Catching Summer (Second Chances #6)(66)

“Want to go on a road trip?”

“Where to?”

“Greensboro.”

“Why are we going there?” I asked.

“We’re going to see Parker’s ex-wife. She’s agreed to talk to us. I found out something about him that brought up red flags.”

I held the phone closer to my ear. “What?”

“About five years ago, when he lived in Atlanta, he had a patient who went missing. She was later found murdered, strangled to death. After the investigation, all evidence pointed to her boyfriend.”

“Is he in prison?”

“He was, but he found a way to hang himself. I researched the case this week, and something’s not sitting well with me. Dr. Parker testified against the boyfriend, which basically sealed the deal. I’m hoping his ex can give us some details. Do you want to come? I’ll pick you up.”

I pulled my truck back into a parking space and shut it off. “I’m at the stadium. I just need to call Summer.”

“Be there in ten,” he said, hanging up the phone.

I clicked on Summer’s name and waited for her to pick up. “Hey, sexy,” she murmured.

“In your office?”

“You know it. I have payroll and bookkeeping. Not exactly the most fun part of my job.”

“How long will you be there tonight?”

“Probably a little later than normal, and then I need to run by my house and grab more of my stuff. I’ve been putting it off for way too long. Is everything okay?”

“Yeah, I just wanted to tell you that I might be running a little late tonight. Jason called and wants me to ride to Greensboro with him.”

“What for?”

Taking a deep breath, I blew it out fast. “To visit Philip’s ex-wife. Did you know that he had a patient who was murdered?”

She gasped. “No, I didn’t. What happened?”

“She was supposedly strangled by her boyfriend. Jason seems to think otherwise. With all these dead ends, we’d be stupid not to check out every avenue. It was Philip’s testimony that put the boyfriend behind bars.”

“Oh my God, that’s insane. Go with Jason and be careful. I’ll see you tonight.”

“Philip hasn’t tried to call you, has he?”

“No, he must still be out of town. He said he was leaving.”

“Good. And if he does, ignore it. I don’t want him anywhere near you.”

“You have nothing to worry about. I have Grayson here with me. I can get him to follow me home tonight if that makes you feel better.”

“That’d be great. I love you.”

“Love you, too.” I felt a lot better about leaving, knowing she wouldn’t be alone. Hopefully, today was the day for answers.

—

Traffic through Charlotte at five o’clock was a bitch, so it ended up taking over two hours to get to Greensboro. “What’s his ex-wife’s name?” I asked as we pulled into the driveway. Her home was lavish and in a gated community.

Jason shut off his car, and we got out. “Gina White. She married another man two years ago and had a daughter with him.”

“Is he here?”

We stopped at the door and he shook his head. “No, he’s out of town, which is why she agreed to see us. Apparently they don’t talk about Philip.”

Jason rang the doorbell and an older woman, probably midsixties, with white hair and wearing an apron, answered the door. “You must be Mr. Avery,” she greeted, extending her hand to Jason.

He stepped forward and shook it. “Yes, ma’am, and this is my partner, Mr. Townsend. Do you mind if we come in?”

Opening the door wider, she waved for us to enter. “Yes, of course. Gina’s waiting for you in the study. I’ll take you there.”

We followed her inside and into a room where a woman sat at a desk with a pile of papers in front of her. She had long, dark brown hair and overly tanned skin. “Thank you, Roberta. Please shut the door on your way out.” When the door was closed, she stood and held out her hand. “I’m Gina White. Thanks for coming out here to talk to me. It made things a lot easier.”

We both shook her hand and sat down. “You’re welcome, but I have to thank you for seeing us,” Jason responded.

Gina sat down and cleared her throat. “I’ve been curious about this meeting. Did the Wheelers send you here to talk to me?”

Jason shook his head. “No, we’re here on other matters. Have they been bothering you since you moved?” Furrowing my brows, I glanced over at him, but he shook his head discreetly.

“No, thank goodness. That’s one of the reasons my husband refuses to bring up Philip’s name. It was hard on us all there for a time.”

“Excuse me,” I said. “I’m new on this case. Do you mind telling me what happened?”

She took a deep breath. “It happened a few years ago, but one of Philip’s patients was murdered by her boyfriend; he was actually her fiancé. His name was Aiden Wheeler. When it came time for court, Philip testified about how Emery was afraid of Aiden when he’d drink and so forth—that he was violent when intoxicated. After he was indicted, his family started harassing us, saying that Philip had lied. It got to be too much and it drove a wedge between us. We got divorced about a year later. It wasn’t until I moved up here that the harassment stopped. Unfortunately, Philip moved to North Carolina, too.”