to talk to Brigette at her car. I couldn’t see their lips, so no way of getting anything from the conversation, but by the shaking of heads and body language, I could tell the talk wasn’t pleasant. After arguing with Gwyn, Brigette jumped into her car and pulled out of the parking lot at a fast clip. Gwyn stood there several seconds, staring after her, her expression one of utter confusion.
“Make your move,” I said to Ida Belle.
She fired up the SUV, glanced to make sure she had the clear, then crossed the street and came to a stop next to Gwyn, who was unlocking her car. She stared at the SUV, clearly startled, and I realized since she couldn’t see through the tinted windows, we’d probably just given her a slight heart attack. Ida Belle must have realized it as well and rolled down her window. Gwyn’s shoulders slumped and she let out a huge breath of relief.
“Sorry,” Ida Belle said. “We didn’t mean to startle you, but I can understand why you would be.”
“Yeah,” Gwyn said and I could tell she was still a little flustered. “I guess I’m kinda on edge after what happened.”
I leaned across the center console.
“We’d like to talk to you alone, if that’s okay,” I said.
“Here?” she asked.
“That’s certainly not required,” I said. “Is there a coffee shop nearby that you like?”
She nodded and pointed. “Just around the corner to the right. It’s two shops down. This time of day, there’s usually parking in front. This area tends to clear out fairly early.”
“Okay,” I said. “We’ll meet you there.”
Ida Belle pulled away and I watched to make sure Gwyn was coming behind us. There was plenty of available spaces, so Ida Belle pulled in right in front and Gwyn parked next to her, then we all went inside. The place was empty except for one other occupied table, so we headed for the other side and sat in a corner. A waitress came by to take our order and we all put in for coffee and I asked for a plate of beignets for the table.
“Thanks for talking with us,” I said after the coffee was served.
Gwyn nodded and fiddled with her napkin. “I’m not sure what I can do to help, though.”
“I think you might know something about Gil that’s important,” I said.
“Like what?” she asked.
“Like your relationship with him,” I said.
Her eyes widened. “We didn’t have a relationship. I mean, we were friends, but that’s it.”
I sighed. “Gwyn, I’m going to share with you a little bit about my past. I’m a former CIA agent. Do you know what one of the first things we’re taught is?”
She shook her head.
“How to tell when someone is lying,” I said. “Now, either you can tell me or I’ll shame it out of Brigette, citing propriety, because I think she knows as well and she’s unhappy about it.”
Gwyn stared down at the table for a bit and when she looked back up, I could see tears in her eyes.
“Gil and I were sorta seeing each other,” she said.
“Just sorta?” I asked.
“I guess that’s not really accurate,” she said, clearly miserable. “The truth is, I loved him and he loved me.”
“Is that what he said?” Gertie asked.
She nodded.
“What about Tiffany?” Ida Belle asked.
“I ignored his flirting for a long time because he was married,” Gwyn said. “But he kept telling me how he should have never married her and that she didn’t love him and never had.”
“That’s what they all say, honey,” Gertie said.
“I know,” Gwyn said and started to cry. “I shouldn’t have done it. It was wrong. But I can’t change that now. At least, knowing that she was his son’s girlfriend first makes me understand things a little better.”
“How is that?” I asked.
She shrugged. “I didn’t have the best childhood. My parents weren’t abusive but they were neglectful. I married the first guy I dated to get out of their house and it ended in disaster a couple months later. He was a lot older than me as well. I guess I figure Tiffany saw a lifestyle with Gil that she couldn’t have with his son—at least not right away given their ages—so she took it. Which means Gil was probably right and she didn’t love him.”
I sighed as she made an attempt to excuse bad behavior. If everyone called out bad behavior, then people like Gil couldn’t keep getting away with it.
“But Tiffany has been married to Gil for seven years,”