Page 20 of Midnight Secrets

Nodding slightly, I shifted in my seat. “Tell me about that night.”

Grace blew out a breath, ruffling her bangs. “Warren, as per usual, had too much to drink. He said some rather rude things to Marie, so I hustled her into the corner and made sure her back was to him the rest of the night. Then I glared at him every time he thought about coming over. He stayed away until they left.”

“What did the two of you talk about while you sat together?”

“That’s when she told me she planned to leave him. She said she was done being treated like dirt. I asked her why she married him if he acted that way.”

“Let me guess, he didn’t use to?”

Grace nodded. “She said the money from his job changed him. And he resented her for not wanting to go back to school so she could be an administrator and make more money.”

I tipped my head as a thought occurred. “Was she the reason they lived on her salary alone? Did she not want to splurge?”

“That was part of it. I think she knew if they lived on both their incomes, or on his, they’d never save any money. Like I said, Warren liked to buy things.”

That reshaped the way I viewed the man’s spending habits. It could be Grace’s perception of the couple’s money issues were wrong, and it wasn’t that Warren didn’t want to spend money on his wife, but that Marie didn’t want him spending money on lavish things for her, so he didn’t. “Were there other reasons she planned to leave him? A mistress, perhaps?”

Grace lifted a shoulder, her gaze turning away for a moment as she glanced toward the hallway. “Maybe. I’m not sure. She never mentioned one, but knowing him, it’s possible.”

I made a note to look closely at his credit card and bank statements for signs of a mistress. “Was Warren aware of her feelings?”

“I don’t know. But I would say probably not. I can’t see him paying to move her back to the mainland. He’d insist she do it herself.”

“Okay. Is there anything else you wish to tell me about either of them? Have there been any other strange occurrences in the last several months?”

She chewed on one corner of her mouth, looking away for several moments. “No.” She met my gaze again. “Not that I can think of.”

“One more question. Are there any places Warren would go to hide out or people he might feel comfortable contacting for help?”

“I can’t say. I didn’t know him well, and Marie never talked about his friends.”

I clicked my pen closed and set it and my notepad on the desk. “Okay.” Having gotten as much from her as I believed I could for now, I stood and reached into my pocket for a business card.

Grace rose from her seat.

“If you think of anything that might be pertinent, please call me. My email is on there, too, if you’d rather contact me that way.”

She took the white rectangle I held out. “I will, thank you.”

I nodded once. “Thank you, Ms. Alonso.”

With a tight smile, she turned toward the door. At the threshold, she glanced back. “Find who did this, Detective. My friend didn’t deserve to die.”

No one ever did. “I will do my best.”

Holding my gaze for another second, she left.

I returned to my chair, picking up my notepad and pen to summarize our conversation while I waited for Ms. Strand. Grace Alonso had given me some things to think about.

Several minutes later, movement in the hall drew my attention. I glanced up to see a woman close to my age appear in the doorway.

I stood, offering her a smile and my hand. “Ms. Strand?”

She shook my hand. “Yes. Mrs. Byron said you wanted to talk to me about Marie.”

“Yes. Please, have a seat.” I motioned to the chair Ms. Alonso had vacated.

The woman perched on the edge, clutching her skirt in her fingers. Her eyes were red-rimmed.

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