Part 27 (1/2)
”And then Jerome died.”
”And Morgan was reborn.”
Sam stepped aside, allowing her to precede him through the door. They walked to the front entrance.
”There's still so much control here,” Rae observed. ”How did Danny ever end up as Deidre's P/R? Why didn't you or Morgan step up to the plate?”
”Danny insisted. Since he promised to use RS&E as his legal counsel, we thought no harm, no foul. We underestimated Danny.”
”It was after you'd agreed not to fight him on the P/R thing that you came to believe he had a connection to Camacho?”
”Of course.”
”And that's why Morgan threw the coffee at him at the funeral reception? I think I can understand--”
”Morgan threw coffee at Danny? At anyone? Where did that tale come from?”
”Where do you think?”
Sam just shook his head. They paused beside the front door. ”There's a piece of advice I'm going to give you,” said Sam. ”You may not thank me for it. Not today, anyway.”
Rae looked at him, her nod giving him permission to continue.
”Morgan and I are fortunate in that we've been given another chance at a life together. The loss of our daughter could've been the end for both of us. Instead, it's becoming our beginning.”
Your point? She started out the door, looking back a question at him.
”My point is, Mrs. Esposito, don't let the loss of your husband turn you into a bitter old woman.”
Rae dove through the open door, slamming it behind her. How dare he? The sun outside in the parking lot scalded her cheeks. Her grief, her private grief was none of his d.a.m.n business. As she threw open the door to her SUV, her reflection in the driver's side car window spoke louder than Sam's words.
The sound of her cell, the William Tell Overture, heightened her anger. The lone ranger. Yep, that was her. G.o.ddammit, so what? The musical phrase repeated, and she grabbed the phone, remembering Veronica's scheduled call.
”How'd it go?”
”Peachy.”
”What's wrong with you?” Veronica wanted to know.
”Nothing. I've got the check copies. Camacho got a wad out of this, but not as much as I thought.”
”Probably not as much as Nate Farris is getting.”
”You've heard from him?”
”Yeah,” Veronica said in a tired voice. ”He's invoking his marital communication privilege. And the stuff that didn't fall under the privilege? He's recanted.”
Chapter 50.
After Rae handed Veronica the check copies, she listened as the detective did a port-mortem on her dead case.
”We don't know where she got the injectable Demerol,” Veronica confided. ”The packet had no identifying information. We could trace the manufacturer's number on the vials and syringes, and come up with the hospital it was originally sold to, but that won't help our case if it's ruled that we had no probable cause to seize the purse. If only she'd taken the stuff out in your presence.”
”Oh, great! And maybe injected me right before you came in? Thanks a bunch, Veronica.”
”I didn't mean that.”
”So nailing Morgan for Kevin's death may be a lost cause,” Rae said, ”but what about Deidre? And JJ?”
Veronica looked at her for such a long moment that Rae knew there was something percolating. She held her breath, hoping Veronica wouldn't decide not to tell her.
Finally: ”We're certain JJ was not involved in Kevin's death.”
”You found JJ?”
Another pause--not so long this time. ”We found Kevin's cell phone in the Golden house. JJ had been texting Kevin up until the day his body was found.”
”Then you do know where JJ is?”
”We know the approximate vicinity where he was. He apparently never left the area. The calls trace to a tower in Arvada.”
”You think his brother was hiding him and just pretending to look for him?”
”Career suicide and a one-way ticket to Canyon City,” Veronica muttered. ”But now we'll never know with Reggie dead. We'll keep looking, but...”
”But you're running out of work for me on this case.”
”There'll be others,” Veronica said. ”There may still be tag ends. It's not over till it's over.”
After she left Veronica, Rae decided to swing by Danny's and collect her rain check on the grand tour, and maybe glide into the subject of Danny's rift with Morgan. Could she do this without bringing Sam's contradictory version of the events into the conversation?
It was the kind of day that made people swear they'd never leave Colorado. Other skies could never be so deep a blue. In the distance, cirrus clouds played along the tops of front range peaks.
As she approached, Rae noticed that Danny's house now had windows, so he actually had a view of the lake. Why wouldn't he want to live there? What better place to put ghosts to rest than in this beautiful setting?
Rae's anger at Sam had pa.s.sed. Now she stewed and fretted that her protracted grief hung out there in the open for all the world to see. Her emotions still not in check, she drove past Danny's, noting roofers at work, but no sign of Danny's truck. Something was different about this roof. Solar panels? Rae smiled. So like Danny to do his bit for the environment. She guessed it cost maybe twice what a normal roof would cost. He'd brought her bill current and even had enough left to do all this elaborate remodeling? He must have paid Sandy, too. And RS&E, for Gil's time. How much equity was in that erstwhile ugly house?
Rae pulled into the small parking area that preceded the Graystone Lake bridge. A single small rowboat drifted on softly rippling cerulean waters. She could see its occupant holding a fis.h.i.+ng pole, the line moving slowly with the current.
There are fish in there? She imagined her grandsons holding fis.h.i.+ng poles while she guided them in the lore her dad had taught her. Rae remembered her first trout. And for no good reason, she began to cry.
Don't be a wild goose, Rae.
I'm trying, Grandma, I'm trying.