Page 48 of Willowbrooke
Greg nodded. “Yes, so our murderer came prepared for something.”
I swallowed hard. Hearing the details like this made my stomach turn.
“You should get her some mint tea,” Greg told Leo without even glancing at me.
Leo turned to me questioningly.
“It will help with the nausea,” Greg answered Leo’s question without having been asked.
Leo squeezed my shoulder as he got up from his seat next to me. “I’ll be right back.”
When Leo was out of the room, Greg asked, “How long have you two been together?”
I exhaled a shaky breath. “Not long,” I replied, knowing that lying to the observant man would be pointless and might, in fact, result in him labeling me as untrustworthy. “We’re trying to keep it a secret,” I admitted.
Greg nodded. “Can’t be too careful,” he said again. “He’s a good guy,” he offered without prompting. “He’ll be better than the dirtbag who left you.”
I glared at Greg.
“I do background checks on everyone I work with.” Again, the man answered my silent question. “I’d be a fool not to.”
“Can’t be too careful,” I mimicked Greg.
He let out a boisterous cackle.
“What’d I miss?” Leo returned, taking the trouble to lock the door once again before handing me a steaming cup of tea.
“She’s a good match for you,” Greg told Leo.
Leo eyed me curiously as he sat down, wondering what I had divulged.
“You’re not as sly as you’re both trying to be,” Greg pointed out.
Leo rolled his eyes. “You’ll get used to him,” he told me. “Can we get back to business instead of you interrogating my girlfriend?”
I almost choked on my tea, surprised by the title Leo had bestowed on me without us discussing anything of the kind first. It wasn’t that I minded the label, but it was shocking nonetheless that he thought of me as such. Maybe he was just using a platitude to communicate with Greg? I’d have to tease him about it later. I looked forward to it, in fact.
“They have a suspect.”.
Leo opened his mouth to ask who, but the PI was a step ahead. “You know him—William Mitchell.”
“William?” Leo’s face fell, and his entire body sunk into itself.
“They’ve got a decent amount on the guy,” Greg continued. “DNA evidence from the crime scene, and supposedly they had an affair while she cared for your father, and he doesn’t have a solid alibi for the murder—says he wasasleep, at home, alone.”
“An affair?” Leo was incredulous. “I don’t—he wouldn’t—they never…”
“Some people are better at hiding it than others.” Greg raised a brow, clearly referring to Leo and me.
“I don’t believe it,” Leo said firmly, crossing his arms over his chest. “He’s soft—my dad always played bad cop—the guy practically raised me—I don’t think he’s capable.”
“I’m just presenting you the facts, Leo.” Greg’s tone was defensive. He was probably used to clients in denial turning on him. “DA is getting an arrest warrant as we speak. The case seems pretty straightforward.”
“I never got any kind of vibe from either of them—that there would be anything—and William isn’t a philanderer. He’s been happily married for almost forty years.”
“Kid”—Greg leaned forward—“I’m not familiar with the guy, but you know better than most that you can’t know what goes on behind closed doors.”
Leo sighed.
