of it."
"It's not that. It's not
you."
Now Michaela was really confused. "Oh,
okay. Um…"
"Oh no, I don't mean to sound
insensitive, but of course the police will exonerate you, it's not
that, it's…" She wiped her tears and sat down on the sofa.
"Nothing. Nothing at all. How selfish of me to carry on when you're
obviously having problems of your own. Forgive me."
"You don't need to apologize, Paige.
What's wrong?"
"Nothing. Nothing." Paige looked up at
her, the tears starting again.
"People don't cry over nothing."
Michaela reached into her purse and dug through it. She knew she
had tissues somewhere in her bag. She found a packet and handed one
to Paige.
The woman blew her nose. "Robert is
leaving me. Actually, he's left me."
"What?"
Paige shrugged. "I don't know. I really
don't know."
Michaela sat down next to her. "Do you
want to talk?" She didn't know Paige all that well, but she
couldn't leave her here like this.
Paige put her face in her hands. "I've
lost so much in the last few years. First Justin, and now this with
Robert, and of course Sterling."
"Sterling? You were close with him?"
Michaela now felt certain by the way Paige was talking that it had
been her who'd hurried away from the polo field grounds after
getting out of Sterling's car.
"Oh, yes. He was Justin's best
friend."
"Justin? I'm sorry, Paige; I don't know
what you're talking about."
"We don't talk about it much. Only
people in our small circle ever even whisper about it. I hear them
sometimes and see the looks on their faces. The ones that say they
feel sorry for me."
Michaela suddenly understood. Paige was
talking about her son, who'd been killed in a car accident. She'd
never known his name, but she'd heard about the tragedy.
Paige blew her nose. "Justin was our
son. I'm sure you know that he died five years ago in a
drunk-driving accident after a party. He'd had too much to drink
and hit a tree. He was twenty."
"Oh, I am so sorry. I had heard, but I
knew it wasn't something to ever discuss with you."
"I know, dear. It's kind of an unspoken
rule that no one talks about it, but it's not my rule. Robert won't
talk about it. People tiptoe around him all the time. I think he's
lost it. He left me a note this morning that said we were through
and he was leaving."
"And you don't know why?"
"I have an idea. It has to do with
Sterling." She started to cry again.
Michaela waited patiently for a few
seconds and then asked her, "What about Sterling?"
"Robert found out that I have been
giving him money."
She would have to be careful here.
Paige was giving Sterling money? Odd. From everything that she had
ascertained about the man, he appeared to have plenty of money of
his own and he was doing just fine with that, along with the money
he earned with his modeling gigs. "Um, I hate to pry, but why would
you give Sterling money?"
Paige smiled, her eyes reflecting
nothing but sadness. "I told you that Sterling had been Justin's
best friend. It was how Sterling started riding polo. Justin got
him into it. And yes, he does come from a wealthy family in Santa
Barbara, but they recently stopped providing him with money. Not
the kind of money he needed to live on, anyway. I think he'd gotten
himself into debt by overextending. He had been receiving twenty
thousand dollars a month from his family and then they cut that in
half. You can imagine how difficult that would be if you're used to
having more."
How much did he need? Ten thousand
dollars a month for a single guy sure sounded like plenty. "Why did
the family decide to do that? Do you know?"
Paige shook her head. "He wouldn't talk
about it. He said that it was too painful. All I know is that last
summer he went back home, then he returned, and within a few months
his family had sort of disowned him. And, because he was a link to
my son, I didn't want him to suffer."
"You became a mother to
him."
"Yes. He filled the gap in my heart
that was missing my son…and now they're both
"It's not that. It's not
you."
Now Michaela was really confused. "Oh,
okay. Um…"
"Oh no, I don't mean to sound
insensitive, but of course the police will exonerate you, it's not
that, it's…" She wiped her tears and sat down on the sofa.
"Nothing. Nothing at all. How selfish of me to carry on when you're
obviously having problems of your own. Forgive me."
"You don't need to apologize, Paige.
What's wrong?"
"Nothing. Nothing." Paige looked up at
her, the tears starting again.
"People don't cry over nothing."
Michaela reached into her purse and dug through it. She knew she
had tissues somewhere in her bag. She found a packet and handed one
to Paige.
The woman blew her nose. "Robert is
leaving me. Actually, he's left me."
"What?"
Paige shrugged. "I don't know. I really
don't know."
Michaela sat down next to her. "Do you
want to talk?" She didn't know Paige all that well, but she
couldn't leave her here like this.
Paige put her face in her hands. "I've
lost so much in the last few years. First Justin, and now this with
Robert, and of course Sterling."
"Sterling? You were close with him?"
Michaela now felt certain by the way Paige was talking that it had
been her who'd hurried away from the polo field grounds after
getting out of Sterling's car.
"Oh, yes. He was Justin's best
friend."
"Justin? I'm sorry, Paige; I don't know
what you're talking about."
"We don't talk about it much. Only
people in our small circle ever even whisper about it. I hear them
sometimes and see the looks on their faces. The ones that say they
feel sorry for me."
Michaela suddenly understood. Paige was
talking about her son, who'd been killed in a car accident. She'd
never known his name, but she'd heard about the tragedy.
Paige blew her nose. "Justin was our
son. I'm sure you know that he died five years ago in a
drunk-driving accident after a party. He'd had too much to drink
and hit a tree. He was twenty."
"Oh, I am so sorry. I had heard, but I
knew it wasn't something to ever discuss with you."
"I know, dear. It's kind of an unspoken
rule that no one talks about it, but it's not my rule. Robert won't
talk about it. People tiptoe around him all the time. I think he's
lost it. He left me a note this morning that said we were through
and he was leaving."
"And you don't know why?"
"I have an idea. It has to do with
Sterling." She started to cry again.
Michaela waited patiently for a few
seconds and then asked her, "What about Sterling?"
"Robert found out that I have been
giving him money."
She would have to be careful here.
Paige was giving Sterling money? Odd. From everything that she had
ascertained about the man, he appeared to have plenty of money of
his own and he was doing just fine with that, along with the money
he earned with his modeling gigs. "Um, I hate to pry, but why would
you give Sterling money?"
Paige smiled, her eyes reflecting
nothing but sadness. "I told you that Sterling had been Justin's
best friend. It was how Sterling started riding polo. Justin got
him into it. And yes, he does come from a wealthy family in Santa
Barbara, but they recently stopped providing him with money. Not
the kind of money he needed to live on, anyway. I think he'd gotten
himself into debt by overextending. He had been receiving twenty
thousand dollars a month from his family and then they cut that in
half. You can imagine how difficult that would be if you're used to
having more."
How much did he need? Ten thousand
dollars a month for a single guy sure sounded like plenty. "Why did
the family decide to do that? Do you know?"
Paige shook her head. "He wouldn't talk
about it. He said that it was too painful. All I know is that last
summer he went back home, then he returned, and within a few months
his family had sort of disowned him. And, because he was a link to
my son, I didn't want him to suffer."
"You became a mother to
him."
"Yes. He filled the gap in my heart
that was missing my son…and now they're both
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