Page 16 of Little Merry Murder

“I don’t know what to say. I’m shocked. The cheating wasn’t a surprise to me, but this news … wow, it’s a lot to take in.”

“Why weren’t you surprised about him cheating?”

“He likes attention, and Claire wasn’t in a place to give it to him. But that’s not the only reason. For all his faults, Owen is a good listener, something other women seem to pick up on. I worried someone would come along and put her claws into him when Claire wasn’t looking, and that’s what happened.”

“Sounds like it.”

“I have to admit, she went on, Owen tried everything he could to help Claire process her grief. He stopped by my shop several times, asking for my advice on what more he could do. Didn’t justify the cheating, but it helped me understand why he did it.”

“How would you describe his demeanor over the past several months?”

“He was in so much pain. If I had to sum up the conversations we had, I’d say he felt helpless, like him not being able to help Claire with her emotions made him a failure.”

“Do you think it’s the reason he started the affair with Nadia?”

“I think it’s a big part of it. I figured it wouldn’t last though—that they’d find a way to get past it. All my little tricks to aggravate him and Nadia were supposed to make the decision easier for him. But if he was ready to file for divorce, it means I was wrong. Makes me wonder what else I’ve been wrong about.”

I took another sip of tea and geared up for my last burning question.

“I went to see Owen in lockup, and he said something interesting,” I said. “He believed Claire was cheating on him. Do you know if there’s any truth to it?”

“If she was seeing someone on the side, she wouldn’t have told me.”

“Why not?”

“I think she would have had too much shame to admit it.”

“But is it possible she was having an affair?”

Another pause, a lot longer this time, and then, “I wish I could say no, but the day we went shopping, she made a purchase that surprised me. She bought men’s cologne. She told me it was for Owen. It couldn’t have been, though.”

“Why not?”

“Owen didn’t wear cologne, ever. He was a stickler about that.”

CHAPTER 10

I phoned Whitlock, asking him about the presents Claire wrapped the night she was murdered. They’d been bagged, tagged,andopened. Most of the gifts had Owen’s name written on them, and the boxes contained things like boxer shorts, shirts, and a set of tools. But there was one gift without a name—a bottle of cologne.

Was there a mystery man in Claire’s life?

From what I’d learned, if Claire wasn’t at work, she was at home, which limited the opportunity for another man to enter the picture.

I thought about the guys I’d met in the break room at the elementary school—Colin and Bruce. But they were just two men out of many who worked at the school, I presumed. And since school was out for the day, I’d need to wait to explore the idea any further.

I parked curbside in front of a white, modern-style house, and made my way to the door. I knocked twice. The door opened. A fit, attractive man who was tall enough to be a professional basketball player offered me a curious look and said, “Can I help you?”

“Is Nadia here?” I asked.

“She’s not.”

He blinked and me, and I blinked at him, and we stood there, at a standstill.

I moved a hand to my hip, introduced myself, and told him why I was there.

“I see,” was his response.

I expected him to follow it up with a question about what my investigation had to do with Nadia, but I was wrong.

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