Page 35 of Little Hidden Fears

I followed Joanie to the living room, and we sat on a couple of chairs in front of the fire.

“I understand you went to see Dominic yesterday,” she said.

“I did. I was there when he ... he, uhh ...”

“Yes, it’s unfortunate, what happened. He’s hasn’t been well since Noelle passed. We all knew he was battling depression, but none of us thought it had reached the point where he’d take his own life. I’ve been made aware of the letter he left. Haven’t gotten the chance to see it yet, but Detective Whitlock was kind enough to read it to me over the phone.”

“How is Kiera? Is she aware of what happened?”

“Not yet. We haven’t decided when to talk to her about it, and we’re still working out the healthiest way to have the conversation, not that there is one in this instance. It’s never a good time to deliver news of this sort.”

“What will happen to her now that both of her parents are gone?”

“In the case events unfolded like they indeed have, Noelle wanted us to take Kiera, and we will, of course. We have a lot of family here, so she’ll have a lot of support.”

“Have you considered taking Kiera to a therapist?”

Joanie reached for a book, one of many stacked up on the coffee table, and she turned it toward me.

The book was calledThe Key to Unlocking a Better Life.

And the author ... Joanie Alldredge.

“I didn’t know you were a therapist,” I said.

“I’ve had my practice for almost forty years now. When I saw your name on your business card, I put two and two together, and ... let’s just say you look a lot like him.”

“I look likehim?”

“Your father, Abe Germaine.”

Now I understood why she’d stopped me on my way to my car.

“How did you know my father?” I asked. “Did he come to see you ... for, uh, help?”

“He did. Not all the time. When he had a case that was hard for him to deal with, he’d stop in for a chat. He wanted more than anything to keep the stress of his higher-priority investigations to himself, so he didn’t bring it home to his family.”

“I don’t ever remember him talking about his cases much, not unless his coworkers were around.”

“He spoke to me about you once, and although it’s rather unusual for me to talk about my clients, I don’t think he’d mind me sharing something with you.”

I leaned in, curious to hear what she had to say. “Go ahead.”

“Your father worried you’d follow in his footsteps.”

“He worried? Why? I was so young when he passed away.”

“As young as you were, you had a genuine interest in his line of work. It reminded him of his own ambitions. He wanted you to have a good life, a happy life, and a career that allowed for those things. Being a detective, even a private eye who works on homicide cases ... from what I’ve learned, it’s challenging.”

She paused, as if awaiting my response.

“I have a wonderful life, and while my career can be stressful at times, I love what I do,” I said. “And while I’m speaking of love, this summer I’m marrying a man I’ve known since my college years. He’s always been supportive of what I do. Sometimes, he even assists with my cases.”

She placed a hand on mine. “That’s wonderful to hear. If your father was alive today, I’m sure he would be proud.”

Wanting to get the subject off of me and back to the case, I said, “If you can spare a few more minutes, I’d like to ask you a few things.”

Joanie glanced at her watch once more. “Would you excuse me?”

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