Page 71 of Death of a Grill Master

Hayley drove over to the Desmond house to drop in on Kylie one more time. She rang the bell and waited.

When Kylie finally opened it, she looked tired. Her flannel shirt was buttoned unevenly, and her leggings were spattered with coffee stains. Her hair was yanked back in a ponytail, but her fingers kept tugging at the loose ends as though she needed something to hold on to.

“Hayley,” she said softly. “Hi.”

“I didn’t mean to intrude,” Hayley said gently. “I just wanted to see how you were holding up.”

Kylie nodded, then stepped aside. “Come in.”

The living room was shadowed, blinds drawn to block the glare. Hayley sat down slowly on the couch. Kylie perched across from her, curling her legs beneath her, arms wrapped around her midsection like she was holding herself together.

“It’s hard,” Kylie said after a long pause. “Losing him. Even with everything … it’s still hard.”

Hayley nodded. “I can imagine.”

“I try to keep it together, you know? Be the strong one. People expect me to be fine because we were on the verge of splitting up. But it’s not that simple.”

“No, it’s not.”

“I miss him,” Kylie said, her voice barely a whisper. “Even when I hated him, I loved him.”

It was the same routine Hayley had heard before—every word perfectly timed, every sigh in place. A matinee performance of Bar Harbor’s favorite tragic widow.

“I appreciate you coming by to check on me.”

Hayley felt a slight pang of guilt.

That was not why she was here at all.

After a long pause, she attempted as naturally as she could to ask, “Have you seen Zane lately?”

Kylie shook her head. “I only saw him once in passing after he confronted me and Chase at the bar the other day. But now he’s suddenly gone quiet.”

“That’s not like him.”

“No,” Kylie murmured. “It’s not.”

Then a door opened down the hall.

Chase Wingate entered the room like he owned it, his button-down half-tucked, a phone in one hand, the other adjusting the watch on his wrist.

“Sorry to interrupt,” he said, not sounding sorry at all.

Hayley stood. “I was just asking Kylie if she’s heard from Zane recently.”

Chase chuckled. “No, and you can bet she won’t. It’s obvious the guy ran off to avoid facing a murder charge. Probably halfway to Nova Scotia by now.”

“There’s no evidence he left town,” Hayley said calmly. “Or that he’s a murderer.”

Chase waved a hand. “He’s a mess. Always was. My guess? Guilt finally caught up with him.”

“I wasn’t aware you even knew Zane that well,” Hayley said, eyes narrowing with suspicion. “Other than what Kylie told you about him.”

“I signed up for some diving lessons one summer a few years back. Zane had the glassy stare of a man who mistook lobster butter for vape oil the whole time, so I didn’t go back. That was way before he got all hot and bothered over me and Kylie getting together.”

Kylie sat up, defensive. “Hayley, if you think Chase had anything to do with Zane’s disappearance—”

“I didn’t say that.”