The same thought had crossed my mind.
“You went to see Celia a short time ago,” I said. “Why?”
“She called me. I saw her name on my phone, and I almost dropped the darn thing.”
“After all these years, how did she get your number?”
“We had a few mutual friends. She got it from one of them. Anyway, like I was saying, I answered the call, and she sounded tired and … well, lonely. Holly had graduated and moved out of the house, and Celia didn’t know what to do with herself. We talked for a time, caught up on our lives, and then she asked if I could meet her in Cambria, and I did.”
“Tell me about your visit.”
He took another sip of water. “It was surreal, seeing her again after so many years. The first time I looked into her eyes, for a moment it felt like we were right back to being those young, crazy kids who fell hard for each other. We talked about what happened at the end, and how she left things, and she apologized. She said she was a different person, and I agreed.”
“How so?”
“She was softer, I guess. Not as aggressive as she was in her younger years.”
“Did you see Holly while you were there?”
His expression changed to one of pain and hurt. “If you’re asking if I spoke to her, I didn’t. I asked Celia if I could, and she said no.”
“That’s not what I asked you. I asked if you saw her.”
He set the glass on the table and rubbed his hands together, going silent.
“You followed Holly,” I said. “Didn’t you?”
“I … let me explain. I attended Celia’s funeral. I sat in the last row and ducked out just as soon as it was over. Holly glanced back at me once, and I thought I saw recognition on her face, but then it was gone. My plan was to return home, but then I decided to stick around for a bit, see how she was holding up. I wasn’t stalking her or anything. I kept my distance.”
“Holly told her college roommate that she thought someone was following her.”
“Well, shoot. I never meant to scare her. I thought maybe if I found the right words, I could work up the nerve to talk to her, offer to be around if she needed anything.”
He’d admitted to following her.
What I didn’t know was whether he was the one Holly sensed nearby, or if someone else had been tracking her.
“Holly found out she was adopted after her mother died, and she went to the adoption agency to try and get some answers, but it’s no longer in business,” I said. “Were you there that day?”
“I was, and once I realized where she’d gone, I wondered if she found out she was adopted.”
“Tell me about the day you saw her at the adoption agency.”
He tugged at his chin, thinking. “After she got there and realized it had been shut down, she sat down on the steps, staring at some papers in her hand. She got emotional for a time, and then she left.”
“And she died not long after.”
He lowered his voice to a whisper. “I know.”
I leaned forward in my chair, looking him in the eye. “Did you have anything to do with her murder?”
“I didn’t. I swear to you. After Holly left the adoption agency, I drove home. I thought maybe it would be easier for us both if I wrote her a letter instead of approaching her after all this time.” He pointed at the kitchen counter. “I started it. See for yourself. I worked on it a little each day. Next thing I know, I’m seeing her face on the news, and finding out she’s dead.”
He seemed genuine and believable.
But was he?
“There’s something I ought to mention before you go,” he said. The adoption agency was in an old, run-down building that looked like it hadn’t been tended since the agency closed its doors. Except for one thing—a security camera hidden behind one of the hedges.”
