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The partition door dimmed the noise from the bar. As I stood in the slim hallway, I could hear a woman talking upstairs. I glanced around, and when I didn’t see anyone nearby, I weighed the pros and cons of snooping while I had the chance. I’d never pried into anyone’s life while on the run. The less I knew, the better. You stayed safer when you didn’t know anything. Now I wasn’t awarded that luxury.
Curiosity got the better of me, and I crept up the stairs as the woman’s voice got clearer. Nobody was talking back, so it was safe to assume she was on the phone.
I made it to the landing at the top of the stairs. Two doors stood at opposite ends of the hall, but only one was open, and the voice was coming from that direction. I inched closer to take a peek inside the apartment, and I couldn’t hold back the curse as I made direct eye contact with Christie Greenthorne, Audrey’s mother.
She hung up the phone without warning and whipped the door open. “What the hell are you up to?” Every word dripped with fury.
I sputtered, shocked at seeing her up here alone. My brain rattled, trying to find an excuse for why I was there, but it was blank.
Mrs. Greenthorne’s face pinched, making her look more like a ferret than the wolf I knew her to be. A realization came over her face as she asked, “Are you in cahoots with that useless, nosy wallflower?”
“Huh?”
“I wouldn’t be surprised if you were.” She sneered, appraising me as she looked me up and down.
“I have no idea what you mean.”
What the hell was she talking about? Who was she talking about? Which wallflower?
The older woman stood tall. “Lola, I’m talking about Lola. I want to know if you’re discussing my family and me with her. I want to know if I need to sue that girl for breaking confidentiality.”
The glint in her eyes was cold and calculating. Nothing about this woman suggested she was even remotely maternal. No wonder Audrey was the way she was—an ice queen had raised her. This woman was all about herself and her needs.
Wanting to avoid further eye contact, I peeped around the room, my eyes widening when I saw that the bed most definitely had a fresh, tumbled look about it. I also realized Mrs. Greenthorne wasn’t entirely dressed. Her blouse wasn’t buttoned properly, and I could see her silk slip. She only wore one earring, her hair was tangled and disheveled, and her makeup needed freshening. She looked a far cry from the elegant, put-together look I associated with her.
Finally, I caught on to the reek of sex.
I flashbacked to the morning of the murder, when Audrey came out of Mateo’s quarters. I couldn’t believe Mateo had been with both Greenthorne women within the last week.
I softened my features and composed myself enough to feign my confusion. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. I came up here looking for Mateo’s washing machine. The bar is packed, and there are a bunch of dirty rags. I thought I’d help out.”
Mrs. Greenthorne reached for the door. “The machines are downstairs.”
Bang.
She slammed the door in my face, and then I heard her calling out to someone on the other side of the door.
I stood stock still, trying to wrap my head around what I’d just discovered. What the hell was up with that? Audrey’s mother was either having an affair with Mateo, or this was the first time she’d slept with him. Either way, Mrs. Greenthorne and Mateo had been together.
It was public knowledge that Audrey and Mateo sometimes hooked up, but now her mother had been caught having an affair. That was a massive scandal. Then compound that with the mother having an affair with the same man her daughter was hooking up with…
Holy shit.
This was huge. The Greenthornes were big on their standing in Blackwood Creek. They wouldn’t want anybody staining their name in any capacity. Also, they were in counseling with Lola, and Mrs. Greenthorne was worried that Lola had disclosed something to me, which was why she thought I was there.
She was worried about getting caught.
The Magpies were right. If Deputy Hill had somehow found out about this, it would have given each of the Greenthornes a motive to kill him. What wouldn’t they do to keep somebody’s mouth shut about such shady family secrets? And was it a coincidence that the murder had happened in this very bar?
I rushed down the stairs and out the rear door I’d entered the morning of the murder. I couldn’t wait to tell Ridge and get his take on this revelation. It was bound to be a huge step forward in the case.
I’d confront Mateo another time; I couldn’t wait around for him. I was starting to understand Ridge’s adamant objections that I not do this on my own. My heart raced as I sprinted toward the rear of the building and rounded the corner. Pulse pounding in my ears, I nearly plowed right into Audrey.
She gave me a dark scowl. “Watch where you’re going.”
I rolled my eyes. “Watch who you accuse.”
Moving to step around her, I paused. Audrey was going to the back entrance of The Tipsy Tavern and possibly headed upstairs. I contemplated what to do. She could stumble upon her mother, and then the town would end up with another murder on its hands. I couldn’t let that happen.
