Page 30 of Little Hidden Fears

“It wasn’t my intention to push Lucas away the last couple of weeks. I didn’t even realize I was doing it.”

“Is that what he said—that he felt you’d distanced yourself from him?” I asked.

“Yeah, among other things.”

“When you say Lucas called off the wedding, is it temporary? Are the two of you still together?”

“I’m not sure. He said he thought it would be best if we took some time apart. We’re living together, but last night, he packed a bunch of his things, and he left. I don’t even know where he went. I tried calling, and he didn’t answer. He texted me to say he wanted a day to clear his head. I’m trying to give it to him, but it’s killing me.”

Her erratic outburst earlier made a lot more sense to me now.

First, Noelle was murdered, then Lucas either postponed or canceled the wedding, then he packed a bag and left, and today she learned Dominic was dead too. It would be enough for anyone to break.

Zoey finished off the gin and tonic and dropped the empty cup into the trash. “Why do you think Dominic killed himself? He had a daughter. How could he do that to her after what she’s already going through?”

“I got the impression he didn’t want to live in a world if Noelle wasn’t in it. The way he talked about her when I visitedwith him made me feel like she meant everything to him. Would you agree?”

“Yes, I would. It was the first thing that came to mind when I heard about what happened, even though I didn’t want to believe it. I figured he’d have a rough go of it for a time, but somehow, he’d muddle through and be there for Kiera. I feel so sorry for her. Losing two parents in a month. It’s heartbreaking.”

My thoughts turned to another question I wanted to ask.

“Do you know a man named Gabe Romero?” I asked.

She blinked at me, shocked at the name I’d just spoken.

Based on her expression, she knew him.

“How do you know about Gabe?” she asked.

“Dominic told me about him, and about what happened when they were in high school. You know about it, right?”

“I know he forced Noelle to have sex after she’d said no. It was a long time before she shared the story with me, but when she did, she told me everything.”

“Did you know he was released from prison?”

She nodded. “I guess now would be a good time for me to confess something. Not only do I know he’s been out for a while, I went to see him.”

“When?”

“Oh, about a week after he was released.”

“Did Noelle and Dominic know about your visit?”

“Well, no. I thought it would be best to keep it to myself.”

“Why?”

“I didn’t want Noelle to be reminded of a past she was trying to forget.”

Spoken like a true friend.

“What did you say to him?” I asked.

“My plan was to get in his face, tell him I’d kill him if he ever came anywhere near Noelle again. I had this vision of who Ithought he was, an evil, horrible person. And then I saw him face to face, and he was a lot different than I expected.”

“In what way?”

“He got super religious in prison. I’m not sure what he was like when Dominic and Noelle knew him, but now he’s soft-spoken, and he referred to several different scripture passages during our conversation. When I said Noelle’s name, it was like his body went limp. He grabbed the door for support, and then he started crying and saying he was sorry over and over again.”

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