Part 10 (1/2)
Jake nodded.
She was silent a moment. ”Nah,” she said, shaking her head. ”Brody can be a real jerk, but endangering another climber goes against all he stands for.”
”Anybody else you can think of that could have wanted to mess with Conrad?” Jake asked, wondering if that was the direction they were headed-someone wanting to teach Conrad a lesson. A lesson that had gone horribly wrong.
”Yeah.” Natalie exhaled with a smile. ”Try his wife or mistress.”
”Mistress?” Vivienne hadn't said anything about a mistress, but maybe she didn't know.
”Patty Tate,” Natalie said.
”As in expert climber, two-time state champion Patty Tate?” Kayden had pointed her out on their last climb. Patty had quite the reputation for being a tough compet.i.tor and a fierce athlete.
Natalie tapped the pen against her flattened palm. ”That's the one.”
”How on earth did those two . . . ?” From what Jake knew of them, they seemed like an odd pairing.
”They met over at Brody's gym a while back. Been going strong ever since.”
”How long is 'a while back'?” Kayden asked.
Natalie shrugged. ”At least a couple of years.”
”Years?” Kayden said.
”Did Vivienne know?” Jake asked, wanting to know if she'd purposely withheld pertinent information or if she was still in the dark about the affair.
”Oh, she knows.”
”You sound very confident.”
”Because I saw it.”
”Saw what?”
”Patty and Vivienne having it out a couple months back.”
So Vivienne did know. Interesting omission on her part. ”Having it out, how exactly?” he asked.
”Vivienne's a shrewd woman, I'm pretty sure she'd known for a while but let it go.”
”How could a woman let something like that go?” Kayden asked.
”They've been married a long time. Maybe she was invested, maybe she figured it'd be a pa.s.sing fling, or maybe she'd grown too used to the lifestyle. Who knows.”
”What would have made her change her mind? I mean, why have it out with Patty if she'd known for a while?” Something had to spark the change.
”Because Conrad stopped being discreet. He brought Patty to the Spring Festival. Vivienne showed up, and if it weren't for Conrad's intervention, I think she'd have gouged Patty's eyes out.”
”I'm pretty sure Patty Tate can hold her own,” Kayden said.
”Regardless, it was loud and ugly and very public.”
”Who'd Conrad leave with?” That was the key to where his ultimate loyalty lay.
”Vivienne.” She smiled but quickly looked away from Jake, staring at her chipped nail polish instead.
”How'd that go over with Patty?” Kayden asked.
Natalie dropped the pen and retrieved a bottle of polish from under the counter. ”I saw them together last week, so it must have been okay.” She tapped the bottle against her hand, shaking it up.
Kayden shook her head. ”I still can't picture Conrad Humphries and Patty Tate together.”
”Why?” Jake asked, gathering his evidence bag.
Natalie's gaze pinned on it for a minute and then quickly s.h.i.+fted back to the bottle of polish. She definitely seemed concerned about the chalk sample she'd given him.
Kayden shrugged. ”Patty's about ten years his junior, an accomplished athlete. She just seems to have her act together. Why she'd be interested in a married man . . . I don't get it.”
”Definitely not the most likely pair,” Natalie said, opening the polish.
Kayden looked at Jake. ”Guess we know who we're visiting next.”
”If that's Patty,” Natalie said, using smooth strokes to apply the coral polish, ”you're out of luck. At least until tomorrow.”
Kayden frowned. ”Why's that?”
”She's at the Mount Marathon race over in Seward.”
So they'd come back to Imnek tomorrow.
Jake extended his hand. ”Thanks for your help.”
”No problem.” She offered the hand she hadn't started polis.h.i.+ng and darted a glance at the evidence bag in his hand, her shoulders tensing. She'd been distracted ever since she'd handed over her chalk bag, hesitant to make eye contact. What was bothering her? He couldn't wait to get the sample to Booth.
10.
”Detective Cavanagh.” Vivienne Humphries' condescending stare settled on Kayden as she stood beside him. ”And the climber. How lovely to see you again.”
Vivienne clearly didn't like her, but knowing what she now did about Patty Tate, she understood the woman's negative att.i.tude toward female climbers, and in a way she couldn't blame her. She couldn't imagine how it would feel to be betrayed with an affair. Not after growing up with her parents-so faithful and deeply in love.
If she ever were to marry-and she only considered it in moments of pure fantasy-she wanted what her parents had had. She wanted to be married to her best friend, like Cole and Bailey, and Landon and Piper. Gage and Darcy were another story-more sparks and lit fuses-but for them it worked. And for the rest of them, it was highly entertaining to watch.
”What now?” Stuart said with an exasperated sigh as he trudged through Vivienne's foyer. In his lounge pants, T-s.h.i.+rt, and leather slippers, he looked mighty at home in another man's house.
Jake took the lead. ”We need to ask Mrs. Humphries a few more questions.”