Freakin’ hot flash.
Ida opened the rectory door. “Here we are.”
The rectory looked like someone with a Pinterest addiction and unfettered access to the hobby store was given free rein. Friendly scarecrows and bales of hay were stacked in one corner but there was a whole spooky vibe with bats, spiders, and a ferocious-looking werewolf in the other. The third corner had a castle theme, and the last corner had candy in cauldrons.
“Well, this is really something.” I walked to the center of the room where a woman with more hair than head sat at a table gluing googley eyes to small pumpkins.
Ida stepped forward. “Margie, this is Charlie Sanders. She has some costumes to donate.”
Margie looked up, her head wobbled, likely due to the weight of the twisted updo. Her face looked surprised, or that could have been the Botox and plastic surgery.
“Those are adorable,” a voice cooed from near the castle. Grace Godwin, Tyler’s ex-wife, walked over. She rocked the girl next-door look with her big blue eyes and brunette hair pulled back in a ponytail.
“Thank you. They’re probably sizes eight and ten.”
Grace reached for the Gretel costume.
“You’re in good hands now,” Ida said.
“What color tulips are you planting?” Margie asked Ida.
Grace and I stepped away from the women.
“Did you sew them?” Grace asked.
I handed her the lederhosen. “I did.” I did not preen. Okay, maybe I stood a little taller. “Drew and Ann were Hansel and Gretel in a school play.”
Grace fingered the ribbons I’d sewn onto the dirndl. “You are so talented.”
I instantly liked Grace. “Thanks. I loved making the kids costumes and I do an occasional hem, but I haven’t sewn in years. Do you sew?”
Grace hung the costumes on a garment rack. “I belong to the quilters guild. You should join us. We’re always looking for new blood.” She faced me, put her hands on her hips and raised an eyebrow. “But I don’t think that’s what brought you here today.” She tilted her chin and her eyes softened, and seemed sad. “How can I help you, Charlie.”
Her kindness and sympathy hit me hard. We were connected through Tyler.
I went for honesty. “Have you heard the FBI is investigating Tyler’s death?”
She nodded, and cast a furtive glance in Margie and Ida’s direction.
I leaned closer. “I hoped you might know an old acquaintance of Tyler’s that could have dragged him into the adoption… thing,” I ended on a whisper and avoided using the actual words.
Her eyes widened and she guided me further away from Ida and Margie. “I hated his college roommate, Peter Adkins.” She lowered her voice. “I threatened to call off the wedding if he made him a groomsman.” She twisted her lips. “I should have, anyway.”
My heart weighed heavy in my chest. “I’m so sorry your first marriage was bad.”
She gave me a strained smile. “I’m much happier now, of course, but thank you. I feel like everyone is judging me, like, how could I have been so stupid to marry him in the first place. And before…” She shrugged. “Before they gave me horrible stares because of…”
Her baby born seven months after the divorce.
“People aren’t too happy to see me, either,” I admitted. “I hate that my questions uncovered…”
The fact that your ex-husband was involved in human trafficking.
She nodded. “We both did the right thing.” Her head tilted and a warm smile settled on her face. “And we both have amazing husbands to support us.”
“Very true. Could you tell me why you hated Peter Adkins so much?” I asked.
Her head bobbled, nodding so fast it looked like she was shivering. “Beside the fact he had gang tattoos on his neck, he would call Tyler in the middle of the night and Ty would disappear for a day or two, and then he’d never tell me what happened, just that Peter needed him.”
“Why were they so close?”
Grace sighed. “Ty was…” She squinted and looked at the ceiling. “Well, it’s not right to speak ill of the dead but he had some quirks that made it difficult for him to fit in.”
“What kind of quirks?” I whispered. Please don’t let it be sexual.
“He had to have things a certain way, you know? Like he’d only wear a certain brand of socks. He had meatloaf every Tuesday for dinner–weird ritual kind of things. His freshman year in college he went through three roommates before Peter moved in. They lived together all through college, even got an apartment their Junior year. They went through law school together. Peter was Tyler’s divorce attorney.” She put her hands up. “I didn’t know how bad Tyler’s quirks were until after we married and lived together. I just thought he was super neat, you know? And Forest Forks is kind of small, so always going to the same restaurant on a Friday night didn’t seem too strange.”
I nodded in understanding. “I get that. I’m waiting for the day the waitress serves us food before taking our order at We Knead Pizza.”
She nodded emphatically. “Right? It was a little thing I didn’t even pick up on. But he became worse after we got married. Like, he wanted to keep things a certain way and I was just supposed to go along like Peter did.”
“Why do you think Peter went along with his quirks for all those years,” I asked.
“Because Tyler paid the rent, the expenses, everything. I wouldn’t be surprised if Peter cheated off Tyler all through law school. After the divorce, I heard that Peter was disbarred. Something about inappropriate conduct with a client. I think that’s when he persuaded Tyler to do things for him, used Tyler, guilted him into doing things because he was his only friend.”
His only friend? “Who was Tyler’s Best Man at your wedding?”
“His cousin. I had to get married with only three bridesmaids because Tyler only had three male cousins.” She shook her head. “I should have known, but I was so young and he seemed so
