Before he could ask her another question, a male voice rang out.
"There you are," the man said as he joined them. "I've been looking all over for you, Brooke." He gave Brooke a kiss and then turned to them with a warm and easy smile. "Hello. Sorry to interrupt. But I need Brooke to tell me what painting I'm supposed to bid on." He slipped his arm around Brooke's shoulders, clearly indicating they were together.
"This is my fiancé, Kyle Vance," Brooke said. "Kyle, this is Haley Kenton. She was…Landon's sister."
Kyle's expression immediately shifted to surprise, then sympathy. "Oh. I'm so sorry. Brooke told me about Landon. He sounded like an amazing guy."
"Thank you," Haley said tightly.
"And this is Agent Lawson," Brooke continued. "The FBI has some new information about Landon's death."
Kyle's eyebrows rose slightly, but his smile remained in place. "Really? I thought it was an accident."
"It wasn't," Haley put in.
"How could it be anything else?" Brooke asked.
"We can't get into details," he interrupted, not wanting Haley to give away too much. "Did you know Landon as well, Mr. Vance?"
"No. I didn’t go to Westbridge. But I've heard a lot about him from Brooke. He was important to her. Sometimes, that makes me a little jealous. Not easy to compete with a saint."
"Landon wasn't a saint, just a good guy," Brooke said quickly.
"He impressed a lot of people who knew him, that's for sure," Kyle said. "I work with Drew Sanderson. He was also a big fan of your brother."
"What do you do?" Matt asked.
"Financial analysis," Kyle said. "Are you nearly done? I need to steal Brooke away for a few minutes."
"I'm sorry I couldn't be more help," Brooke said. "It was good to see you again, Haley. I hope...you find whatever it is you're looking for."
"I don't know what to think about her," Haley said as soon as they were alone. "She was very convincing about loving Landon and feeling guilty, but I think she was lying when she told me they were going to take a trip to Costa Rica."
"Why?"
"Because Landon was a germophobe. He was freaked out about tropical diseases, especially mosquito-borne diseases, because he always got bitten. When he learned in high school that mosquito bites can kill you, he was constantly spraying himself down whenever he went outside. Trekking through the jungle of Costa Rica? There's no possible way that was his dream vacation."
"Maybe he was willing to risk a mosquito bite for his very attractive girlfriend."
"I don't buy it. I think she was lying. In my experience, when I stumble upon a truth, it's usually because of a small lie someone didn't think would matter."
"Like the simple question of what were you planning to do after graduation."
"Exactly. But when Brooke started talking about how she could have prevented his death, it felt like she was being real, so I'm confused. What do you think?"
"Brooke knows more than she's saying. I'm also interested in her new boyfriend, Kyle Vance, who works with Drew Sanderson, Landon's fraternity big brother. The Westbridge gang has stayed close. Let's see who else is here. With Jill and Brooke running this thing, I could see some of those other guys showing up."
As they reentered the building, Jill immediately came toward them. "Haley Kenton?" she asked. "I'm Jill Adler. I don't know if you remember me."
"I remember you," Haley said.
"Brooke just told me you were here. I couldn't believe it. How are you?"
"I'm doing all right. This is a lovely event. I understand Brooke works for you."
"She does. We started working together last year." Jill turned to him with an inquisitive smile. "And I understand you're an FBI agent."
"Matt Lawson," he said, shaking her hand.
