His disbelief seemed genuine, and Mattie had no reason yet to think of him as a suspect. But she needed to know more about this friend. “What’s your friend’s name?”
“Jim Cameron. He’s a real estate agent here. I’ve known him for years. They only dated for a short time, but . . . he’s going to be shocked.”
“What agency is he with?”
“His own. Cameron Realty and Associates.”
It would be easy to retrieve an address; she didn’t need to waste time asking for it. She already knew the breakup wasn’t easy. She decided to fish for general information. “Why did Adrienne decide to change jobs and move from Willow Springs?”
“She said she needed new scenery, and she liked the idea of helping set up a health resort. She seemed unhappy after she and Jim broke things off, although from what he said, the decision was mutual.”
“Oh?” Mattie hoped he would keep talking.
“He didn’t seem as torn up about it as she was. But Jim doesn’t let much of anything get him down.”
She waited, but this time he didn’t fill the silence. “Did he want to patch things up?”
“No, not at all. He was dating someone else by the next weekend. She didn’t want to patch things up either. Instead, she just wanted to move away. Start again. I hate to say this, but that seemed to be her pattern. As I recall, she didn’t stay very long at any of the jobs she’d had previously. But it’s hard to find well-qualified candidates like Adrienne here, so I decided not to let that influence my decision to hire her. She was good at her work and a pleasant person to be around. Very professional. Smart.”
“Did she work somewhere else in Willow Springs before you hired her?”
“No, she had just moved here from California. I don’t mind sharing her past employment information with you, but I need you to get that from my office manager. May I introduce you to her now? I really should get back to my patients.”
“Just a couple more questions. Do you know a man named Roger Howard?”
“No. Is he related to Adrienne?”
“Her brother. Did she ever mention a brother?”
“No, I don’t think so. She didn’t talk about her family. But we didn’t spend much time together after hours. She spent most of that with Jim. I suppose you’ll be wanting to talk to him, too.”
“I will. I’d appreciate it if you’d let me break the news to him rather than you calling him right now.”
“Like I said, I need to get back to work.”
“Just one more question, Dr. Stroud. Where were you Wednesday afternoon?”
“Is that when Adrienne died? Wait a minute—are you telling me someone killed her?”
“Her death is being investigated as a homicide.”
“My God . . . I wish you’d told me that earlier. What happened to her?”
“I can’t say. Getting back to my question: can you tell me where you were last Wednesday afternoon?”
“You can’t suspect that I had anything to do with this.”
“Just a routine question. I try to eliminate anyone I talk to as soon as I can. Keeps me from having to circle around and waste both of our time.”
“Well, thank God I can put your mind at ease.” A hint of sarcasm crept into his voice. “I was here at the office all day on Wednesday. My office manager and a whole schedule full of patients can vouch for that.”
“Thank you for your time and the information, Dr. Stroud. I appreciate it. I’ll let you take me to your office manager now so you can get back to work.”
It took only a few more minutes to verify the information from Stroud’s office manager and check out his alibi. Mattie left the office with a copy of Adrienne’s résumé in hand.
Although it was always wise to keep an open mind, Mattie decided to eliminate Scott Stroud as a suspect unless further information changed his status. Using her mobile data terminal, she quickly located Jim Cameron’s business listing under “Real Estate Agents” and plugged his address into her GPS. She followed its guidance to an office building made of stone and cedar siding with a peaked roof and large picture windows. Once again, she parked out front and left Robo in the car.
After introducing herself to Cameron’s secretary, she was escorted at once into a conference room dominated by a long, shiny walnut table surrounded with plush chairs. The woman acted as if she’d expected her.
Cameron entered the room, extending his hand to introduce himself and getting right down to business. “I just got off the phone with Scott Stroud, so I’m up to speed, Detective. How can I help?”
So much for allowing me to break the news. She wasn’t too surprised actually; the good ol’ boy network would dictate Stroud calling to alert his friend. She recognized him from a picture in Adrienne’s album: handsome with brown hair and eyes, medium height and build, fit. She decided not to correct his misunderstanding of her title. “I need information about Adrienne’s personal life. Who were her friends while she was living here in Willow Springs?”
“Adrienne lived here only about six months and didn’t seem to make a lot of close friends. I mean, we had my group of friends we associated with, but she didn’t really connect with anyone in my crowd. She was a different kind of gal from the ones I usually date.”
“What do you mean?”
“Did you know Adrienne?” he asked.
“I’d met her.”
“Adrienne was a free spirit, would have thrived in the sixties. I think that’s what attracted me to her, not to mention the fact that she was gorgeous. But her being a free spirit ultimately broke us apart.”
“Oh?”
“Well, you know the old saying ‘Opposites attract’? We were good examples of that. I’m focused on business; she was focused on health. I’m goal driven; she was laid back. She wanted to let things evolve. Those were her words—‘let things evolve.’”
Mattie was getting a clearer picture of the two of them. “So who decided to end your relationship?”
“We both did. I know you may be skeptical, but it’s the truth. We talked things over like adults and decided to break things off.”
“I understand she was pretty broken up about it.”
He let out his breath in a soft sigh of frustration. “I’m sorry to say, she was. We loved each other, but she was becoming more committed than I was. So I guess it was me that initiated the conversation. But she seemed to be in full agreement by the time it was over.”
Mattie imagined a confrontation between a goal-driven businessman and a flower child. It would be easy to predict the outcome of that one. “I appreciate your candor. Let’s get back to the question of friends. Is there anyone that you remember her talking about who might have known her personally?”
“She spent most of her time off at an organic farm just outside of town. Green Thumb Organics. Maybe she made friends with someone out there, but she never introduced me to anyone. Do you want that number?”
Apparently bending over backward to be helpful, he pulled out his cell phone and tapped the screen. Mattie wrote down the phone number he gave her. “Did you meet Adrienne’s brother, Roger Howard?”
“Adrienne never mentioned a brother. Don’t know him.”
“Can you tell me where you were last Wednesday afternoon?”
“Scott told me you would ask that question, so I’ve already looked at my calendar. I usually take Wednesdays off. I played golf early that morning with a friend who can vouch for it. We ended our game around eleven. I had lunch at home by myself, did some yard work, and worked in my home office the rest of the afternoon. I had dinner with clients that evening at seven.”