Page 19 of Little Twisted Things

“Dahlia?” Alex called my name.

“Upstairs.” I gripped the covers.

Within moments, he appeared in my bedroom doorway.

“Dahlia, what’s wrong?” He walked over to the edge of the bed and sat down.

“I think I have the flu. I’ve been throwing up for the past couple of hours. It hit me out of nowhere.”

He placed the back of his hand on my forehead.

“You don’t feel warm, so that’s good.”

Suddenly, the doorbell rang.

“Who could that be?” Alex asked. “You stay in bed and get some rest.” His lips pressed against my forehead. “I’ll go see who it is.”

As soon as he left the room, I threw back the covers and stepped into the hallway.

“Professor Alex Whitmore?”

“Yes.”

“Hi, I’m Detective Paige Walker with the NYPD. I would like to ask you a couple of questions regarding Kevin Hadley.”

“Of course. But I don’t understand why the NYPD is involved?”

“The case has similarities to one I was working on in New York.”

“Come in.”

I quietly walked down a couple of stairs, sat, and listened to their conversation as they sat in the living room.

“Did Kevin tell you he was having an affair?”

“He did. I tried to get him to break it off before he destroyed his marriage, but he wouldn’t,” Alex told her. “What does him having an affair have to do with his murder?”

“Did you tell anyone at all about his affair?”

Careful, Alex. Think. Think.

“No. It wasn’t my place to tell anyone.”

Good boy.

“Not even your girlfriend?” Detective Walker asked.

“No. As I said, it wasn’t my place to tell anyone.”

“Is your girlfriend home?”

“She’s upstairs sleeping. She has the flu.”

“I see. Did Kevin ever mention to you that he felt like someone was watching him?”

“No. He never mentioned anything like that.”

“Do you think someone killed Kevin because of his affair?” Detective Walker asked.