“That wasn’t my question.”
Selena closed her notebook.“That’s enough, Connor.”
Renee pressed a hand to her mouth.A small sob escaped before she caught it.The cat on the chair lifted its head.
“I’m sorry,” Renee said, dabbing beneath one eye with a tissue from her sleeve.“I’m sorry if you think I’m caught up in all this.I’m just trying to help Sandra through it.That’s all.”
Connor’s face had closed.“We’ll see.”
He turned and headed for the door.
Selena rose.“I apologize for his behavior.He’s under a lot of pressure.”
Renee folded the tissue in her fingers.“It’s quite all right.Men do get so cross when they’re frightened.”
The phrasing made Selena pause, but Renee’s face showed only hurt.
“Thank you for your time,” Selena said.
At the front door, Renee followed her onto the small entry rug.Connor was already outside, moving down the path.
Selena reached for the handle.
“You know, Agent Raven,” Renee said softly, “I think you dodged a bullet with that one.”
Selena turned back.
Renee gave a sad little smile.“Too brash.Too sure his feelings are facts.And I heard the rumors back in the day.That terrible business with that poor woman getting run down outside your parents’ house.Oh what was her name?”
Selena kept her face polite.“Goodbye, Renee.”She hated that people knew about her past.It was one of many reasons she had left the small town behind years ago.
Outside, the gnomes seemed to watch from the flowers as she crossed to the vehicles.Connor waited beside his SUV with both hands on his belt and his hat low over his eyes.
“I don’t trust her,” Connor said.“It fits.I can feel it.”
“She has an alibi if Sandra confirms it, though?”Selena replied.
“IfSandra confirms it.”
“And we’ve got every reason to believe she will.”
Connor shook his head.“Now who’s being naive?”
Selena stopped a few feet from him.“Don’t do that, Connor.”
“Don’t do what?”
“Use my words against me because you don’t like where the evidence is pointing toward Marlene.”
Connor folded his arms in front of his chest.“I’m saying Renee deserves a deeper look.And you’re wrong about Marlene...”
“We can take a look at Renee and Gary’s death.But Renee being odd doesn’t make her a killer.”
“She got uptight when I mentioned Mavis.”
“Because you accused her of drowning her husband, Connor, and you brought up the fact her husband might have been having an affair.”
“I asked a question.”
