Page 48 of Little Empty Promises

While I appreciated Kayla’s desire to help explain the situation, she wasn’t making things better.She was making them worse—a lot worse.

Seth glared at me, a nasty look on his face.“Abuse?Is that why you’re here?Do you think Cordelia was talking about us?Do you think I abuse my wife?Because I don’t, and I never have.”

“I haven’t formed any conclusions,” I said.“I’m just trying to gather information.”

It wasn’t thecompletetruth.

I was forming conclusions with each conversation I had.

But there was also some truth to what I’d said, and I hoped it was enough for him to believe I wasn’t accusing him of anything—yet.

Based on the way he was staring me down, he hadn’t believed a word I’d said.He didn’t know me, didn’t know my intentions.In a way, I didn’t blame him for his behavior.

“I want you to leave,” he said.

Not unexpected.

In truth, I was surprised I’d lasted as long as I had.

Kayla walked over to Seth, placing her hands on his shoulders.She offered him a gentle smile and said, “Honey, she’s just doing her job.She’s trying to help, to find out what happened to Cordelia and who would do such a thing to her.We owe it to Cordelia to help Georgiana in any way we can.”

It was the best thing she’d said since he’d gotten home, and I paused, waiting for his reaction.

He shrugged her arms away.“We don’t owe anyone anything.This isourlife, and our relationship with Cordelia is no one else’s business but our own.Nothing will change the facts, and the fact is … she’s dead.Even if the murder is solved, she’s still dead.”

In a last attempt to simmer the fire brewing within him, I switched subjects.“I heard you and Cordelia shared a love for books.”

“I don’t see how our fondness for books has any relevance to your investigation.I want you to leave.I want you to leave now.And don’t youevercome around here harassing me or my wife again.”

Epic.

Fail.

I nodded and said the only thing I could say.“I wasn’t trying to harass anyone, and I understand.”

“Do you?Because I just asked you to leave, and you haven’t moved one inch.”

“Wait, Seth,” Kayla said.“I know situations like this make you nervous.I promise you, Georgiana is trying to do right by Cordelia.She may be dead like you say, but don’t you think her spirit is struggling because her murder hasn’t been solved?”

He huffed a nervous laugh.“I don’t believe in all of that phooey, and you know it, Kayla.”

Silence passed for a moment, and the two of them stood there, staring at each other.I knew now that there was no pulling up from the situation I was in.He’d been angry since the moment he’d seen me in his kitchen.I was strange, foreign, someone he didn’t know or trust, and he had no interest in building trust either.

The time had come for me to do what was best for him—to get out of there?—

and so I did just that.

19

“You found these notebook pages inside of a mystery novel?”Foley asked.

“I did,” I said.

He scratched his bald head.“I can’t believe it.I can’t believe you found potential evidence in the one place we didn’t look during our search of the house.How’d you get in?Or do I even want to know?”

“If you’re worried I busted a window or something, I didn’t.I have a key.”

“Where’d you get it?”

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