A Twisted Love Story(42)
She hangs up.
Wes stares at his phone, a chill running up the back of his neck. The only thing Karen wanted to ask about was the car. That can’t be a coincidence.
* * *
—
Karen glances behind her. The parking lot behind the station is empty, but she checks anyway. While she tries her best not to work on side projects when she’s supposed to be working on her assigned cases, sometimes it has to be done.
She would’ve preferred to ask Wes these questions in person—to see the look on his face when she asked about the car. Helpful to her, not so helpful to her job. If Louis or his partner happened to be at Siphon, perhaps to give them a heads-up about the press conference, her presence would’ve set off too many alarm bells. And probably a call to her sergeant.
But Wes wouldn’t have made that call. No chance he’s going to tell anyone that a detective is calling him about his past. Or about his relationship.
Wes hadn’t slipped once, hadn’t offered any additional information. She had recorded the call anyway, just in case. It wasn’t legal—not without his consent—but this isn’t for court. It’s for her own investigation.
Earlier, she finally had a chance to look at the Tanner Duncan file. Now that the case is closed, Louis put it in the corner of his desk, on top of a pile of cases waiting to go into storage. Easy enough to sneak a peek.
Karen hadn’t forgotten that the door to Wes’s office was open the night Tanner was killed.
But according to the report, he wasn’t there. No sign of Wes or his car on the security footage from the parking lot, nor was his card swiped to get into the building. Bianca said in her statement that she had been in his office, fixing a mistake on Wes’s schedule, when Tanner walked in. Louis didn’t press her further on that, but he did check her phone for calls or messages from Wes. Just in case. Nothing there, nothing to indicate Wes had any part in what happened that night, so Louis left it alone. Karen couldn’t blame him. If she hadn’t been looking into Wes about something else, she wouldn’t have investigated any further, either.
The other thing that interested her was the set of Russian dolls. They were taken into evidence, and Louis had asked Bianca about them. She said it held a flash drive, a backup of everyone’s schedule in case something happened to the servers, and she always updated it.
That gave Karen something to work with.
She heads back into the station, typing into the Check This app as she walks, preparing her to-do list for tonight. She had been stuck before, unsure about which direction to go. Joey Fisher had shown her the way.
The more she thinks about it, the more items end up on her list. So many things to do, so many things to check. It motivates her to do more, to work harder.
No one was there for her when she needed it, but she’s there for them.
Including Ivy.
36
Wes had planned for a smooth day at work. Fifteen minutes in between meetings—enough time to send a couple emails, grab a coffee, and prepare for the next.
Karen’s phone call blew it all up.
Everything is off, in his mind and everywhere else. Thoughts zoom around in his head like a swarm of flies, the buzzing so loud he can’t concentrate. Can’t do anything right. Too much sugar in his coffee; he’d put it in twice. He writes the same email three times. Checks his schedule a dozen times and still doesn’t remember what comes next.
He misses Bianca. She used to remind him about upcoming meetings or any changes in the schedule. Abigail is more hands-off. Probably a good thing, given what happened the other night, but still.
In the middle of an online meeting, a woman reminds him of Karen. The way she talks, firing off questions. The woman makes him think about the call again, along with the car.
Not to mention Ivy.
His mind is rotating in a dangerous loop, one that’s left him not only confused but also making bad decisions. Starting with Abigail. That was the only night he hadn’t ended up alone at his house, phone in hand, trying to convince himself not to call Ivy.
Ghosting Ivy is starting to feel like the worst choice he could’ve made. The healthier thing, the more mature thing, would’ve been to talk to her. Have a real conversation about what she had done, and about Karen. It doesn’t make him feel stupid that he ran straight to Ivy after she called the police. It makes him feel stupid that he didn’t react well when Karen kept showing up.
More than anything, he is surprised Ivy hasn’t contacted him. Also, he’s not surprised at all.
“Wes? Are you with us?”
And now he’s being called out in a meeting. This day has gone to hell.
Somehow he muddles through the afternoon, making more mistakes than sales, though only one thing on his schedule is important. The afternoon client meeting. He is still trying to prepare, reading background info, when a message from Abigail pops up on his screen.
Abigail: They’re in the conference room.
Wes: Already?
Abigail: It’s 3:30.
Right. It certainly is. Only he thought the meeting started at four. He curses himself under his breath, ordering his brain to get it together.
During the meeting, the flies in his head are mercifully quiet. He forces them away every time the buzzing starts. It’s a strain on what’s left of his mental capacity. By the time the meeting is over, he’s exhausted. Fighting his own brain can be more tiring than working out.