“I always look like this.”
“Oh.” She sighed, as if she were bored, and turned. “Colin!”
“Has he been home all day?”
She turned back to me, her head wobbling, like she was having trouble keeping it on straight. “What?”
“Has your husband been home all day?”
“Now you sound like a cop.”
“I’m not a cop.”
She groaned, like a petulant teenager who’d just been reminded of her curfew. “I don’t know. He might have gone out earlier. But maybe that was yesterday.”
“Got it.” I stepped past her into the house. “If you point me in the right direction, I’ll find him.”
“Suit yourself. He’s either in the study or out practicing his golf swing. Study is down that hall and there’s a door to the back.”
“Thanks.”
The entryway had a wide double staircase leading to a landing on the second floor. A crystal chandelier hung above, taking up too much space. It was the type of thing newly wealthy people bought because they thought it made them look rich. It just looked tacky.
My boots clicked on the marble tile. It was white with streaks of black, almost zebra striped. The walls were sea foam green, a shade that clashed with the dark cherry baseboards and trim.
Whoever had designed this place had done an absolutely horrible job.
But I wasn’t there to critique their design choices, tasteless as they were. I found the study and went in through the already open door.
It was empty. The room wasn’t as gaudy as the entry. At least the colors coordinated. The wood paneling was good quality—and expensive—and the walls were a deep forest green. Cherry furniture, leather executive chair, shelves filled with law books.
Double French doors led to a patio. The outdoor furniture looked like it was rarely used, covered with a light sheen of dust, and a set of stairs led to an upper deck.
And on the grass, a short distance away, was Colin.
He had a driving range, complete with a green and a large net to catch his golf balls. Not a bad setup, although I hated golf.
And I hated this guy more.
I walked, as casually as I could, to where Colin the douchebag stalker was hitting golf balls.
“Colin Greaves?” I asked.
He jerked, like I’d startled him, and put a hand on his chest. “You scared me, I didn’t realize anyone was out here.” He narrowed his eyes at me. “I’m sorry, who are you?”
“Josiah Haven.”
“And what are you doing here?”
“We need to talk.”
He set his golf club end down and held the handle in both hands. I was very aware of how dangerous a weapon it could be. “I’m afraid I don’t know what you’re referring to. If this is a legal matter, you need to make an appointment.”
“It is a legal matter, but I don’t need a lawyer. You probably do, though.”
Recognition seemed to dawn on him. “Wait, I remember you. You’re the guy from Tilikum.”
“The one who threw you out of the bar.”
“I wouldn’t say you threw me out, but you didn’t exactly extend a warm welcome.”
“You weren’t welcome.”
“Is that why you’re here? That was a while ago and in case you haven’t noticed, I haven’t been back. Audrey was a sweet piece of ass back in the day but no pussy is worth that much trouble.”
I wanted to rearrange his face for that comment, but I decided to let it go. He had much bigger things to answer for. “I know what you’ve been up to.”
He looked around, like he was confused. “I’ve been up to a lot of things. Busy legal practice. Pillar of the community.” He tilted his head. “Fucking a few girls on the side, but I doubt you care about that, since I’m sure you don’t know any of them. But maybe you can help me narrow it down.”
“I know what you’ve been doing to Audrey.”
“Oh, right. The stalker. It’s not me. I admit, I can see why you’d think so, especially if you thought Audrey broke my poor innocent heart back in the day. Trust me, she didn’t.”
“No? She said you were angry.”
“In the heat of the moment, maybe. But I got over it. I was already fucking Lorelei on the side, so it wasn’t hard.”
“Then why did you come looking for her at the Timberbeast?”
“She was back in town.” He shrugged. “I thought she might want a go for old time’s sake. Apparently not, but it’s her loss. Like I said, not worth it. After that, I forgot she existed until the cops started showing up at my office asking questions.”