Page 426 of Cold Case, Warm Hearts

Jacob thought back on the conversations he’d had with Celia at the retirement home where she worked. Mostly they talked about patients there he wanted to interview. They’d barely strayed into small talk beyond asking about each other’s weekend, like two coworkers on a Monday. Benign stuff Celia couldn’t possibly have read into—or anyone else that might’ve overheard.

But maybe he couldn’t be sure of that.

It would be far too obvious for Jacob to ask if Celia had ever mentioned him.

“For a while, I thought she was talking about you.” She paused. “Like you were her boyfriend. But we saw you on the street once, and she made this comment.”

“It’s okay if it was bad.” He wanted her to tell him. “I’m not going to get mad.”

“She thought you were creepy. I don’t get it, but she made it sound like she knew something.”

Jacob frowned. “If she did, she kept it to herself.”

Why hadn’t she come across as nervous or scared of him in person? Had there been an ulterior motive in her talking to him at the retirement home? Maybe it had been about feeling him out. Getting to know him, he let down his guard.

Jacob didn’t like the idea he’d been played.

He wasn’t the best at reading people and might be better if he didn’t spend so much time alone. But he hadn’t needed the skill. Now Celia was dead, and he might never find out what she’d been up to—if she’d been up to anything.

“Maybe she was afraid of you,” Mona said. “But it didn’t seem like it. She was just wary.”

Jacob wasn’t going to let that go. “You don’t have anything to worry about from me. Okay?”

“Like I’m supposed just to trust whatever you say?”

“Russ teach you that?”

“He taught me not to be naïve or make assumptions.” She made a face. “Guess it didn’t work.”

“I’m sorry about Austin.” Regardless of the merits of the relationship, she had lost someone she cared about.

“Yeah, me too.” Mona sighed.

He wasn’t sure what he’d expected. Maybe teenage hysterics? She seemed levelheaded. Or the storm had passed, and another wave might hit her in the future, but she was in a calm spell for now.

He wasn’t a cop. “Do you know who might kill Celia or Austin?”

“Aside from her new boyfriend? Celia said he was crazy possessive.” Mona shifted. “It didn’t sound good, and Austin was weird about it. Asking her who he was. She wouldn’t say, but maybe he followed her, and the guy found out. Maybe he killed them both.”

Jacob sent Addie a text. Asked if she knew who Celia’s mystery boyfriend was. He couldn’t remember if she’d mentioned anything about it to him, but it wasn’t like they talked through her case.

He wouldn’t have anything at all to do with it if McCauley didn’t think Jacob was guilty ofsomething. Too bad the police captain didn’t feel the need to base those assumptions on actual evidence.

He didn’t need to get into the middle of a police investigation. But since Celia’s death would be pinned on him unless the cops found another suspect—preferably theactualmurderer—he figured it might be down to him to ask a few questions.

“Does your sister know that you knew Celia?”

Mona shrugged. “Maybe not.”

Jacob wondered if the cops knew she was associated with Celia. “Did anyone from the police department talk to you after she died?”

“Geez, questions.”

“Sorry,” Jacob said. “I’m just trying to get things straight in my head, you know?”

“Cause everyone thinks you did it?”

“The important thing is that I didn’t.” And yet Celia’s dad had been convinced like everyone else, so much so that he’d tried to kill Jake. He swallowed. “Her death can’t go without someone finding out who was responsible. That’s why I’m asking.”

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