I appreciate her discretion.
“She started talking again. Just this past week.”
Ariella’s eyes are wide, and she’s staring at me in apparent disbelief. “Wow. That’s great. She’s such a sweetheart. I bet her father is happy too.”
I press my lips tight together for a brief moment, and Ariella seems to catch my silence as concern.
“Oh no. Does he not know that she’s talking? Or is he worried about what she’ll say?”
I shake my head. “No, he’s ecstatic, but she hasn’t spoken to him yet. Most of our conversations are just between the two of us or her and one of her stuffed animals.”
“That girl loves her giraffe,” Ariella says. “I remember she used to carry that to the playground. It would irritate Serene and Laura. They’d always worry that she’d leave it behind.”
“Laura?”
“Her last nanny.”
Moreno hasn’t been forthcoming with information about his wife’s death or the nanny’s murder. I’ve tried to give him time, but I want more details. A part of me needs to know what I might be up against.
“Were you friends with Serene and Laura?” I ask.
The waitress decides now is an excellent time to reappear, and I scan the menu to find something suitable. I order an avocado salad and a glass of water before handing my menu back to the waitress.
“Serene and I never really conversed. Laura and I would chit-chat when the kids played in the park. Laura was a sweet girl, young, and looked a lot like Nikki, now that I think about it. The same hair and build. She could have easily been mistaken from behind.”
“You think that’s why she was—?” I try to keep my voice barely above a whisper. I don’t finish with the word that I want to:murdered.
I’m concerned someone might overhear.
She leans forward and plants her hands on the table. “I do. Did he tell you about that night?”
The waitress brings over two glasses of water to the table, along with silverware. We both smile politely, making sure not to discuss Moreno, Serene, or Nova in front of her. She probably wouldn’t say anything, but you can’t be too certain.
The moment she walks away, I exhale a breath. “No, he hasn’t said anything about that night.” I haven’t exactly asked him either about the murder. While I had known his wife died, it wasn’t until recently that I’d been made aware there had been a previous nanny who had been murdered.
My stomach is in knots just thinking about what might have happened.
Maybe I should have taken Moreno’s advice and brought one of the guards to the café. He didn’t have to sit with us. He could have grabbed his own table, had lunch, and just kept an eye on anyone suspicious.
I was paranoid.
Glancing around the café, there didn’t appear to be anyone interested in the two of us or our conversation.
Ariella tugs her bottom lip between her teeth. “You should probably ask him. I mean, I’ve heard things from Jaxson and the guys at Eagle Tactical.”
“Jaxson?” I repeat the name over on my tongue. I went to school with a kid by that name, and while I wouldn’t have thought twice about it, except I’d ran into a gentleman by the same first name.
It had to be him. “Wait. Are you married to Jaxson Monroe?”
“Yes, why?” Ariella asks with a nervous smile.
“Tall, muscular, has lots of tattoos?” I can’t fathom that there are two Jaxson Monroe’s in Breckenridge. Hell, there’s probably not even two Jaxson’s in all of town. There certainly wasn’t when I was a kid.
She laughs under her breath.
The waitress brings our meals to the table, and the conversation silences once again until we’re left alone.
Ariella leans forward. “You know my husband. How? Please, tell me he’s not working with Dante.” The color drains right from her face.