“That’s understandable. It makes sense that you needed a new start.”
I continued driving until she pointed to a light blue house on the left. “It’s this one here.”
I parked in front of the house next door so we could talk for a minute without being seen. “You okay?”
She nodded quickly as if to convince herself she was fine. “Victor lives right over there.” She gestured to a brown home across the street. “And Daniel and I lived next door in the cream-colored house.” She paled, and her bottom lip quivered the slightest bit. “This is the first time I’ve been here in four years.” The last part came out as a whisper.
I felt the urge to comfort her, to put my arms around her, but I kept my hands on the wheel. “You don’t have to do this. We can leave.”
“No, we’re here, and I’m not turning back now.”
I nodded, and we both got out of the car. We walked up to the front door, and I stepped forward and knocked. A few seconds passed and then a tall man with brown hair and a salt and pepper mustache answered. He wore jeans and a red and tan striped shirt that clung to him.
“Can I help you?” His gaze fell to Kayla, and he inhaled sharply. “Kayla. Haven’t seen you in years.”
“Hi, Tom.” She forced a smile, but it was faint. “I know it must be a surprise to see me, but I was wondering if we could come in? There’s something I want to talk to you about.”
He had a deer-in-the-headlights look in his eyes, and he just stood there for several moments, not saying anything. Finally, he let out a breath and his shoulders sagged. “Of course. Come in.” He sounded gruff. Maybe a little put out for having to speak with us.
He showed us to a couch in the living room, and we both sat down. The shades on the windows were drawn, creating a dark atmosphere. Tom turned on a lamp rather than open one of the shades and then seated himself on a couch facing ours. He had a reserved demeanor, or maybe he was just concerned seeing Kayla all of a sudden. He wasn’t unfriendly exactly, but I didn’t sense much warmth emanating from him either.
“So, what brings you here?” he asked. He maintained a blank expression, showing no emotion.
“I came to get closure.” Kayla glanced at me and then turned back to Tom. “We never spoke after Daniel passed away. I know I left in a hurry, so I didn’t get the chance to hear your side of the story.”
He frowned. “My side of the story?”
“Oh, I mean, what happened with Victor. His alibi.” She paused. “You saw him the night Daniel and I were attacked, right? That’s what you told the police?”
Tom pressed his lips together hard and glanced away. “Yes, that’s correct.”
“Do you mind telling me what you saw?”
He ran a hand over his jaw and one finger curved over his mustache. “I was outside watering the lawn when his mother drove up. She parked in the driveway and went up to the front door and knocked. Victor answered and let her in. That was pretty much it.”
Kayla scooted up until she was on the edge of her seat. Leaning forward, she rested her elbows on her knees. “And how did you know it coincided with the same time Daniel and I were mugged?”
He shrugged, and his voice turned sharp. “Happened to check my watch. The time was seven-thirty p.m.”
My brows scrunched together at the defensiveness in his tone. He seemed uncomfortable with the question, but then again, the subject wouldn’t exactly put anyone at ease. “You just happened to check at that moment?”
“Yes, that’s what I told the police.”
Interesting way to phrase it. “What prompted you to look at the time?”
“I was keeping track of how long I watered the grass.”
That made sense though I wasn’t sure I bought his story. Something about this didn’t quite jibe with me, but I wasn’t sure why I thought that. He was acting strangely, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t telling the truth.
Kayla nodded. “Did anything look suspicious to you?”
Tom frowned and shook his head. “Nothing at all. Victor’s mother often came by.”
Kayla nodded again, appearing uncertain. “I never asked you this, but did you ever have problems with Victor? It wasn’t a secret that Daniel and I had a few run-ins with him. He even accused Daniel of killing his dog.”
“That’s right, I remember that. His dog was a menace. He let him run loose without a leash all the time. He attacked Linda Winthrop’s cat once.”
“I didn’t know that,” Kayla said. She glanced at me. “She lives down the street.”
“Yeah, she threatened to call animal control, but I’m not sure if she ever did.” Tom chuckled softly. “We all think she’s the one who poisoned his dog.”
That wasn’t something to laugh about. This guy was starting to rub me the wrong way.
“Is there anything else?” Tom asked, standing. He seemed eager to get rid of us.
Kayla bit down on her bottom lip, appearing unsettled, but we both remained seated. “No, I suppose not. The police told me about Victor’s alibi when they were investigating, but I guess I just needed to hear it from you. I always doubted Victor’s innocence, but that was probably my own negative feelings about him getting in the way.”
Tom nodded, moving behind the other couch and resting his hands on the back. His eyes softened. “I’m sorry about what happened to Daniel.” He sounded sincere, and for the first time, I caught a glimpse of kindness buried underneath his gruff demeanor. “I wanted to
