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Greg and Darcy left after an early dinner, and I stayed in my room for the most part to rest, avoiding the stairs and my mother-in-law. Seth and Stevie came in for a while after dinner to ask for help with homework, but Grace stayed with me all evening, preferring to watch television and running back and forth to her room to grab more books for me to read. She dozed off in my bed at eight o’clock, and to Helen’s chagrin, I let her stay there.
“It isn’t good for children to sleep in their parents’ bed,” Helen insisted. “She’s not a baby anymore.”
I struggled to keep my voice calm. “It’s only for one night. I doubt she’ll develop any bad long-term habits.”
Annoyed, Helen had flounced out of my bedroom, and the rest of the evening passed uneventfully. I didn’t see her again until the next morning when she came upstairs to tell Grace that breakfast was ready. I’d then gone in to take a shower and had to admit there was some blessing in disguise to having Helen there, as it took me longer to bathe and dress than usual due to my injuries.
After I had donned a pair of flats, I descended the staircase, taking extra care not to put any extra pressure on my sore ankle. As I neared the first floor, I overheard Helen talking to the twins and Grace in that sweet and phony voice of hers.
“Grace, sit down before you spill something,” Helen warned.
“But I need more syrup for my pancakes!” Grace cried.
“Then ask and Grandma will get it for you.” Helen’s voice had turned sweeter than maple syrup. “Now, I have your lunches all ready. As soon as your brothers get on the bus, I’ll drive you to school, sweetheart.”
“Why can’t Mommy take me?” Grace whined.
“Because Grandma is going to take you,” Helen said firmly, as if that explained everything. “Won’t that be fun? You get to ride in a clean car today.”
I mumbled a curse word under my breath.
“Why do you always say such rotten things about Mom?” Seth wanted to know.
A stunned silence followed. I stood at the bottom of the stairs, daring not to breathe as I waited for Helen’s reply.
Helen laughed nervously. “Why, I wasn’t saying anything bad about your mother, dear.”
“You never say anything nice about her,” Stevie added. “Why don’t you like her?”
“You don’t like my mommy?” Grace cried.
Helen’s voice became irritated. “Well, of course I like your mother. After all, I wouldn’t have such darling grandchildren without her, would I?”
In all the years that Helen has stalked down to me, I’d always tried to show her some respect in return, especially if my children were present. I didn’t want them to think poorly of her even though I couldn’t stomach her. It seemed that they’d seen her true colors all along. Oh, Helen. You reap what you sow.
I dangled my car keys noisily to give them some type of warning so that my arrival wouldn’t come as a surprise. Grace heard the noise and came running out of the kitchen.
“Mommy! Will you take me to school? Please?”
It was hard to deny that sweet little face anything, but I glanced over at Helen first to see her reaction. I almost felt sorry that she was being spurned by her granddaughter. Helen gave me an icy glare in return and looked away.
I gently stroked the top of Grace’s head. “Get your bookbag, baby.”
The bus arrived at that moment, its lights flashing and horn honking. Seth grabbed his bookbag and ran out the door. “Later, Grandma! Bye, Mom!”
Seth gulped the rest of his milk and, to my surprise, ran over and gave me a hug. He’d stopped doing that when he was nine.
“Have a good day,” I said.
“Bye, Grandma!” he shouted, and slammed the door behind him.
Helen’s face had turned as red as a tomato. Score, Cindy one, Helen zero. I poured myself a cup of coffee and sat down at the table to wait for Grace.
Helen grabbed the dishes from the table and practically tossed them into the sink. I stared up at the sound of the noise. “Is something wrong?”
She whirled around from the sink. “My grandchildren never want to spend any time with me, and I think that’s your fault.”
Oh brother. I wasn’t in the mood for this. “That’s not true.”
“It is true,” Helen snarled. “I had to bribe Darcy to go shopping with me the other day. It’s as if you’ve poisoned their minds against me.”
I put down my cup and met her direct gaze. “I would never stoop that low. That’s more your department.”
Her blue eyes widened in shock, and she pointed her finger at her chest. “Me? I’d never do such a thing.”
Yeah, right. “We’ll never be close, Helen, but that doesn’t mean I want my kids to dislike you. Years ago, Greg asked you to treat me with respect, but you still won’t do it. I want my children to be close to their only living grandparent, and I have no problem with you spending time with them. But for the last time, please don’t say hateful things about me in front of them. Treat me with the respect that I give you.”
Helen’s mouth tightened. “I didn’t say anything—”
“Yes, you did,” I interrupted. “I heard everything on my way down the stairs.”
There was an awkward silence. “I’m sorry,” she said stiffly. “I suppose you want me to leave now.”
Before I could answer, Grace rushed into the room. “I’m ready to go, Mommy!”
I picked up my car keys from the table. “Gracie, Mommy has to go see Uncle Jacques later. Grandma’s going to pick you up from school.”
“Okay,” Grace agreed. She ran over and hugged Helen around the legs. “Bye, Grandma!”
I opened the door for Grace and started to follow her out. Helen was standing there, a shocked expression on her face. I forced a smile to my lips. “Be sure to lock up when you leave.”
***
After Grace was settled in her classroom, I returned to my car. I sat there for several minutes, trying to muster my courage together. I had to make a phone call that I wasn’t looking forward to, but it couldn’t be helped. Finally, I took out my phone and dialed Pam’s number. After several rings, she answered.
“Hi, Pam,” I said cheerfully. “How are you?”
“Cindy.” There was an undercurrent of anger to her tone. “I’ve been looking for my termination letter. When are you going to send it? I keep checking my email, but it’s never there.”
I’d secretly been hoping that she’d had a couple of belts already and might not have remembered about the contract. Then again, it was only nine thirty in the morning. It was awful of me to think this, but I did have my reasons. “I’m sorry, Pam, but I’ve been in the hospital.”
Her tone changed to one of concern. “Are you hurt?”
“I broke my wrist jumping out of the office building Saturday night,” I said. “Someone deliberately set Forte Realty on fire.”
Pam gasped. “Oh, my God. That’s terrible. Was anyone else hurt?”
“No. I was the only one there at the time. It was right after I’d talked to you.”
We both were silent, waiting for the other one to say something. Finally, Pam spoke up. “What does this have to do with me?”
“I didn’t say it had anything to do with you. But I do believe that it might be related to Kevin’s death.”
“I’m not following you.”
“Pam,” I said quietly. “Someone doesn’t like it that I’ve been asking questions about your husband’s death. They wanted to shut me up—permanently.”
She started to laugh. “That’s ridiculous! It’s not like you have any proof of who the killer is, so why would anyone want to harm you?”
“When we spoke Saturday night, you told me that you had Kevin’s ring.”
“So what? He was my husband. It belongs to me now.”
Pam sounded defensive. She’d become a completely different person, and the realization made me sad. “That’s not why I’m asking. Can I see the ring?”
“What for?” she asked suspiciously.
Because I don’t believe you have it. I cleared my throat. “I’d like to see it and put my mind at ease.”
“You’re not making any sense,” she said angrily. “Why do you keep asking about his stupid ring?”
“I think that whoever killed him, took the ring. How else would you explain its disappearance?”
“So, you’re saying that I killed him?” She sounded shocked.
In frustration, I closed my eyes. This was not going the way I had hoped. “No. To tell you the truth, I don’t believe you have it. Maybe you’re protecting someone.”
The silence on Pam’s end was loud and deafening. “Like whom? Honestly, Cindy, are you sure that you haven’t had a few drinks this morning? This makes no sense. I have the ring and I didn’t kill Kevin. Are you satisfied?”
“Could I come by and see it then? Maybe when I pick up the lockbox?” I asked hopefully.
“Oh, I get it,” Pam said. “You’re not going to take down the listing until I let you see the ring. I never thought you’d stoop this low.”
What the heck was she talking about? “That’s not what I meant. I told you I’d just like to see it. That’s all.”
“Well, you can forget it!” Pam snapped. “I thought you were my friend, but I guess I was wrong.”
“Pam, you asked me to help you.”
“I only asked you to talk to Kevin’s trampy girlfriend. She’s the one who killed him. But for some reason, you’re convinced it’s me.” Her voice turned vicious. “And I am not going to show you the ring. Why should I? Who cares what you think? You’re just a dumb little housewife who can’t even sell real estate.”
Her words wounded me deeply. “Why are you acting like this?”
“I’m going to tell you this one last time.” Pam warned. “Get me the termination letter today or I’ll get a lawyer. I’ll ask Carmine to take care of it.”
A-ha. A light bulb switched on in my brain. “Carmine is also a real estate attorney?”
She chose to ignore the question. “Goodbye, Cindy. Don’t ever call me again.”
The line went dead.
I was still in shock over everything she had said to me. In frustration, I tapped on my phone screen for Jacque’s number. He picked up immediately.
“Good morning, sunshine,” he teased. “And what can I do for you on this fine fall day? Wait, don’t tell me. You’ve found some expired For Sale by Owner listings.”
“I need someone to calm me down.”
“Uh oh, this doesn’t sound good,” Jacques mused. “Let me guess—the mother-in-law from hell is at it again.”
I blew out a breath. “No. Well, she is, but that’s another story. I just talked to Pam and asked her to show me Kevin’s ring. She went ballistic.” I relayed our conversation.
“She was trying to cover up for the fact that she doesn’t have it,” Jacques said. “Then why did she lie about it?”
“I don’t know. Maybe she’s protecting someone?”
“Like whom?” Jacques asked. “One of her sons? Or maybe Denise?”
I started the engine, switched Jacques’ call to my hands free, and drove out of the parking lot. “I don’t know what reason Denise would have for wanting Kevin dead, except for the fact that she didn’t like the way he treated Pam. Nate and Max are possibilities. Pam also told me that if I didn’t stay out of it, she was going to get a lawyer.”
"She’s the one who asked you to help her in the first place!” Jacques cried.
“I know, which is the strange part. And who do you think she said she’d get to represent her? None other than Carmine, who happens to also be in real estate law.”
Jacques gasped on the other end. “Holy Toledo. Then he is up to something with Tony.”
“We don’t know that for certain,” I said.
“Maybe she’s fooling around with Carmine,” Jacques guessed. “What are you going to do now?”
"I think you already know the answer to that question.”
Jacques gasped on the other end. “Cin! You’re not thinking about doing what I think you are?”
“We need to search the house and see if we can find the ring.”
“Cynthia York.” Jacques could barely control the excitement in his voice. “I am shocked that you would suggest such a thing.”
“No, you’re not!” I laughed.
“Have you removed the lockbox yet?”
I moved onto the highway, in the direction of Saratoga. “No, but I’m on my way to Pam’s house to get it. If she’s home, I’ll have to wait for another time to go inside.”
“La, la, la,” Jacques sang. “I’m not listening to any of this.”
“Oh, whatever. Look, I’ll call and let you know what I find. Don’t expect to hear from me for at least an hour or so. I’m stopping off at a pawn shop first, to see if the ring might be there.”
Jacques stopped singing. “Darling, please be careful. Honestly, I’m still not sure that you should be doing this.”
“Oh, come on,” I teased. “I can’t end my short-term career with unfinished business, can I?”
“It may be too late for Pam’s house,” Jacques conceded, “but if you think that I’m going to let you off the hook that easily, you don’t know me very well, dear.”