Bree stood. “We’ll do a follow-up interview with Shannon.”
“I’d also like to talk to Paul again.” Matt couldn’t decide if he was difficult—or guilty.
“Not sure what we’ll learn from him. He’s uncooperative.” Bree frowned.
Exactly, thought Matt. “And I want to know why.”
“Let’s set up an appointment to talk to him.” Bree reached for her phone.
Matt stopped her with a raised hand. “Or, we could follow him tonight and see where he goes after work.”
“A stakeout?” Bree groaned.
“I know they suck,” Matt said.
Stakeouts were not as exciting as they were portrayed on TV. They were mostly sitting in your vehicle eating fast food and trying not to fall asleep.
“It could take days to catch Paul doing anything at all, let alone something illegal.”
“I know,” he agreed. “But Deb said Paul took a bunch of cash out of his safe on a Wednesday night. Tonight is also a Wednesday night. Also, he won’t talk to us, and we both thought he was hiding something. We need to find out what he’s up to. We could get lucky.”
“You’re right. We’ll try a stakeout.” She checked the time on her phone. “Let’s break for dinner. I’ll pick you up afterward.”
Matt grabbed his files and drove home. Cady’s van was in the driveway. Matt collected his mail, then went into the house.
His sister was unsnapping Greta’s leash. “I just had them outside. I was here anyway, and I didn’t know what time you’d be home.”
Matt gave her a quick one-armed hug. “Thanks.” His sister’s eyes were red, and she looked tired. “Are you OK?”
Cady nodded, then sighed. “I saw Greg yesterday.”
Matt stiffened. “Was he bothering you?”
“No.” She shook her head. “It was an accidental encounter. He seemed as surprised to see me as I was to see him.”
“But?” Anger flared in Matt’s chest.
Cady gave him a jerky shrug. “He’s still an ass.”
But the incident had upset her. Matt wanted to drive to her ex’s house and upset him.
“Want me to kill him for you?” He was joking. Mostly.
“No.” She put a hand on his forearm. “I’m a little sad, but I’ll be OK. In a way, it was good to see that he hasn’t changed. It confirms that I made the right call divorcing him.”
“Did you honestly ever question that?”
Cady let out a long breath through her mouth. “I wasn’t thinking straight back then.”
“You were grieving,” Matt corrected.
She nodded. “I’ll be OK in a couple of days. I just need to keep busy.”
Matt assessed her with a frown. He’d been wrong when he’d assumed that she’d gotten over it. She was still grieving. If she’d had a partner who’d worked through their shared grief with her, like a team, would she still be this unhappy? Equating marriage with teamwork brought Bree to mind.
“It’s not like I don’t ever think about him,” she said in a sad voice.
Matt knew the him she was referring to was not her ex but the baby who’d never had a chance. His heart broke for her. He gave her a hard hug. “I’m always here for you.”
“I know, and thanks.” Cady hugged him back. “Now, let’s talk about something else.”
Brody and Greta crowded Matt for pets. He knelt down and tried to give both dogs equal attention. Greta lost interest and chased after a tennis ball, but Brody leaned on Matt, who stroked his side. “There’s my boy.”
Matt set his files on the table.
“Dad sent pot roast.” Cady pointed to the fridge. “He knows you’re working an investigation and didn’t want you to starve to death. You should probably call the ’rents. They worry.”
“I will.” Matt laughed. “They really know how to pile on the guilt.”
“At least they also pile on the mashed potatoes and gravy.”
“Good point.” Matt’s stomach rumbled. “It’s a price I’m willing to pay. There’s nothing like Dad’s pot roast.”
A retired family doctor, Matt’s dad was the cook in the family. Their mom was a retired teacher who couldn’t make edible toast.
Cady tapped the closed folder on the top of Matt’s stack. “I know Shannon Phelps.”
“You do?” Matt went to the fridge and took out a glass container. His dad had separated meat, mashed potatoes, and carrots into three piles and smothered everything with gravy. Practically drooling, Matt put the container in the microwave.
Cady nodded. “She adopted a dog from us a couple of months ago.”
“What do you remember about her?” He punched in two minutes on the keypad and hit “Start.” The microwaved hummed.
“Blonde. Short. About this tall.” Cady indicated a height with her hand level