Page 25 of Off the Hook

Oscar wasn’t feeling empathetic, though. “And how did Coulter react to you sharing your big news?” he quipped. I was curious, too, but would have asked a little more gently than he had.

“He was happy…” Corinne’s mouth drew to the side in a grin as she recalled. “He patted Trevor on the back and told him he knew he’d find ‘the one’ someday.”

Trying to keep my tone gentle and not spook her, I asked, “What time did you arrive that evening?

“We got there before everyone else, on purpose. We wanted to tell his dad first. We hoped the news of a grandchild onthe way would brighten his mood. It was his first Christmas without his wife.”

“And when did the other siblings arrive?” Oscar pressed.

She sighed, eyes looking up at the ceiling as she tried to think back. “Mmmmmh, I think all the brothers were there by six. Maybe earlier. Coulter was one of the last to show up, but he wasn’t late. Ava was actually the very last one– she had a late flight. But she was there a little before seven, I think. I’m not exactly sure.”

Oscar leaned forward. “How did Coulter look when he arrived? Did anything seem off about him?”

Corinne shook her head firmly. “No, he seemed fine. He was laughing and joking with Trevor, wrestling with Kai and Reef’s dogs.”

“How did he look specifically?” I asked. “Were his clothes torn or dirty? Any smudges? Did he seem nervous, or sweaty? Like he was in a rush?”

“No, nothing like that. For once he didn’t have engine grease or fish scales anywhere. It was a holiday, so everyone was dressed nicely. He had on a pair of nice board shorts, and a short sleeve button down. I think it had little mahi embroidered on it.”

“Did he have buttons missing or undone?” Oscar pressed. “Hair wet? Anything out of the ordinary?”

Corinne shifted in her chair, obviously annoyed. “No. He looked and acted totally normal.”

Oscar wasn’t convinced. “So, Coulter was with you the entire evening after he arrived?”

“Yes. We all celebrated until late. I think Spence dropped him at home around one in the morning. We waited until midnight to open a single gift–their family tradition. He left with Spence as Trevor and I were leaving to go to Trevor’s houseboat.”

Oscar carried on, pointlessly in my opinion. But he was fired up. “You’re saying you had eyes on Coulter all night? He never slipped away, not even for a moment? To the bathroom, or the kitchen?”

“I’m sure he went to the bathroom at some point. We all did. But it’s about ten feet from the living room. We were all together, all evening.”

“Had you ever heard Coulter talk about Kylie?” I asked, trying to redirect to something actually relevant to the case.

Corinne shook her head. “I’d never even heard of Kylie until she died. But I’m fairly new to the family. Trevor and I only met a few months ago,” she said, her face flushing.

Oscar raised a brow. “That was fast.”

I shifted in my seat, angry that he’d made such an unnecessary and judgmental comment. “That’s not really relevant,” I shot him a glare before turning back to Corinne. “So you don’t know Coulter very well?”

“I wouldn’t say that. I’ve spent a lot of time with him over the past few months. He and Trevor work together. And, as I mentioned earlier, Trevor lives on a houseboat at the marina, so I saw Coulter several days a week.”

“And he never mentioned the love of his life, not once?” Oscar shot back.

Corinne looked at him with surprise, and a hint of contempt. “Trevor mentioned that Coulter was engaged very briefly, years ago, and that his fiance had broken it off. It was sort of a sore subject so, no, we didn’t talk about it.”

Oscar raised a brow. “But Trevor said it was a sore subject?”

“He said that Coulter had gotten his heart broken,” she clarified, speaking slowly so it would seep into my partner’s thick head. “So, it was pretty obvious that it was a sore subject. But it was also years ago. There was no reason to talk about it.”

“So Coulter didn’t mention that Kylie had recently gotten engaged?” Oscar asked, redundantly. His tactic seemed to annoy Corinne as much as it did me.

Her gaze leveled on Oscar. “No,” she said with intent. “As I told you, I never heard him mention Kylie at all.”

“I understand,” I said as soothingly as I could. “Have you ever known Coulter to have a temper?”

Corinne shook her head adamantly. “Not in the least. Coulter is one of the nicest guys I’ve ever known. All Trevor’s brothers are as kind and respectful as Trevor is. Their mother raised them right.” Her gaze turned to fix on Oscar with a condescending look which said, without saying,Unlike you.

A chuckle erupted from deep in my throat, so I cleared it. She’d used the same words I’d thought about what was wrong with Oscar earlier. Corinne and I could be besties. “Has Coulter had a girlfriend while you’ve known him?”

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