Michelle thought through the implications of the evening’s events on the ride back to Rexburg. She berated herself for her sloppiness, missing the blood spots and the lamp cord on the first visit, and now having her DNA sampled not once, but twice in one day after years of concealing herself so thoroughly. Did Arlo distract her? Worrying about Adam? Telling Jonah and the consequences for her career would have to wait. The police would find her DNA, not just on the lamp, but maybe in the kitchen and out in the barn, if they thought to look there. But they might believe it was from her visit with the deputy just now. She bit her thumbnail and turned the problem over in her mind, concocting cover stories to buy time.
She arrived at the motel and went to her room. While getting ready for bed, she called to call Connie to catch up, needing to hear her friends voice even if she couldn’t share everything.
“Well, I did it again.”
“What?”
“Ruined a perfectly good date by obsessing about work.”
“Work? You’re on vacation!”
“Not anymore. Anyway, he was very nice, but I think he lost interest.”
“Or you did. Maybe too nice?”
“I met another cute boy, this one’s a cop.”
“Uh-oh, cops. Is this for your little story? Can you tell me yet what it’s about?”
“Well……”
“C’mon, Mimi, I can do my own snooping and figure it out. Just tell me.”
Michelle heaved a dramatic sigh.
“It’s a murder.”
“Ooh, interesting. Something weird?”
“I don’t think so. Look, it’s still too early to get into it. I haven’t even filed anything yet. I’ll let you know, I promise. Anyway, you should be asking me about the cute cop.”
“Ugh. Don’t even. He will cheat on you. Just don’t do it. What’s his name?”
“Ben Davis.”
“Hold a sec…ooh, football player. He was a big stud at the high school there in Rexburg. Uh oh, a little legal trouble. Looks like he got in into a scrape last year, police brutality. You sure he’s nice? He is cute though. Nice pics.”
“He was nice to me tonight. Very helpful for my story.”
“He’s not your type. Stay away from him. Now, when I come out to visit…” They both broke into giggles.
Robert Wack 