“Still thinking about the boyfriends. Most murders are done by someone close. Delilah had men friends. That’s where she got the diamonds. You talk to any of them?”
Hoover let the smoke curl out from between his lips. “Guy named Reese Dawes. He’s in the shipping business here in Seattle. Lots of money; bought her a lot of expensive gifts, mostly clothes. He’s been out of the picture for a while.”
“Who’s in?”
“You see, that’s the thing. I tell you, you’ll stick your nose in and it won’t make me popular down at the station.”
“Why not?”
“Because he’s a good friend of Paul Boudreau’s. Big money; gives a bundle to charity every year, just like Boudreau. Unfortunately, he’s got a wife who wouldn’t approve.”
“So Delilah was his mistress.”
“Looks that way.”
“He give her the diamonds?”
Hoover nodded. “Yeah.”
“Any chance he might have wanted them back?”
The detective snorted a laugh. “Be a pittance to a guy like him.”
“Maybe she cheated. He killed her and took back the diamonds, didn’t think she deserved to have the gifts he’d given her.”
“Doesn’t hold water when you think about the note in the safe. The creeper who wrote it doesn’t fit anywhere in the jealous lover picture you’re drawing.”
That was true. Unless her rich boyfriend was a psycho, which apparently Hoover didn’t believe. “So you aren’t giving me a name.”
“I would if I thought there was a reason. I can’t come up with one, and since I like being a lieutenant and don’t want to wind up walking a beat again, the answer is no.”
“I can find out.”
Hoover dropped his cigarette and crushed it out, leaned down to pick up the butt, then tossed it into the trash bin. He turned to Ethan. “Knock yourself out.” Turning, he took off the way he’d come, disappearing into the crowd of people outside the door of the church who’d been unable to find seats inside.
Maybe he’d do that. Odds were, once they were on the tour, the gossip would be flowing and he’d find out the guy’s name without much effort. He figured Hoover would know that. The lieutenant could stay out of the line of fire and Ethan could quietly keep digging if it seemed there was someplace to go.
Hoover hadn’t given him a name, but he’d given Ethan enough information to find out.
Unfortunately, the lieutenant had also pointed out there was very little likelihood the wacko who’d strangled Delilah was some rich guy who wanted to punish his mistress.
He’d pursue it down the road if he thought it would lead somewhere. For now, the boyfriend angle looked like another dead end.
As the service ended and the group made its way out of the chapel, Meg felt a hand on her arm. She wasn’t surprised to see Dirk walking beside her, part of a smaller, more intimate group that was heading across the wide stretch of rolling green lawn for the final graveside portion of the funeral service.
Meg wished she didn’t have to go. She’d been holding it together fairly well, but Delilah was one of their own. She was young and vibrant and she hadn’t deserved to die at the hands of a killer.
Meg glanced over at Dirk, caught the set of his jaw, the faint motion of his head, urging her to step away from the others. Letting him guide her, she made her way beneath the boughs of a pine tree where they wouldn’t be overheard.
“What is it?” Meg asked.
“You could have told me about Charlie. You didn’t have to lie about it. I like kids. I’ve never had any, but they’re okay.”
Her chin went up. “I didn’t lie.”
“A lie by omission is still a lie. I cleared your house. I’ve been staying there. I must have been in his room, right? I didn’t see any toys or anything.”
“I put them away after my mom came to get him. I’m kind of a neat freak, in case you haven’t noticed.”
