Page 26 of Little Bitter Truths
Mia’s front door opened, and she stepped outside.She was dressed in gray lounge pants and a loose cream-colored sweater.The polished look she’d had when she first walked into my office had been replaced with something more relaxed, though she still looked put together.
She took one look at Adrian, and her expression soured, which he seemed to notice.
“I better go,” he said.“Nice meeting you.Good luck with your investigation.”
He left, and Mia made her way over to me.
“Georgiana,” she said.“I wasn’t expecting to see you again so soon.”
“I hope it’s not a bad time.”
“No, not at all.Why don’t we go inside?”
The moment I walked through the door, Coco came trotting across the hardwood floor.She stopped in front of me, tail wagging.
“Well, hello to you too,” I said, crouching down to scratch behind her ears.
Coco leaned into the attention like she’d been waiting all day for someone new to give it.
“She likes you,” Mia said.
Greetings aside, I followed Mia into the living room.The furniture looked as though it had been rearranged, and a different rug than the one in the crime scene photos had been spread across the polished floor.It was as if all signs of the murder had been erased, even though the emotional scars remained.
Mia gestured toward the couch.“Please, sit.”
I took a seat, and Coco settled next to me.
“It seems you met my neighbor,” she said.
“My handbag tipped over as I was getting out of the car and everything fell out.He offered his help.”
“Interesting.I’ve never considered him a helpful kind of guy.”
“I take it you don’t like him.”
She folded her hands over her lap and sighed.“I’d rather not talk about him.What brings you by?”
“There have been some developments since we last spoke.”
“That sounds promising.”
I took a breath and began walking her through the last twenty-four hours.
“My first stop after meeting with you was the police department.Foley and Whitlock no longer believe your sister’s murder was a robbery gone wrong.”
“It doesn’t surprise me.”
“They’re looking into several possibilities.”
I told her about Clive Simmons, the mistakes he’d made when medicating some of the patients, and about the argument that occurred when Wren fired him.I also told her about the dartboard in his house.
Mia frowned.“She never mentioned him to me.You’re saying he has a dartboard with my sister’s photo pinned to it?Even if Wren knew, it’s still disturbing.”
“He resented your sister when she fired him, but since then, he’s learned he has Alzheimer’s.Now that he’s been diagnosed, he admits he made some mistakes with the residents’ medications, and he understands why your sister had to let him go.”
“Ifhe’s telling the truth.Have you spoken with anyone else?”
“I had lunch with Cooper.”
