She blinked. “No. Why would he want to?”
“That’s what I hoped you could tell me.” He grimaced. “Ken visited him about two weeks before he was murdered.”
Rowan was stunned. “I don’t know why he would go.”
“His only connection to Jerry Chiavo would be your case, correct? I talked to Shannon Steward about it, and she didn’t understand why Ken would visit him either. She said Ken had a lot of anger directed at Jerry from what he did to you and Malcolm.”
“Yes, Ken got angry when his name came up. I saw that several times. I don’t find it odd, considering what Jerry did.”
“I don’t think the anger is unusual either . . . but a visit seems odd. Maybe he needed to have it out verbally with Jerry? But Jerry would have agreed to the visit, and he had to know Ken had nothing good to say to him. Jerry had very few visitors, especially since his wife died. Maybe he was bored and curious why Ken would set up a visit.”
Rowan thought for a long moment, remembering how her visit had gone. “I can see him agreeing to see Ken for that reason. Wanting someone to toy with a bit.”
“Shannon said Ken had been distant for a couple weeks before his death. Could his visit to Jerry have something to do with that?”
Rowan shook her head. “I honestly have no idea. Which reminds me, Rees Womack also told me that Ken was acting odd in the weeks before he died. Said he was anxious and acted distracted.” She paused. “Rees thought it had something to do with me.”
Even’s gaze sharpened. “How so?”
“He didn’t know. Ken told him there was something he couldn’t tell me, and that he was worried I’d never forgive him for it. I’ve thought and thought, and I can’t figure out what that could be. The man saved my life. What could I not forgive him for?”
“You might never find out.”
“Rees also said he thinks Ken might have gone camping in that spot to meet someone. He’d wanted Rees to come along, but he backed out. He didn’t care for the location and pointed out that it was an odd one for Ken to choose. Ken likes to be near a lake or creek and always goes far out in the boondocks. That site was rather close in for him. Rees said he refused to change the location.”
“But he didn’t say he was meeting someone?”
“No. It was speculation. But Rees and I couldn’t come up with another reason for him to camp there. I hesitated to tell you because it didn’t seem important.”
“I never know if something is important until it suddenly is.”
Evan was frustrated; Rowan saw it in the set of his jaw and the stiffness in his shoulders. He wanted to find Ken’s killer, and she appreciated his determination. “You’ll figure out who murdered Ken.”
“I’ll keep digging until I do,” he promised, holding her gaze. “Go see your sister. Tell her I’m sorry about Adam getting out.”
She stopped closer, slid a hand up his chest, and kissed him. She didn’t know what they were to each other, and it didn’t matter. She cared about Evan and knew he felt the same way about her. Labels could come later. Pulling back, she met his gaze and saw happiness with an undercurrent of desire.
“We’re having burgers at my parents’ this evening. Can you come?”
His face lit up. “Definitely.”
A warm glow filled her chest at his reaction.
Yes. This is good for us.
36
After Rowan left, Evan opened Ken’s murder binder.
Noelle had interviewed Rees, Ken’s cousin Eric, and the other two ex-wives. Evan took a few minutes to read over her notes for the fifth time and still agreed no leads had been presented to follow up on. All the interviewees had stated that Ken was the best guy ever, with no enemies.
It’s almost too consistent.
If Ken had been so wonderful, why had he been deliberately shot in the head? And according to what Evan had just learned from Rowan, Ken might have camped there to meet someone—and this person might not have agreed that Ken was the best guy ever. Noelle’s report on Rees’s interview did not mention that Ken had asked Rees to go camping with him or that he believed Ken was possibly meeting someone.
Witnesses often later remembered additional details. Evan always ended an interview with a request for the witness to contact him if they thought of more details, and he knew Noelle would have too. He was a little annoyed Rees had told Rowan instead of Noelle. He looked up the man’s number and dialed.
“Hello?”