Page 16 of Little Bitter Truths
Plenty of guilty people loved their spouses, until they didn’t.
I stood, and he did the same.
“Do you believe me?”he asked.
“I want to believe you,” I said.“But I’m struggling with the fact that you never mentioned your visit with Wren during your interview with the police.Being in shock on that first day, I canmaybesee it.But you’ve had a month to clear things up, and you haven’t.That’s a problem for me, and from where I’m sitting, it’s a problem for you too.”
6
Isat in my car outside the Twisted Vine Bistro for several minutes after Cooper left with the engine off and my hands resting on the steering wheel.The lunch crowd had begun to thin, and a warm breeze stirred the umbrellas outside on the restaurant patio.I couldn’t help but think about how crazy life could be and how it had a way of continuing even when, for some, it was cut short.
I leaned back against the seat and closed my eyes, replaying the conversation I’d just had with Cooper.
His grief.
His hesitation.
His … well, what I hoped was honesty.
The way his voice had softened when he spoke about Wren felt genuine, while other things he’d said felt rehearsed.The problem with people who seemed sincere was that sincerity could be practiced, making it hard to tell the difference, even for someone like me.
It seemed possible that Cooper had been the last person to see Wren alive.Yet when Foley and Whitlock interviewed him, he failed to mention that crucial detail, the kind of detail an innocent person would normally volunteer without hesitation.
I opened my eyes and reached for my phone, giving Whitlock a call.He answered on the third ring.
“Solved the murder already, have you?”he joked.
“Sorry to disappoint,” I said.“Not yet.I just finished speaking with Cooper Mayfair.”
There was a short pause.
“And?”Whitlock said.“What do you think?”
“He says their separation wasn’t meant to be permanent.And there’s more.”I shifted in my seat.“Cooper admitted he went to Mia’s house the night Wren was murdered.”
The silence on the other end of the line stretched a long few seconds.
“He … what?”Whitlock said.“That’s not something he mentioned to us.”
“No, it’s not.”
“What time did he leave?”
“He claims it was about seven thirty.”
Another pause.
“That puts him there right before the murder,” he said.
“Yep.”
“Fantastic,” he said in a sarcastic tone.“I liked the guy.You ever meet someone and think, now there’s a fellow who returns his shopping cart to the cart corral every single time.I’ll admit I thought as much of Cooper when I met him.”
“And now?”
“My first impression has undergone a drastic change.Foley’s not going to be happy when he hears about it.”
“I’d rather it came from you than me.”
