“Thank you. Anyway, sometimes you can tell when a relationship will work just by looking at the people, and you and Kate had that je ne sais quoi, if you’ll pardon my lousy accent.” She laughed, a warm sound that made me smile. “Look, I’d better get going. Stop by the Harbor Inn anytime if you need to talk? Maybe I can help fill you in on things.”

After she’d left, I felt I had a better, at least partial understanding of why Keenan hated my guts and some of the tension I’d been holding on to evaporated. His girlfriend had dumped him, but instead of having the insight to dissect what he might have done for her to leave, he blamed me. I frowned. Was it possible he’d hurt Kate in retaliation for her leaving him? Was his attempt to put her death on me his way of throwing off people’s suspicions about himself? I wanted to run after Fiona and ask her opinion, but it would be a step too far. Blood was thicker than the proverbial water, and I had no intention of testing that particular theory on the streets of Newdale in the middle of the afternoon. But if Keenan showed up at the house again, this time I’d have some of my own ammunition to fire back.

15

LILY

This had not been a good few days. First, the cops had released Jack’s apartment, and had told me that Sam, to whom I hadn’t had the guts to speak since I swore at him on the phone, had called someone in to change the locks. That meant it was time for me to get Jack’s things, and when I’d finally summoned the courage to return to his place for what would likely be the last time, I’d tried to wrap my heart in a thick layer of self-preservation because without it, I’d never have made it up the first few stairs.