“This is a really nice house to raise a family, Heidi. Surely there’s someone who loves you enough to be here for you now?”
Ronan knew what Ten was doing. He was reading her and forming questions based on what he already knew.
“You think you’re clever trying to poke around in my brain, don’t you?” Heidi raised an eyebrow at Tennyson, but didn’t give him a chance to answer. “Got myself knocked-up senior year. I had plans. Wanted to go to college to become an accountant or something to do with economics. My husband was a son of a bitch. Liked to drink and fuck around. I finally got rid of him when Lacey, our daughter, graduated from high school. He ran off with someone half his age. Good fucking luck to her, I say. If I had a nickel for every mark that man put on me, I could have hired a high-priced hitman to whack his stupid ass.” Heidi paused, her eyes turning glossy. “Lacey headed out to California with some man. She sends the occasional Christmas card. Says her rotten childhood was my fault. There’s not much I can say about that. She’s right. I chose to stay.”
Ronan could see the old resentment burning in her eyes. This house was quite a difference from the one he’d visited the other day, belonging to Jennifer Blake.
“I suppose you heard about your old friend’s death.” Tennyson was done being timid. His voice was stronger, indicating he wasn’t going to be bullied into not using his gift.
“Old friend, my ass.” Heidi snorted and started to cough.
“I thought the four of you were best friends forever?” Ronan sat up straighter, leaning closer to Heidi.
“Forever’s a long damn time, Detective.” Heidi coughed again and spat something into a ragged Kleenex she pulled from her pocket. “Everything changed when Skye died. We all drifted apart. I guess she was the glue that held us all together.” Heidi didn’t seem too bothered by the fact that they hadn’t remained close.
“Do you have any idea who killed Jennifer?” Ronan asked.
Heidi cackled again, this time without the ensuing cough. “If you’re accusing me, Detective, I can barely walk three steps without gasping for breath. There’s no way I would have been able to manage the long walk up to her mansion.” Heidi sneered the last word.
“Oh, so you’d been to the house before?” Ten asked.
“Ha! If your career as a detective fizzles, you could be a comedian.” Heidi coughed again. Her entire body shook with it. “No, I’d never been invited there, but I’d seen pictures on the news and in the papers when Saint Jennifer donated money to the poor or some shit like that. I was poor! Where the fuck was my handout. Best friends forever, my ass.” This was the most emotion Heidi had shown since the interview began.
Heidi’s stand on Jennifer was crystal clear. “Since we’ve established that you’re not the murderer,” Ronan paused to smile, “who do you think killed her?”
“Probably that husband of hers.” Heidi crossed her arms over her chest as if her word decided it.
“You don’t own a gun, do you, Heidi?” Ten asked, sweet as pie.
“A gun?” Heidi laughed again. It sounded like the caw of an annoyed sea gull. “Your voodoo must be on the blink. Of course I don’t own a gun. If I did, I would have used it on that wife-beating fucker I married.” Heidi paused. Her look turned serious. “Or on myself.”
Ronan stood and was swarmed by several cats. They meowed up at him, brushing themselves against his black dress pants. He pulled out his card and set it on the kitchen table. “If there’s anything else you remember or that we can do to help you, call me. Day or night.”
Ten reached out to shake hands with Heidi.
“Thanks for coming, boys.” Heidi lit up another Virginia Slim as Ten and Ronan walked out the door.
“One last thing.” Ronan took a deep breath. “Jennifer was murdered after she spoke with us. Do you want me to have a car assigned to the house to protect you?”
“Not on your life. I’m ready to hang up my dancing shoes and move on to my eternal reward. This house and the cats are being donated to the local shelter. I’ve planned my funeral and picked out my pine box. Everything’s in order.”
Ronan knew what she was saying, death would be a gift, even if it came through violence. “You take care of yourself.” Ronan waved before letting himself out of the house. “I need a bath. A long hot one. With bleach. I’m itching all over.” Ronan used all his self-control to walk at a sedate pace once he was outside the house of horrors.
“It’s going to be okay,” Ten reassured him.
Ronan turned to his husband, who was wearing a sunny smile. “How the hell can you be so damn chipper?” Ronan walked back to the trunk of the Mustang and pulled out his emergency kit. It wasn’t stocked with jumper cables or tinfoil blankets, but with cleaning supplies. He grabbed the lint brush and started hacking at his legs with it.
“What are you doing?” Ten hid his giggle behind a cough.
“What does it look like? I’m decontaminating.” Shivering over the thought of that house, rather than the cold, Ronan handed the brush to Ten. “Get my back and legs, would you?”
“Yes, Ronan,” Ten said robotically. “I’m so damn chipper because I get to be the one to go home and scrub your back.”
Ronan barked out a surprised laugh. Tennyson had every reason to be giddy. If Ten got to wash his back, that meant Ronan got to return the favor.
26
Tennyson
“Pay, Dada!” Everly urged her father.
“Oh, I’m sorry.” Ten gave his head a shake. He’d been playing with Everly’s Frozen dolls and had stopped suddenly when Heidi Lucas crossed his mind. Ten picked up the Kristoff doll and started talking in his voice. He’d agreed to play with the baby while Ronan was in the shower. Kaye would have had a bird if Ten asked her to stay longer so he and Ronan could wash the cat lady’s house off each other. She would have thought it was a euphemism for something else, which it would have been, given enough time.
“Ho! Ho! Ho!” Ronan called from the top of the stairs. “Who’s my little snow princess?”
“Me!” Everly shrieked and ran to the foot of the stairs.
“There’s my girl!” Ronan scooped the baby into his arms and kissed her forehead. “We’re gonna need more soap.”
“Did you leave any for me?” Ten asked. He could tell Ronan had really gone to town scouring his skin. It was bright red like a lobster fresh out of the pot. The aroma of pine wafted off him in waves. If Ten closed his eyes, he’d swear he was standing in a forest.
“There’s that strawberry-scented shower gel.” Ronan wore a guilty look.
“That’s for Everly.” Ten sighed. He knew it didn’t matter. No one was going to be close enough to him to smell his soap. “Do you feel better?”
“No!” Ronan shook his head. “I swear I can still smell those cats.”
“Kitty!” Everly’s blue eyes lit up. “Kitty, me, Dada?”
“I’ll be in the kitchen making supper.” Tennyson didn’t want to be part of a conversation where he had to watch Ronan tell their daughter no.