Page 85 of Midnight Secrets

They passed under the streetlight and I recognized Ozzie’s jacket.

My heart thumped. They’d caught the guy.

Hurrying to the door, I unlocked it, picked up Pebbles, and flung it open, eager to see who’d been harassing me.

The three of them turned and came up the driveway, but the man kept his head down. Ozzie and Ellis marched him straight up to the porch, where he finally lifted his head.

A sharp gasp left my lips. “Warren? You’re the one who’s been harassing me? Why would you burn down my office?”

His eyes widened. “What? No! That wasn’t me, I swear.”

“Let’s discuss it inside.” Ozzie put a hand in his pocket and took out his truck keys, then tossed them to Ellis before pushing Warren toward the door.

I stepped back and let them in, frowning as Ellis jogged toward Ozzie’s vehicle. “What’s he doing?”

“Getting my handcuffs.”

“Oh.” I closed the door to stop letting the cold air in, but didn’t lock it.

“Do you have a first-aid kit?” Ozzie asked.

It was then I noticed the scrape on Warren’s face.

“Oh. Yes.” I turned and ran upstairs, retrieving several first-aid items from the cabinet in my bathroom.

When I returned to the main living space, Warren was on the couch, his hands handcuffed in front of him. Ozzie sat next to him, and Ellis stood to the side holding Pebbles. The little dog saw me and wagged her tail, then looked at Warren and growled.

Surprised that she’d let Ellis pick her up, my eyebrows rose for a quick second. It usually took her a few visits before she warmed up to new people enough to let them do more than give her a quick scratch.

Moving into the room, I sat next to Ozzie on the couch. “Here. I hope this works. I can get a washcloth if you need it.” I piled the supplies in my lap and let him pick what he wanted.

He took a couple of gauze pads and the hydrogen peroxide. “This should work. I just want to clean him up enough I can put some bandages over the worst of the cuts to stop the bleeding.” Tearing open the gauze, he wet it, then dabbed at Warren’s face.

“You want to tell us what you were doing out there now?” Ozzie asked as he worked. “Since you decided to pretend you’re mute after we caught you.” Quickly, he read him his rights.

Muscles in Warren’s jaw worked as he acknowledged that he understood.

But it wasn’t obstinance I saw in his eyes. It was sorrow.

“Please tell us what you know Warren,” I pleaded softly. “I found Marie. She didn’t deserve to die like that, and I don’t think you did it.”

His gaze met mine, bleakness shining bright. “I didn’t.”

“Then who did?” Ozzie lowered his hand to look Warren in the face.

“Her lover.”

I shared a look with Ellis, surprised at that. “Marie had a lover?”

Warren nodded.

“Who?” Ozzie asked.

“I don’t know.”

I watched Ozzie’s eyebrows knit into a deep frown. “Then how do you know he did it?”

“Who else would? Marie was sweet. She didn’t have any enemies.” Warren pressed his lips together glancing away. “Look, I know things weren’t the best between us, and I wasn’t the best husband. She wasn’t happy and never really wanted to move here, but I convinced her it would be the best thing for us. I was trying to save our marriage.” He speared Ozzie with a look. “This wasn’t the first time she cheated on me.”

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