back to the kitchen with a smile on my face. “I love you, too.”
“Not that.” He pointed at the figurine on the counter. “I was talking about that creepy-ass cat.”
“His name is Mr. Scribbles. And he’s here to keep you company.”
His eyes twinkled. “Wait, aren’t you the one who needs a familiar?”
Just for that, I left Mr. Scribbles right where he was. “Happy nonanniversary, you bastard.”
He chuckled and tucked back into his meal.
Chapter 11
Alexander Gilroy reluctantly agreed to meet on his lunch hour, suggesting a park right outside his office building. He told me to call him Alex, and then we sat on a bench together. I could tell he was nervous, and I did nothing to allay his fears.
Face-to-face, the strange doppelganger sensation I’d felt from looking at his pictures had decreased substantially. He had a few years on me, for starters. We were both blond, but the hair at his temples was silver. My hazel eyes leaned toward a lighter brown, while his were more green. He also had a neatly clipped beard, which I couldn’t grow to save my life. He was impeccably dressed and groomed, every inch the well-to-do professional. Very handsome in an I’ve got a stick up my ass kind of way.
I conveniently ignored the fact that people could say the same about me.
“I don’t even know where to start,” Alex murmured. “What Joey and I had was very special.”
“Why don’t we start with your breakup?” I already knew about the pleasant part of their relationship. I schlepped my ass across town for the dirt. “I understand you guys stayed in touch even after you broke up.”
“Yes. I thought a clean break was best at first, but I missed him too much. Then he started up a relationship with some guy, so I thought maybe we could be friends again.” He frowned. “I think the guy’s name was Matt or Mike. I know it was something with an M.”
“Milo,” I supplied. “What did you think of him?”
“He was nice enough. Cute. He and Joey had more in common than we ever did.” He shrugged. “A little young for him, though.”
“Sure,” I said nodding. “How is badbitchCC, by the way?”
He flushed. “I just meant that Joey liked mature guys. I thought they were an odd match.”
“Do you think Milo could’ve had something to do with Joey’s death?”
He thought for a few moments before shaking his head. “No, he was a good kid. I don’t know if he was in it for the long haul, though.”
“Not like you, right?”
He sent me a measured look. “We were just friends, even if Joey wanted more.”
“Can you think of anyone else who would’ve wanted to harm him?” When he shook his head, I pressed further. “No detail is too small. Maybe he argued with a neighbor. Or cut someone off driving home. What about work? Did he have trouble at work?”
“Maybe,” he said. “Being a social worker isn’t easy in the best of circumstances, and there’s a high rate of burnout for a reason. Joey worked with a lot of irate parents, and sometimes, in the best interest of the child, he had to make decisions that weren’t popular.”
“Did things sometimes get heated?”
“Of course, but he was careful. He always brought a police escort if he had to remove a child from a home. Joey knew how to handle himself.”
“Any parents or kids in particular give him trouble?”
After a brief hesitation, he answered. “Maybe Dillon Cooper. Joey took a special interest in him. He always said Dillon reminded him of himself at that age. Dillon took it the wrong way, I think.”
“What do you mean?”
“A kid’s crush, I guess. But I think it was more annoying than dangerous.” He chewed on his lip as he thought. “There was this guy, though. His name was Kenneth Clark. He showed up at Joey’s house twice. I think he was one of the parents who got his kids taken away.”
I put those names in my phone and tucked it back in my pocket. Frankly, it was more than I thought I’d get from the recalcitrant Alex. “Anyone else?”
“Not that I can think of. Everyone loved Joey.” He sighed, looking down at his hands. “He wasn’t the one for me, but he was always a good guy.”
“And if your parents hadn’t objected to the relationship, would he have been the guy for you?”
“Probably.”
“So if he kept pressuring you to start things up again, that would’ve been a temptation.”
“No.”
“No?” I raised an eyebrow and