Book Club Bloodshed Read Online Free PDF Page B

thought of it. Everybody in town knew by now that he and his estranged wife were working on their relationship and Tyler didn't have a wandering eye. He was honest, loyal, and true. He wasn't the type to run around on somebody or go behind their back—
    Or was he?
    He and Noreen had a relationship in college that Missy hadn't known about. College changed many people, especially that first semester. Maybe it had changed him? A few months around all these new women, where the old high school rules of "date one person" no longer applied. In high school he had his pick of women, but only dated three total, herself included. Had he turned promiscuous?
    No. She refused to believe that Tyler Brock was having an affair with Anne. Sure, he had changed since high school—everybody had—but she just didn't think he was capable. Especially considering she was pretty certain he still had some old feelings for her. If he was going to cheat on the wife he was also trying to reconcile with, Missy was the most likely candidate, not—oh God—Anne Baxter. He wouldn't have been caught dead with a woman like that before and she couldn't envision it now. Tyler was down-to-earth, easy-going, and not class-conscious.
    Missy made up her mind. “No, it’s not Tyler.”
    “How can you be sure?” Trudy said. “Are you two…”
    “No.” Her answer came a little too quickly, sounding defensive. Everybody knew they’d been high school sweethearts, and according to Noreen, the rumor mill hadn’t stopped spinning about them since Tyler had returned, filling the vacant detective role at the police department.
    “Oh, I thought…well, I was kind of hoping you were…I mean, that’s why I called you.”
    Now Missy understood why Trudy had confided in her. Trudy had thought Missy and Tyler were an item, which meant Tyler wasn’t likely to be Anne’s behind-the-scenes beau.
    “I think we need to tell him,” Missy repeated. “I trust him.”
    “No!” Trudy practically screamed. When she spoke again, it was at a whisper. “Even if it’s not him, you can’t tell him. I mean, what if…”
    Missy rolled her eyes. Trudy could figure out a way to find every horrible hypothetical possible. She was a sweet woman, but her pessimism was just hard-wired.
    “What if what?”
    Trudy said, “If the cop that killed Anne knows that we know about him, what do you think he’s going to do? He killed one woman. And he had feelings for her. What do you think he’d…”
    It made perfect Trudy Sense.
    Missy shook her head. “We’re safer if we tell Tyler, Trudy, trust me. There’s a killer out there right now and if he thinks we suspect him, he’s going to…you know, come for us anyway.”
    Trudy went deadly silent. This had apparently not occurred to her.
    Missy said, “Look, let’s take it one step at a time. We need help—”
    “I shared this with you in confidence, Missy.” Trudy’s voice was cold.
    “Trudy—”
    Trudy hung up.
    Missy thought about calling her back, but instead put the phone down. She slumped on the couch, her hand hitting a bag of chips.
    With a gasp, she realized she’d been eating chips during the end of that conversation. But she didn’t even remember getting them out of the pantry.
    She carried the bag into the kitchen and threw it out.
    Mindfulness .
    She needed mindfulness when it came to food. Her habits were deeply ingrained. Without even realizing it, she’d opened a bag of junk food and started eating.
    She wondered what had happened to Noreen.

Chapter Seven
     
    Missy woke in the darkness to an annoying, insistent buzzing. Through the confusion of being stirred from sleep early, she squinted her eyes and noted the time on her clock: 3:15AM.
    So much for sleeping tonight.
    She grabbed her cell and checked the caller ID. It was a local number, but one she didn’t recognize. Probably some player fat-fingering the number for one of his booty calls. Missy would normally let such a call go to voicemail,