Page 23 of Little Empty Promises

Not always, though I wasn’t about to mention it, not after hearing about what he and my sister were going through.

“I’m not here for political reasons,” Benjamin said.“When it comes to murders like this one, I suppose I have some unresolved issues.And the fact this latest murder has taken place in my own backyard, I’m hoping it won’t be too long before its solved.”

“We’re doing everything we can to make sure we find the person responsible,” Foley said.“And we’ll be doing it with Georgiana’s help.”

“Oh?”

“Cordelia Bennett’s sister came to see me this morning,” I said.“She’s hired my agency to conduct our own investigation.”

Benjamin clapped his hands together.“This is fantastic news.The two of you working together should speed things up, and then we can all move on.”

And there it was—his secondary motive—if it was, in fact, secondary.

With the murder being the talk of the town, it overshadowed the election, putting the late Cordelia Bennett in the spotlight, a place I was sure Benjamin and Octavia had expected they’d be right about now.

Benjamin turned toward Foley.“If you have a few more minutes to spare, would you fill me in on what you know about the case so far?”

Foley and I exchanged glances, and I hesitated, waiting to hear how much he was willing to divulge.

“We’re following up on a couple of leads, talking to the neighbors of the deceased, and those who knew her,” Foley said.

It was an answer that wasn’t an answer, which told me he wanted to exercise caution, keeping the more intimate details close to the vest for now.

The plan suited me just fine.

Foley seemed to have no desire to mention the note we’d found at the library or what was said at the end of one of the letters Cordelia sent her sister.He was offering Benjamin breadcrumbs, and Benjamin struck me as an intelligent man, someone who would pick up on it.

“Any theories yet?Suspects?”Benjamin asked.

“No suspects.As far as we’re aware, no one saw the murder take place.If they have, they haven’t come forward.We’ve taken several items into evidence.Once everything is examined, we hope it will produce new leads.Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a full day of work ahead of me.”

Benjamin appeared dismayed with Foley’s response, but he was quick to say, “Of course.I won’t take up any more of your time.”

“I appreciate it.”

Benjamin left Foley’s office, and I followed suit.Once we reached the hallway, he turned back, looking me in the eye as he said, “I’m thrilled to hear of your involvement with this case.Let’s talk again soon.”

I nodded, certain we would talk again, sooner rather than later.

10

Phoebe was dressed in a pair of blue silk pajamas when she greeted me at the door, and her hair was disheveled, like it hadn’t been brushed in days.She looked frail, which made me wonder if she’d been eating.She had big, black circles under her eyes and what looked like the remnants of old mascara stuck to her cheeks.

She tipped her head toward the bag I was holding and said, “What’s in there?”

“Ben & Jerry’s ice cream.I’ve brought Chewy Gooey Cookie for you and Chocolate Therapy for me.Can I come in?”

She swung the door all the way open and waved me inside.“Sorry, the house is a mess.I gave the cleaners the week off, and I just haven’t felt up to doing any housework this week.”

To say the house was a mess was an understatement.Unlike me, who couldn’t relax at the end of the day unless my home was tidy and in order, Phoebe had always struggled in the cleanliness department.

Today, her house had the distinct aroma of pizza.There were piles of clothes everywhere, some dishes in the sink, and a watery red substance on the tile floor in the kitchen.Given there was a half-empty wineglass on the counter, and an open bottle of merlot next to it, it seemed obvious the watery substance on the floor was wine.If wine was what she needed to cope, I didn’t blame her.

Seeing the house in its current state stirred up my anxiety, but I was determined not to let it show, or to dive right in and start tidying the place myself.

Phoebe noticed me looking around and said, “I know, I know.There are clothes everywhere.It’s like a clothing bomb went off in here.”

“It’s all right.”

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