Page 74 of Everyone’s a Liar

“Yes, we were friends for years. We sat right there on her front patio and had coffee every morning come rain or shine.” Flora nodded toward the empty house. “And we drove to church every Sunday before going to get us some lunch. It won’t be the same without her.”

“I’m sorry. Was she about your age?” Livia kept her tone casual.

“Yes, and before you ask she lived very quietly and she kept an immaculate house. You should have seen her tulips in the springtime. She kept huge baskets of them on her front patio. All different colors.” Flora heaved a sigh. “I’ll admit that I’ve been dreading whoever moves in next. They couldn’t possibly be as good a neighbor.” Livia battled to keep her expression smooth as Flora rambled on. Unless Adrian had a thing for older woman, then Estelle hadn’t been his secret lover. So who was she and what was her connection to the Benoits? Livia’s attention returned to Flora as the older woman gave a loud click of her tongue. “Then again, as much as I hate the thought of anyone moving into Estelle’s home, an empty house is an invitation to criminals. I had to call the police after Estelle died when I saw a man wandering around the house, peeking in the windows and trying to force open the front door. In broad daylight. These thieves have no fear anymore. Just do what they want to poor folks.”

Livia felt a surge of genuine sympathy. “You’re right, that is brazen, but it is an unfortunate side effect of a For Sale sign going up. Criminals assume the house is empty and try to take advantage.”

“This was before the sign went up,” Flora corrected her. “Estelle wasn’t even cold in her grave. And you know, at first I thought it must be a distant relative or someone from the bank.”

“Why do you say that?”

“They were wearing a nice suit and tie. What sort of thief wears a suit?” Flora sounded outraged that the criminal had tried to deceive her with respectable clothing. “But then, if you’re going around during the day I suppose you don’t want to look like a thug.” She shook her head. “To tell the truth, I wouldn’t have called the police until I saw him ramming his shoulder into the front door, trying to break in.”

Livia’s first impulse was to dismiss the mysterious thief. There was nothing unusual about someone trying to break into an empty house. But the fact that he was wearing a suit was strange. And so was the boldness of trying to get in during the day. That sounded more like someone searching for something in particular, not a random crime.

“Did he get in?”

“No. When he heard the sirens coming he took off. That’s when I knew for sure he was up to no good. I mean, why wouldn’t he stay around if he had a legitimate reason to be there?”

A good question. On impulse, Livia pulled out her phone. She’d taken a handful of photos during Celeste’s engagement party. She would never have bothered to capture the moment, but Marcel had bullied her into promising that she’d take some pictures so he could see the various gowns of the guests when she returned to New Orleans.

“Can you describe him?” she demanded as she scrolled through the images.

“Like I said, he was dressed in a suit and clean shaven. I think his hair was light. Maybe it was gray. I couldn’t really tell. I do remember thinking he was a nice-looking man, and that it was a shame he’d chosen a life of crime.” Flora made a sharp sound of annoyance. “I said as much to the policeman. A mistake, I’ll tell you. The obnoxious man acted as if I was a silly old lady who made up the intruder just to get some attention. My husband never trusted law officials. Or politicians. I can’t say I blame him.”

Locating a picture that included Adrian, Livia expanded it until his image was in the middle of the screen. It wasn’t great. He had been standing across the room from her and the lighting was bad, but it was clear enough to determine his height and size beneath his elegant tux. Plus, he was staring straight at her, giving a clear view of his features.

She turned the phone to show Flora. “This wouldn’t happen to be the man you saw, would it?” she asked.

The older woman leaned forward, her brow furrowed as she studied the photo. “No, the thief was younger, I’m sure of that,” she at last said, straightening to glance back at Livia. “About your age I would say. And he was wider. Not fat, but nicely toned. All over. He looked like he was one of those guys who liked to spend their days in the gym. At least when he wasn’t breaking into homes.”

Livia felt a flare of amusement at the older woman’s dedication to her “neighborhood watch.” It was remarkably thorough.

Then her amusement abruptly vanished. It wasn’t that long ago that Livia had been similarly captivated by a stranger’s bulging muscles and hard ass shown to advantage by his expensive suit.

Barely daring to breathe, Livia turned her phone back so she could once again scroll through the pictures until she found the image she wanted. She expanded it before she held the screen toward Flora.

“What about this man?”

Flora pursed her lips, taking her time as she studied the picture of Larry Sutton. Was she trying to sort through her memories of the thief? Livia didn’t try to rush her. She needed the truth, not a vague guess that might lead her down the wrong path.

“That could be him. I can’t say for sure, but yes. He looks very similar.” Flora sent Livia a curious glance. “Is he a well-known thief?”

Livia dropped the phone into her purse. That wasn’t a firm identification, but it was enough to consider the possibility that it had been Larry snooping around the house.

Now the question was why.

“Actually, he’s not a thief at all. He’s been trying to lure away my client by offering him homes before they go on the market.”

“He’s a real estate agent?” Flora was clearly skeptical. “Why would he try to break in?”

“To get pictures and dimensions of the property to send to my clients before me,” Livia glibly lied. She didn’t blame the woman for being confused. It’d been a terrible explanation. In her defense, she’d never been good under pressure. She’d frozen the one and only time she’d tried to sneak out of school and gotten got by the principal. Time for a distraction. “Do you remember the exact day you saw him?”

“You better believe I remember the exact day. It was just a couple hours after Estelle’s funeral. I was pulling my car into the garage when I spotted him. No respect at all.”

“And he hasn’t been back?”

Flora shook her head. She looked disappointed that the trespasser hadn’t been caught in the act. Livia was equally disappointed. If there was a formal police report she would know exactly who’d tried to break in.