Page 64 of Little Empty Promises

“Go on.”

“What do you think about, like … letting me tag along with you?I won’t say a word, and I won’t write anything for the paper unless you say it’s okay.”

Given what we’d just discussed, it was a bold question.

“I’d say you’ve pressed your luck enough for one day,” I said.“For now, let’s leave things where they are.”

26

I checked in with Phoebe to see how she’d been doing since I saw her last.She sounded better, and she’d even made an appointment to speak to a therapist about what she was going through.I offered to take her to lunch, but she’d already made plans with Foley, so we set up a lunch date for a few days from now.

After speaking to Donovan earlier, I noticed I had a missed call from Claudette.I wasn’t looking forward to calling her back, even though she deserved an update on the progress I was making, or lack thereof.I wasn’t far enough along in the investigation to give her the answers she wanted.And even though it had only been two days since she hired me, in her eyes, I was sure she would view it as plenty of time to uncover some solid information.

I entered the address of my next stop into my phone, and then I gave Claudette a call.We chatted for several minutes, and I admitted I’d found a note that led me to believe Cordelia had been spying on at least one of her neighbors.She asked if I thought one of them could be her sister’s killer.I said I didn’t know, which was the truth.I didn’t.Not yet.

I gave Claudette a brief overview of Cordelia’s notes, thinking she’d chime in and give me her own opinion about them, but she didn’t.She said it was best not to point a finger in any direction until we were certain the finger was pointed in the right one.

I agreed.

We ended the call, and I pulled into a parking space in front of Eco Earth.The building itself was impressive, a three-story, polished white brick with oversized windows.

I entered through the front door and looked around.Several feet in front of me was the receptionist’s desk.A young woman sat behind it, typing on her computer keyboard at warp speed.She was dressed in a simple black dress, and she wore a pair of big, red, round eyeglasses.Her hair was pulled back into a tight bun and secured with a fastener that reminded me of chopsticks.

I approached her, and she didn’t acknowledge me at first, her focus on the computer screen in front of her.Once she stopped typing, she looked up, and I noted the nameplate pinned to her dress.

“Hi, Nadia,” I said.

“Hi.Can I help you with something?”

“I would like to speak to the person in charge.”

She considered my request and then leaned toward me, removing her glasses.She looked me up and down like she was trying to figure out what I was doing there and why I wanted to speak to her supervisor.

“Is Tripp expecting you?”she asked.

“He is not.”

“I’m not sure he can see you, then.He’s a busy man.We have a lot going on here today.”

“I understand,” I said.“Maybe it would help if I explained why I’m here.”

She nodded.“Maybe it would.”

“My name is Georgiana Germaine.I’m a private detective, and I’m investigating a murder that took place in Cambria a couple of weeks ago.”

Her eyes widened, and she perked up, her voice raising a few octaves.“Are you talking about the old lady who died in the library?”

“I am.”

“I see.Why are you here?”

“One of the murder victim’s neighbors works for Eco Earth.”

“Which one?”

“Eddy Westwood.”

As soon as I uttered his name, she sprang from her chair, pointing a finger in my direction.“You stay here.I’ll … umm, I’ll be right back.”

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