Cards of Love: The Devil (Devil's Playground #1)(49)

“Cain, if you know something—”

“I made a promise to my brother and I’m not breaking it.”

“Your silence does him no good if it could solve his murder.”

“But I promised him I wouldn’t tell a soul.” I trace an invisible pattern on the table with my finger. “If something like this got out it could ruin people’s lives.”

“People’s lives are already ruined. Your silence only ensures it will ruin more.”

I look around the room. “Can I have some water?”

Walking over to the small desk in the corner, he picks up a pitcher and a paper cup, then places them in front of me.

I take my time filling it. I want him on the edge of his seat, waiting for me to drop this nugget on his lap.

“Before I tell you, can you assure me it will stay between us? It’s just…Caleb had a good reputation in the community. I don’t want to destroy it.”

“I understand. I assure you whatever you tell me won’t be made public knowledge. Unless it leads to an arrest, in which case I can’t guarantee certain details won’t get out.”

“I don’t think that will be the case. But you said if I knew something to tell you, right?”

“Right.”

“Caleb was involved with a teacher at our school.”

“Involved in what manner?”

I give him a look. “The inappropriate kind.”

He presses his pen to the pad. “What’s her name?”

“Mrs. Miller. I don’t know her first name, but she teaches—”

“Science over at the high school.”

“Yeah, and her husband is an assistant football coach.”

“I know. He does some electrical work—” He clears his throat and I can practically see the wheels in his head turning. “Sorry, go on.”

“Mrs. Miller and Caleb were involved for a little while. Things between them were getting…intense. To be frank, he was in over his head. And she…” My sentence trails off and I look away.

“She what?”

My jaw tics. “She kept dangling the carrot in front of his face. She’d end things one week…only to lead him on the next. It was making him a little mental, to be honest. Especially when Caleb found out he wasn’t the only student she was screwing.”

Detective Trejo nearly spits out his coffee. “Oh?”

I nod. “Yeah. My father warned us about getting caught up with women like that, but Caleb didn’t listen.” I shrug. “Can’t really blame him, she is beautiful.”

“Beauty doesn’t absolve someone of their offenses. Please continue.”

“The other student she was messing with…he’s my friend. That’s how I found out.”

“What’s your friend’s name?”

“Damien King.”

He makes a noise in the back of his throat as he writes down his name on the pad. “How did your brother react when he found out?”

I wince. “He was pissed. Not at Damien, because they were friends too, but Mrs. Miller. He told me her sleeping with another student was the equivalent of her cheating on him.”

He raises a brow. “But she’s married.”

I slap the table. “I know. That’s exactly what I said.” I sigh heavily. “This is the part I’m scared to tell you about…it doesn’t paint him in a positive light.”

“No matter what your brother did, he is still the victim in this situation. However, I can’t help him if you don’t tell me everything.”

“You’re right.” I drum my nails on the desk. “He didn’t take the news well. He threatened to tell her husband about her affairs if she didn’t divorce him by the time Caleb graduated.” I roll my eyes. “I tried to talk some sense into him, but he was convinced everything would be perfect if she left her husband. He was so obsessed with her, he didn’t realize she was only using him.” My stomach clenches. “I think she liked all the attention he gave her, probably made her feel special.”

“I see.” He puts his pen back down. “Do you know when your brother first became involved with her?”

I shake my head. “No, not exactly. I only found out about them last month during his—our—eighteenth birthday. She came over in the middle of the night and I ended up walking in on them while they were…you know…in his bedroom.” I screw up my face, pretending to think. “If I had to take a guess, I’d say about three months or so. That’s when he started acting a little weird. Like he was hiding something.”

“So your brother was a minor?”

“Look, Detective. I know what you’re getting at, but I’m not looking to get her in trouble. I don’t like that she led my brother on, but he was a very willing participant.” I hitch a shoulder up. “She’s actually kind of cool. She was the fortune teller at the spring fling two weeks ago and did a reading on me and my date, Julia. Julia loved it and—”

A knock on the door cuts me off mid-sentence. “Sorry to interrupt,” a voice behind me says. “This is important.”

Detective Trejo rises from his seat. “Excuse me, Cain. I’ll be back shortly.”