Page 43 of Little Dark Deeds
“She’d cooked me a pot roast for dinner, mashed potatoes and homemade biscuits—the works—which was unusual.”
“How so?”
“It was my favorite comfort food, but Jana didn’t like making it.We’d only have it on my birthday or on a special occasion.Most of the time, she preferred going to a restaurant instead of cooking dinner herself.As soon as we sat down to eat, she got straight to the point.She told me she knew Tiffany’s name, where she worked, how we met, and all about my affair.”
“What did you say in response?”I asked.
“All I wanted in that moment was to give a full confession, no matter how hard it might be for her to hear.I told her how sorry I was that everything happened the way it had, and I admitted I was in love with Tiffany.I even told her I thought Tiffany and I were meant to be together.”
I couldn’t decide if he was an idiot or thoughtless or a bit of both.
“What was your wife’s reaction?”I asked.
“First, I want to say, I told Jana I still loved her, and I do.It’s just ...the love I feel for her is different than my love for Tiffany.”
“Please tell me you kept that part to yourself.”
“I got the chance to tell the truth that night, and I went all in.I mean, why not?I was relieved to get it out.The relationship was over.I wanted us to appreciate the good times we had while accepting we were at our end.I thought if we could do that, we could heal, and we could both move on.”
“How did Jana react?”
“Not in the way I expected.She threw a glass of red wine in my face, grabbed her keys, and she left.”
In all my years as a detective, no one had ever been as candid with me as he just had.I was used to people evading me, telling me as little as possible, or nothing at all.When it came to the conversation with his wife, he seemed unemotional and disengaged, a different person than when we first started talking.
So different, in fact, I almost didn’t know what to make of him.
CHAPTER 17
Ifound Jana in a chairon the front porch, petting a dachshund draped across her lap with one hand, and holding a mug of coffee in the other.She was on the slender side and dressed in a long, flowy, multi-colored, tank top dress with sun symbols all over it.In terms of age, she was younger than I’d expected, several years younger than Tyler, I guessed.And with her long, dark hair, brooding eyes, and milky-white complexion, far more superior to him in looks.
I walked toward her, and she met my gaze, then set the mug she was holding down on a side table.
“Are you the private detective I’ve been hearing about?”she asked.
“I see word travels fast.”
