Page 32 of Hard Evidence
JESSALYN
“Well, aren’t you a darling?Richard!Justin’s new girlfriend brought us a cake.”
“Oh, no, I’m not his girlfriend.I’m just staying with him for a few weeks.”
“Between you and me, we didn’t like the last one much.Such a pretty girl, but she never smiled.”
“Really, I’m only a houseguest.Thank you so much for the dog food.”
An older man ambled into view, wearing slippers and a bemused expression.
“Richard, this is Jessica.She’s just moved in next door.”
“Uh, it’s Jessalyn.”Ridge hated when I corrected people, so mostly I used to hold my tongue, which was why our wedding cake had “Ridge & Jessica” written on it.“And I’m only staying there temporarily.”
Richard looked me up and down.“Are you a model too?”
Justin had been dating a model?That didn’t surprise me, but it did make me feel even more inadequate.
“No, I just cook things.”
“The cake looks delicious, doesn’t it, Richard?”
He put on the glasses that were hanging around his neck on a chain.“Is it chocolate?”
“Yes, a chocolate fudge cake.”
“Good, good.Last year, Marion made a chocolate cake with gravy mix.I wasn’t sure about that one.”
She nudged him so hard the glasses fell off.“Now, now, don’t be telling the poor girl about my cooking mistakes.So, how did you and Justin meet?”
What was I supposed to say to that?“My car broke down, and he helped out.”
It wasn’t a total lie.We’d waved goodbye to the Altima yesterday evening as his friend Jake towed it out of the driveway, and better to keep my answers vague than admit I’d been scammed out of over a thousand bucks and Justin had taken pity on me.
“Sounds like Justin.That one’s a keeper.”
Curiosity got the better of me.“Do you know him well?I thought he’d only moved here recently?”
“Justin’s been doing our property maintenance for years, ever since he was engaged to… What was her name, Richard?The other redhead.”
“They’re all redheads,” he muttered.“Rebecca?”
A shiver ran through me, but not of dread.No, this was more…anticipation.Justin liked redheads?
“No, the first one.”
“Eliza?”
“Yes, Eliza.Always came across as worried about something.I wasn’t surprised when she left him over that Blackstone affair.”
“Blackstone affair?”I asked.
Richard sighed.“Don’t be bringing that up again.The past is the past.”
“That poor girl, stabbed in her sleep by a devil worshipper.”
“Do you mean Justin’s former roommate?”
