Page 18 of Little Hidden Fears

“Was there anyone in Noelle’s recent life who had a problem with her, anyone who would have wanted to harm her?” I asked.

“I’ve thought a lot about that in the past week. The police asked me the same thing. Truth is, I can’t think of a single person, or even why anyone would do what they did to her. I mean, sure, there’s what happened in the past, and I consideredGabe might be involved. Thought about finding him, but right now, it wouldn’t be a good idea. My head’s not on straight. If I thought he did it, I don’t know if I could control myself ...”

“Leave Gabe to me. I’ll find him, and I’ll talk to him. If he had anything to do with her death, he’ll pay for what he’s done.”

“I’m holding you to it.”

I thought back to what he’d said about Noelle’s time at the women’s center. “I was wondering ... did Noelle ever share the story about what happened to her with any of the women at the center?”

Dominic let out a long sigh. “From time to time, but I don’t know who she told and who she didn’t. It wasn’t something she liked talking about. Every time she did, it took a toll on her.”

I nodded, waited for him to continue.

“I believe it was because she never moved past it, not all the way. Talking about it triggered her, and she knew it. But if she felt she could reach a woman who wouldn’t have otherwise spoken out about what she was going through, Noelle used her story to give them the confidence they needed to let it all out.”

“What happened when a woman came to the center and confessed their abusive experiences?”

“If Noelle thought there was a chance she could convince them to contact the police, she’d try her best to talk them through it.”

I wondered how many cases the police had been involved in, how many men received jail time, or worse, and how many knew of Noelle’s direct involvement.

“Did you ever worry that Noelle’s work at the center could blow back on her in some way?” I asked.

He folded his arms, leaning back in the chair. “I’ll tell you something I didn’t tell you before, something most people don’t know. Noelle didn’t just volunteer at the center. She founded it. Ioffered to open the center because I knew how much it meant to her, but my support came with a few rules.”

“What were your rules?”

“For starters, she had to use a different name. The center was named the Ophelia Albrecht Women’s Center. Ophelia was Noelle’s grandmother’s name, and Albrecht was my grandmother’s maiden name.”

“Are you saying the women who came to the center thought your wife’s name was Ophelia Albrecht?”

“That’s what I am saying, yes.”

Clever.

“What about when the women went to the police?” I asked. “I imagine Noelle sat in on some of those conversations. I’m sure some of the women would have wanted her there for support.”

“You’re right—she did go to some of those police meetings. They knew about the alias. They understood why it was necessary, and they praised us for it.”

If Noelle had been working with the police at the San Luis Obispo Police Department, Foley and Whitlock would have worked with her, which meant they would have known about Noelle’s background when they discovered she’d been murdered. Yet neither of them had said anything to me, making me believe that even though she lived in the county, it was possible the women’s center was outside of it.

“Where is the center located?” I asked

“Santa Maria.”

Santa Maria was about an hour’s drive from Cambria, and just as I’d suspected, it was in a different county, Santa Barbara County.

“Why set up the center in Santa Maria and not closer to home?” I asked. “An hour’s drive isn’t bad, but it’s still a bit of one.”

“Santa Maria is where we got engaged.”

“I see. The city had a special meaning to you both.”

“It also has a population of over four hundred thousand people. Half of those people are women.”

An interesting point, though I felt I’d taken the conversation about Noelle and the center as far as I could—for now.

“What other hobbies or things was your wife involved in?” I asked.

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