Part 19 (1/2)

”How fortunate for you to have the inside track,” said Tess coldly.

Ken sighed. ”I don't know how fortunate it is. I didn't want to come at first. I haven't been back here in years. Since my daughter, Lisa, died. I wasn't sure I was...ready to make the trip. You know.”

”But, now that you're here, why not exploit your advantage, right?” said Tess.

Dawn glared at her daughter. ”Ken did not come here to exploit anyone.”

”How come you were in our parking area last night?” Tess demanded.

”Tess, your tone,” said Dawn sharply.

”I recognized your mother, of course, and I wanted to talk to her, but I...didn't want to intrude.”

But somehow, you brought yourself to do just that, Tess thought.

”You should have come in last night,” said Dawn. ”You did look familiar to me. I just couldn't place you. I'm really so glad to see you again.”

”I've been trying to work up my nerve. The idea of walking through that door again...” he said.

Dawn reached out her hand and placed it over his on the table. ”I'm glad you finally did. This was your home through good times, too, Ken. It wasn't all bad. You have to remember that.”

Ken shuddered and then he nodded.

”How's Mrs. Phalen?” said Tess.

Dawn gave her a warning look.

Ken looked up at Tess. ”We're divorced now. She...had a very rough time after Lisa died. She became an alcoholic. Refused to get any treatment.”

”That's too bad,” said Tess.

Ken nodded. ”I could understand it. I just couldn't live with it anymore.” He took a sip of his tea, then set the cup down carefully in front of him. ”So your mother says that at long last,” he said, ”it looks as if they've got the real killer?”

Dawn looked proudly at her daughter. ”It was Tess who figured it out,” she said.

”Really?” said Ken. ”How did that happen, Tess?”

”I'm not really in the mood for an interview,” said Tess. She turned to Dawn. ”Is Erny back?”

”In your room,” said Dawn.

Tess turned and left the kitchen. She went out into the main hallway and then around to her room. She was still fuming at Ken Phalen's question. Forget it, she thought. Another opportunist. Tess took a deep breath, tapped on the door, and walked in.

Erny was sprawled on the bed, working on the puzzle book.

Tess came and sat down on the edge of the bed. ”Hey,” she said. ”How was the walk with Leo?”

Erny shrugged. ”Good.”

”How's the head feel?”

Erny nodded. ”Good. Can I go fis.h.i.+ng tomorrow with Uncle Jake?”

”No,” said Tess, too sharply. Then she reached out and rubbed his messy hair. ”But maybe tomorrow you and I can do something fun.”

”Maybe,” he said, frowning, and pulled away from her touch. ”I'm hungry,” he said, sliding off the bed. ”I'm going to the kitchen.”

”Don't eat too many snacks,” said Tess. ”It's almost dinnertime.”

Tess followed him out into the hallway and closed the door behind her. Dawn ruffled Erny's hair as she pa.s.sed him in the hallway.

Tess looked up at her mother. ”Erny wants a snack.”

”He knows where everything is,” said Dawn.

”Where's Kenneth?” Tess asked.

”He left. I'm sure he didn't feel very welcome here. What was the meaning of that behavior anyway?” Dawn demanded. ”Kenneth was my guest.”

Tess frowned. ”Your so-called guest is a journalist, Mother. You're offering him the kind of access every one of those vultures waiting around outside the inn wants.”

Dawn shook her head. ”We were talking, Tess. Kenneth and Annette helped us in a very difficult time. I'll always be grateful to them.”

”Don't worry. You're paying him back now,” said Tess.

”I don't understand you. You were rude to him the minute you saw him.”

”I've seen him lurking around this house for days,” Tess exclaimed.

”He was trying to get up the courage to face the past,” said Dawn. ”Is that so hard for you to understand?”

Tess folded her arms over her chest. ”I don't like it. Now suddenly he finds the courage to come back? Now, when there's a story in it, that will probably earn him a bundle of money?”

”Oh Tess,” said Dawn, shaking her head. ”It's not that simple. He's suffered a great deal. He knows that I, of all people, can understand it.”

”In other words, you're an easy mark, Mother.”

Dawn shook her head. ”Tess, you've got to have a little faith in people.”

Tess thought of Ben Ramsey, acting concerned and brainstorming with her about Phoebe's killer. Calling her about Erny. Seeking her out. Flirting with her, in his own careful way. And now the handsome attorney, who had begun to invade her daydreams, was busy searching for a loophole. An excuse to get Nelson Abbott exonerated. The thought of his betrayal caused tears to spring to her eyes. But she willed them away. She couldn't call it a betrayal when he had not promised her any loyalty. h.e.l.l, he hadn't even asked her out. She had blamed his reticence on his bereavement, not his lack of interest. Now, she berated herself for imagining that he felt the same attraction which she felt. It had all been a fantasy. As painful as it was to admit, she had not really seen him for the man he was. ”Everybody suffers, Mother,” said Tess. ”That doesn't mean they deserve your trust.”

CHAPTER 20.

The next morning, the sky was a clear blue-gray and the air was cold. When Tess woke up, Erny was already gone from the room. The first thing Tess saw when she reached the hallway outside the dining room was a neat pile of newspapers sitting on the sideboard, topped by the Stone Hill Record. The headline read, ”Nelson and Lazarus Abbott-Victim's Sister Alleges: They Did It Together.” Tess's cheeks flamed as she realized that Chan Morris, no lightweight after all, had taken advantage of her unguarded remarks. She scanned the story beneath the headline, quoting the accusation she had made so irresponsibly to the publisher. Then she set the newspaper back down, hesitating, considering the possibility of hiding the entire pile of papers. She sighed and realized it was no use. She had said it and now she had to live with the result. Tess found her mother sitting with Erny, finis.h.i.+ng breakfast. Dawn looked up at her wearily.

”h.e.l.lo, darling,” Dawn said.