Heart of the Storm

by Nicole Stiling

  “I don’t know, you’d have to ask Leland. She took statements from both of them.”

  “Huh,” Juliet murmured. “Okay, I’ll go in and take a look at the security footage. Let me know if anything interesting pops up.”

  Celeste nodded and resumed her bagging and tagging. Juliet greeted Quinlan and went into the library, which was even more somber than usual. Not only was it quiet, but unusually so, and Richard Kowalski wasn’t there with his warm welcome and bright smile. His absence would leave a void.

  Dust motes swirled above the outdated computer that housed the CCTV footage. Juliet sat in the worn leather chair and tied her hair back into a loose ponytail. The cameras only focused on the front door, the side exit, and part of the bookshelf area of the library. The private offices and children’s play area weren’t under surveillance, and neither was a large part of the research room. Juliet fast-forwarded until she caught a glimpse of a person on screen. It was Tara Wolfe, the assistant librarian who helped Richard Kowalski with the day-to-day tasks of the library. Juliet couldn’t imagine how much work there was to be done in a library of that size, it was a run-of-the-mill small town library, but she admittedly knew nothing about the administration and maintenance that went into the upkeep of a library.

  Fifteen minutes later, Juliet had seen everyone who had come and gone for the entire day before Kowalski was found. Nothing of interest stood out. A mother and two children had come in and checked out two books. A college-age kid had used one of the community computers to print something. Kowalski’s daughter had brought him something from Dunkin’ Donuts, and other than that, it was just Kowalski and Tara. They’d laughed a few times and seemed to get along pretty well. Seeing Kowalski doing mundane things like checking for dust on the front desk and straightening a Reading is Fundamental sign caused a lump in Juliet’s throat. She wondered what had been going through his head at that moment. Thinking about dinner? Wondering what was on TV later that night? None of it would matter. She swallowed and tried to refocus her attention. Apparently, Wednesdays weren’t particularly busy days at the library, even though that was the one night they offered extended hours. Once school started back up again, there would be a lot more foot traffic. It had closed to the public at seven thirty p.m. Kowalski and Tara had presumably cleaned up a bit off camera, or organized books, or whatever it was that they did before closing. Tara had gathered her things and left the building at eight forty-six p.m. Kowalski entered his private office at eight fifty-one p.m. and exited the building at four minutes past nine. Based on what she had seen and what Kellie had said at the scene, Kowalski died shortly after locking the door and leaving for the night. He hadn’t seemed in distress, though he did loosen his tie and roll his neck a few times. He had no idea that his wife was just a few miles away, lying in a ditch with a spilled container of chili and a sandwich baggie filled with shredded cheese. He had no idea that the ground outside the library would be the last thing he’d ever see.

  Chapter Six

  The flashing cursor in her messaging app taunted her. Sienna had started to send a message at least ten times. They’d had one more coffee date after their first, the conversation had been easy and pleasant, and she’d been looking forward to getting together with her again. They’d spent most of their time together talking about Declan and how funny he’d been when he was younger. His teenage years had turned him into a grouch, but sometimes he forgot to be in a bad mood and that sense of humor would shine through. They’d planned on getting together again, but work had gone into overdrive for Sienna, so they hadn’t set anything in stone.

  The thing was, Sienna didn’t know where they stood as friends, with everything that had been going on with Will, and Sienna wasn’t the most assertive person when it came to social interactions. She’d always been an introvert, and making friends in adulthood was just weird. The only places she really went with any regularity were home and work. The people she worked with were nice enough, and they had a good relationship at work, but she couldn’t see herself hanging out with them after hours. She’d left the friends she’d made when she was younger and when she was in college when she’d moved to Massachusetts at twenty-five, and she hadn’t bothered to keep in touch with any of them. Her mother was down in Florida, and Sienna had never really known her father. She talked to her mom every other week or so, but it was usually surface talk. When Sienna had told her that she and Will were separating, her mother had read her the riot act, told her that she was going to ruin her life, and that getting divorced would ensure that she’d become a spinster. She hadn’t felt the urge to call her much after that. Her closest friend was her cousin, who was also living in Florida. They chatted on the phone at least once a week, but it just wasn’t the same.

  Would Juliet just ignore the message if she felt like she had to side with Will in their separation? Or would she text back and say that Sienna was dreaming if she thought she’d socialize with a soul-wrecker like her? Sienna rolled her eyes at her own insecurity. What the hell.

  Hey, it’s Sienna. Talked with Gretchen earlier when she was alert. Not much to report, she was still drowning in grief. Would you like to have dinner?

  Sienna hit send before she could change her mind. She immediately wished that texting had an undo button. Unsend. Recall. Send a virus to the other person’s phone before they could open the text message. Anything.

  It only took a moment for the gray bubbles of response to appear. Sienna braced herself for Juliet’s response.

  Hey! I figured as much. She’s going to be a wreck. I feel so bad for her. Yes, I’d love to get dinner. Did you mean tonight?

  Sienna felt her stomach jump, which was an unexpected reaction to Juliet’s text. Must have been relief.

  Sure, if you’re available tonight, that would be great.

  Her initial nervousness had subsided, but not by much. When a few minutes passed without a response, the edginess began to creep back in. She heard Declan yelling excitedly about the number of takedowns they’d been able to get in whatever game he and his online friends were playing. Sienna thought about turning the TV on and then decided she wouldn’t be able to concentrate. Why she was putting so much thought and angst into a friendly dinner date was beyond her.

  The message chime sounded and Sienna dove for her phone like a schoolgirl.

  I would love that. Hate to ask—would you mind picking something up and meeting me here at the station instead of going out to eat? I have a mountain of paperwork to get through while we’re waiting for the ME results.

  Sienna’s stomach jumped again. She ignored it.

  Of course. Do you feel like Chinese?

  Everyone liked Chinese food, didn’t they? It was a safe choice.

  Always! Get some of those crispy fried wonton things. Delish.

  Sienna smiled and responded in the affirmative. It was going to be nice to meet up with a kinda-sorta friend, especially one she didn’t have to work for conversation with. Without putting much thought into it, Sienna ran up the stairs to freshen her hair and makeup.

  “Is Dad home?” Declan asked, without peeling his eyes from his television. Men dressed in suits and sunglasses dashed from building to building on the screen.

  “I don’t think so. I didn’t hear his car in the driveway.” Sienna stopped in front of his open doorway.

  “Are you going out?”

  “Yes, I’m actually meeting your mom for a quick dinner.”

  “My mom?” Declan scrunched his eyebrows but didn’t turn his attention to Sienna. “Why?”

  Good question. “Well, we’re working together on something, so I thought it would be a good idea for us to discuss some of the details over dinner.” Mostly true, and she wasn’t sure why she felt the need to be evasive.

  “What are you working on together? Like a family photo album or a police case?” Declan finally looked in Sienna’s direction.

  “Second one.”

  That seemed to satisfy him. He didn’t ask any more qu
estions and turned back to his game.

  “You need anything before I go? Your dad should be home any time now.”

  Declan shook his head. “Tell Mom I said hi.”

  Sienna nodded and went into her room. She’d started putting some of the things she didn’t use very often into boxes and containers and storing them in her closet. She was sad for the loss of what could have been, for what she had envisioned a life with Will and Declan would be like. Things change, she told herself over and over again. It was hard not to blame herself for where things had ended up. All things considered, Will was mostly the same person now that he was when they met a decade ago. But it wouldn’t be fair to him—or to her—to just let things continue as they were. Will seemed content enough, but Sienna couldn’t imagine that he was truly happy. They barely talked, the intimacy had dried up a long time ago, and they had virtually nothing in common. Their whirlwind romance had seemed like a lasting proposition at the time, but looking back, Sienna saw the cracks in their veneer even then. She put a music box her mother had given her when she was a child into a cardboard box marked “fragile.” When things with Will were finalized, she knew that she’d be the one to find a new place. She’d never be able to afford the house on her own, nor did she want to. She hadn’t married Will for his money, and she didn’t plan on divorcing him for it, either. And she certainly didn’t plan on forcing Declan from the home he’d been spending weekends and occasional weekdays in since he was a toddler.

  Rain pelted against the bedroom window, which seemed to be a regular occurrence lately. There had been nothing but clouds and humidity and thunderstorms for the last month, or at least that was how it felt. Sienna decided to change out of her business suit and into something more comfortable. She threw on a pair of jeans and a form-fitting V-neck T-shirt. Her hair was still in decent shape, so she just ran her hand through it to bounce up her natural waves. She grabbed a tube of mauve lip gloss and called out a quick good-bye to Declan. She was pretty sure he grunted in acknowledgment, but she wouldn’t have put money on it.

  Chapter Seven

  Juliet read the email from the medical examiner’s office one more time, this time jotting down the important highlights. Kellie stressed that the findings were only preliminary, and the full results could take as long as six weeks to be completely finalized. But based on the initial results, Kellie had been right. Cause of death was noted as methemoglobinemia, likely due to an over ingestion of nitrates. Clinical cyanosis and the presence of brownish blood were also mentioned in the write-up.

  Suicide was still an option, but an unlikely one, especially with what had happened to Gretchen Kowalski. Based on all of the records Juliet had been poring through over the last couple of hours, there was nothing in Richard Kowalski’s past or present that would have suggested suicidal ideation. Juliet was waiting for a callback from his cardiac specialist to verify his prescription.

  While she was in the process of logging into the federal database, Juliet heard the door open and slam shut, as it usually did. She peeked around the corner of her office and saw Sienna standing there, holding a good-sized brown paper bag. She had two bottles of water tucked under her right arm.

  “Hey!” Juliet called, smiling at Sienna when she looked over. “Let’s go into the conference room. My office is a shithole at the moment.”

  Sienna smiled back at her, seeming to relax a little. “Sure, that sounds good.”

  Juliet went to the small kitchen and pulled out a couple of paper plates and some utensils. She tore off a few sheets of paper towels, knowing that duck sauce would inevitably find its way onto her clothing no matter how careful she was.

  She stopped in the doorway and watched while Sienna emptied the contents of the paper bag onto the long oval table. She had her hair tucked behind one ear, and her forehead was creased as she ran her finger up the leaking container of lo mein. Juliet caught herself staring and tried to enter the conference room casually. She didn’t want Sienna to think she was looking at her like some kind of lecher, but once again, Juliet was taken aback by how attractive Sienna was. For an unsettling moment, she found herself envying Will.

  “Can I grab one of those napkins?” Sienna pointed to the leaky container.

  “Sure,” Juliet said. She cleared her throat. “This all looks amazing. How much do I owe you?”

  Sienna waved her hand. “Nothing. My treat.”

  Juliet was certainly surprised when she’d received Sienna’s text message earlier, suggesting dinner, and although it was a little confusing, it was also exciting. She’d enjoyed Sienna’s company quite a bit on the few occasions they’d spent time together since the July road trip. Their impromptu coffee date and the times she’d dropped Declan off, they’d been friendly and at ease with one another. She sort of wished she’d gotten to know Sienna better while she and Will were on better terms, but another part of her was okay that she hadn’t. It would make more sense to brush this friendship to the side and stand firm with Will even if she didn’t agree with his blinders-on mentality. Really, though, would a little dinner or coffee now and again hurt anyone? Of course not.

  Sienna handed her the container of chicken fingers when Juliet sat in the creaky seat across from her.

  “How was your conversation with Gretchen this morning?” Juliet took a long swallow of her water.

  Sienna tilted her head and sighed. “As well as could be expected. She’s so consumed by grief right now that she isn’t thinking clearly. Obviously. She had her sister come up and her knitting group is coming and going, so at least she isn’t alone. She kept asking for her daughter, who still hadn’t shown up by the time I left. I hope she’s there now.”

  Juliet looked down at her plate, her appetite gone for the moment. “Me too. Her daughter lives in the next town over, I think. I’m surprised she wasn’t there yet.”

  “She also said that there is no way Richard would have done anything to hurt himself. She was really adamant about that and wanted me to assure her that his death wouldn’t be written off as a suicide. She wanted to make sure that the police were taking this seriously. I told her you were.” Sienna met Juliet’s eyes and nodded slightly.

  “Thank you. Ugh, the whole thing is just heart wrenching,” Juliet said, shuddering for effect. “How are things with you otherwise?” She needed a subject change, at least for the time being. She squeezed some soy sauce from a packet onto her rice and forced herself to take a bite.

  “Fine. Just dealing with everything day by day. You know.” Sienna shrugged. “Does Declan ever talk about it? With you?”

  “About you and Will?”

  “Yeah.”

  Juliet shook her head. “No, he hasn’t said much. But that’s not out of the ordinary. He doesn’t say much about much. Typical teenage boy. It’s like pulling teeth to get him to tell me how his day was, never mind to talk about his feelings.”

  Sienna chuckled. “He’s that way at our house too. If he’s not racing a car or shooting at something, it’s tough to keep his attention.”

  “I think he’ll be fine though, honestly. He loves you, so I’m sure he’s not thrilled with the idea of you two splitting up, but just because you and Will might not be together anymore doesn’t mean he’ll never see you again.”

  “No, of course not. And that’s what I tried to tell him. I wouldn’t be leaving him.” Sienna paused. “It shouldn’t mean that everyone in Will’s life will need to be cut off completely.”

  “Right, exactly,” Juliet said, a little too quickly. “Exactly.”

  “What about you, are you in a relationship?” Sienna asked, while inspecting her fried wonton.

  “Me? No. I’ve been dating here and there, but nothing to speak of. It’s been a while since I’ve had a full-blown relationship. I’m old and set in my ways.” Juliet grinned, but there was truth in it.

  “Oh, come on. You can’t be more than what, thirty-seven?”

  “Thirty-eight to be exact.”

  “Still a ba
by,” Sienna said, rolling her eyes with a smile.

  “Please. How old are you? Thirty-five?” Juliet raised her eyebrow.

  Sienna laughed. “If only. Just turned forty-four last month.”

  “You did not!”

  “Really. Though I appreciate the compliment.”

  “I mean, not that forty-four is old by any stretch, but you really don’t look it. I would have thought thirty-five at the most. You look amazing. Wow.” Juliet took another sip of her water so she would stop gushing. It was about to get weird.

  Sienna visibly blushed. “Thank you.”

  “How did you meet Will? He told me you met at a show or something, but I don’t remember the details,” Juliet asked, desperate for a shift in conversation. Although as soon as the words were out of her mouth, she wished she could take them back. Sienna perceptibly stiffened. She should have just asked about her job, or about what kind of books she liked to read. Talking about her estranged husband probably wasn’t the best topic to discuss.

  To her credit, Sienna engaged. “We met at an art show, if you can believe it. I’m not much into art, and neither is Will, but as fate would have it, we were both there that night. My ex-girlfriend had gotten me tickets for my birthday, mainly because she was an art aficionado, and I decided that I still wanted to go. My cousin was in town, so we got dressed up and went into the city. And the rest is history.”

  Ex-girlfriend. Had Will mentioned that Sienna was bisexual? Juliet wracked her brain to try to remember if he had told her that. She was all but certain she would have remembered. She tried to appear nonchalant.

  She failed. “An ex-girlfriend, huh? Cool.”

  Sienna smirked. “Will and I used to joke that he clearly had a type. Can you pass me a fortune cookie?”

  “Yeah, sure. Here.” Juliet tossed her a fortune cookie and took one for herself. She cracked open the cookie, read her fortune, and then crumbled it up and let it drop onto her plate.