Page 46 of Skeletons in the Closet

“Ican’t say for certain yet, Ms. Willard.”

“It’s Faye, and I don’t understand why it’s so hard to prove.” She huffed and crossed her arms over her ample bosom. Her clothes were frumpy again today, joggers and a worn, unflattering T-shirt. “I know he was cheating. A wife can tell. Noah showed all the signs, and that Olivia bitch was at my house acting all too familiar. Stupid blonde bimbo. I don’t know what he saw in her. For that matter, I don’t know what she saw in him. It’s not like he was packing heat if you know what I mean. His Wee Willy Winky wasn’t anything to brag about.”

The worst part of my job was dealing with clients. It took effort to manage my temper and put together enough words to properly converse. But without clients, I had no cases. Without cases, I had no job. Without a job, I was fucked, and there wasn’t much in life I was good at outside of investigative work. Life would be far easier if I had a means of bridging the gapbetween them and me. It was always worse when clients like Faye hounded me for answers before I was ready to give them.

“If you’re so certain Noah was cheating, why am I trying to prove anything?” I mumbled into her exposé about her dearly departed husband and their sex life.

“Because I need to know for sure.”

I still didn’t understand what difference it made. The man was dead. But it wasn’t my job to ask those types of questions. If Faye wanted me to find proof, I needed to find proof—if it existed.

“You realize the difficulty of uncovering a cheating spouse when your spouse is dead, Ms. Willard.”

“It’s Faye.”

“I can’t exactly catch him in the act.”

“But she was at my house, and I know Noah snuck off with her more than once. I saw them embracing. I know you think I’m crazy, but I want answers. All I do is sit around and wonder where he was sticking his tool when my back was turned. You know he barely took me to bed in the last few months he was alive. He used to be a three-times-a-week man. I could set my calendar to his libido, and I was never wrong. Do you know why our sex life died? Because he had a side piece, and that piece was Olivia.”

Grinding my teeth to dust, I spun the fidget spinner below the desk and out of Faye’s line of sight. She’d shown up unexpectedly when I’d been ready to step out for food, and there didn’t seem to be any way of getting rid of her before she was satisfied she had a proper update.

“Olivia Lansky has been difficult to investigate.”

Faye sulked.

“Did you know that bitch had the gall to show up at his funeral? The audacity. Mind you, she didn’t come inside the church, but I saw her at the cemetery. She brought another bimbo with her. A brunette. Probably a friend. Lord knows shecouldn’t bring her husband for support. Can you imagine? How would she explain that? ‘Oh, look, dear, that’s the man I was fucking behind your back. Isn’t it sad?’”

“A brunette?”

“Yeah. Not as pretty as Bimbo Barbie.”

“Did you know who she was?”

“They were too far away to get a proper look, but I didn’t recognize her.”

“Do you know a woman named Beth Rowell?”

“No. Why? Was Noah fucking her too?” Faye’s voice rose an octave with the question.

“She’s likely the brunette you saw. She’s a friend of Mrs. Lansky. How about Sean Rowell? Is that name familiar? He’s in real estate. Did you buy your house from him?”

Faye dismissed the question with a wave. “Have you talked to this Beth person? Maybe she knows what my husband was up to. Friends are never loyal, and women love to gossip.”

“I’m still following leads. It would help to know if your family has any outside connection with the Rowells.”

“Never heard of them. Talk to this woman. I’m telling you, if she’s friends with Barbie, she’ll know the truth. Bribe her. I’ll give her money for answers. Whatever it takes.”

“Ms. Willard, I’d be more apt to believe Noah was involved with Olivia’s friend than Olivia herself.”

Faye flinched, eyes widening. “Really?” She sat forward on the chair, making the plastic creak. “What makes you think that?”

“Some of the information I’ve gathered loosely suggests it.Loosely.Don’t quote me. Like I said, I’m still looking into things.”

“What information? What did you find? What do you know? How certain are you? I knew there was more than one.”

“I’m not certain, and I can’t share anything specific right now. If it proves fruitful, we’ll talk.”

“I have rights.”

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