Page 90 of Little Last Words

“I don’t want you to be seen.”

“Noted, let’s go.”

Whitlock remained several feet behind me as I kept my eye on the prize. When I reached the front porch, I turned, looking for him. He was nowhere in sight.

Aaron came to the door, looking surprised to see me.

“Where’s Rita?” I asked.

“In the shower,” he said. “Why?”

“I need to ask you something.”

“All right.”

He stood there, waiting.

“Invite me in, Aaron,” I said.

“Oh … umm, okay.”

I entered the house and walked to the living room.

“Wait,” Aaron said. “Where are you going?”

I turned toward him. “Did you give Penelope a ring?”

“Why do you ask?”

“Answer the question.”

He leaned back, glancing down the hallway at the bedroom door.

It was closed.

He lowered his voice and said, “Can we talk about this later? It’s not a good time.”

“We can talk about it now.”

He reached out like he was going to place a hand on my shoulder, and I jumped back, pointing at the couch. “I need you to sit down, and I need you to answer my question.”

He did as I asked, shaking his head as he said, “I don’t understand. Why are you so agitated this morning? What’s happened?”

I palmed my gun and remained standing, giving myself enough distance to react in a hurry if the need arose. “Yesterday, I learned Penelope was wearing a ring the week before she died. She told a friend a neighbor had given it to her. I’ve been thinking a lot about the ring’s description. The more I do, the more I’ve started to wonder if it may have been vintage, the type of ring someone older would have given to her. Someone like you.”

“I, ahh … I don’t know. I guess I don’t know what to say.”

“Say you gave her a ring.”

“Fine. I gave her a ring.”

“Where did you get it?” I asked.

He craned his head again.

The bedroom door was still closed.

“Please, let’s not do this here,” he said.