Page 22 of Little Merry Murder

“He made Claire cry. These past months, she was crying just about every time I saw her. And as I don’t know of any other logical explanation, I figured the husband was to blame. They always are, you know. My husband used to make me cry too, until the day I booted his butt right out the door.”

She was projecting, putting her personal feelings from her own past and obvious dislike of men onto Owen.

“Claire’s mother died in a car accident,” I said. “Claire struggled a lot afterward.”

“I’m aware. She died a year ago, didn’t she? Surely Claire wouldn’t have still been crying a whole year later, not all the time.”

“People grieve in different ways. It takes longer for some people to get past a loss than others.”

“Huh, I suppose you’re right. Still, the husband’s bad news. Get to know him. You’ll see.”

CHAPTER 14

I was sitting at a table in my favorite coffee shop with Owen, my frigid hands cupped around a hot mug of mocha to keep them warm.

He smiled at me and said, “Told you I’d get released on bail.”

“Yes, you did.”

He leaned closer to me, lowering his voice. “I’ll be honest, when it came right down to it, I thought bail was going to be denied.”

“Why?”

“A minute into the hearing, and I realized my approach was the wrong one. You were right about checking my attitude. Thanks … for, uh, the advice.”

“I’m glad you took it.”

“Any updates on the case?”

“I still don’t know who murdered her or why,” I said. “I’ve been to the school, and I’ve talked to Claire’s coworkers. I’ve also met with Leah and your neighbor, Marianne.”

“Do I even want to know what Marianne had to say?”

“She saw Claire crying from time to time, and she assumed you were to blame. I explained Claire was still processing her mother’s death, but Marianne … she’s a stubborn one.”

He rolled his eyes. “Tell me about it.”

“I talked to her about the argument she told the police she’d overheard. Turns out, she didn’t even hear what was said. Your curtains were drawn, so she didn’t see anyone either. She heard two people talking with raised voices. Presumed it was you two.”

“There’s no way. I never raised a voice to Claire a day in my life.”

“Is it possible you had an argument with someone else? Or vice versa?”

He took a few sips of his coffee and went quiet.

“If there’s something I should know, tell me,” I said.

He ran a hand through his hair and sighed. “I’m guessing the argument she heard was between Nadia and me. Right before we called it quits, she stopped by the house, which shocked me.”

“Why?”

“Well, it was a rule we’d agreed on—to never show up at each other’s house. Not to mention it’s common sense, for obvious reasons.”

“She must have had a good reason for breaking the rule,” I said.

“Yeah …”

“I talked to Nadia,” I said. “She told me you were interested in pursuing her after the divorce. She also said you wanted her to leave her husband, which is different than what you told me. Nadia saw the affair as a temporary one. Seems one of you is lying to me. Or maybe you both are.”

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