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Shelly answered without hesitation, looking surprised. “She did? Why?”
“He is saying, according to the news, that she claimed she was in love with someone else.”
“Wow, I didn’t hear that. I wonder who.”
“No one seems to know,” Laura said, sneaking a look at her. “I wonder if Alan murdered Lily because she was breaking up with him, and he couldn’t stand the thought of her being with someone else.”
That hit a nerve. Shelly fumed, her cheeks bright red with more than the cold. “I really don’t know. The thought of him with her makes me sick.”
“I know it must. I can’t imagine it.”
They’d reached Laura’s beach cottage and stopped, contemplating the ocean for a few seconds.
“You know, I really enjoyed having someone to run with,” Shelly said. “I’m taking a leave from my job and plan on being on this beach every morning until it snows. Do you want to meet me at nine tomorrow morning?”
“Are you sure I’m not slowing you down?”
Shelly laughed and shook her head. “You’re not. I tend to overdo it, and I’m trying to be more moderate in exercise. My knees will appreciate the break.”
“Okay, then, I’d be happy to run with you. I need the exercise.”
Laura waved and ran back up to the cottage, not inviting Shelly in this time. It might never come to that. If she was the murderer, it was sad, and she couldn’t be trusted, which meant everyone would have to be on guard: Dan, Pam, Lisa and her family, and anyone else who socialized with Dan.
Shelly arrived back at Dan’s just as he was pulling an overcoat on.
“Good run?”
“Good run. I met up with Laura Long. She was out running.”
“Oh, okay.” Dan thought,Laura running?The earth must have just shifted on its axis. But then he remembered that when they were having an affair, she had often run to his backyard and climbed the fence so they could be together before her then-husband got home from work. Laura was in shape.
“Yes, she’s meeting me tomorrow to run.”
They kissed, a quick peck on the lips.
“Great. I’d better get going. I’ll stay in touch. Have a restful day.”
“I will. Thank you for letting me stay, Dan. See you later?”
“Definitely. I’ll bring dinner home, so no worries about food tonight, okay?”
“Okay, great.”
As soon as he pulled the car out of the driveway, he looked over at Laura’s cottage and got out his phone. She answered on the first ring.
“You probably wonder what I’m up to,” she said.
“I do, sort of, but I just want you to be careful. If what we suspect is true, that she set up Alan, then we are both in danger.”
“I don’t think she’d risk killing someone else again, do you? She’s too smart.”
“What do you have up your sleeve?” Dan asked.
“Henry Wong asked me to see if I could get her to warm up a little bit.”
“Ah, gotcha. She’ll be pissed if she finds out.”
“It’s all part of the job. She’s likeable, too, which is weird. I was ready to hate her because you let her in so fast. What’s with you, anyway?”
