What do I really know about her?
Not much. Just the little bites of truth she decided to feed me. As much as I was drawn to her, I couldn’t trust her. Not after I’d seen how easy it was for her to lie. To be someone she wasn’t.
Deeply disappointed, I headed back to my desk and got to work.
13
Mila
“TOBIAS MAYER APPEARS to be everything he says he is, Meals,” Levi said, leaning back in his chair to stretch his arms and shoulders out.
It was late Friday afternoon, following one long ass week. I, too, was feeling the effects of too many hours spent in front of a screen. Pushing my laptop forward, I rested my head on my desk like I encouraged my students to do when they finished an assignment early. I hadn’t finished shit, though. Hell, there wasn’t even a finish line in sight.
Two weeks had gone by since I’d arrived in Seattle, I’d communicated with Detective Monte multiple times, and I still had no answers. Especially if Toby was no longer a suspect.
“What do you mean he’s everything he appears to be?” I asked. I’d been staring at my borrowed laptop all day. My eyes were blurry, I had a raging headache, my stomach felt unsettled from too much coffee and not enough food, and I wasn’t in the mood to solve one of Levi’s little riddles.
“His mom and grandparents are in Frisco. Well, his grandpa died last year, so now it’s just his mom and grandma. When he’s not at work or hanging out with the fam, he’s volunteering at the Golden Oaks Senior Center. He’s listed on TriLink’s website as a software designer, and the company does have an office in Seattle. When I called and requested him, they transferred me to his desk. I hung up before he answered. Side note, his customer reviews are glowing, as in so fuckin’ stellar they almost blinded me. I had to stop reading. People call him a real joy to work with and rave about how he always gets the job done on time. You were right, he hasn’t changed much from when he was a kid. Maybe we should nominate him for sainthood?”
“It’s weird, right?” I asked.
Levi shrugged. “Maybe he’s just a good person.”
Ugh. Levi was back on this again. “Maybe. But since he clearly knows his way around a computer, he could be hiding some skeletons.”
“You know what’s really weird? The way you want him to be guilty. Meals, he was your best friend.”
“Was. Past tense. A long time ago. People change.”
Levi was watching me like my brains were dripping from my nose. “It’s not his fault his mom moved him away.”
“I’m aware.”
“But you seem mad at him about it.”
“No.” I shook my head. “That’s not it at all.”
“Then what the fuck is going on with you? Why do you want your childhood friend to be guilty of murder?”
Guilt ate at me, but I pushed it away. “I just want to find the killer so I can go home and get back to my life.”
Levi frowned. “Well, you’re gonna have to find another patsy, because Tobias looks squeaky clean. His bank account and tax returns match up. I haven’t tried to access his flight records, but he’s represented his company at both national and international trade shows. His passport is clean. No arrests, no restraining orders, no lawsuits. Not even a fuckin’ parking ticket. Hell, he’s even got good credit. Probably a benefit of forgoing college and learning what he needed at a technical trade school. Maybe you should stop vilifying him and take the guy up on his lunch offer. He’s always been into you, and he’s loaded and stable. He’d be the perfect man for your third-grade teacher image.”
Hound had his back to us and didn’t say anything, which was disappointing because I really wished he would. Before we ran into Toby, I would have sworn Hound was into me, but now, I wasn’t so sure. If he was interested, the man didn’t have a jealous bone in his body.
Toby’s appearance had shifted something between me and Hound. His endorsement of my old friend had been a major blow to my ego, but what happened afterwards hurt even more. Hound, who used to be all up in my business, had suddenly stopped trying to dive into my past like it was a buffet of his favorite foods. Don’t get me wrong, he was still kind and polite, making sure I ate and giving me his full attention whenever I talked, but the way he looked at me was different.
Less intense. Less interested.
Hound’s attention had made me feel seen and valued.
Now that he’d withdrawn it, I felt even more hollow and lonely than before.
Focusing back on Levi and the subject at hand, I replied, “Sounds like maybeyoushould date Toby.”
“Never been into hot dogs, Meals. I’m all about the taco.”
“Gross.” I winced. “Thanks for the visual.”
