Barrett sat with his cup resting on his knee."We have that meeting later this morning."
At dinner the night before, he'd mentioned the meeting with Detective Sullivan and the forensic medical expert.
"While we eat, I'll share a bit more with you," he said."There are a few things I haven't had a chance to cover yet."
When Barrett looked at her, his expression was warm and she nearly crawled to the other end of the sofa to be in his arms.The hours she'd spent with him had changed her.She felt like her real self, being with the man she loved.She could admit that she loved Barrett, even though she hadn't said the words yet.Her heart swelled with a depth of emotion that was painfully pleasurable.But no commitment had been made, so the moment was bittersweet.
She was on her second cup of coffee when a knock came at the door.Barrett answered it and carried a tray to the space between them on the sofa.Room service delivered scrambled eggs, crisp bacon, and an assortment of pastries with a small pot of jam and extra butter.The smell of bacon filled the room.
Cadie ate slowly, watching Barrett.
Then he set his fork down."I haven't told you about the neighbor interviews yet."
"Yes, I recall you mentioning that you planned to check that out."
"I canvassed the area and knocked on doors in the surrounding blocks," Barrett said."Most people weren't home or didn't have much to offer, but one woman was very helpful."He reached for a piece of bacon."Her name was Margie Williams, an elderly woman who remembered your aunt fondly."
Cadie felt a pang of warmth at the thought of a neighbor who cared enough to remember."What did she say?"
"She described Olivia as a devoted caregiver, but then she added something interesting."Barrett paused."She thought that Olivia was a devoted caregiver, but something was 'odd.'"
"Odd how?"
"When I asked her to explain, she said that Olivia met with a man regularly at the coffee shop on the corner.She told me there was nothing wrong with that, but Olivia always seemed secretive about it, and they would sit in the back corner."
Cadie set her coffee cup on the arm of the sofa."How often?"
"At least once a week, for months.Margie noticed because she goes to that same coffee shop every morning."
Cadie sat up straighter."Could she describe the man?"
"She said he was young and well dressed.A business type with dark hair who looked professional."
The description was general enough to fit any number of people, but Cadie's mind went straight to Kal Davis.She pictured his expensive suit, and the way he'd appeared at the garden gate.
"There's more," Barrett said."I went to that coffee shop."
Cadie put her plate on the tray between them and turned to face him fully."And what did you find out?"
"I used a photo of Olivia that was in your aunt's things," Barrett said, "and I got a photo of Kal from his real estate business website.A barista named Robin recognized both of them."
Cadie waited for him to continue.
"Robin said they came in regularly, and always sat in that back-corner booth," Barrett said."She told me they'd been meeting for months, maybe starting last spring."
The timing lined up with the earliest journal entries, the ones where Celia Ann first mentioned feeling tired and dizzy.Cadie felt her stomach tighten.
"I asked Robin if she noticed anything about their interactions," Barrett said."She told me they seemed close and that the conversations looked intense.She said Olivia appeared kind ofhopeful, and she described Kal as very professional."
The wordhopefulcaught Cadie's attention."Did she say anything else?"
"She said they stopped coming in about a month ago, maybe six weeks."Barrett leaned back against the sofa cushion."And when I asked her to describe the man, she confirmed what Margie said.He was younger and well dressed, dark hair, a business type."
Barrett went quiet.
Cadie considered the information and didn't speak right away.The picture forming in her mind demanded careful attention.
Olivia and Kal had been meeting regularly for months at a coffee shop near Stratton House.The meetings started around the same time that her aunt's health began to decline, which was also when the financial evidence showed money flowing from Kal's business accounts to Olivia's bank.Celia Ann's journal entries described worsening symptoms during that period, including confusion, dizziness, and weakness.Olivia had dismissed every concern, assuring her that everything was normal for her age and condition.
