Over a dinner they had prepared together, the PIs discussed the case. Emory recounted his conversation with Zyus, and Jeff filled them in on Tommy and Rue’s defunct marriage. Virginia updated them on her investigation into Spike Dean following his arrest during the mine closure. “I haven’t found anything online about him, other than a few news articles with the same info as the first. I forwarded the article to a friend of mine at Knoxville PD to see if she can find more information on him.”
Jeff asked, “What is up with these people who don’t have at least one social media account?”
Emory said, “I’m not on social media.”
“That’s because you refuse to share anything personal.”
“It’s because I was in law enforcement. You don’t want criminals learning anything about your personal life. They could use it against you.”
Looking at her phone, Virginia groaned. “Oh no.”
“What is it?” asked Jeff.
“It looks like the sheriff released the information about Blair and Tommy being killed by lightning. She read an excerpt aloud for them. “Construction tycoon’s death now blamed on lightning. In a bizarre twist, the deaths of Blair Geister and her handyman, formerly ruled natural heart attacks, are now being considered induced by lightning, the result of a mis-wired lightning rod.”
Emory sighed. “I wish he’d kept that quiet. Now the killer knows we’re looking for him.”
“If he or she didn’t already.” Jeff clinked his fork against his plate a couple of times. “I think I’m ready for bed. It’s been a long day.”
“I agree.” Emory joined his partners in scooting back from the table. “That swim today wore me out.”
Virginia snickered, but Jeff did not. “That’s not funny.”
“The one time I make a joke, and you can’t even give me a courtesy laugh.”
“Too soon. I was ready to kill that neighbor.”
Virginia headed upstairs, while the guys went down.
When they stepped into the hallway on the lower level, Emory was about to open the door to Juniper’s room when Jeff stopped him. “Emory, I’m worried about you.”
“Me? Why?”
“Well, after a near-drowning experience, people are in danger of dry-drowning up to twenty-four hours later.”
Emory let his hand drop from the doorknob. “What?”
“It’s when water gets in the lungs and irritates them, causing them to fill with fluid—”
“No, I know what it is, but I’m fine. I’m not coughing or having any problems breathing.”
“Still, I’d feel better if I could keep an eye on you until that twenty-four-hour window has passed.” Jeff opened the door to Tommy’s room and nodded toward the bed.
Emory smiled and walked through the door.
Sweating, Jeff rolled over in the bed and exhaled a great breath at the ceiling. “You, Emory Rome, are a hell-fire sermon.”
“What do you mean?” Emory asked between his own pants of air.
“Because you make my soul shudder.”
“Is that a good thing?”
Jeff tousled Emory’s hair. “It’s a great thing.”
Emory smiled at him. “I feel the same way.”
“You do? You should tell me that sometime. Hey, I just thought of something. Right before we took our river cruise—”
“Now it’s okay to joke about it?”
Jeff tilted his head to the side. “Enough time has passed. You were going to tell me something.”
Emory’s mind went to his last encounter with Anderson Alexander. The director of the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation had warned him against working with Jeff and handed him a file on his partner. When Jeff shared the story of his college boyfriend, Emory realized it related to the information contained in that file, but now he was having second thoughts about revealing everything. After a mini-debate in his head, he opted to go with his first instinct. “I found out why you’re on the government’s no-fly list.”
Jeff gasped with excitement and turned onto his side to face him. “Seriously? Why?”
“The reason you’re on the no-fly list is because you’re listed by the TBI, and thereby the FBI, as a potential terrorist for illegally transporting a biologic agent.”
“What?!” Jeff sprang up to a seated position. “That’s ridiculous! I’m not a terrorist, and I’ve never transported any agent – biologic or otherwise!”
Emory sat up too. “Actually, you might have.”
“What are you talking about?”
“You took Trevor Park’s body.”
“Is a body considered a biologic agent?”
“I wouldn’t have even thought of it until you told me your story. I guess it is, technically.”
“No. This doesn’t make sense. No one even knows for sure I took it, except you. I was questioned a couple of times but never arrested.”
“Well, the TBI must’ve suspected you strongly enough to put it in your file, even if they didn’t have enough to arrest you.”
“How do you know it’s in my file? And what file?”
Emory hesitated. “The file the TBI has on you.”
“I don’t understand. When you were still with the TBI, you said you looked it up and the reason I was on the list was redacted.”
“I recently came across an unredacted copy.” Emory left out the part about receiving it from the head of the TBI.
Jeff squinted at him. “When did this unexpected meeting between man and document occur?”
“I found out the day we closed the Crick Witch case.”
“And you waited all this time to tell me? Why?” When Emory didn’t answer, Jeff jumped off the bed and filled in the blanks. “Were you looking for evidence? Were you investigating me?”
“No, I was just waiting for the right time to tell you.”
“Right time? I would’ve told you right away, as soon as I found out.”
“All right! I didn’t believe you were guilty of anything, but you do have a tendency to take the path less legal.”
Jeff opened his mouth as if he were going to object but exhaled instead.
Emory continued his explanation. “If I’m being honest, I have to admit I had an uneasy what if feeling way, way in the back of my mind. But then when you told me about taking the body, it dawned on me that might be what the file was referring to, although…”
“What?”
“It doesn’t seem like enough, and it doesn’t explain why the computer record was redacted. Was there anything unusual about how Trevor died?”
“Other than the fact that he was twenty-one and died of the flu, no.”
“Did Trevor have a job?”
“Look, it’s been a long day, and talking about Trevor just brings up painful memories. Can we drop this for now?”
“Of course.”
Jeff slipped back under the covers. “Thanks.”
“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner.”
“Yeah. You’re at waist deep in apology debt.”
“How about I pay off a little of that debt right now.”
Jeff perked up his eyebrows. “I’m listening.”
Emory took a deep breath before speaking. “Before I was adopted, my name was Beck.”
“Beck Rome?”
“Emory Beck.”
“That’s… unexpected. Why are you telling me this?”
“I know you’ve checked on my past using Emory Rome and found nothing before college. This should tell you what you want to know.”
Jeff was silent for a second before telling him, “Come here.” He lifted his right arm, inviting Emory to rest his head on his chest.
Emory awoke to voices in the hallway outside the bedroom door, but he couldn’t discern who they belonged to. He glanced to the left at an uncovered and nude Jeff, who was sound asleep on his stomach, hugging the pillow under his face. Not wanting to wake him, Emory did a controlled fall to the floor and picked himself up to soft-step around the bed. He was about to plant his ear against the door, but it swung open. Emory jumped back and covered the front of his boxers.
Jeff pushed up from the bed. “What? Emory?” He rolled onto his back and rubbed his eyes.
“Uh, Jeff.” Emory pulled the sheet over his partner’s nakedness. “We have company.”
Jeff eyed the blonde intruder in a midnight-blue jumpsuit. “Aren’t you…”
“Rue Darcé,” she replied, still clutching the doorknob in her left hand and papers in her right. “I’m sorry. Eden led me to the room but didn’t tell me it was occupied.”
Jeff propped himself up on his elbows. “An important detail to omit.”
Emory found his pants on the floor. “Ms. Darcé, would you give us ten minutes to make ourselves more appropriate?”
“Certainly.” Rue retreated into the hallway, closing the door.
Emory slipped on his pants. “Well, that was awkward.”
Jeff tilted his head. “It was?”
“Get up. We need to dress, and you have to pack all your things so she doesn’t mistake them for Tommy Addison’s.”
A few minutes later, the PIs exited the bedroom. They found Rue sitting on the back stairs, drumming her leg with the rolled-up papers. Emory said, “The room’s all yours, Ms. Darcé.”
“Thank you, gentlemen.”
Jeff parked his suitcase in the hallway. “Will you be here for a while? We need to ask you a few questions about Tommy.”
She shook her head as she passed them. “I plan to be out of here in ten minutes.”
“Then could we talk while you pack?”
Rue agreed, and the PIs followed her back into the bedroom. She threw the papers on the bed and looked around the space. “I hope Tommy had a suitcase here. I didn’t bring any boxes.”
Jeff picked up the papers. “What is this?” He showed Emory the first page, drawing attention to Eden Geister’s name at the top.
Rue opened the closet door and glanced over at Jeff. “Eden Geister’s CV. Curriculum vitae. She asked me to consider her for my previous position, VP of Innovations. Yes!” She pulled out a camouflage suitcase and opened it on the bed. “Juniper tells me you guys think Tommy was killed by lightning?”
“Ball lightning actually,” replied Emory.
Rue grunted. “It figures the most interesting thing about Tommy would be how he died.”
Jeff dropped Eden’s CV back on the bed. “Why do you say that?”
“Tommy just wasn’t the most exciting person you’d ever meet. He was handsome, sure, and charming when he made the effort, but if the conversation didn’t revolve around sports, construction or politics, he wasn’t so much for words.”
Emory asked, “If you felt that way about him, why did you marry him?”
Rue grabbed some hanging clothes from the closet and threw them into the suitcase. “You don’t know how many times I’ve asked myself that. I’d just started at Geister. I was visiting a site, and he was there in his hardhat. Opposites attract I guess, but that engine slogs down a finite course of growing indifference until you run out of life to share. Then he went back to school to get his degree, taking an interest in a field I’ve lived and breathed for twenty years. I suppose it was sweet of him to make the effort, but you can’t force passion. It’s either there or it’s not. After he graduated, Blair gave him a shot at the corporate life – put him in charge of a small team working on The Monolith. He was… managing, propped up by those around him, but even those crutches broke after our divorce. Blair was going to fire him, but I pleaded with her not to. I knew she was looking for someone to oversee some work at her house, and I asked her to transfer him. The job came with a place to stay, so I didn’t feel as guilty about taking the house.”
Emory asked, “Was Mr. Addison close to his son?”
Rue shot him a puzzled look. “Why are you asking about Liam?”
“We were just wondering why he didn’t have any photos of him.”
Rue emitted a tiny laugh. “I don’t think it would’ve occurred to him to print and frame a photo. He has plenty on his phone, I’m sure. I’ve texted some to him.”
“Does Liam text him?” asked Jeff.
Finished with the closet, Rue started emptying the dresser drawers. “He’s eleven. I know I’m in the minority, but I don’t believe children should have their own phone. I’ve told him I’ll get him one when he enters high school.” Rue examined a scroll of papers from one of the bottom drawers before tossing it on the bed. “Don’t need that.”
Jeff grabbed the scroll. “How often did they see each other?”
“I have full custody.”
While she cleaned out the last drawer, Jeff unrolled the scroll. “Are these blueprints?”
“Architectural drawings. The section of The Monolith Tommy was working on before he moved down here.” She struggled to close the suitcase.
Emory jumped to her aid. “We’ll get that for you.”
“Thank you.” Rue stepped aside to let the PIs work on closing the suitcase. “I’m usually a much neater packer, but I’m just dropping this off at a donation bin.”
Once the suitcase was closed, Jeff lowered it from the bed and rolled it toward Rue. She grabbed the architectural drawings and the suitcase. “I do hope you find out who killed Blair and Tommy.”
Emory picked up the other papers on the bed. “You forgot Eden’s CV.”
Rue pursed the left side of her lips. “You can just toss that.” She left the room with the guys trailing her. “If you need to ask me anything else, I start working from the new offices in The Monolith tomorrow. You can reach me there.”
“We’ll help you to your car.” Emory took possession of the suitcase.
“Thank you.”
The PIs followed Rue to her luxury SUV, and she opened the back. “Would you let Juniper know I can’t get Tommy’s truck today? Actually, it’d be great if she could just donate it for me so I don’t have to deal with it.”
“What truck?” asked Jeff.
“I think she said it’s in the garage.”
Emory loaded the suitcase into the car. “Oh, I didn’t realize that was his truck.”
Jeff nodded toward an oncoming orange sportscar. “Who is this in the Lotus?”
The car zoomed past them and came to a screeching halt. Myles Godfrey exited the driver side. “Good morning, gentlemen. Rue.”
Without acknowledging him, Rue got into her car and drove away.
Jeff bent down to look inside Myles’ car. “Emory, you’re not going to believe who’s with him.”
Emory’s jaw dropped when he saw a masked Zyus Drake step out of the passenger side. “Holy crap.”
“Hi guys. Myles, this is Emory and Jeff. They’re private investigators who are figuring out what happened with Blair.”
Emory asked, “You’re working with Mr. Godfrey now?”
Zyus nodded. “No one knows Blair’s work better than him.”
Myles sized up the PIs. “As I understand it, Blair’s will did not specify an inheritor for any of her properties, except for this estate. They’re either part of this Pangram Box or the residuary clause that’s being read tomorrow.”
Jeff stared down at Myles. “What’s in it for you?”
Zyus answered for him. “I promised Mr. Godfrey if he helps me find the Pangram Box and the deed to The Monolith is in it, I’d sell it to him for a quarter of its value.”
Emory asked, “Why would you do that?”
“Twenty-five percent of millions is better than zero percent, which is all I’ll have if I don’t find it in the next twenty-three hours.”
“Speaking of which…” Myles placed a hand on Zyus’ back. “Times a wasting.”
While Myles and Zyus walked away, Jeff clenched the left side of his face. “What do you want to do?”
“I want to find that Box before they do so Zyus won’t owe Myles Godfrey a thing.”
“Works for me.” Jeff pulled his keys from his pocket. “And I want to key this car.”
Emory grabbed his wrist. “No!”
Jeff grinned. “Come on. I’ve never damaged anything this expensive before.”
Emory pulled him away from the car. “Somehow, I don’t believe that’s true.”