Page 136 of Skeletons in the Closet

“We got a full confession. Faye set the fire at Olivia’s with the intent to kill, and Olivia, thinking the case against Roan Guterson and the threat to her life had been resolved, dismissed her twenty-four-hour-a-day bodyguards, hence leaving herself vulnerable to the attack. Faye acted as janitorial staff at the university to set up the lantern and carbon monoxide tank in Natalia Shore’s office.”

“And Beth?”

“Was injected with a large dose of insulin. Lethal for a nondiabetic and leaves no trace for the coroner to find.”

“But how?”

“Faye waited at her house on the night Beth met with David. When Beth returned home, Faye held her at gunpoint and injected her. Once Beth was unconscious, Faye used Beth’s keys to get inside the house and put Beth on the couch, where her husband found her a few hours later.”

I let the story sink in, analyzing the details and going over everything. It was ludicrous. Insane. Who did shit like that? “Why was Beth’s husband in contact with a criminal defense lawyer? We thought he was covering his ass because you guys were ready to arrest him.”

“No. Beth confided in her husband about the hit-and-run from 2010. She wasn’t driving the car but knew she was equally responsible since she never reported the crime. She feared it would come to light, and she would end up in prison. Her husband contacted the lawyer retroactively in case that happened. Beth got the referral from Shore because Shore had done the same, fearing the truth was about to come out.”

I rattled my head. It was a lot to take in. “Wow. Okay then.”

“Crazy case.”

“I’d say.” I drummed my fingers on the folder. “Did Shore not know about the bloody rag in his car?”

“No. Noah and the girls hid it under the spare tire in the hidey hole in the trunk with the intention of getting rid of it. But in the chaos, they forgot. Noah was a real mess, I guess. Initially, before Torin and I were assigned the case and they were investigating Shore for drugs and solicitation, the cops were checking into past students from York who had minor drug infractions, hoping they could build a case against Shore, hoping those past students might be willing to talk. Noah was arrested for possession in 2010. He was fined, but it stayed on his record.”

“So when the police showed up at his door, it freaked him out even more.”

“Probably.”

“Did you contact Diem?”

“Yeah. He knows.”

“Oh.”

“He didn’t call you?”

“No.”

Doyle shrugged. “He’s a strange cat. Anyhow. I’m out.”

When Doyle left, I spent the next twenty minutes reviewing the file on Faye. It included the interview with Olivia. It was then that I figured out the man we’d seen at the vigil must have been one of her secret bodyguards. We hadn’t considered it at the time, but it made sense.

It was twenty-five after five when my coffee date strolled through the door. “Ready to go?” Costa asked.

Glancing up, I fixed a smile on my face. “Sure. Give me a second.”

I tidied up and shut down the office, tucking the file away to deal with another day.

As I rounded the counter and aimed for the door, Costa handed me a brown box. “I was told to give you this.”

“What is it?”

He shrugged. “I didn’t ask.”

I opened the unlabeled box and discovered my once-broken glasses inside, fully repaired. I stared, confused. Underneath was a handwritten note. I tugged it free from under the frames and opened it. I recognized the messy writing right away.

You told me you didn’t want your cut for the case. I don’t think that’s fair. You worked hard and risked your life to help me. You got hurt because of me. I’m not okay with not paying you, and you shouldn’t be either. Since Faye is locked up, and I don’t expect to see money anytime soon, hopefully, this is compensation enough.

Plus, I like you in glasses.

Diem.

PS. This doesn’t make us partners.

I chuckled and tucked the paper inside the box. “He really is a cuddle bear.”

“Who?” Costa asked.

“No one. Let’s go for coffee.

***