Page 24 of Little Hidden Fears

“I think Lenore’s a gold digger. She saw an opportunity, and she jumped on it. I could be wrong, but I bet I’m right. Dominic didn’t seem interested in talking to me at first, but after he asked Lenore to leave, he was a lot more forthcoming. I’m guessing it’s because he knew he was about to commit suicide—he decided he wanted to offer his help in my investigation while he could.”

“What makes you so sure?”

“There were a few things I picked up on during our conversation. One minute, he didn’t want to open up to me; the next, he did a complete one-eighty, telling me I could ask him anything. He said it was because he didn’t want to talk about it again. But if he was getting ready to off himself, he relaized there wouldn’t be a next time for us to talk again.”

“I’m interested to hear what he had to say.”

“He said a lot more than I thought he would. Right in the middle of our conversation, though, he grabbed a bottle of rum and excused himself to call his daughter. When he returned, he didn’t seem to be doing well, but he still wanted to continue the conversation, so we did.”

“The man wasn’t doing well because he knew the conversation with his daughter was his last,” Foley said.

Giovanni grabbed the bottle of bourbon off a nearby table, walked over to Foley and Whitlock, and served another round.

Foley, who’d been hesitant to drink just minutes before, took a hearty swig and said, “What topics did you two talk about?”

“Everything revolved around his wife. He told me about the night they first met, and about what she was like as a person. On that subject, there’s something you should know, something Dominic told me in confidence.”

Whitlock leaned in, intrigued. “Lay it on us.”

“Noelle was assaulted and raped by a boyfriend when she was in high school.”

Foley raised a brow. “Where’s this boyfriend now?”

“His name is Gabe Romero. Dominic talked Noelle into turning Gabe in for what he’d done. At trial, Gabe pled guilty and was locked up for several years. He wrote Noelle a letter while he was in prison, but Dominic said they haven’t seen or heard from him since he was released.”

Whitlock reached into his pocket, pulling out a notebook and a pen. He flipped it open to a blank page and began writing.

“Get this,” I said. “After Noelle was raped, she was sitting in her car at the park, and Dominic walked by. She was crying, and when he walked over, he noticed she had a bruise on her face and the sleeve of her dress was ripped. He didn’t want to leave her, so he just stood there, talking with her, until she calmed down. That’s how their relationship began.”

Foley ran a hand along his forehead, his head shaking back and forth as he said, “That’s one hell of a story.”

“I know it sounds strange, but it was the beginning of their love story. He told me when they parted that night, he knew they were meant to be together. In the weeks that followed, they began dating, and after they graduated, they got married.”

Whitlock crossed one leg over the other, wiggling the pen in his hand. “What a fascinating story. He never mentioned any of it to us. I’m not surprised he told you, but why do you think he did?”

It was the perfect question, a segue into what I was about to say next.

“Are either of you aware that Dominic and Noelle had opened a women’s center?” I asked. “She was quite involved.”

“No, we know nothing about it. I’m sure we would have found out sooner or later, but no one has mentioned it to us.”

“After Noelle went through what she did with Gabe, she wanted to help other women who’d endured similar experiences, so they founded the center.”

Foley looked at Whitlock. “I can’t believe this is the first we’re hearing about it.”

“Me either,” Whitlock said. “What more can you tell us about it, Georgiana?”

“Knowing these women were coming to the center to get away from their abusive situations, Dominic had some rules to keep Noelle safe.”

“Rules like ...”

“Not using her real name. The center is named the Ophelia Albrecht Women’s Center. Ophelia was Noelle’s grandmother’s name, and Albrecht was Dominic’s grandmother’s maiden name. Noelle used that name when she spent time with the women there.”

“Why was her husband worried about her using her actual name?” Foley asked.

“In some situations, Noelle convinced the women to talk to the police, see if there was any legal recourse for the abuse. I’m guessing some of these guys went to jail or prison for what they’d done, and I’m sure those men weren’t too happy about that.”

“Do you think someone found out Noelle’s true identity, perhaps a disgruntled husband or boyfriend?”

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