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“I guess congratulations are in order,” Jacques said sourly as we peeled out of the parking lot. “The Romano brothers hate both of us now. We’re always reaching new aspirations, darling.”
The top was down on Jacques’ convertible, and warm wind whipped across my face. “What do you think they’re up to?”
Jacques zoomed underneath a yellow traffic light as I gripped the door handle in fear. I loved him dearly, but he was a maniac of a driver. “I’m not sure, but when you insult one Romano, you insult their entire family,” he said. They have a lot of influence in the local community. Darling, I’m worried about you.”
“If anyone was insulted today, it was you. There’s no way I’m going to let anyone treat my best friend like that.”
He reached over and patted my hand. “I appreciate the thought, but as I’ve said before, I don’t let those comments bother me. After a while you learn not to feed the monster, so to speak.”
“It doesn’t matter. No one should be treated like that. And what if Carmine was involved in Kevin’s death? Tony might be as well.”
“That’s possible.” Jacques checked his rearview mirror as he merged onto the highway. The wind blew his blond hair in all directions, and his green eyes sparkled with excitement. He loved nothing more than to be behind the wheel of his beloved car with his foot pressed against the gas pedal on a gorgeous day like this. “Sorry to say this, love, but I’m convinced that Pam is involved.”
“No. She wouldn’t kill her husband.”
Jacques sighed. “All right, let’s look at the big picture here. Katie and Carmine both have motives. Katie got Kevin to name her as the beneficiary in his life insurance policy.”
"Nate told me that his father and Carmine didn’t get along,” I said. “Which could be the result of Kevin blackmailing him, or maybe something else.”
“All the more reason to want him dead,” Jacques said grimly.
We were both silent, lost in our own thoughts as Jacques pulled his convertible into my driveway. He placed it in park and shot me a worried expression. “Cin, next time there’s a prospective buyer for Pam’s house, why don’t I do the showing? To be honest, I’m a little worried about you going there again.”
“Hey, I’m a big girl,” I reminded him.
“Yes, you are,” Jacques agreed. “It’s your decision, but frankly, I’m not sure who we can trust anymore. Besides Katie and Carmine, the entire Hilton family are also suspects. I realize Pam is your friend, but she’s bitter and angry, and not to mention, drunk about twenty-three hours a day.”
I straightened up in my seat. “Max or Nate could be the guilty party as well. Kevin was abusive to his entire family. Plus, they hated the way he treated their mother.”
Sadly, Jacques and I had learned the hard way that anyone was capable of murder. Spouses, siblings, and so-called friends at one time or another had all been designated killers.
“As Agatha Christie once said, every murderer is probably someone’s best friend,” Jacques noted cheerfully. “But we need some type of proof. Is there anything to tie the killer to Kevin’s drowning? There are no security cameras outside their house, and Denise left early that day. So, the only person who might know if Kevin had a visitor is—”
“Pam,” I said finished. “She wants me to call her after dinner, so I’ll see what I can find out.”
Jacques wiped his glasses with a handkerchief. “What do you think she wants to talk to you about?”
“No idea. Whatever it is can’t be good though.”
“Call me when you get done,” Jacques said. “I’m dying to hear all about it. Ed’s working late, so Bolin and I are having a pizza and movie night. I swear, if that kid wants to watch Harry Potter one more time, I’ll scream.”
I laughed. “Seth and Stevie are the same way. It’s the age. Thanks for the ride.”
He blew me a kiss, and then drove away.
As soon as I entered the house, Grace pounced on me, Barbie doll in hand. “Mommy, Daddy played dolls with me. He makes a better Ken than you do.”
“I’ll bet he does.” I picked her up in my arms and hugged her tightly to me. “Would you like to help me make dinner?”
“Uh huh,” she grinned. “Seth and Stevie are grounded. And Darcy’s upstairs sleeping.”
Greg came out of the kitchen with a beer in his hand. “Hi, sweetheart. Am I relieved of Barbie duty for now?”
“Yep!” Grace wriggled out of my arms and ran into the kitchen. “I’m going to help Mommy.”
Greg and I walked into the kitchen together, our arms around each other’s waist. “What did the twins do?”
“The usual,” he said. “They strung up one of Grace’s Barbies on the clothesline and told her that she’d been taken hostage. They’re upstairs doing homework—I think. Don’t worry, I’ll let them out in time for dinner. In the meantime, let’s enjoy the peace and quiet.”
Greg went outside to finish mowing the lawn, while I washed my hands in the kitchen sink and removed chicken from the fridge. I let Grace roll the drumsticks in breadcrumbs and seasoning before I placed them in the air fryer. She lost interest when I started to peel potatoes and went into the living room to watch television. Everyone in the house loved fried chicken and mashed potatoes, especially Darcy.
After I had shucked the corn and set it to boil on the stove, Darcy walked into the room. She was wearing a pink cutoff T-shirt and jeans with too many holes to count. Her phone and purse were in her hands. I watched as she grabbed a bottle of water out of the fridge.
“Renee and I are going shopping,” she said. “She’s picking me up in five minutes.”
I drained the potatoes in the sink. “Dinner’s almost ready. We’re having fried chicken and mashed potatoes. Your favorite.”
She shrugged. “Leave me a plate, and I’ll eat when I get home.”
I turned from the sink. “Darcy, I thought you came home to spend time with your family. We’ve hardly seen you.” I tried to hide the hurt in my tone, but it was impossible.
Darcy frowned. “It’s nothing personal. I want to hang out with my friends. Besides, I’ll be around here every day for the next year.”
I pretended not to hear that. “Are you really meeting up with Renee?”
“Great,” she huffed. “You don’t trust me.”
“This isn’t about trust. If you’re meeting Liam, I wish you would just come out and tell me instead of sneaking around. Why don’t you invite him inside? I’d like to get to know him a little better.”
Darcy watched me with suspicion. “You do?”
“Of course. He can join us for dinner.” God help me. Greg would go crazy, but I had to take my chances. I didn’t want to push my daughter away.
She almost smiled. “Liam’s playing with his band tonight. I really am going shopping with Renee.”
As if on cue, a horn blared from outside. Darcy opened the kitchen door and waved to someone. “Gotta go. Renee’s waiting.”
“Darcy, wait a second.”
She rolled her eyes. “What now?”
I counted to five in my head before speaking. “I would like to know the real reason you came home. If something is bothering you, you can always talk to me and Dad about it. That’s what we’re here for. You can tell us anything.”
Darcy hoisted her purse onto her shoulder. “As long as it doesn’t have to do with Liam, right?”
“This isn’t about Liam.” I took a deep breath and steadied myself. “It’s you that I’m worried about. You haven’t been the same since you broke up with Ryan last spring. I think that you’re still hurting, but that’s no reason to throw away your future. You need to put yourself first. Please do me a favor and think long and hard before making any decisions that will affect your entire life.”
Her lower lip trembled, but she remained silent.
“One more thing,” I said. “We trust you, Darcy, and we’ll always be here for you.”
Darcy’s eyes started to mist over. “Mom,” she began.
“Yes, honey?” My heart thumped wildly anticipation.
The car horn sounded again. Darcy turned away from me and reached for the doorknob. “Don’t wait up.”