Why did he remain if that’s how he felt? Simple—it isn’t necessarily love that shackles us to people or places.

“Did Sean and Linda have a strong marriage?”

“Are you asking whether she might’ve been too eager to collect the insurance money?”

“I’m asking how they got along.”

“I’m sure June told you. Sean was a fragile child who grew into a brittle man. No, it wasn’t a strong marriage. He left her alone for days at a stretch rather than confront her dissatisfaction. At the end, they fought quite frequently.”

“Where’d he go when he abandoned ship?”

“Jeffers Colony,” he said. “Seek and ye shall find it on the opposite side of the valley in the hills in the vicinity of Morrow Village.”

“I should take a gander. What’s there?”

“Deserted houses. Mice. Ghosts.”

“Your wife didn’t mention it.”

“Then it’s one more detail of which she remains blissfully unaware.”

“She said you adamantly considered his death a closed case. I’m getting a different take.”

“I’ve never accepted that Sean’s death was his own doing.”

His comment caught me off guard.

“Dr. Pruitt, your wife—”

“Believes I’m a coldhearted bastard. We’re not in love. However, because I love her, I protect her. Try to protect her.”

“How do you protect her?”

“Badja paid a man to look around on the QT, two years ago. Detective Griese. He was injured in a street altercation and retired from the investigation midstream. Heavy drinker, I presume. Precisely the kind of thug—no offense—my brother-in-law attracts.”

“To be fair,” I said, “I don’t get the impression many legitimate investigators were clamoring for this job. What happened after Griese dropped the case?”

“Nothing. Badja admonished me to remain patient.” He anticipated my next comment. “We didn’t inform June or Linda about hiring the detective. The news would’ve fueled more paranoia. June was erratic, absolutely erratic.”

Okay, this might not qualify as a bombshell. It did confirm why Adeyemi resorted to hiring me. My detective skills weren’t of the slightest concern; he’d valued my potential to play the role of a bull in a china shop. Irresistible force, meet immovable object.

“If I could chat with Mr. Griese—”

“I’ll consult my records, forward you the information.”

“Thanks. Why didn’t you tell your family about the detective? Why conceal your suspicions?”

“This valley and those who own it are capable of terrible deeds when provoked,” he said. “June has evidently forced Badja’s hand. You’re here, conjured, summoned. Pandora’s box is opening.”

I studied him, gauging his sincerity.

“Is it possible Sean had an enemy? Something not in the file?”

His expression flattened. The sun steadily dropped below the trees and a reddish glow caught in the panes of his glasses.

“I’d be most inclined to scrutinize friends and associates. A seducer, a corrupting influence. Impossible to say if Sean peeked through the keyhole or whether someone, a dweller in the dark, threw the portal wide and ushered him across the threshold.” His tone was off. He had definite ideas about who might’ve “seduced” his darling boy.