Vera almost jumped at the startled way her sister made the announcement. “What?”
“The woman at the accounting office—the one I was telling you about—I remember now that Jackie once said something about some floozy who worked with Trenton. Geneva was furious because she thoughtTrentonwas having an affair. Mila.” Luna nodded. “Mila Davis. I’ve seen her around. Very pretty. She’s like the same age as Geneva and has never been married.” Luna’s eyes were huge, as if she’d just gossiped about the good Lord himself.
“I’ll look into Mila Davis.” It might not help Luna’s situation, but it couldn’t hurt. “Anything else?”
“I can’t think of anything.” Luna sighed and took another bite of muffin.
“So what about Valeri Erwin?”
Luna was the one who looked startled now. “What about her?”
“You were going to look into what she’d been checking out at the library.” Any tidbit of information could prove useful at this point.
“Oh yes.” Luna nodded. “True crime books. Mostly those having to do with murders—real ones. No fiction.” She made a face. “In fact, when I examined her record, I realized Valeri had never even checked out a book until a month ago, and she hasn’t checked out anything since.”
Interesting. This news might just push Erwin above the other members of household staff on Vera’s suspect list.
“Thanks, Lu.” Vera stood. “I have to go, but let me know if you think of anything else about Jackie or Geneva. Or Erwin.”
“I will. Thanks for everything, Vee.”
Luna didn’t get up. Making those moves, Vera suspected, was getting more difficult in these final days. “Anytime, sweetie.”
Vera locked the front door as she left, intentionally ignoring the staircase. As she started her SUV, she decided she had enough time before meeting Bent at the Carter property to pay a quick visit to Erwin. She had some explaining to do about those library books. On the wayshe called Eve. She had mentioned overhearing rumors about Geneva during visitations. Maybe Eve could do a little digging as well.
It might just take all the Boyett sisters working together to get ahead of this one.
Wilton Residence
Giles Hollow Road, 9:00 a.m.
Since Erwin hadn’t been at her place, Vera had called her. She was at the Wilton house picking up files. She had insisted Bent said she could. A text to Bent confirmed as much. The deputy who had been overseeing Erwin’s visit onto the property and into her dead boss’s office appeared all too ready to return to his post outside when Vera arrived. She put him out of his misery and sent him on his way and assumed the supervision of Erwin.
“I’m so glad you’re here.” Erwin hurried from behind Wilton’s desk and reached for her oversize purse where she’d left it on the floor. “I came by your house this morning, but you weren’t home.”
“When I’m on a case, I often have early appointments.” Vera’s location was none of the woman’s business.
Erwin removed a plastic zipper-style bag from her purse and thrust it at Vera. “I found this in my home. It was hidden in a throw pillow.” She stared at the bag as if it were a murder weapon.
Vera accepted the bag and studied its contents.Cell phone.“Did you touch it?”
“No way. I picked it up with a bag and put it in that one.”
This time Vera was prepared for examining potential evidence. She placed the find on the desk and retrieved a pair of latex gloves from her shoulder bag. Once she’d tugged them on, she opened the bag and took out the cell phone.
“You have any idea who it belongs to?”
Erwin shook her head. “No clue.”
Generic device. Vera turned on the phone, which ironically still had battery life and required no access code. No pics, no email or other apps. Just calls and text messages. There were dozens of missed calls over the past three weeks. All from the same Louisiana number. She felt confident the number would be Seth Parson’s. Her suspicions were confirmed when she opened the lengthy text conversation with that same number.
The series of text messages that Larry Parson had talked about between Alicia and Seth were right here on this phone. All the way up until Seth’s arrival in Fayetteville two weeks ago. Then ten days ago the messages and calls ended ... as if he’d just stopped interacting with Alicia or learned there was a different number to use or didn’t need a phone to speak with her anymore. Vera suspected this was when he’d arrived in Fayetteville. As much as Vera wanted to be pleased with this new evidence, the way it had been received only made it troubling.
She turned to Erwin. “You’re certain you’ve never seen this phone before?”
“Never.” Erwin returned to Wilton’s desk and picked through a stack of files there. “I assume whoever broke into my place put it there for some reason.”
Like to point suspicion in her direction. But Vera wasn’t saying as much. If Erwin hadn’t touched the phone, then she didn’t know what it contained. If she had, she wanted Vera to give her confirmation that the contents suggested she was being set up. Vera wasn’t giving her that satisfaction just yet.
