Page 91 of Midnight Secrets

“That’s okay. This is serious business, so I don’t blame you.” She folded her arms on the table and leaned forward. “I have to say, though, I’m surprised you called me in. I’m not sure what else I can tell you.”

I decided to cut straight to the chase. “Marie was having an affair. What can you tell me about it?”

She blinked, surprise in her dark eyes, then sat back. “An affair?” Her forehead creased with a frown. “You’re sure?”

“Yes.”

The lines on her forehead cleared as she puffed out her cheeks and blew out a breath. “Wow. I mean, I guess I’m not surprised. Warren’s a jerk.”

“Do you have any idea who it could be?”

She frowned again. “How do you know she was having an affair if you don’t know who with?”

“Evidence.” Riggs and I had decided to keep Warren’s presence under wraps for now. He was tucked safely into a county jail cell in Juneau until he was charged with whatever the prosecutor saw fit for his failure to report Marie’s murder and arrangements could be made to put him in protective custody after he was granted bail.

Her look told me she knew I was withholding information, but she didn’t press the issue.

“Marie wasn’t a flirt.” Her expression turned thoughtful. “But there were a couple of our fellow male teachers she seemed to… like? More than others, I mean.”

“Okay.” I clicked my pen, poised to write down names. “Who?”

“The top one would probably be Kevin Cottrell. He’s the gym teacher. She was friendly with the middle school math teacher too. Lawrence Iverson.”

Having learned my lesson with Grace and Gabe Turner, the name clicked in my head. “Is he related to Grant Iverson?” The name wasn’t uncommon, but I wasn’t taking any chances. If one of our forensic technicians was involved, I wanted to know.

Kaya lifted a shoulder. “Not sure.”

“What makes you think either man could be her boyfriend?”

Again, she shrugged. “She talked to them more than any of the other male teachers. They’re both fairly good looking too.” She wrinkled her nose. “And Kevin gives me the creeps a bit. He’s just”—she flipped a hand—“odd. Like, he’s married, but I’ve seen him checking out some of the other teachers.”

Nodding, I made a quick note next to his name. “What about Iverson?”

“They just spend a lot of time talking. Before and after meetings, at whole-school functions, sometimes even after school I’d see them together.”

That was interesting. Kaya might think Cottrell was the more likely candidate because he appeared to be a womanizer, but my gut said Marie was looking for a companion. Not just a quick lay. Iverson fit that bill much better than the gym teacher. “Is Iverson a nice guy?”

Kaya tipped her head back and forth. “Yeah. I don’t know him that well. We’re a small school, but we’re still split up by elementary, middle, and high. I really only speak to him when we have a staff meeting or an assembly for everyone.”

“All right. Is there anyone else? It doesn’t have to be from school. Has she ever mentioned someone? A male friend? Or have you ever seen her somewhere talking to a man?”

“I don’t—” She paused, then tipped her head and stared just over my shoulder, thinking. “There was a guy.” Her gaze met mine. “A few months ago. It was just before Christmas. I remember because I was out buying gifts for my family. It was at Parker Supply.”

I nodded, encouraging her to continue. Parker Supply was one of the main stores in town. They sold a bit of everything.

“I was browsing the clothing, when I saw her near the underwear with a man. She had a lacy bra in her hands. When I said hello, she spun toward me. At the time, I thought I just surprised her, but thinking about it now, it could have been guilt on her face.”

I knew to take that with a grain of salt. People sometimes invented memories and feelings based on current circumstances. “Describe the man she was with.”

“I didn’t see him. Not his face, anyway. There was a pillar between us and a rack of coats. But he had dark hair. I saw that much as he walked away.”

Pressing my lips together, slightly frustrated, I wrote that down. I knew exactly where she meant in the store. Parker Supply was in a large cabin-style building with several log beams holding up the second story and the roof. It was also chocked full of goods. The owners crammed as much into the space as they could, which meant lots of racks, often with other displays stacked on top and small walkways throughout the store. I hated going in there. It was a damn maze.

“Okay. There’s nothing else about him that stuck out to you?”

She shook her head.

“Can you estimate his height?”

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