shouted.
"Alex, please," Miranda pleaded. "I don’t
care what he thinks. Maybe you should just go."
"I’m not leaving you," he said, and Miranda
found herself smiling.
Robert shook his head. "You really don’t
deserve her, but you know that already, don’t you?"
Miranda lifted her chin. "Who are you?"
"I am a son," he said. "The son of a man
ruined by a selfish family." He turned back to Lucy. "I’m surprised
you remember the names of the people you step on."
Joanna started shaking her head. "Bob, what’s
going on?"
"I’m afraid I didn’t tell you the entire
story when I approached you. My apologies," he said coldly. "But
maybe Lucy would like to fill in the rest?"
Lucy fixed her gaze on Robert. "Richard, I
think it’s time for you and Jessie to leave."
Alex squeezed Miranda’s hand. "Yes, Richard.
I think that would be best. Why don’t you take Jessie home
now?"
"I am not going anywhere!" Jessie said, and
for the first time Emily saw the resemblance between Jessie and her
aunt. "But let’s hurry it up, okay?" She looked at Lucy, who didn’t
say a word. Then Joanna. Then Richard. Then Alex. Finally, she
turned to Bob. "I guess that just leaves you again."
He looked away and turned to Alex. "Mister
Sheldon, why don’t you tell us what you remember about Tom
Bartolome’s death?"
"Excuse me?" Alex asked incredulously. "I
don’t know—I wasn’t there."
"Hmm," Robert said, turning to Joanna.
"Anything?" Then he looked at Richard. "What about you Mister
Hendrickson? Do you remember the weekend your uncle died on the
Cape?"
"Jessie, get out of here now," Richard said
quietly. But Jessie shook her head.
"I’m going to take that as a yes," Robert
said as he nodded. "I thought you might. Family secrets and all. It
was one of mine too. See, my dad was the officer assigned to
investigate Tom’s unfortunate demise."
"It was a malfunction," Richard said, but
Zainab could feel him tense up next to her.
"That’s what it looked like," Robert said.
"And that’s what my father concluded. But that wasn’t good enough,
was it Misses Hendrickson?"
"How many jet ski engines explode like that?"
Lucy’s lips trembled. "It didn’t make any sense. Tom always had top
of the line equipment."
"My father eventually agreed," Robert
conceded. "But the cash you offered didn’t hurt."
Lucy swallowed. "I didn’t force him to take
my money."
Robert's jaw tightened. "You don’t have to
force someone who’s already desperate. And don’t tell me you didn’t
know that."
"He agreed," Lucy insisted, "because it made
sense."
No one said anything for almost thirty
seconds. Finally, Emily couldn’t resist. "What made sense?"
"That his gold-digging tramp of a wife had
too much to gain by killing him for it to be a coincidence!" Lucy
spat.
"Don’t you talk about my mother like that!"
Jessie said. Emily let go of Mitch’s hand and went over to
Jessie.
Richard shook his head. "Mother, you’ve got
it all wrong."
"Yes, Lucy, he’s right," Joanna said. She
wiped her tears. "What is it going to take for you to accept what
happened?"
"Don’t you breathe a word against Tom—not
now!" Lucy shouted. Richard had never seen his mother shout.
"Tom was a pig!" Joanna exclaimed. "I don’t
care if he was your brother, he was a monster!"
"Where’s your proof?"
"Because I knew Josie!" Joanna said. "I knew
her before, and then I knew her after." Joanna closed her eyes as
if she had been looking at something revolting. "I know what
happened, and so do you."
Miranda remembered the pretty, young, sweet
woman with the reddish brown hair who used to play tea party with
her when Jessie was a baby. She’d always liked Josie, and that
period between Jessie’s birth and Josie’s death was the only time
she could remember feeling like she had a real family. "Professor
Hazlett, how did you know Josie?"
"She was one of my first students when I
became an assistant professor," Joanna said. "And she was
absolutely brilliant." She
"Alex, please," Miranda pleaded. "I don’t
care what he thinks. Maybe you should just go."
"I’m not leaving you," he said, and Miranda
found herself smiling.
Robert shook his head. "You really don’t
deserve her, but you know that already, don’t you?"
Miranda lifted her chin. "Who are you?"
"I am a son," he said. "The son of a man
ruined by a selfish family." He turned back to Lucy. "I’m surprised
you remember the names of the people you step on."
Joanna started shaking her head. "Bob, what’s
going on?"
"I’m afraid I didn’t tell you the entire
story when I approached you. My apologies," he said coldly. "But
maybe Lucy would like to fill in the rest?"
Lucy fixed her gaze on Robert. "Richard, I
think it’s time for you and Jessie to leave."
Alex squeezed Miranda’s hand. "Yes, Richard.
I think that would be best. Why don’t you take Jessie home
now?"
"I am not going anywhere!" Jessie said, and
for the first time Emily saw the resemblance between Jessie and her
aunt. "But let’s hurry it up, okay?" She looked at Lucy, who didn’t
say a word. Then Joanna. Then Richard. Then Alex. Finally, she
turned to Bob. "I guess that just leaves you again."
He looked away and turned to Alex. "Mister
Sheldon, why don’t you tell us what you remember about Tom
Bartolome’s death?"
"Excuse me?" Alex asked incredulously. "I
don’t know—I wasn’t there."
"Hmm," Robert said, turning to Joanna.
"Anything?" Then he looked at Richard. "What about you Mister
Hendrickson? Do you remember the weekend your uncle died on the
Cape?"
"Jessie, get out of here now," Richard said
quietly. But Jessie shook her head.
"I’m going to take that as a yes," Robert
said as he nodded. "I thought you might. Family secrets and all. It
was one of mine too. See, my dad was the officer assigned to
investigate Tom’s unfortunate demise."
"It was a malfunction," Richard said, but
Zainab could feel him tense up next to her.
"That’s what it looked like," Robert said.
"And that’s what my father concluded. But that wasn’t good enough,
was it Misses Hendrickson?"
"How many jet ski engines explode like that?"
Lucy’s lips trembled. "It didn’t make any sense. Tom always had top
of the line equipment."
"My father eventually agreed," Robert
conceded. "But the cash you offered didn’t hurt."
Lucy swallowed. "I didn’t force him to take
my money."
Robert's jaw tightened. "You don’t have to
force someone who’s already desperate. And don’t tell me you didn’t
know that."
"He agreed," Lucy insisted, "because it made
sense."
No one said anything for almost thirty
seconds. Finally, Emily couldn’t resist. "What made sense?"
"That his gold-digging tramp of a wife had
too much to gain by killing him for it to be a coincidence!" Lucy
spat.
"Don’t you talk about my mother like that!"
Jessie said. Emily let go of Mitch’s hand and went over to
Jessie.
Richard shook his head. "Mother, you’ve got
it all wrong."
"Yes, Lucy, he’s right," Joanna said. She
wiped her tears. "What is it going to take for you to accept what
happened?"
"Don’t you breathe a word against Tom—not
now!" Lucy shouted. Richard had never seen his mother shout.
"Tom was a pig!" Joanna exclaimed. "I don’t
care if he was your brother, he was a monster!"
"Where’s your proof?"
"Because I knew Josie!" Joanna said. "I knew
her before, and then I knew her after." Joanna closed her eyes as
if she had been looking at something revolting. "I know what
happened, and so do you."
Miranda remembered the pretty, young, sweet
woman with the reddish brown hair who used to play tea party with
her when Jessie was a baby. She’d always liked Josie, and that
period between Jessie’s birth and Josie’s death was the only time
she could remember feeling like she had a real family. "Professor
Hazlett, how did you know Josie?"
"She was one of my first students when I
became an assistant professor," Joanna said. "And she was
absolutely brilliant." She
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