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Jessica laughed. “Only because this is your first time in Badger’s Drift.”
“What’s wrong with them?”
“‘Wrong?’ Technically nothing. They’re pretty enough and well maintained. It’s a planned community and offers residents an amazing assortment of amenities. The problem is that although they’ve been made to look period, they aren’t, and everyone in town knows it. They’re also incredibly expensive, but more than anything, sitting up on the top of a bluff, access to them in a harsh Maine winter can be difficult at best.”
“So, you wouldn’t recommend one.”
“God no, but then I have one of the first homes built in town and have direct access to a fairly private beach.”
“According to DeeDee you put a lot of money into renovations and bringing the house to what you wanted it to be.”
“I did, but I also inherited the house from my uncle free and clear.”
“What do I need to know about Delilah Williams?”
“Other than she was Thompson’s mistress and basically killed any career she might have had here? I don’t really know much about her. She’s kind of a mystery, which is hard to pull off in a small town. Most people avoid her because she was ‘the other woman,’ and Ginnie is fairly well liked. In all honesty, I don’t know that Ginnie isn’t kind of doing her a favor in evicting her.”
“That’s harsh,” he said.
“I mean, forcing her out with no place for her to go isn’t very nice, but it is within Ginnie’s rights, and honestly, I don’t think Delilah has much of a future here. She doesn’t work, and everybody knows that.”
They pulled up to the front of Delilah’s townhouse. Thorn came around and opened her door, provoking a smile from Jessica. “What?”
“I just like that you do that and hold my chair. I never thought I would, but I’m finding it makes me happy.”
Seeing the eviction notice posted on the garage door as well as the outdoor lamp post and evidence of it having been yanked down from the front door, Thorn said, “Ginnie didn’t waste any time.”
“No, but I can’t blame her. Although most people felt sorry for Ginnie, Gregory did make a fool of her. He’s dead, so striking back at Delilah is all that’s left to her.” Thorn shook his head, and it was Jessica’s turn to ask, “What?”
“One minute I think you’re sympathetic to Ginnie and the next to Delilah.”
“I guess I don’t see a need to choose. They both got put through the wringer by Thompson. He’s the villain in this piece. Honestly, if anybody deserved to die, it was him.”
“Good thing we cleared your name.”
“For a myriad of reasons,” Jessica said, knocking on the front door.
The woman who answered, and who he assumed to be Delilah Williams, was not at all the lovely young woman he had expected. Instead, the woman who answered was older, a bit overdone and looked as though she’d had a rough life. Her face had that tight, drawn look that comes from either one too many facelifts or one badly botched one. Her hair looked like bleached straw and had been cut and teased to within an inch of its life. The fact that her face and eyes were swollen and puffy didn’t help.
“Fuck. Jessica Murdoch, Badger’s Drift’s closest thing to a celebrity. What do you want?” She glanced at Thorn. “And who the fuck are you?”
Thorn flashed his badge. “Detective Thorn Wilder with the State’s Major Crimes Unit. We’d like to talk to you about Gregory Thompson’s death. May we come in?”
“Why her?” Delilah said, pointing to Jessica.
“Ms. Murdoch is working as a consultant on the investigation.”
“Fine. Whatever,” Delilah said, turning to walk back up the stairs in the split-entry townhouse.
The house was lovely, but looked like someone had gone into a high-end furniture store and bought each room. There was no soul to it. Jessica’s home, in contrast, looked curated and lived in. It was beautiful, yet welcoming and comfortable. Delilah’s townhouse was decorated to impress but also to intimidate and warn visitors to be careful.
“First, let me tell you how sorry I am for your loss,” said Thorn, taking a seat on the sofa.
“Yeah, the bastard. Do you know how many times I tried to get him to put this place and my car in my name or at least on the mortgage or lease? Hell, that old bat he was married to never would have known about us if it weren’t for someone asking her about my leased Mercedes. Do you know that cow had them serve me with an eviction notice this morning and the leasing company has said they’re coming to get the car at the end of the month? Shit. What am I supposed to do?”
“Ms. Williams, before his death, how were you and Mr. Thompson getting along?”
“Same as always. Big fight, makeup sex, and then quiet for a week or two. Rinse and repeat.”
