They walked up the path. Heather lived on the ground floor, and her unit opened directly onto the walkway. Bree and Matt flanked the steel security door, and Bree knocked. A few minutes later, light footsteps quickly approached the door. Bree and Matt stepped back to be fully visible through the peephole. The door was flung open by a woman dressed in yoga pants and sneakers. She was much more attractive than Matt had expected with short blonde hair, smooth skin, and a Marilyn Monroe–like figure.
She eyed Bree’s uniform. “What’s wrong?”
“Are you Heather Oscar?” Bree asked.
Heather nodded. “Yes. What happened?”
Bree glanced around. “May we come inside?”
“Yes, of course.” Heather gently shooed a striped orange cat away from the door. “Get back, Tiger.”
Matt and Bree stepped over the threshold. Matt closed the door behind them. The foyer was a square of tile adjoining the living room. The apartment was well kept, with freshly vacuumed cream-colored carpet and a low gray couch and matching chair.
“What happened?” Heather repeated.
“Eugene Oscar is your ex-husband?” Bree verified.
Heather nodded.
Bree continued. “Eugene’s body was found last night. We’re sorry for your loss.”
Heather didn’t react for a few heartbeats, then asked, “He’s dead?”
“Yes, ma’am,” Bree confirmed with one short nod.
Heather raised one hand to cover her mouth. She wrapped the other around her waist. A minute later, she lowered the hand on her mouth to hug her waist. “This is going to sound cold, but why are you here? Eugene and I aren’t married anymore.”
Bree lied without missing a beat. “You’re still listed in his personnel file.”
Technically, Matt thought it probably wasn’t a lie. Heather’s name was probably buried somewhere in Oscar’s file. But it wasn’t the reason for their visit.
Heather seemed to accept the statement. “How did it happen?”
“He was shot,” Bree said.
Heather blinked in surprise. Her head shifted backward. “Was it in the line of duty?”
“No.” Bree’s head tilted. “Eugene retired from the sheriff’s department recently.”
Heather’s eyebrows shot up. “Retired?”
“You didn’t know?” Matt asked.
Heather shook her head. “No. I haven’t seen Eugene in ages.”
“He retired after a big case over the summer.” Bree gave no details.
Matt added, “It was on the news.”
Heather sighed. “I’ve been too busy with work to watch much news lately. I work at the Cross Street Branch of the county library. We had a major water leak back in June. Between the budget, permits, and approvals, county bureaucracy has made the repairs a never-ending nightmare.” She adjusted her ponytail. “I’m supposed to be off today, but we’ll see.”
“Can you be more specific about when you last saw or spoke with Oscar?” Bree pulled out her notepad.
“Not off the top of my head,” Heather said.
Tiger rubbed against Matt’s ankles. He stooped to scratch it behind the ears, and the cat purred loudly. “Nice cat.”
Heather smiled sadly. “I adopted him after the divorce. He’s good company.” The tabby returned to his owner, who scooped him into her arms. His purring grew louder as she held him against her neck. “If Eugene didn’t die at work, then how did it happen?”
“We don’t know.” Matt straightened. “He was killed at his mother’s farm. She was also a victim.”
Heather gasped. “Camilla? Oh, my God. Why would anyone hurt her? She was a little weird, but she had very little interaction with anyone besides Eugene.”
“Did you know Eugene had moved in with her?” Matt asked.
Heather scratched the cat’s head. “No. The last time I spoke with him, he was renting a place over near the railroad. But as I said before, that was quite a while ago.”
Bree made a note. “Did your lawyer handle your alimony?”
“Alimony?” Heather’s brow furrowed. “I never received any alimony from Eugene. Did he say I did?”
“Not to me,” Bree clarified. “But other people said he complained about paying alimony.”
“I shouldn’t be surprised. He was a very good liar.” Heather shook her head. “I didn’t want a nickel from him. I just wanted him gone.”