Pretty Little Wife(24)
Chapter Fourteen
GINNY AND PETE WALKED INTO LILA’S REAL ESTATE OFFICE IN downtown Ithaca the next morning. She didn’t own the place or run it, but she worked out of the brokerage firm. Had a desk there, which was empty.
They’d tried her house first and no one answered, so they’d come here as the logical second choice. Finding her empty desk took two seconds. The lack of personal photos and a nameplate gave it away.
Ginny waited until the woman at the big desk in the office in the back got off the phone. The badge didn’t impress the woman into cutting short the conversation about some lake property with a strange smell in the back bedroom. Neither did Pete’s dramatic sighing.
When the woman finally hung up, Ginny shot her a you can’t out-attitude me glare. “Are you ready now or do you need to get coffee or make lunch plans first?”
The woman took her time meeting Ginny’s gaze. “Don’t tempt me.”
Pete sighed one last time before nodding in the direction of Lila’s unoccupied desk chair just outside of the glassed-off office they all stood in. “She’s not here?”
“Lila?” The woman shrugged. “Should she be?”
“Tell me your name.” Because Ginny was done with this bullshit.
“Christina Torres.” She straightened her nameplate. “This is my firm and Lila works here.” She hesitated before providing the rest of the information. “But she’s not here now.”
Clear, concise, and totally not useful. Ginny couldn’t help but be a little impressed.
She sized up the business owner. Fortysomething, possibly fifty, and wearing a white silk blouse. She had that put-together vibe that suggested she could go all day without getting a stray pen mark on the damn thing. Ginny appreciated the skill and the perfectly styled black hair that fell just above her shoulders. The lack of helpful information? Not so much.
She swallowed the edge in her voice and tried one more time. “Has Lila checked in with you today, Ms. Torres?”
“She came in this morning.”
Ginny felt her patience slip. “And?”
“She said Aaron didn’t come home or go to work for a few days.” Christina leaned back in her oversize black leather chair. “I told her to take whatever time she needs.”
“To do what?” Pete asked.
Christina’s eyes narrowed as if she were trying to hide her exasperation and failing miserably. “Excuse me?”
Enough of this. Ginny put her body right in front of the desk. When Christina shifted to get a better look at the outer office, Ginny stepped sideways and blocked the view. The move said listen to me, which is exactly what Ginny intended. “Do you know Aaron?”
“He stops in sometimes when she’s working late. But generally, no. And before you ask, I haven’t seen him in a few weeks.”
Pete glanced at Ginny before turning back to Christina. “Your grip on the armrests and the tightness in your voice make it sound like you’re not a fan of his.”
Christina let go of the chair and flexed her fingers a few times. “Lila’s marriage is not my business.”
The woman didn’t care that a man was missing, and Ginny knew that meant something. Having to drag it out of Christina only added to the tension pounding through the room. “Pretend it is.”
Phones rang in the outer office. A man walked in and dumped his keys on a desk at the front. He picked up the phone, all without looking at the people standing at the back of the room.
With the interruption handled, Ginny stared at Christina again. “Well?”
Silence descended. No one said anything until Christina finally started talking. “Aaron doesn’t support her career.”
“Did she tell you that or did he?” Pete asked.
“I have eyes.” Christina rolled them as if for added impact.
Ginny wasn’t in the mood to play. “Elaborate on that.”
“I see him here, how he talks with her. It’s very different from how he acts out in public and on the field.” Christina glanced up from the pen she was holding. She must have seen the question on their faces, because she answered before they could ask. “Both of my daughters play field hockey. Aaron is the assistant coach.”
Information they knew. A fact they’d learned early from Brent and others at the school and filed away to assess later. “Different how?”
“He’s charming. People love him.” Christina picked up the pen again and spun it between her fingers. “But in here, talking to Lila, especially in the last few weeks I saw him, he was in a hurry to leave and to get her home.”
That might fit with Brent’s comments. Ginny had trouble imagining Lila ever was the touchy-feely type, but Aaron being inappropriate in public didn’t fit with anything they’d heard about him so far either. “And before the last few weeks?”
“Dismissive but much better at hiding it.”
“Do you think that he treats her poorly? Is he demanding, abusive—what are we talking about here?”
Christina made a face, as if she was mulling over Pete’s question and deciding how to answer. “Aaron is one of those guys. All shiny and charming on the outside. Probably, though this is a guess, a condescending asshole at home.”