Page 71 of Little Bitter Truths
“So, you released him?”
“We did.”
It seemed too soon.
“How did he take it?”I asked.
“Like a man whose life just blew up in front of him.”
“He created the mess he’s in.He only has himself to blame.”
Despite what I’d just said, I almost felt sorry for the guy,ifhe was innocent, and the jury was still out on that.
“Oh, I should add that we’ll be keeping an eye on him,” Whitlock said.
“How close of an eye?”
“If he sneezes in public, one of our officers will be there to offer him a tissue.”
That was reassuring.
“He’s at the top of my suspect list,” I said.
“Ours too,” Whitlock agreed.“People who lie about their identities don’t tend to inspire confidence.”
If Jeremy had wanted to kill Mia, inserting himself into her life the way he had seemed like an unnecessary risk.Then again, people who created entire fake identities weren’t always known for their sound judgment.
I leaned back against the couch cushions, thinking.“Jeremy seems to have genuine feelings for Mia.The frustration and hurt he showed while trying to explain himself felt real enough.But then there’s the matter of his brother’s death and the motivation behind what Jeremy did.”
“Sounds like you've got a thought rattling around.Want to share?”
“After Jeremy found out Christian died, I’m sure he felt a considerable amount of guilt that the two of them didn’t mend things before it was too late,” I said.“When he saw the photos of Mia and learned how much Christian was in love with her, it might have angered him that she’d ended things with his brother.”
“Makes sense.”
“He said he wanted to meet her because he was curious about the woman his brother cared so much about.But what if that wasn’t his intention at first?Think about it.As far as we know, Christian died while trying to send her a text message.What if Jeremy blames her for what happened?”
Whitlock went quiet, and then I heard him tell someone he was on the phone with me.
Seconds later, I heard Foley’s voice over the line.“Ask Georgiana why Mia was last seen getting in the car with her.”
“Foley wants to know?—”
“I heard,” I said.“Put him on speaker.”
There was a pause and then Foley said, “I’m here.”
“I stopped by Mia’s house tonight to check in on her after what Jeremy put her through earlier today,” I said.“She’d been drinking, and she said some things that concerned me.”
“Like what?”Foley asked.
“She was feeling defeated, but I’m sure it was just because of the day she had.She’ll be fine.”
“Can you be more specific?”
I was starting to regret mentioning it at all.
“She was talking about standing on her front lawn and announcing to the killer that she was there, and he could come and get her,” I said.
