knuckles. “I can deny it
all I want to. This isn’t proof of anything. It’s your grandfather’s word
against—against...hers. Now give me my letter,” she said, folding his
grandfather’s letter and handing it back to him.
“In a minute. I want to ask you something first.”
“Give me my letter!” she demanded, reaching for it.
“Cara, damn it, stop. If you want to get into a scuffle, I’ll
guarantee you I can take you. And if you think I won’t because you’re a girl,
then keep grabbing at the letter.”
She crossed her arms, leaned back in her chair and fixed him
with a stony glare. “Fine. Go ahead.”
He held onto the letter while he spoke. “I need you to promise
me that you won’t tell your family about all this.”
She laughed. It was a short burst that had no humor in it. “Are
you kidding me?” she said incredulously.
“No. I’m not kidding. I’m absolutely serious. If I’m going to
trust you to work with me to find out the truth about who killed your
grandfather, I’ve got to know you won’t betray me to your family.”
“Betray— You’ve got a lot of gall, asking me to promise you
something like that.”
“Oh, and I need to know if you’ve already told anybody and who
they are. All of them.”
“Who would I have told? I just found out.”
“Not just. You found out yesterday morning, didn’t you, when
you came back by the apartment to change clothes and found my notepad,” he said.
“You’ve seen your mother since then, and who knows who else. You could have told
all of them for all I know. And of course, you have a phone. You could have told
the entire Delancey clan, hell—most of the city, by now.”
“I—didn’t,” she said evenly, although how she made her voice
even he didn’t know. Because her expression was twisted into a mask of anger and
something else he couldn’t quite identify. Could it be hurt? Had he hurt her
feelings?
“First of all, I’ve already promised not to reveal your ‘true
identity—’” she surrounded the two words with air quotes “—to any of my
family.
“As for all this—” she gestured at his briefcase and the letter
from his grandfather. “How can I talk to them about all this and not tell them
about you? So I think I’ve covered that. Now, you have to promise me the same
thing.”
“The same thing?” he asked. “What do you mean?”
“I mean don’t tell your family. And for sure as hell, don’t
tell my family.”
Jack shook his head tiredly. “My family consists of my mom, who lives in Florida with her sister.
Papi was my dad’s father. So Mom cares nothing about all this. All she cares
about is that her murderer father-in-law is finally
dead. So you don’t have to worry about my family.” He heard the bitterness in
his voice and was a little surprised. He’d never spent much time thinking about
how his mother had reacted to his grandfather’s imprisonment. His dad had
already been sick at the time and died only a couple of years later. That was
probably at least part of the reason that he, Jack, had been so close to his
grandfather. Papi had filled the role of father for him.
He and his mom talked, and he visited her during the holidays,
so he supposed they were as close as many mothers and sons. But, when his
grandfather died, Jack had felt as though he’d lost his family. Maybe that was
why clearing his grandfather’s name was so important to him.
He just wished he’d started digging for the truth years before,
instead of waiting until after Papi had died.
“Jack?” Cara Lynn said. “Will you promise?”
He shook his head sharply and blew out a frustrated breath.
“Sure. I promise I won’t tell my family.”
“Or friends, or my family. I don’t
want my family upset for what’s probably no reason.”
“Or friends or your family,” he repeated. “I solemnly
swear.”
“You don’t have to be so sarcastic about it,”
“Sorry,” he mumbled, sliding the sheet of fine parchment
all I want to. This isn’t proof of anything. It’s your grandfather’s word
against—against...hers. Now give me my letter,” she said, folding his
grandfather’s letter and handing it back to him.
“In a minute. I want to ask you something first.”
“Give me my letter!” she demanded, reaching for it.
“Cara, damn it, stop. If you want to get into a scuffle, I’ll
guarantee you I can take you. And if you think I won’t because you’re a girl,
then keep grabbing at the letter.”
She crossed her arms, leaned back in her chair and fixed him
with a stony glare. “Fine. Go ahead.”
He held onto the letter while he spoke. “I need you to promise
me that you won’t tell your family about all this.”
She laughed. It was a short burst that had no humor in it. “Are
you kidding me?” she said incredulously.
“No. I’m not kidding. I’m absolutely serious. If I’m going to
trust you to work with me to find out the truth about who killed your
grandfather, I’ve got to know you won’t betray me to your family.”
“Betray— You’ve got a lot of gall, asking me to promise you
something like that.”
“Oh, and I need to know if you’ve already told anybody and who
they are. All of them.”
“Who would I have told? I just found out.”
“Not just. You found out yesterday morning, didn’t you, when
you came back by the apartment to change clothes and found my notepad,” he said.
“You’ve seen your mother since then, and who knows who else. You could have told
all of them for all I know. And of course, you have a phone. You could have told
the entire Delancey clan, hell—most of the city, by now.”
“I—didn’t,” she said evenly, although how she made her voice
even he didn’t know. Because her expression was twisted into a mask of anger and
something else he couldn’t quite identify. Could it be hurt? Had he hurt her
feelings?
“First of all, I’ve already promised not to reveal your ‘true
identity—’” she surrounded the two words with air quotes “—to any of my
family.
“As for all this—” she gestured at his briefcase and the letter
from his grandfather. “How can I talk to them about all this and not tell them
about you? So I think I’ve covered that. Now, you have to promise me the same
thing.”
“The same thing?” he asked. “What do you mean?”
“I mean don’t tell your family. And for sure as hell, don’t
tell my family.”
Jack shook his head tiredly. “My family consists of my mom, who lives in Florida with her sister.
Papi was my dad’s father. So Mom cares nothing about all this. All she cares
about is that her murderer father-in-law is finally
dead. So you don’t have to worry about my family.” He heard the bitterness in
his voice and was a little surprised. He’d never spent much time thinking about
how his mother had reacted to his grandfather’s imprisonment. His dad had
already been sick at the time and died only a couple of years later. That was
probably at least part of the reason that he, Jack, had been so close to his
grandfather. Papi had filled the role of father for him.
He and his mom talked, and he visited her during the holidays,
so he supposed they were as close as many mothers and sons. But, when his
grandfather died, Jack had felt as though he’d lost his family. Maybe that was
why clearing his grandfather’s name was so important to him.
He just wished he’d started digging for the truth years before,
instead of waiting until after Papi had died.
“Jack?” Cara Lynn said. “Will you promise?”
He shook his head sharply and blew out a frustrated breath.
“Sure. I promise I won’t tell my family.”
“Or friends, or my family. I don’t
want my family upset for what’s probably no reason.”
“Or friends or your family,” he repeated. “I solemnly
swear.”
“You don’t have to be so sarcastic about it,”
“Sorry,” he mumbled, sliding the sheet of fine parchment
Similar Books
