“How are you doing?” Gertie asked.
Tiffany shrugged. “Fine, I guess. I mean, it was all a shock, really. He was at a rehearsal, like always, and then he was gone. I just got everything set with the funeral home yesterday. They had to hold the…uh, body for forty-eight hours for all the police stuff in New Orleans, so I couldn’t do anything before that.”
Ida Belle nodded. “That’s common and part of the reason we didn’t come by sooner. In fact, we didn’t even hear about it until day before yesterday, and then we figured you might have to go to New Orleans to take care of things and then address the other stuff.”
“And here I thought everything was done,” she said. “I did all that picking things with the funeral home. My God, that was awful. And then the deputy shows up last night and tells me Gil was…well, I still can’t believe it.”
“If I hadn’t seen it, I wouldn’t believe it either,” Gertie said.
Tiffany’s eyes widened. “You were there?”
“Front-row seats, so to speak,” Gertie said.
Tiffany bit her lower lip, looking more like a teenager than a young woman.
“And it happened just like he said?” Tiffany asked. “I mean, I’m sure the deputy was telling the truth but I just can’t see why…”
“Yeah, I think that has everyone stumped,” Ida Belle said. “But I’m sure the police will figure it out.”
“I don’t mean to pry,” Gertie said, “but are you okay with finances and the like? Because I know a man who’s really good at helping people restructure when there’s a change in familial status.”
“Oh, I’m okay, I think,” Tiffany said. “I mean, Gil had money and life insurance. Would have been kinda silly if an insurance salesman didn’t, right? The house is paid for so I think I’m all right. I mean, I guess I’ll have to find a job at some point because I’m young and the money won’t last forever, but I should have some time to figure it out.”
“That’s good,” Gertie said. “Well, you let me know if you need any help with your planning and I’ll get you that guy’s number.”
“Have you talked to Liam?” Ida Belle asked.
Tiffany blushed. “No. Liam and I haven’t talked in years. Not since I married Gil. I thought maybe I should call, but then I’m probably the last person he wants to hear from.”
“Did Liam and Gil still talk?” Gertie asked.
“No,” Tiffany said. “Gil would call every once and a while, but as far as I know, Liam never answered and never returned his calls. Not that I blame him, mind you. What Gil and I did really hurt Liam, but I had to do what was right for me. Liam was great and all, but we were both young. He couldn’t support me like Gil.”
I blinked, unable to process marrying a man old enough to be my father just to be financially secure, but then I didn’t know anything about Tiffany’s background. However, it sounded like I needed to. If Tiffany had only married Gil for his money, and now it was all hers, then that left her free to pursue the younger Forrest again.
“We all make choices that seem best for us,” Ida Belle said. “At the time anyway. And then we hope they are the right decision.”
Tiffany just stared down at the table.
“Do the New Orleans police have any idea what happened?” Gertie asked.
Tiffany looked back up and shook her head. “The security cameras in the parking lot weren’t working. There were a couple cameras on a nearby street but they were low quality. All they got was a guy in a hoodie walking down the street around the time Gil was killed, but I mean, it could have been anybody, right?”
“Have they found the car?” I asked.
“Not that I know of,” she said. “There’s a liaison who calls daily to update me but they haven’t really had anything more to say. When he called yesterday, he said they’d be moving that to once a week. Of course, I don’t know if the situation last night changes things.”
“Did Gil have a beef with anyone?” Ida Belle asked.
Tiffany shrugged. “Gil had a beef with almost everyone unless he was trying to sell them insurance. He wanted everything his way because he was certain it was the right way. I think he rubbed people wrong a lot. But I can’t think of anyone who would kill him over that. Besides, if it was just someone with a grudge, why did they take the car and his wallet?”
“Did he seemed distracted or worried about anything recently?” I asked.
She frowned. “You know, he did. I noticed one night when we were watching our favorite TV show that he wasn’t even paying attention. And he always paid attention to everything on that show and watched every episode multiple times. I asked him if something was wrong but he said no. Still, he would blank out sometimes, you know?”
“How long had he been like that?” I asked.
“A couple weeks maybe,” she said. “All my days kinda run together. Being here, the same thing to do all the time. Or nothing to do, I suppose.”
Ida Belle glanced at me and I gave her a nod.
“Well, we’re going to get out of your hair,” Ida Belle said and we all rose. “Please let us know if there’s anything we can do to help.”
“Thanks,” Tiffany said. “I really appreciate the offer and the food. Gertie’s casseroles are legendary in Sinful. It will be nice to finally have one.”
She walked us to the door and we headed out and climbed into the SUV. I glanced back at the house and saw the blinds in the front window snap shut.
“That was awkward,” I said as we drove away.
“Incredibly,” Gertie agreed. “That girl acts like she’s fifteen, not twenty-five.”
“She didn’t seem very upset,” I said.
“Not upset at all,” Ida Belle said.
“I got the impression she married Gil for the money,” I said. “Is that the local take?”
“There was talk,” Gertie said, “that her family situation wasn’t all that grand. Mind you, I don’t have a reliable source for that and was never curious enough to ask, but the general consensus was she married Gil to get away from her stepfather.”
Ida Belle frowned. “It wouldn’t be the first time a young woman married an older man to escape an abusive situation.”
“No,” I agreed. “But it gives her motive. Now that the money is hers, she’s free to have a relationship with whomever she wants.”
“Including making another run at Liam,” Gertie said.
“That definitely occurred to me,” I said. “But where I get stumped is the body in the park. That girl is small and doesn’t spend any time in the gym. No way she could have gotten Gil’s body on that horse. And anyway, what point would it serve? The carjacking case will go cold quickly with no leads, and insurance and the estate will settle up. This whole Headless Horseman thing could delay all of that.”
“That’s a good point,” Ida Belle said. “And really the crux of the matter. I think if we knew why someone put Gil up on that horse we’d have the whole thing solved.”
Gertie sighed. “Have you ever noticed that we’re always chasing down the why? It’s exhausting. I’d like to have just one case where someone is killed, we know why, and it’s a matter of tracking down the killer.”