Page 86 of Little Buried Secrets

The bartender returned, clearing Simone’s first drink before setting down the second.

“Enough heavy talk,” Simone said. “Let’s talk about Kaia.”

“Did she have anything enlightening to say?”

“She sure did. Get this—she was driving home last week, and she passed Isaac. He saw her and turned around and started following her. When she pulled over, he approached her car and asked her out on a date.”

“After what he did at Sebastian’s house, he had the nerve to ask her out? Wow, that’s ballsy, even for him. What did she say?”

“She asked him to admit that he’d tricked her on the night of the party, and he admitted it. He even said he set her up so he could make a move on Margot. He started laughing and said he couldn’t understand why everyone was so upset about it. To him, it was just a joke.”

“How did Kaia respond?” I asked.

“She told him it wasn’t funny. His actions hurt people. Isaac laughed and told her to chill out. She flipped him the finger and sped off.”

“Good for her. Do you know what day she spoke to him?”

“Yep, the day after Margot went missing. Now it’s your turn to fill me in on what you’ve learned since I saw you last.”

I spent the next several minutes telling Simone about everyone I’d interviewed over the last few days.

When I finished, she said, “Let me see if I have this right. Your current suspects are Rae’s boyfriend, Grant, and Isaac, and Coach Warren, who I feel like you don’t want to be guilty of murder.”

“That’s my roster to date. I’m heading over to the wake in a few minutes. I hope to speak to Grant and Sebastian if they’re there. Then I’m going to check in on Coach Warren. He skipped the funeral service like he said he would. I’d like to know whether he’s talked to his wife since she left the house.”

“And I’d like to know if he’s as innocent as he seems. In my experience, no one can be as passive as he comes off all the time. It’s not realistic.”

Simone finished her Cosmopolitan and excused herself to use the restroom. My brother entered the bar a couple of minutes later, and I waved him over.

He took a seat next to me and said, “How’s she doing?”

“She’s all right. We talked about why funerals are hard for her.”

“I’m glad she told you. Thanks for being here with her, sis.”

“Any time.”

Simone returned from the restroom, and I hopped off the barstool, and we said our goodbyes. The wake was starting in ten minutes, and I didn’t want to miss a moment of it.

CHAPTER 35

The wake was a drop-in affair, and so far, only a few people had arrived, which was a good thing. Through Rae’s front window, I saw Grant standing by himself in the living room. He was holding a glass of beer and glancing at a series of photos of Margot on display on a shelf over the fireplace.

I made my way over to him.

“How are you doing?” I asked.

His eyes remained on a photo of Margot as he said, “Why? Are you here to interrogate me again?”

“I’m here to show my support for Rae and Bronte.”

He turned toward me, the expression on his face one of suspicion. “You don’t fool me. I’ve been around you enough this last week to know you’re always on the clock, scrutinizing everyone from every angle.”

“I’d like to think there’s more to me than what you see. You’re entitled to your opinion. I just don’t happen to share it.”

He paused and said, “Hell, maybe I am being too hard on you. I know you have a job to do.”

It wasn’t an apology, but it was something.

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