Page 3 of Little Twisted Things

Before I headed to Key West, I’d already known I wanted to work in an art gallery. So I visited Elliot Fine Art one last time before I left, and met with Daniel, the gallery manager. I’d been in there a few times and had gotten to know him through art. He was married with three children. His wife was battling cancer, and he was in debt up to his eyeballs. Enough debt that could have sent him into bankruptcy in as little as six months. We talked. I offered him a way to be debt-free if he did me a favor. Two hundred thousand dollars. I thought the poor man was going to drop to the floor at my proposal. He happily accepted. Money had a funny way of changing people’s morals.

2

I was in the kitchen preparing Salmon for dinner when there was a knock at the door. Rinsing my hands at the sink, I walked over, opened it, and stared at my neighbor Kris as she stood there holding a jar with a lid.

“I brought you raspberries from my garden.” She grinned, holding up the jar.

As much as her perkiness annoyed me, I couldn’t be rude. So I invited her in.

“Thank you, Kris. That was so sweet of you. Come in. Can I offer you something to drink?”

“No, thank you. I can’t stay. I need to pick Charlotte and Carly up from soccer practice soon.” She followed me into the kitchen. “Isn’t it such a coincidence that your Alex and my Kevin work at the same university? Can I let you in on a little secret?”

“Do tell.” I smiled. “I love secrets.”

“Kevin really likes Alex, and he hopes he sticks around.”

“So do I.” A smile perched on my lips.

“Kevin secretly hopes Alex’s house takes extra-long to renovate. He likes him being here. You know, in a house full of girls, he loves his guy time.”

Kris and Kevin had been married for twenty years. They had three teenage daughters, two of whom were twins. They seemed happy. But many couples loved to put on that façade in front of others.

“Did you hear about that poor young girl they found at the state park?” she asked.

“I did. Such a tragedy.”

“They said earlier that they believe it’s The Last Chapter Killer.”

“Huh?” My brows furrowed.

“That’s what the FBI is calling the killer. They found a carving on her abdomen: This is her last chapter. Gives me the chills just thinking about it. Apparently, there have been similar murders in several states over the past eight years. Kevin and I are having a serious conversation with the girls tonight about it.” She glanced at her watch. “Oops. Time to run and pick up Charlotte and Carly from practice. Enjoy the raspberries.” She grinned.

“I definitely will. Thank you again for them.”

After she left, I opened the jar and stared at the perfectly ripped raspberries. As I returned to finish prepping the salmon, my phone rang. Glancing at it, Marlowe Gallery flashed across the screen. I smiled.

“Hello.”

“Dahlia, it’s Tess. If you’re still interested, I’d love for you to work at the gallery.”

“I take it you called Elliot.”

“I did. And the manager had nothing but wonderful things to say about you. Please say you’ll accept my offer.”

“Nothing would give me greater pleasure than to work in your art gallery, Tess.”

“Excellent! Today was one of our associates’ last days. She’s pregnant and has decided to be a stay-at-home mom. So, if you could start tomorrow at ten o’clock, I’d be thrilled.”

“I will see you tomorrow at ten a.m.”

“Perfect. I’ll see you tomorrow, Dahlia.”

“Goodbye, Tess.”

Good boy, Daniel. You just saved your own life.

The front door opened, and I heard a briefcase hit the ground. Alex walked into the kitchen and wrapped his arms around me.