Page 123 of Skeletons in the Closet

“Is Roan’s dad still in custody?”

“I don’t know.”

“They arrested him for the carbon monoxide incident.”

“They questioned him.”

“So they let him walk?”

“If they had no reason to charge him, then probably.”

“Could he be seeking revenge for his son’s murder? Remember in the articles we read, it said he raised hell with the police back in the day. He caused problems. Natalia said he was doing it again. Could he have found out Olivia and Beth were involved?Shit, D. I never discovered what Natalia knew. It all turned sideways before we had a proper conversation.”

Diem didn’t respond. He stared blankly across the street, seemingly deep in thought. His jaw tensed and relaxed several times. His hands held a death grip on the steering wheel.

“Diem?”

“I need a smoke.” He put the Jeep in gear and drove off without another word.

I left him to his thoughts.

Back at the office, he didn’t think twice. He grabbed a pack of cigarettes from his desk and headed back out the door, slamming it behind him. I heard his sign clatter to the ground. Only when I was sure Diem was gone did I open the door and hang it back up. The poor thing had a new crack.

I waited in the part of the office where he lived, inching closer to Baby’s enclosure to admire the loathsome snake. She was back inside her hollowed-out log, coiled tightly, seemingly snoozing. How could you tell if a snake was asleep? Did they have eyelids?

My skin shivered with goose bumps.

“He must have fed you, huh?” Braver, since I wasn’t about to be a boa’s next meal, I squatted, putting myself at eye level. “He swears you aren’t dangerous. Is it true? Do you have murderous thoughts? You can tell me.”

Admiring the habitat Diem had built for his pet, the rocks and vegetation, the warming light emitting tropical heat, and the sensors ensuring her environment was precise, I had to admit, it said something about the man. He cared.

“I’m sorry I called you ugly. For all I know, you’re a beauty queen in the snake world. Those markings might be all the rage.” I chuckled, considering Baby a fashion diva like me. “Can we make a deal? If you promise never to eat me, I’ll promise to stop saying mean things.”

Baby never responded to my proximity, so my heart settled. I tapped the glass, knowing it was probably the wrong thing to do since I’d been to the zoo and seen a million signs on the reptile enclosures warning people not to do such things.

It didn’t make a difference. Baby was content inside her log and didn’t respond.

Diem returned and found me crouched by the aquarium.

“Hey,” I said, straightening. “We were just chatting. We called a truce. She won’t eat me, and I’ll stop name-calling. We didn’t shake on it, but I think she was on board.”

Diem gave me an odd look before glancing at his pet snake. “Do you want to hold her?”

I chuckled. “That would still be a big fat no. Besides, she looks content. Why piss her off?”

Diem didn’t respond. He was the one who didn’t seem content. He was the one I had a strong urge to hold.

“Feel better?”

“No.” He stared at Baby for a long time before meeting my eyes. The storms I was used to seeing were gone, but in their place was something akin to sorrow. “Our case is over. I’m officially closing it. I’ll meet with Faye and tell her Noah wasn’t a cheat. We found no evidence in that regard. If Fox and Doyle want to chat with her about Noah’s involvement in a murder, that’s on them.”

“Wait. What? You’re quitting? Are you serious?”

“Yes.”

“But we don’t have answers. How can—”

“We do. I was not hired to investigate the murder of a kid from 2010. I was hired to check up on potential infidelity.”

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