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“Nope.”
“All right. Let’s go.”
Beau Collins stopped moving when they entered, frozen in the midst of running his hands through his dense locks. It had the effect of making him look as though he was pulling his hair out. His face was splotchy and red from crying.
Noah gave him a sympathetic smile and extended a hand. “Mr. Collins. I’m Lieutenant Noah Fraley. This is my colleague, Detective Josie Quinn.”
Beau slowly lowered his arms and shook Noah’s hand. He held onto it for a beat too long, imploring Noah with his eyes. “Have you found anything?” he asked. “Did you catch who did this?”
Noah wrested his hand away and gestured for Beau to sit down at the table. “I’m sorry, Mr. Collins, but we’re still investigating.”
Beau turned toward the chair he’d strewn his jacket over and looked at it as if it were some object he had never seen before.
When he failed to move, Josie said, “Mr. Collins?”
Beau turned his gaze toward her, blue eyes squinting. “I’m sorry. I just—my Claudia. I keep seeing her there in the chair. I can’t get the image out of my head.”
Noah took his elbow and guided him down into the chair. “We’re very sorry for your loss, Mr. Collins.”
Beau nodded although Josie wasn’t sure he had heard Noah or registered his words at all. His eyes grew moist with unshed tears. “My Claudia,” he mumbled. “Do you know what happened to her? How it—was she shot?”
Josie said, “There was no evidence of that. She sustained a head injury. We’ll know more once we hear from the medical examiner.”
Beau’s lower lip trembled. A deep frown appeared on his face. Although he looked tired and broken with a permanent worry line scoring his forehead, up close, he was an attractive man. In her mind, she tried to imagine him with Claudia—the Claudia she had met in December. They would have made a striking couple. Josie realized then that she hadn’t seen any framed photos of Beau and Claudia in their home. She and Mettner hadn’t explored the entire structure, but one would expect to find framed photos on the main floor. Her home was filled with photos, not just of herself and Noah but of all the people they loved: his late mother, her late grandmother, their siblings, his niece, their friend Misty and her son, Harris, their colleagues with whom they were very close friends outside of work.
“How long will that take?” he asked, voice husky. “For the medical examiner to…oh God, I’m sorry. I just can’t believe this is happening. My God.” He leaned forward, curling into himself, bent over in the chair. “I’m going to be sick.”
Josie said, “I’m so sorry, Mr. Collins. I know this is difficult. We can give you a few minutes. I’m sure we can find some water or maybe ginger ale, if you’d like.”
Noah walked back to the door. Josie turned to follow him, but Beau lunged forward and grabbed her wrist with both of his hands. His skin was warm and moist. “Please don’t leave me alone,” he begged. “Please. I’ll just—I can do this. I can—” He loosened his grip and took in a deep breath. “You need to ask questions, right? That’s what the police do when someone is…murdered. Talk to everyone who knew her, right? It will help you. Help find out who did this to my wife?”
“Yes,” Josie said. “The first thing we need to do is get a feel for Claudia’s routine and the people in her life.”
He released her wrist. “I’m sorry. Did I hurt you? You’ll have to forgive me. I’m not myself right now.”
Josie took the chair beside him. “It’s okay, Mr. Collins.”
Slowly, Noah returned to the table and sat down as well.
Beau pushed his hands through his hair again and sat up straight, attempting to compose himself. Both his hands gripped the edge of the table. “Okay,” he said. “I can do this. I can do this for Claudia. What do you need to know?”
Josie started with background. “Do you and Claudia have children?”
“No. It’s just the two of us.”
“First marriage for both of you?” Josie said.
Beau nodded.
“What about children from prior relationships?” she asked.
“No, no children.”
“Where did the two of you meet?” asked Noah.
The hint of a smile pulled at Beau’s mouth. “Grad school. I was laboring toward my masters in marriage and family counseling while Claudia was crushing everyone in her PhD program. She wasn’t even interested in me. I had to work hard to win her over. But once I did, I wasn’t letting her go. After school, I worked at a practice here in Denton. She came on part-time. Then the doctor who had hired us retired and we took over.”
Josie said, “I understand you still have the practice.”
