by Raven Snow
“She complained that Teaghan had been distant for a while, that she’d had a shorter temper than usual. Apparently, she was being short with Trish a whole lot. Trish claimed she didn’t know why. She said it had just gotten worse and worse over the last few months.”
“That could be about the affair,” Rowen reasoned. “I mean, if I were having an affair with someone, I don’t think I would be all that comfortable being all buddy buddy with their wife, even if we had always been friends. Did Richie have anything to say?”
“He was upset. He seemed more upset than Trish, if you ask me. He was shaken. Not that that’s anything to really go on. People react to this sort of thing in all sorts of ways.”
“So, those guys are your main suspects?” asked Rowen. She wasn’t surprised by any of this. It was all about what she had expected to hear.
“Them and a few others.”
“Like who?”
“Like people you don’t need to concern yourself with. I’m not going to put any kind of bias in your head if I can help it. If you have any suspicions of your own, you come to me and I’ll let you know my thoughts on the matter.”
“At least tell me one or two that might be of interest to me.” Rowen was sure there were a few more suspects it would be prudent of her to look into. Ben was holding something back. It was something important. Rowen could tell.
Ben gave a sigh after several long moments of silence. He broke down. “Fine,” he relented. “We’re also looking into Tina pretty heavily.”
“Tina?” Rowen repeated, sitting up straight on her bar stool. She wasn’t sure that she had heard him correctly. “Which Tina? Peony’s Tina? You’re joking. She’s not the murdering type.”
“You asked,” said Ben, providing no explanation. “For Peony’s sake, I hope we’re wasting our time looking into her. It is what it is, though.”
Something occurred to Rowen then. “Are you leading the investigation into her?”
Ben shook his head. “No, that would be a conflict of interest. That particular suspect is one that I handed off to Sutton.”
“You have to be kidding me.”
“You asked. I’m lucky everyone is fine with me being involved with the rest of the case. Our police force is just too small for me to not be this involved.”
Rowen shook her head. She was still having trouble believing all of this. “You’re wasting your time with Tina. She wouldn’t murder anyone. She couldn’t. I know her. She’s a friend. I would have sensed something.”
Ben turned back to his cooking. “You asked. I’m just telling you like it is. You should probably get going. Rose is supposed to be home soon.”
“So what? It’s not like she would be mad we were talking about the investigation.”
“No, not on purpose. It frustrates her when she has a million questions herself but can’t bring herself to ask me for… You know… Moral reasons.”
“Fine.” Rowen slid from her stool. She had kind of hoped she would be invited for dinner. There probably wasn’t anything waiting for her at home that smelled half as good as what Ben had cooking. “Thanks for answering my questions.” She meant that. Even if she had been a bit difficult after getting her answers, Rowen really was thankful that he had deigned to tell her anything at all.
“No problem,” Ben assured her. “You just make sure you tell me if you discover anything, all right?”
“Will do,” Rowen assured him before heading out the door. She pulled out of the driveway and headed home, not passing Rose on the way, thankfully. Rowen had enough on her mind without worrying that she might stress out Rose. She was already stressing herself out enough just thinking about what needed to be done tomorrow.
Chapter Nine
Rowen got an early start the next morning. She kissed her bleary-eyed husband after she had thrown on some clothes and minimal makeup. He fell right back asleep after kissing her back and wishing her a productive day. Rowen hoped that would be the case.
She didn’t stop for breakfast. She headed for her usual coffee shop instead. She desperately needed some coffee but didn’t want to spare the time to brew it. She would treat herself to a pastry while she was there.
Rowen went into the coffee shop and stood in line. It was still mostly dark outside which allowed her to check her reflection in the glass door. Her auburn hair looked especially unruly today. She resolved to pull it back into a ponytail once she was back in the car. She always kept hair ties handy in the console.
The door opened while Rowen was staring at it, causing the little bell to ring. “Rowen!” exclaimed a voice.
Rowen jumped, waking up quite a lot in that moment. She blinked a few times, trying to clear the fog from both her vision and her head. It was Willow, she realized. No cause for alarm then. “Hey,” she said with a yawn. “What are you doing up so early?”
Willow rolled her eyes. “Ugh, don’t even get me started,” she said, though it looked like she was going to “get started” with or without Rowen’s help in the matter. “Rose wants everyone at the Inquirer first thing.” Willow gave her cousin a suspicious once over, her eyes narrowing. “What? She isn’t making you come in early?”
“If she called me, I didn’t get it.” Rowen didn’t pull out her phone to check. She felt fairly certain Rose hadn’t tried to get in touch with her. “I’ve been working on the case.”
“With Eric?”
Rowen hesitated. She considered lying but decided against it. If anyone would be able to tell she wasn’t telling the truth, it would be a member of her family. “On my own.”
“Does Eric know?”
“I don’t think he does,” Rowen admitted. “I’m not sure there’s much need to tell him. It’s not like I’ve been in danger so far.”
“But you could be,” Willow pointed out. The way she pointed it out seemed to suggest she didn’t actually care about Rowen’s well-being any more than usual. It sounded more like she was angling for a way to get out of her usual, humdrum work routine. “You should take someone with you. I could go with you.”
“I thought Rose needed you at work,” Rowen reminded her. “Besides, if I really feel like I’m in danger, I could just give Eric a call.”
“Why bother? I’m already here. Besides, I’d be way more use with you than with Rose. I’m just about sick of interviews. I’m probably more hindrance than help at this point. You can ask Rose herself. Where are you going anyway?”
Rowen sighed, not seeing any way out of the conversation. “I’m going to see Tina first. I have a few questions for her.”
Willow’s eyebrows raised. “Tina? Like, Peony’s Tina? Why her?”
“It’s complicated.” It wasn’t all that complicated. Rowen just didn’t want to explain what was going on in such a public spot. She could already feel more than one pair of eyes fixed on them.
“You definitely need me then,” Willow declared. “I’m closer with Tina than you are. I can get on her good side.”
Did Tina have a bad side they had seen any time recently? Rowen liked to think she got along with Tina fairly well. She wasn’t convinced Willow was actually any closer to her than she was. Who was she to deny her, though? “Fine,” she relented. Willow was an adult, her own woman. Ultimately, she could do what she wanted. “Give Rose a call first, though. Tell her what’s going on.”
Willow was already doing just that. There was a smile on her face. Rowen wished she was enjoying herself that much. With a sigh, she stepped up to the counter and placed her order. She got coffee for both herself and for Tina. It would be a peace offering of sorts.
***
Rowen put the car into park and stuffed the last of her blueberry muffin into her mouth. She tried to wash it down with coffee and ended up burning herself. She swore.
“Chill out,” said Willow, raising an eyebrow at her from the passenger’s side. “What are you so stressed out about? What’s the rush?”
“I’ve got a few places to swing by today,” Rowen said, ignoring
the way Willow’s face lit up at that. She was happy to tag along for even longer than planned, it seemed. Rowen left things at that, not mentioning that she was hoping not to run into Sutton while they were out. One run in with him was almost certain to spoil the day. Picking up Tina’s coffee and her own, she got out of the car.
The library wasn’t all that crowded this early in the morning. Rowen spotted some older folks seated at computers. An older lady sat behind the main counter, scanning a tall stack of books without any sort of urgency. She looked up when she saw Rowen and Willow approaching. “May I help you?” she asked.
“I’m looking for Tina,” said Rowen, putting on a smile to try and make herself look a bit more endearing.
The woman behind the counter sighed. She motioned vaguely over her shoulder. “She’s out back with that friend of hers, I think. She’s still a mess after all that horribleness that’s in the news. I’m not sure why she even came in today. If she’d just take the week off, I could afford to call in some actual help around here.” She went back to scanning her books. Rowen headed in the direction she had motioned.
“Friend?” Willow repeated quietly as they walked, like she was trying the word out. “Do you think she means Peony?”
Rowen shrugged. “I don’t know. I’m sure Tina has more than one friend, doesn’t she?”
Willow shrugged right back at her and, side by side, they made their way to the back of the library. There was a heavy emergency door that was propped open with what looked to be a cinder block. It was likely impossible to open from the outside. Rowen poked her head out the door and took a look around, not committing to walking out of it just yet.
“It’ll be fine,” said Peony’s voice. She was speaking softly. She couldn’t have been very far away at all even though Rowen didn’t immediately spot her. “This will all die down in a couple of weeks. I know it’s tough right now. I’m sorry. I wish there was something I could do about it.”
“It’s not like it’s your fault. You apologize too much.”
“Sorry.” Peony hesitated as if realizing she had apologized yet again only after she had spoken. “Sorry for saying sorry yet again,” she said with a giggle.
Tina laughed as well. The laughter was a little strained but genuine. “Thanks for swinging by,” she said afterward with a sigh. “Thanks for… ya know… everything.”
“I’m not doing anything you wouldn’t do… I mean, I hope so anyway.”
“I dunno,” Tina said with the beginnings of another laugh. “You are a lot nicer than me.”
At this point Rowen decided she had eavesdropped long enough. She had to barge in on their conversation sometime. She might as well do that now before things got any more awkward. Rowen made a point to take heavy steps as she rounded the corner toward them. “Hey, Peony? Are you back here? I—” She fell silent a moment after she had laid eyes on her cousin, after she had a chance to visually process what was going on. “Oh!”
Peony took a quick step back from Tina. Tina, herself, was wide-eyed, startled. Only a second or two ago, her lips had been pressed to Peony’s. “Um,” began Tina, looking from Rowen to Peony and then past Rowen, to someone else.
“Oh my God,” Willow said slowly. For a little while there, Rowen had forgotten she was following her.
“I…” began Peony, but she didn’t have a whole lot to say after that. Instead she leaned her lanky frame against the brick wall of the library. She swallowed. “Um… Hey, guys.”
“How long has this been going on?” asked Rowen, her eyes settling on Tina. Her face had gone nearly as red as her dyed hair. The flustered woman opened her mouth but nothing came out. She looked to Peony instead, as if this wasn’t her question to answer.
Peony shrugged her shoulders helplessly. “I don’t know… A little while.”
“Like, a week?” asked Willow. “A few days?”
Peony shrugged again, purposely looking away from her sister. “I don’t know… maybe… a few months?”
“A few months?!” Willow repeated, louder than everyone was comfortable with. Everyone quickly shushed her. They were standing next to the open door of a library after all. “A few months?” Willow said again, her voice considerably lower now. “And you didn’t tell me?” There were the beginnings of a somewhat hurt expression on Willow’s face. Her eyebrows were downturned, her lips at the start of a frown. “Why wouldn’t you tell me?”
“I don’t know,” Peony said in a tone of voice that suggested she did know. She sighed heavily and gave her sister a real answer. “I knew you wouldn’t keep it to yourself. You would tell everyone.”
“Of course I would! This is great! I’m happy for you! I mean, I feel really weird that I never realized you were gay, but—”
“I’m not…” Peony began, but she gave a small huff like it was difficult to find the right words. “I’m not, like, a lesbian or anything. I just… I guess I kind of like girls too sometimes… I don’t know.” Her face was beginning to turn as red as Tina’s. She looked at the floor.
“That’s fine too,” Willow said without hesitation. “I’m still happy for you.” She closed the distance between herself and her sister and pulled her into a hug.
Rowen realized that she hadn’t said anything for a while. “I’m happy for you, too,” she added quickly, making a point to rearrange her, no doubt, startled expression into a smile. “I don’t understand why you kept this a secret for months, though. I can’t think of anyone in our family who would disapprove.”
Tina shakily raised a hand, drawing attention away from poor, flustered Peony. “I’m afraid that’s my fault.”
Willow stepped away from her sister so that she could also look at Tina. “How so?” she asked.
Tina bit her bottom lip and exchanged a look with Peony. “I’m not comfortable letting it out in the open,” she admitted, her gaze sinking to the ground.
“Why not?” Willow asked, her tone considerably less than kind. No doubt she was offended by the thought of anyone being ashamed of being with her sister. Rowen had to admit that even she was a little offended.
“Don’t give her a hard time,” Peony said quickly. “It’s not like it’s anyone else’s business. You know people would give her a hard time if they knew. They already give her a hard time for being my friend.”
“That doesn’t make any of this right,” Willow grumbled. “If you love someone, you shouldn’t be ashamed of your relationship with them, whatever that relationship might be.”
“No one said anything about—” Peony began quickly. She stopped just as abruptly, swallowing. “Look, it’s our business. Just… Keep this to yourselves for now, okay? It’s what we both want.”
Rowen wasn’t sure that was true, but she didn’t push the matter. It wasn’t her place to do so. She remembered the coffee she was holding, though now she wasn’t sure she wanted to give it to Tina. She couldn’t help but be a little resentful of her. She didn’t like the idea of anyone being ashamed to let their relationship with a Greensmith be known to the world.
“What are you two doing here anyway?” asked Peony.
“I came here because I had some questions for Tina.” Rowen took a sip of the coffee she had brought for her. She had decided she wasn’t going to hand it over after all.
“What kind of questions?” asked Peony, her arms crossed over her chest. It seemed she had suddenly grown rather protective of Tina.
“Questions about Teaghan, I would assume,” said Tina with a sigh. She didn’t wait for Rowen or Willow to confirm that that was precisely why they were there. “What do you want to know?”
“Were you secretly dating her too?” Willow demanded.
“Willow,” Rowen snapped. Being cruel wasn’t going to get them anywhere.
“Yes,” said Tina, surprising everyone but Peony. Tina folded her hands behind her back. “I wasn’t dating her at the time she died,” she added quickly. “I’m not even sure you could say that we ever dated. We never did. Not really. Not
officially. We messed around some back in high school and then for a little while after that.” She shrugged. “We both had relationships with men too. It wasn’t anything serious, but she did get kind of weird about it when she was finally ready to get married to that high school sweetheart of hers.”
“So she was sleeping with you while she was still with David?” asked Willow.
Tina was growing more self-conscious and twitchy by the moment. “I… ah. I suppose she was, yes. Like I said, though, we were just fooling around. We were kids.”
“And are you just fooling around with my sister?” asked Willow.
“That’s enough,” snapped Peony before Tina could even attempt a response.
“What?” Willow didn’t seem bothered by the question she had asked in the least. If anything, it looked like she still wanted answers. Unfortunately, Tina didn’t seem to have much in the way of answers.
“Look, I know it was wrong,” said Tina, standing up a bit straighter and squaring her shoulders. “Teaghan and I were just friends to start with. I was in that little clique of hers and I enjoyed it. They weren’t the best group of people, and I wasn’t the best person either. Not when I was hanging out with them.”
“It’s debatable if you’re even a good person now,” Willow muttered.
“Willow!” Peony snapped.
“That’s true,” Tina conceded. “No one is being cheated on right now, though. I can promise you that much. I never really had intense feelings for Teaghan. I don’t think she had any for me either. Granted, I’m not so sure she even had them for David, but it’s not my place to judge… especially now that she’s gone.” She took a deep breath before continuing. “Teaghan, the others and I all grew apart a while ago.”
“When exactly?” asked Willow, staying on the offensive. Peony was giving her sister a look that spoke volumes. They would be bickering between one another later. Rowen could tell.
Tina answered the questions. At least she didn’t seem to feel like she had much to hide anymore. “I don’t know. After Teaghan and David got married, I guess. Maybe even right after they were engaged. Teaghan made this whole dramatic to-do about not being able to see me romantically anymore. Not that we had ever been romantic. It had only ever really been sexual, if you ask me. I don’t think she felt otherwise. I think she was just trying to be, you know, like I said. She liked drama. She was being overly dramatic. She must have told Tilda and Trish about us. Suddenly, they were like her bodyguards when I tried to hang out. She must have relayed what had happened like one big sob story. They were totally on her side and insistent that I respect her wishes, that I give her and her fiancé their space. Not that she had ever told me these wishes. That was Teaghan for you. She enjoyed maximum drama. It’s just who she was.”
