They headed up the stairs and, on the second floor, Jack knocked on the door with a window displaying the stenciled words Dallas Simpson, Private Investigator.

“Come in,” a woman called.

Jack opened the door and held it for Terra again. A petite brunette woman was stuffing items into cardboard boxes. She paused as they made introductions, then Jack and Terra sat in the two chairs across from Dallas’s desk.

“We’re here to talk to you about a recent client—Pauline Raymond.”

Dallas opened her mouth but hesitated, then said, “I thought you’d come to ask more questions about the break-in I reported yesterday.”

Jack shared a look with Terra. “There could be a connection.”

Dallas eased into the seat behind her desk and rubbed her head. “I don’t know how much information I’m free to share.”

“Did Pauline hire you for litigation purposes?” Terra asked. “If not, then there’s no attorney-client privileges preventing you from sharing with us, if that’s your concern.”

“No, she didn’t. But it’s just not particularly good for business for me to share with the cops, though of course, we do like to work together.”

Jack eased forward. “Mrs. Raymond passed away.”

The investigator gasped. “I, oh no . . . I’m so sorry. I didn’t know. Please, can you tell me what happened?”

“It appears she died of natural causes,” Jack said. “But her husband was murdered. We’d like to know what you discovered when you followed him.”

Dallas leaned back in her chair and closed her eyes for a few moments before opening them. “I heard that Jim had been murdered. But I still can’t believe any of this.”

“I know it’s hard to fathom,” Terra said. “Anything you can tell us could help. For starters, could you share what Pauline hired you to do and why, and what you learned.”

Dallas gave a quick nod and shifted forward. “Most of my cases are cheating spouses. I do get some insurance fraud cases on occasion. Pauline, God rest her soul, came to me. She had a hard time talking without crying. She wasn’t angry as much as shattered. She had hoped I would put all her fears away. She suspected Jim was cheating. I thought it was strange because he’s an insurance agent. I mean, he’s gone in the evenings and on weekends a lot. So that would be normal for their lives and had been for decades.”

“Why do you think she suspected him?”

“She never told me. I suppose that her suspicions were in the nuances of daily living. The small things. She sensed they were growing apart. Maybe she thought he was thinking about another woman when he was with her. He was distracted. Who can know? I followed him around town. I was almost convinced that he wasn’t cheating and I would have good news to deliver.”