Page 100 of Forever Gone

“How are you settling into the new house in Eagleton?” the killer asked.

“It was strange at first, but I’m loving it now.”

“Quiet?”

“Quieter than the old place. Smaller too, which I thought I’d hate.” Deb glanced toward the trees. “Turns out I don’t need as much space when I’m not filling it with someone else’s junk.”

The killer gave the expected smile.

“How is the divorce?”

“Final, thank God. I thought the paperwork would never end.” Deb picked a crumb from the wrapper. “You know how it is. Everybody tells you the marriage is the difficult part. Then you try separating bank accounts and furniture.”

“Was it ugly?”

“Only when it needed to be.”

That was Deb’s gift. Cruelty always became necessity once Deb described it.

A gust moved through the square. Leaves scattered across the path, clicking over the wet paving stones. Deb pulled the coat tighter.

Then the confidence shifted.

“Have you heard about what happened to Karen Sloane and Ruth?”

The killer kept the smile from forming.

“It’s horrible.”

“And Linda Mercer now.” Deb’s voice dropped. “Three women in less than a week.”

“I heard.”

“They’re saying the same person did it.”

“People say a lot of things.”

“This time I think they’re right.” Deb flattened the paper bag across one knee. “Karen had just divorced. Linda walked out on her husband. I heard Ruth was having problems with the man she was seeing.”

The killer kept her voice neutral. “That describes a lot of women.”

“I know. It’s probably why it bothers me.”

“Because of New Beginnings?”

Deb glanced toward the path.

No one stood close enough to hear. An elderly man walked a dog near the fountain, and two women crossed the far entrance with shopping bags.

“Half the women in that group are leaving someone or thinking about it,” Deb said. “Three murders like this makes you wonder.”

“Do you think the others should know?”

“I thought about posting something, but I don’t want to frighten people over a connection that might not exist.”

“That sounds sensible.”

Deb nodded, though uncertainty remained in her expression. “Maybe.”