Steven nodded. He kicked softly at the circle of dirt under his swing, making me wonder if he was jealous. Which made me wonder if that mattered to me.
I stood up, pulling Steven from his swing, making sure he was steady on his feet before letting him go. “Come on,” I said, taking his keys from his pocket. “I’ll drive you home.”
CHAPTER 29
Steven’s key was a warm, satisfying weight in my pocket as I walked home from his town house. When I’d driven him home, I’d slipped his house key off his key ring. It had seemed only fair since he’d kept a copy of mine for a year. He’d wake up tomorrow morning and realize it was gone. He’d tell Theresa some bullshit story about how he lost it, and then he’d nag me about it until I gave in and eventually gave it back. Even if it was only temporary, the sense of control it gave me felt good, and the walk home in the fresh air gave me time to think.
My shoes were soft on the sidewalk, fallen leaves crackling as the breeze tossed them over the light frost on the grass. I froze halfway across my yard, staring at the dark shape lying supine on my porch.
“So tell me,” Nick said, leaning back on his elbows on my front steps, his long legs stretched out in front of him. “What’d you dig up?”
I took a cautious step closer, only releasing my held breath when I caught the flicker of his smile. It billowed out in a white cloud as I sat down beside him.
“You scared me to death,” I said, clutching my chest. “I didn’t see your car.”
He gestured along the street, where the retired cruiser melted into the dark. “Sorry I couldn’t get here earlier. I was tied up. What’d you find out?”
Keep it simple, I reminded myself. As close to the truth as you can. Just enough to keep him busy. “I think Theresa’s having an affair with one of her clients,” I said. “I think that’s who she was with that Tuesday night, and she doesn’t want Steven to find out.”
“If Steven doesn’t know, how did you hear about it?”
“Vero and I staked her out.”
Nick’s lip curled with a wry smile, his laughter coarse and teasing. “A stakeout, huh? Did your sister teach you that?”
“I’ve been on a few ride-alongs,” I said defensively. “I’m not a total amateur.”
His teeth flashed white in the dark. “Okay, Detective. What did you see?”
I ignored the playful twinkle in his eye. “She came out of her office with an attractive man. Well-dressed. Late thirties. Nice figure. Dark hair.”
“And why do you assume they’re having an affair?”
“Their good-bye was a little less than professional.”
“How so?”
“He kissed her cheek, whispered in her ear, and, according to Vero, he was picturing her naked.”
His eyes fell over me with a cop’s scrutiny. “And what exactly does that look like?”
“I wouldn’t know.” Blood rushed to my cheeks. I was grateful he couldn’t see them in the dark.
“So you don’t know for a fact that she’s having an affair with this client. Or that he’s a client at all. Or that she was definitely with him the night Harris disappeared.”
“No, not exactly. But I talked to Steven tonight. He said she’s been spending a lot of time with this guy. He’s worried they’re sleeping together.”
This earned a less skeptical nod. “Do you know the client’s name?”
“No.” The longer Nick chased his tail trying to figure it out, the better.
“What makes you so sure she wasn’t at the networking event?”
“I checked out that networking group online—the one you said she was involved in. That group is full of real estate agents and mortgage brokers. She probably knows half the people who were in the bar that night. If she’d been there, someone would have remembered seeing her.” I watched his face for a reaction, certain I was right. Theresa was definitely not at The Lush that night. At least, she hadn’t been inside. Nick was sharp. He’d said it himself, he’d been doing this for a long time. He would have interviewed the people on the RSVP list first. And if she had been there, her colleagues would have confirmed it.
A few days ago, Detective Anthony had been certain Theresa was guilty. Today, his confidence seemed shaky at best. All I had to do was wear it down and throw him off her scent.
Nick sat up slowly, bracing his elbows on his knees. “I went back and talked to the bartender at The Lush tonight.”