Page 93 of Everyone’s a Liar

Giving her friend the time and space to process her complicated emotions, Bryce was caught off guard when Livia abruptly reached out to grasp her hand.

“I’m sorry.”

Bryce blinked in confusion. “Sorry for what?”

“That I dragged you into this mess.” Livia made a sound of disgust. “Look at us: hungry, covered in dust, and sitting in the parking lot of the New Orleans Police Department after being interrogated for hours about finding my ex’s dead body. You should be out enjoying your evening.”

Bryce shrugged. “This sort of mess is my daily job,” she assured her friend. “And I’m glad you did get me involved.”

“But—”

“I was thinking while we were stuck waiting between interviews,” Bryce interrupted, not wanting her friend to wallow in guilt. The danger she was in had increased dramatically. After all, being worried that the Benoits were hiding a secret was one thing, finding dead bodies was another level. “What if Larry Sutton was in your house to hide whatever he found?”

As she’d hoped, Livia was instantly distracted. “Why would he hide it at my house?”

“It’s the last place your family would look,” she pointed out. “And maybe he wanted you to have it if something happened to him.”

“If he did, he hid it too well for me to find,” Livia said, making clear the obvious. “I searched my place from top to bottom after you suggested he might be spying on me. There’s nothing there.”

Bryce sighed. It’d been nothing more than a fleeting thought. “I suppose it wouldn’t explain why he went to the effort of dating you. He could have broken into your house and left the item without anyone knowing he’d been there.” She shook her head in frustration. “Okay, we leave out why Larry Sutton involved you. It still seems likely that he went to Stella’s house to find something.”

Livia turned in her seat, her face bathed in the glow of the nearby streetlight. She looked pale and weary, but her expression was one of grim determination as she shoved aside her guilt and returned her attention to sorting through what they knew.

“We just can’t be sure if he got it or not,” she pointed out.

“His death indicates that he did. Why else kill him?” Bryce paused as she considered what they’d seen at the cabin. There was every appearance that the place had been ransacked. As if someone was searching for something. Or angry that Sutton failed to have what they wanted. But they didn’t have any actual evidence. And she couldn’t allow herself to simply assume they knew what had happened. It might have been done deliberately to throw them off the track.

“You thought of something?” Livia demanded as the silence stretched.

“It’s possible that one of your family found what they were searching for without his help.”

Livia furrowed her brow. “Then why kill him?”

“To keep his mouth shut. He was the one person who knew why Stella was blackmailing them. With Stella buried and Larry rotting in his shed, they no longer had to worry about their secret being revealed.”

“True.”

Bryce heaved a sigh. She was tired and it was an effort to think clearly. She was starting to grasp at straws.

“But once again, that doesn’t explain why Sutton contacted you. Or why you’ve been threatened since your arrival at the Willows.”

“Wait.” Livia abruptly tensed, her eyes widening. “I think I know.”

“Really? Tell me.”

“When I went to Stella’s house, it was empty.”

“Okay.”

“Who took her stuff? Flora told me that Stella didn’t have any family. And since the house technically belongs to the Benoits, it had to be one of them who packed up Stella’s things and moved them out before the house went on the market.”

Bryce nodded. Unless the house reverted to the bank, the owner would be responsible for emptying out the contents.

“Moved them where? To a storage locker?”

“If I was trying to get rid of her stuff, I would contact the local charities to donate the larger household stuff. I’m sure most of them would come and pick up the furniture and dishes. But the personal items would have to be packed up by Adrian or someone in the family and taken to the Willows. Especially if they wanted to ensure there was nothing incriminating in her stuff that might end up in the hands of some stranger.”

“Why the Willows? Why not the dump?”