“Yes, but you can see houses have been dropped and rebuilt, as new money moved in.”

  “It takes new money to do it,” she noted. “That activity isn’t cheap.”

  “No, it’s not,” he murmured.

  “So why do you do it?” she asked.

  “Because money isn’t the be all and end all. You have to understand the motivation behind why you’re doing something and what it’ll cost you—whether time or money.”

  “Everything has a cost,” she agreed. “We just don’t always take account of what way we have to pay.”

  He smiled. “And again we have such different views but still end up at the same place.”

  She frowned at that but didn’t say anything. She walked up to the front door.

  He looked at her and asked, “Are you okay if I come with you on this interview?”

  She nodded. “It’s probably not kosher but whatever.” She waited, and, when the door opened, a tall thin man answered her knock. He looked like he’d been weeping. She smiled, gently introduced herself. “I just have a few questions for you.”

  He looked hastily behind him into the house and asked, “Do we really have to do this now?”

  “No,” she replied, “of course not. But the sooner we’re able to get answers for our questions, the faster we can get to the bottom of this investigation.”

  “I thought it was the ex-husband,” he replied in surprise, staring at her, with a weird blinking stare.

  She frowned. “Now who would say that?”

  He pointed across the road. “She did.”

  “Well, Jenna’s mother might have made that assumption,” Kate noted, “but we don’t have any proof of that at this point.”

  Agnew frowned. “If he hasn’t been picked up, you should be doing it right away. I mean, he killed two women. Isn’t that enough for you?”

  “We don’t know for sure it was him,” she repeated. “May I ask why you’re so happy to pin it on him?”

  “The guy is an asshole,” he replied, some of his spirit returning and his body straightening up in outrage. “He always hated my wife.”

  “Why is that?”

  “Because Jenna and Robin were such good friends, Barry blamed Robin for his divorce.” He shrugged. “And honestly I’m not sure he was wrong in that regard because my wife did think Jenna should leave him. He was abusive. He was an asshole. He was emotionally corrupt. Just no reason for Jenna to stay with him. Threats were hurled from one side to the other. When they did finally split up, I know he blamed my wife. I would think you’d want to pick him up and throw him in jail.”

  “We still must have evidence first,” she added tartly. “And I guess that, from your perspective, you may believe who did it,” she stated with emphasis, “but we, as cops, don’t know that yet and need to prove it.”

  He asked, “How can you possibly prove something like that? Motive is everything, and, in this case, this guy has got all kinds of it.”

  “Maybe so,” she admitted, studying him. “I would like to ask you a couple questions about their running pattern. For example, did they always go to the same place? Did they choose different trails? Did they always go at the same time of day? Did they go every day? Were they always running together?”

  “Every day, same trail, all the time. Robin used to laugh that she could remember each and every branch and knew how to duck and when to jump. She told me that half the fun was anticipating what was coming, so she could actually guess the best lift, when she went over roots on the pathway.”

  “They never got bored of it?”

  “No, they used to sprint and run and dash around, and basically it was an excuse to go have fun,” he muttered, and she heard an almost disgruntled tone in his voice.

  “You don’t run?”

  “No, I’ve got bum ankles.”

  “And how long had these two been running together?”

  “Years,” he stated flatly. “Several years. Probably at least five, if not longer. We moved here about seven or eight years ago now, and the two of them hooked up right away, as best friends. I have never seen anything like it,” he shared, shaking his head. “I have to admit, at the time, I felt a little bit odd, maybe even jealous because they became so close so quickly. But it seemed foolish, as we were happy and had our kids here, and she was such a great mom,” he explained warmly, with a catch in his voice. “They’ll be so devastated growing up with this.” His voice thickened, as he added, “No children should wake up without their parents.”

  “I know. I absolutely agree, and I’m so sorry for your loss.”

  He sniffled and nodded.

  “Did they see each other outside of running?”

  He nodded. “They often went shopping together. They attended seminars on health nutrition stuff,” he replied. “They were both real health nuts.”

  “Interesting,” she noted.

  “Not particularly, they were just that kind of people. That is what they did. They loved it and really adored the fact that they could share their interests with each other,” he added.

  “I understand a third woman used to run with them as well. Why is she not still running with Jenna and Robin?”

  Agnew frowned, then murmured, “Right. I forget her name at the moment. That was years ago. Maybe five or so years by now. I believe she started a family, so running took a backseat.”

  She made a note of that in her notepad, then hesitated. “I know you’ll find this offensive, and I apologize, but I do need to ask. Was there anything more there than friendship with Jenna and Robin?”

  He looked at her in shock and then shook his head. “Good God, no. They were just, you know, like two peas in a pod. They could have been twin sisters. In fact, that’s what I imagined being a twin was like,” he replied. “And I can’t begin to think about what life will be like without her, without them.” Agnew paused. “They were both over for coffee and whatnot at the other’s house all the time.”

  Kate saw the tears starting to creep into his eyes, as he swiped at his face.

  He reached into his pocket, pulled out a business card. “Look. I’ll give you my card, and, if you have any other questions, maybe you could just call or text me. I really am trying to keep all this away from the kids.”

  She nodded, accepted his card, and gave him one of hers in response. “Did Robin ever have anybody threatening her? Or following her? Anybody who liked her too much, or didn’t like her at all?”

  He shook his head. “No, no, no. She was very well loved.”

  “I know that Jenna was in real estate. What did your wife do?”

  “She worked in a dental office,” he murmured. “She was working part-time now because of the kids and planned to go back to full-time when our youngest started school in September, but she was having a rough adjustment. So Robin wanted to wait until after the holidays this year,” he told her. “In the meantime, she was doing what she could to balance family and work and running.”

  It’s what he didn’t say that Kate found interesting. “And please, just a couple other questions, and I’ll go. What was your marriage like?”

  He stared down at her. “Oh, don’t you even go down that path right now.” The anger built in his tone. “We loved each other. We had a great marriage. Whoever this killer is—and I swear to God it was Jenna’s ex—whoever killed my wife should rot in hell for it. We had wonderful years together, and a beautiful future all mapped out, and that was stolen from me,” he snapped. “She was so young. She had so many years ahead of her, and now she’s gone.”

  “I get it, but obviously we have to ask as we investigate. Where did Robin work exactly?” He gave her the name of the dental office; she nodded and thanked him. Turning, she noted Simon stood at the bottom of the porch steps, quietly listening. She nodded again to the husband. “If you think of anything else, just call me, please.”

  He nodded but didn’t go back in right away.

  As she got into the car, Agnew remained on the front porch, staring at her.

  Simon saw it too. “It’s always nice to end on that note, isn’t it?”

  “Hardly, but, if I do it any sooner into the interview, I won’t get the other information I need. He’s just making sure that we actually leave, and, honestly, being pissed at me is probably a welcome distraction from everything else he’s dealing with.”

  As she pulled onto the road, he asked, “Where to?”

  “I want to go to past the dental office where Robin worked. It’s Sunday and they aren’t open, but I want to just take a quick look. You can sit in the car.”

  He snorted. “No way. This is too much fun. I want to come with you.”

  “What did you think of Agnew?”

  “I think some of his comments were telling. Like the fact that Robin was balancing her running, her job, and her kids. But there was no comment about family, as in him. My impression is that he felt disassociated from her life. Maybe because of her other strong interests, or maybe they were just starting to drift apart.”

  “I had the same idea,” she confirmed. “It’s fascinating when you talk to people, isn’t it?”

  “Yeah, it is,” Simon agreed. “It’s amazing what you can figure out in a conversation. I’m just not usually talking to people about criminal activity.”

  “What are you looking for?”

  “Whether they’re trustworthy, whether they’re lying, whether they’re likely to actually do what they say they can do. Plus whether they can do it in the time frame they agreed to, whether they cheated the last person they worked with, and mostly whether they’re working for me or against me,” he ended, with a half laugh.

  “Still, it’s very similar, isn’t it? You’re looking for signs of deception underneath it all.”

  “Exactly,” he agreed, “which is why I find this so fascinating. People will be people, and, no matter what you’re dealing with, you’ll get some who are good and some who are not so good.”

  “Yet instant judgment is something we try hard not to do,” she noted, with a yawn. She shook her head. “Jesus, I need more sleep.”

  “You can’t keep burning the candle on both ends without consequences,” he said. “That tends to backfire eventually.”

  She smiled. “I know, and I keep trying to get more sleep but—” She shrugged.

  “How are the nightmares these days?” he asked.

  “Mine are fine. How are yours?”

  He laughed at that. “Another topic we better avoid for now.”

  “Sounds good to me.” She pointed up ahead. “That’s the dental office where she worked. I’ll just run in for a few minutes.”

  “Well, I’ll run in with you,” he repeated. And, true to form, he stuck by her, as they walked inside. The building was open as it was a mixed use building, but the dental center itself was closed. She wasn’t sure whether it was curiosity, as he had pointed out, or if it was something more, but she did find it interesting to have him here. He also had good insights, and she realized that she respected his opinion. He was good at reading people and circumstances in so many ways and had a very different viewpoint on life than her own. Mostly because of his own background, she assumed, but it was fascinating to talk to him. There was a little coffee shop on the main floor. She asked the woman who made them two cups to go, about Robin.

  “I don’t know her,” she replied as she handed the cups over. “I can say that everyone I’ve served here has been great. No issues at all.”

  She asked a few more questions but there wasn’t anything to find, apparently.

  “Was that helpful?” he asked curiously, once they were back in her vehicle.

  “No, not really. All she said is everyone here has been great but didn’t know Robin personally.”

  “What is it that you’re looking for?”

  “I want to get some insight into how Robin’s marriage was,” she murmured, and she looked over at him. “The husband can say all he wants, but a close friend or coworker would have given me something more truthful. And, since Robin’s best friend died with her, I’d love to talk to the one coworker who Robin was close to but the office isn’t open so I’ll just call her at home instead. I figured maybe we could go down to the beach, and I’d call her from the parking lot.” And that’s what they did.

  When she finally connected with Robin’s coworker on her cell, the woman broke into tears. “I’ve taken a few days off work because I’m so upset,” she shared. “I didn’t think I could be there and stay calm and professional around the patients, you know?”

  “Sure, I understand. I’m so sorry for your loss. Were the two of you close?” Kate asked, as she paced along the beach.

  “Yes,” she replied, “we were very close. I don’t want to say best friends because I know Jenna was her best friend and neighbor, and they spent a lot of time together. Yet I was her best friend in a work sense. We did everything together. It’ll be so damn lonely without her.”

  “I’m so sorry,” Kate murmured, trying to ease the other woman’s pain. “Can you tell me anything about her life? We’re still figuring out who did this to her.”

  “I hope you catch the bastard, castrate him, and throw him away,” she snapped. “How could anybody do that to her?”

  “I’m not sure what you might have heard in the news,” Kate began, “but, at the moment, we’re still looking at any and all aspects of this case.”

  “Of course,” she replied. “What do you want to know?”

  “First off, did anybody bother her or follow her that Robin was scared about? Was she worried about going out alone at night or anything like that?”

  “God no.” The woman laughed. “The opposite, in fact—Robin was fearless. It would never occur to her that anything like an attack would even happen, so she never considered herself a sitting duck. She had no idea that something like this was going on.”

  “What do you mean by something like this going on?”

  “That somebody could lie in wait for her like that.”

  “We don’t know for sure that somebody did lie in wait,” she corrected.

  “Oh, I thought that’s what they mentioned on the news?”

  “No, only that she was killed on the running path.”

  “Huh, I’ll have to—no, never mind. I won’t,” She had immediately interrupted her own train of thought. “I would say, I should listen to the news again, but I don’t want to know the details.”

  “None of the confirmed details will be released by the authorities for a long time,” Kate explained, “because it does impact our investigation.”

  “Of course it does. I understand. Anyway, Robin wasn’t the person to be afraid to go out in the dark. She ran early in the morning because that’s when her friend could run, and the two of them absolutely loved it. She really looked forward to it and would go to bed early, so she could get up the next morning and run better and faster and farther. She was very fit, and her body was a machine,” Robin’s friend commented. “That’s another reason I’m so surprised somebody could overpower her.”

  “Did she do martial arts or anything like that?”

  “No, but, man, she could run. I mean, she could sprint like crazy. Probably faster than a cheetah. She often wanted to get tested to check her speed because she was so darn fast. And she just kept getting faster and faster. I know it was something she took a lot of pride in, and it breaks my heart to think of all the time and effort she put into it, only to be dead at such a young age.”

  “So, nobody bothered her, like following her? She didn’t get strange phone calls? Nothing like that you are aware of?”

  “No, not at all,” she said, bewildered. “Do you really not know who it was?”

  “No, I really don’t,” Kate confirmed. “Do you?”

  “No, I guess I just always assume that, on things like this, you detectives would probably already have a good idea.”

  “Well, we certainly have some persons of interest, suspects if you will,” she explained, “but, as you know, in our world, you’re innocent until proven guilty.”

  “Of course, of course,” she rushed to say.

  “Did Robin have problems with anybody at work?”

  “No, not that I know of.” She sighed. “She was well loved at work. Everybody was kind and generous to her. I know that she was really feeling sad over her friend, who was going through a divorce.”

  “And yet she approved of her friend going forward with the divorce, did she not?”

  “Yeah, she used to tell me that the guy was an absolute asshole and that her friend Jenna needed to get away from him. But just because you need to get away doesn’t mean you actually, you know, can get away, away.”

  “No, that’s quite true,” Kate stated. “And did Robin tell you anything about her own marriage relationship? Was she happily married? Did she ever talk about her husband at all?”

  “Not about him so much, but she always talked about her kids. She was a really great mom,” she stated. “She absolutely adored her children. She never really spoke about her husband much—hmm—but I know they were happy. I find that most mothers don’t talk about their husbands anyway. They talk about their kids,” she added, with a smile in her voice.

  “Isn’t that the truth.” Kate nodded. “And was there anybody at work who had a problem with her?”

  “Nope, she worked part-time and planned to come back to do more hours come the new year, and she was looking forward to that. She was the type of person who always needed to be busy, always needed to be on the go with something to do,” she told Kate. “Which was great for us because, anytime there was any overload of work, she was right there to step up and to take it. Now, of course, it’ll be a whole different story.”

  “I’m sorry,” Kate added. “Hopefully we can get to the bottom of this quickly.”

  “I hope so too,” she agreed. “The longer it goes on, the more unnerving it is.”

  “Do you ever run along that same path?”

  “God no,” she quipped. “You couldn’t get me in a pair of sneakers. Not to mention the fact that I can barely bend down and touch my toes,” she added, with a jovial laugh.