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“Why what?” Teddi asked, leaning forward again.
“Why I did it. Why I lied to my mom about dating him. It was just… fun, I guess. Until it wasn’t.” Her eyes seemed to go unfocused again, looking at nothing in particular. “I didn’t mean to upset my mom so much, I didn’t understand. I didn’t get why it was such a big deal until after.”
Vera passed Teddi a look that said the topic was a dead end.
Lily snapped back, looking between them. “Sorry, are you sure that Alex is gone?”
Teddi began to speak just as the front door swung open.
“Oh, sorry, I didn’t know you had guests.” An older woman stepped inside, shutting the door behind her as she crossed into the living room like she owned the place.
She was as tall as Vera but opposite in every way. Her silvery-blonde hair was curled neatly around her shoulders. The lines of her striped button-up led down to a pair of black trousers and patent leather flats. Fine lines framed intelligent eyes while the cold had colored the peaks of her face.
“No, it’s fine, I think we’re about done here.” Lily stood, looking at them expectedly. Everyone froze, eyes passing from one to another as they waited.
“Hi, I’m Teddi.” She reached for the woman’s hand.
“Sorry, that was terrible manners of me. I’m Elaine. Elaine Malis.” Vera gave nothing away but Teddi knew she was equally surprised. The Sheriff’s wife was wandering inside Lily’s house without knocking.
“You’ve already met my husband, Sheriff Malis.” It wasn’t a question.
Elaine’s hand slipped into hers, immediately making her regret the offer. Her skin was calloused and cold as if they never knew warmth. With a stronger-than-necessary squeeze, she pumped their joined hands and then released Teddi. She gave her a tight smile, one that didn’t dare reach her eyes, and then turned to Vera, repeating the motions.
Teddi flexed her hand before shoving it into her jacket pocket.
“Did your husband tell you we were here?” Vera asked. Something about the way Elaine Malis held herself, the way she acted as if she had some dominion over the home had Teddi shifting her weight. Why was the Sheriff’s wife visiting a nineteen-year-old? Was Sylen truly so small that everyone mixed and mingled?
Elaine huffed a bright laugh and swatted her hand in the air as if she said something silly. “Oh, I know everything about my husband, whether he realizes it or not. I heard you were both coming here for the identification.” She paused and her features softened. “I am sorry about your loss, by the way. What a terrible, terrible thing to happen to such a young person.”
“I appreciate that.” Her tone was clipped and sterile. The room halted once again in discomfort, no one knowing quite what to make of one another.
“Right, well, we better get going.” Teddi tucked her chin at Vera. Vera wasn’t looking at her though. She was staring at the older woman.
After a pause too long to be socially acceptable, she reached into her pocket and passed Lily a white card. “Here, this is my number. I want you to have it in case you remember anything else. Or if you need someone to talk to, I’m always available, day or night.”
Lily took it silently, folding it inside her fist as she looked at Elaine.
Teddi pulled open the door, foot hovering over the threshold as the screen door screeched when Mrs. Malis’ voice stopped her.
“Good luck finding what you’re looking for.” She smiled smoothly before turning back to Lily. The tone of her voice was friendly but it reminded her of the iciness of her hand. Thanking her, she headed outside with Vera close behind.
They made it a mile down the road before she broke the silence.
“How the hell did she know about Alex?” Teddi asked.
“In her words, 'I know everything about my husband, whether he realizes it or not.' Sounds like someone keeps the Sheriff on a tight leash.”
“Maybe,” Teddi replied, unsure. That wasn’t what it felt like but Elaine held a kind of confidence that Sheriff Malis seemed to only want to have. Maybe there was a strange power dynamic between the husband and wife. “Losing her dad and Alex both in one year. That would be hard on an adult.”
"Lily is an adult.”
“C’mon, she’s nineteen. That’s still practically a kid.”
“Not in the eyes of the law.” Vera looked over at her. “Do you think she had something to do with it?”
Teddi considered the way a hundred pounds of relief seemed to melt off of Lily’s slim shoulders when they delivered the news. But if he was harassing her, she couldn’t blame her for the reaction. There was a large gap between breaking up and murder but if Lily hadn’t been in as deep as Alex, it didn’t automatically denote something malicious.
Vera turned the steering wheel right instead of left back towards the motel. “So far nothing points to her being party to his death but all doors remain open. We’re up the creek with all of nothing to work off of. She seemed genuinely surprised when we told her Alex was gone. Why didn’t you tell me about the phone data beforehand?”
