Page 3 of Little Bitter Truths
“Six months now.I moved here after I accepted a position as the director of analytics for a hotel chain in San Luis Obispo.”
In any other circumstance, I would have offered my congratulations but now was not the time.
I reached for a notebook and a pen, flipping it open to a blank page.“If you’re feeling up to it, I’d like you to walk me through everything you know about your sister’s murder.”
She nodded, clearing her throat before she began.“Last month I attended a work conference in Las Vegas.Because I’m new to Cambria and haven’t met many people yet, I didn’t feel comfortable hiring a stranger to watch my dog, so I asked Wren to do it.The first day went well, and she checked in a few times.That night, I texted her again to say goodnight, and she didn’t respond.I figured she’d fallen asleep.”
“Did you text her again?”
“The next morning, and then several more times that day.She didn’t respond to any of them, which wasn’t like her.I tried calling, but there was no answer.Then I started to worry, so I left the conference early.”
“You were the first one to find your sister, is that right?”
She nodded.“As soon as I walked in the door.I shouted her name, and Coco started barking the way she does when something isn’t right.A chill ran through me, like the air-conditioning was blowing right on me, even though it wasn’t.And there was this pungent smell.I walked to the living room, and that’s when I found her.She was on the floor … and … and … blood was everywhere.”
“Where was Coco?”
“Lying over her.There was dried blood on her fur and paws, and when I tried to pet her, she whined like she was in pain.In the past when I came home, she always waited at the door, spinning in circles to show how glad she was to see me.This time she looked up at me with a sadness in her eyes that I’ve never seen before.”
Mia’s composure wavered on the last sentence.Not enough for tears, but enough for me to sense a shift in the calm she seemed to work so hard to maintain.
“I’m sorry for what you’re going through,” I said.
“Me too.”
I studied her for a moment.People came into my office all the time with grief weighing on their shoulders, often dissolving into tears or giving in to some emotional outburst after losing a loved one.Mia was different.The sense I got was not that she felt nothing, but that she fought to keep control, holding her emotions back instead of allowing the dam to break.
“What was your relationship with your sister like?”I asked.
“We were close.She lived a few hours away, but we talked all the time.”
“Just to recap what you’ve said so far, you were at a work conference.The first day, you were texting back and forth with Wren, but then she stopped responding to your messages, and the next day you got worried and decided to return home.”
“That’s right.I was supposed to stay one more day, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong.Because I hadn’t worked for the company for long, I wasn’t sure how they’d feel about me asking to leave early.But they were more understanding than I expected.”
“Do you still have the text messages between you and your sister?”
“I do.”
“Can I see them?”
Mia pulled her phone out of a white, leather, expensive-looking handbag, tapped it twice, and then slid it across my desk with the screen facing me.
Mia: Monday 8:45 a.m.
Made it to Las Vegas.Just checked in to my room and heading over to the conference now.I hope you’re having a good time with Coco.
Wren: Monday 8:50 a.m.
All good here.Glad you got there safe.
Mia: Monday 1:00 p.m.
Breaking for an hour to get lunch.What are you two up to today?
Wren: Monday 1:10 p.m.
Just took Coco for a walk at the park, and now we’re going to the coffee shop.How’s the conference?
