go to them myself,” he offered, and she sent him a grateful look.
“We developed our own interests. Couples do,” she added defensively, as if they’d judge her marriage and find it wanting.
“Maybe that’s the secret to a lasting marriage,” Risa told her, and a bit of tension eased from the woman’s frame. “Mine crashed and burned after three years, so I’m hardly in a position to know.”
Shock jolted through him, and it took effort to keep it from his expression. He hadn’t realized Risa Chandler had been married. There was no reason he should know, probably. But he couldn’t help wondering what kind of man had successfully peeled away the many layers to get to the real woman beneath the smart humor and sharp mind.
And there was no excuse for wondering what it would take to discover that woman for himself.
“It happens.” Bonnie was nodding sympathetically. “And the incidence of divorce is even higher for cops, I hear.”
“Well, that explains it then. We were both on the force. Young and stupid.” She stopped, as if reconsidering. “At least I was young and he was stupid.”
The two women laughed a little and Nate blinked. The vague, shell-shocked woman who had greeted them at the door had undergone something of a transformation in the last few minutes, and he knew he had Risa to thank for putting her at ease. For drawing her out of her grief, at least briefly. Even if it didn’t help her open up a bit more to them, it was worth it just to give the woman a couple minutes reprieve from her sorrow.
“What sort of outside interests did Patrick have?” Risa asked.
“Oh, guy things. He used to be quite an outdoorsman, loved fishing when we first got married. He’d steal away on weekends sometimes to go to the river. A few times he went on a bigger trip.” She screwed up her brow, searching her memory. “He went to Canada once, I recall. But mostly to Lake Erie and Raystown. He’d fished other lakes but those were the ones he liked best.”
“Pennsylvania has a lot of good fishing,” Nate put in.
The woman nodded uncertainly. “I guess. I was never much for the outdoors. He did less and less of it after he took that second job. He didn’t have as much free time, I guess.”
But Nate’s interest was caught. Keeping his tone mild, he asked, “He had a second job?”
One of Bonnie’s hands began to flutter again. “Oh, I know it used to be frowned on by the department, but Patrick said everyone did it. And he only worked the odd night or a few hours on the weekend, filling in for a friend. Security guard at some warehouse, he said.” She looked nervous. “Is this going to get him in trouble with the pension board?”
“No,” Risa assured her. “There’s no reason they need to know about it.”
The woman relaxed again. “That’s about it, I guess. I had my quilting and the church choir. After working all day, I mostly like to stay in and relax. But I know men need their time, too. That’s why I never said a word about his monthly card group. Some women try to keep their husbands on too short a leash, but I always thought as long as you can trust them, you need to give them a little space to run.” She looked at Risa then, her narrow face alight in dismay. “When I said some women, I wasn’t talking about you, dear.”
“I know. Although as it turned out, I’d have needed to forgo the leash and use a choke collar.”
They shared another laugh but Nate’s mind was racing. Hobbies. Edwards and Tomey were focusing on finding intersections in the victims. He made a mental note to tell them to check out the men’s leisure activities. The link they were looking for might lie in the victim’s outside interests.
“Where did he meet his card buddies? Were they neighbors? Old friends?”
Bonnie’s hand went to her throat and she frowned. “No-o. I just assumed they were on the force. Can’t recall if Patrick ever did say or if that was in my mind.”
“Did he ever play cards with his group here?”
She shook her head. “No, they always met in a bar they were fond of. Don’t ask me the name. And since he didn’t come home too late or wasted, I never put up a fuss.”
“But you know the names of the men he played with?” Risa put in.