“By the end we hardly saw each other.” A barely perceptible whine elevated Levi’s tone. “She was so busy with her studies that she wasn’t any fun any longer.” He picked a thread from his sweats. “I also got busy at work and started hanging out with friends from the office, and she didn’t like that.”
In other words, he hung out with women from work. “I couldn’t care less if you cheated on her,” Angus stated quietly. “If anybody you were seeing had cause to harm Lori, I need those names.”
Levi rolled his eyes. “Nobody. I slept with a couple of chicks, but I didn’t share feelings or anything.”
Yeah. Douchebag. All right. “Where do you work?” Angus asked.
“I manage a series of apartment buildings and single-story residences,” Levi said.
Ah. So he worked for Mommy and Daddy. “Where did you and Lori meet?” Angus asked.
“At a bar. You know The Cottonwood over on Third Street? It was karaoke night, and that girl could sing.” Levi sighed, his chest sinking. “I can’t believe somebody killed her like that. Who would do that?”
Great question. “Tell me about the domestic violence calls,” Angus said evenly, keeping emotion at bay and trying to sound like a buddy just shooting the breeze.
Levi shrugged. “It was nothing. Really. We got into a couple of bad fights toward the end and there was shouting. Both of us yelled. The asshole neighbor to the right called the police, and both times the cops showed up and asked me to go somewhere else for the night. There was no violence, and nobody was arrested. It was all stupid, to be honest.”
That sounded like the truth, but sometimes sociopaths were good at sounding honest. They usually were. Angus didn’t get a bad vibe from the guy, but he was out of practice. “Where were you the other night? When Lori was slashed open and had her heart ripped out?”
Levi turned pale. Then he coughed. Okay. Honest emotions. “I was here asleep. Stayed in, ate some casserole my mom left, and went to bed early. Didn’t think I’d need an alibi.”
“When was the last time you saw or talked to Lori?” Jethro asked.
Levi jumped at the Brit’s interjection. “I don’t know. Maybe a couple of weeks ago? I ran into her at the farmers market and we were nice to each other. Cordial, I guess. It was the last market of the year and the place was packed, so we didn’t talk long.”
“Did you see anything suspicious? Like anybody hanging around or following her?” Angus sat up.
“No,” Levi said. “I didn’t notice anything like that.” His blue eyes softened. “I wish I had. Maybe I could’ve done something. Nobody deserves to die like that.”
Jethro tapped his fingers on his knee. “Do you have any idea of anyone who’d want to hurt her?”
“No. I already told the police that everyone loved Lori. Nobody would want her dead.” Levi shook his head. “It just doesn’t make sense. You said that you know who killed her. Who was it?”
Angus scratched the whiskers on his chin. “There was a serial killer who hurt people in the same way, but this scene was a little different, so I’m not absolutely sure. You’ve been a lot of help.” Not really, but what the hell. He stood. “Thank you, and I’m sorry for your loss.”
Jethro followed suit. “If you think of anything else, please call Angus.”
Angus grabbed a business card from his back pocket and scrawled his cell phone number on the back, considering he might not have an office any longer. “Yeah. Anything. You never know what might hit you. She could’ve said something, or maybe there’s something in the back of your head that will spark a memory. Just call me.”
Levi stood and took the card. “Okay. Thanks.”
Angus turned toward the open archway. “Oh. I almost forgot. Did Lori like dogs?”
Levi nodded. “She loved dogs. She grew up north on a bunch of land and had several animals as a kid. Big dogs, especially.”
“German shepherds?” Jethro asked.
“Probably. I don’t know,” Levi said.
That wasn’t much help. “Did she have a tattoo of a German shepherd on the back of her hand?” Angus asked, his skin prickling.
“Not when we were together, but we broke up a couple of months ago, so I wouldn’t know.” Levi tossed the business card on top of the magazines, his brows drawing together. “Now that you mention it, there might’ve been something weird. I didn’t think it was strange at the time, but . . . ” He turned and hustled into the kitchen, returning with a small stack of mail.
Angus barely kept from snatching the stack away. “What do you have?”
“A few letters sent here for Lori.” Levi handed over three unopened envelopes. “From the Dog Society of Poseidon. Probably junk mail, but I thought maybe I could call her and take them to her. She’s pretty great, or at least she was, and I guess maybe I wanted another chance. Even if it was just as friends.” He threw the other envelopes onto the coffee table and shoved his hands in his pockets, his expression turning even more sober. “The stamps on all three are of German shepherds.”
Angus frowned. “Didn’t she have her mail forwarded when she left?”
