running from a man, someone who seemed to be arguing with her the day prior.

That fact bothered him. It could be completely unrelated, but the timing was odd. He'd managed to get a little more information out of the neighbor, which had led him to a massage spa in Miami, where Nina apparently worked as a therapist. When he'd called, he hadn't identified himself as a police officer, just said he was a client of Nina's. He was afraid she wouldn't get on the phone if she knew the police wanted to speak to her.

Finally, a voice came over the phone. "Hello, this is Nina," she said. "Who am I speaking with?"

"Detective Adam Cole." He heard her quick intake of breath.

"What can I do for you, Detective?"

"I want to talk to you about Phoebe, about the store."

"I'm working right now. I don't have time."

"It won't take long."

"I have nothing to say. It was tragic what happened to her. I still have nightmares about it, but I'm not there anymore. There's a new owner, and whatever questions you have should be directed to her."

"Why did you leave the day after Phoebe died? Your neighbors said you packed in a rush. You left your furniture behind. Why, Nina? Why did you need to get out of town so quickly?"

"I was shaken by Phoebe's sudden death. I'd been wanting to leave for a while, and it just seemed like a sign that I should go immediately."

"One of your neighbors said you had an intense conversation with a man outside the building the day before. She thought you were afraid. Who were you talking to?"

"I—I don't remember arguing with anyone."

"If you're in trouble, Nina, I can help you."

"I'm not in trouble; I'm in Miami, and I'm starting a new life. There's nothing you can help me with."

"Tell me about the day Phoebe died. Where were you?"

"I was out for lunch. When I got back, I found her. I really can't talk any longer."

"Here's the thing, Nina. I believe you know more than you're saying. Maybe you even got involved in something you shouldn't have. I'm going to find out what it is. I'm not going to stop until I do, whether you're in Miami or you're here in Whisper Lake. And I am really good at my job. You need to tell me what you know, and if I can help you, I will."

Silence followed his words. Finally, she said, "A man came to the shop the day before Phoebe died. He wanted to know where the boxes were, the ones from Caroline Montgomery. I told him they hadn't arrived yet. They were supposed to come that afternoon. He told me that there was something in the boxes that wasn't supposed to go to Phoebe, and he needed to retrieve it."

"Did he say what it was?"

"No. I told him that Phoebe would not hang onto something that wasn't meant for her, but I was pretty sure she was going to look through everything Caroline had left her before giving anything up. He said he couldn't wait that long, and he offered me a thousand dollars to let him into the shop that night. I refused. I went home, but he followed me, and he threatened me. When that didn't work, he upped the offer to two thousand dollars in cash. My husband left me last year with no money and a lot of debt. He only wanted to take something back from Caroline, so in the end, I gave him a key. I told him that if he went there at night, the alarm system would be on. Phoebe always put it on at night. If he went in the next day, Phoebe and I would be gone from noon to one for lunch."

"But Phoebe was there."

"Yes. She was supposed to meet me at a volunteer lunch, but she didn't show up. I don't know what happened with the guy. I don't know if he went in and found her dead or…"

His pulse sped up. "Or what? He killed her?"

"I don't see how. The paramedics said she had a heart attack. So, I think that was it. I don't know if she even saw him."

"How long did you stay at the lunch?"

"Until one. When I got back, I found her. I should have left the lunch the minute I realized she wasn't coming. I did call her, but she didn't pick up. I feel terrible."

He didn't much care about her guilt. "You were her friend, and you left her alone in a store that you knew someone was going to enter, someone who wanted something Phoebe had."

"I thought he'd leave when he saw her there. He didn't seem to want to run into her. He wanted to go in when no one was there. Maybe that's what he did. I heard someone broke in after she died, so maybe he saw her and left."

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