Chapter 10
Paradise’s pulse kicked at the thought that Wes might know more than Trisha. She took a sip of the sweet tea. It was delicious
and tasted like it had been brewed by the strong Alabama sun on their back deck. “You went to college with my dad, too, didn’t
you?”
Wes lowered his bulk to the love seat beside his wife. “We roomed together. Granger’s death gutted me. A close friend like
that doesn’t come along every day.” He shot a glance at his wife. “I’ve kept this bottled up for decades, even from my wife.”
Trisha gave a start and stared at him.
He patted her knee, and she put her hand on top of his. “Granger had been ‘off’ about a week before the murders.” Wes glanced
at Drew and Blake. “Guys don’t share stuff like women do. I figured if it was important enough, he’d say something.”
Paradise searched her memories for any hint that her dad hadn’t been himself and came up empty, but she’d been a kid and unlikely
to notice. She had so many questions, but she kept silent so she didn’t stop his flow of words.
“He called me a couple of hours before he died.”
Trisha gasped but said nothing, and Wes continued. “Granger talked to the PI who left the message. Guy by the name of William Fletcher. He said he was trying to prevent a tragedy.” Wes’s eyes were wet when his gaze went to Paradise. “I guess he failed.”
The enormity of the revelation dried her tongue. “So William knew someone planned to hurt my parents?”
“Granger said this Fletcher guy warned him to take you and your mom away on vacation or something until he had a chance to
find out more. That’s why your dad came home early. He called me from the road. He’d asked your mom to pack for a trip, and
she refused. She told him she was going to leave him.” Wes’s Adam’s apple bobbed in his neck. “It’s hard to hear a grown man
cry.”
Paradise’s eyes burned. Her dad had been so strong, so loving and kind. “I saw a man kiss my mom. I couldn’t remember much
of what happened until recently when it started to come back. I found an October entry in my diary about it.”
“Do you remember what he looked like?” Drew asked.
“Not really. I only saw the back of his head. He had dark hair and was taller than Dad maybe. That’s it.”
Wes shifted in his chair. “Your dad suspected her first boyfriend had come back, but the bigger piece of news for you is that
Fletcher said the guy had a lot of money and was connected. Granger wasn’t sure if that meant a mob connection or power. He
suspected the guy might be from an influential family in politics though. He didn’t tell me why he thought that. Maybe it
was something Becky said.”
Drew leaned forward. “So let me get this straight—Fletcher basically told Granger someone wanted to prevent Becky from getting
back together with my unknown father and might harm them to make sure it didn’t happen.”
“That’s the gist of it.”
“Who hired Fletcher?” Drew asked.
“The PI told Granger he was hired by an ‘interested party.’” Wes put air quotes around the words.
“That could mean anyone,” Drew said. “A spouse, a parent running for office who didn’t want his kid to ruin his reputation.
Even a partner who thought it could derail their business. Any idea where this Fletcher lived? I’d like to talk to him.”
“His phone number was from Pascagoula. That was all Granger knew.”
Drew pulled out his phone. “He might still live there. It’s worth checking out.” He tapped on the screen. “I’ll have my partner
check on the man’s whereabouts.”
“I should have told the cops about it, but I didn’t want to drag Becky’s name through the mud. She was a good friend even
though I hated what she was about to do to Granger.”
“The cops might have brought their killer to justice if they’d had any idea where to look.” Drew’s clipped voice and tight
jaw revealed his disgust. “Fletcher might not even be alive now. I read the investigation files, and there was no mention
of Becky having another child. That direction was never checked out.”
“I—I can’t believe it.” Trisha set her glass of tea on the table in front of her. “I never would have dreamed Becky would
get back with him when he had deceived her like that. And she never told me she’d been in contact with Ben.”
“She was getting a little older, and maybe the pull of her first love was stronger than she realized when he showed back up.”
Paradise had never gotten over Blake either, and it hadn’t taken long for her to realize she still loved him. The minute she
looked into his blue eyes again, she’d been swept up in a cauldron of emotions from her teen years.
She wiped the moisture from her cold glass and swallowed the last of her tea before she rose. “Thanks for your honesty, both of you. We’ll let you get back to your day.”
Drew rose and handed Wes his card. “Call me if you think of anything else.” Wes nodded and slipped it in the pocket of his
tee. “I’ll be in town awhile.”
Paradise took Blake’s hand and tried to think of the next move. This changed everything.
Blake had watched Paradise through dinner and her interactions with the boys at Mom’s house. She’d tried to keep up a good
front, but he’d seen the shadows in her amber eyes.
They kissed the boys good night and headed for the back deck. Drew was holed up in Blake’s apartment over the garage, and
Blake had been waiting for some time alone with Paradise. They stepped out into the night lit by stars and a sliver of moon.
The scents of grass and camellias wafted on the breeze. An owl hooted in the distance, and monkeys chattered in response.
He spotted one of her hair ties on the floorboard and picked it up. “You have a hard time hanging on to these things.”
She took it from him. “They flip out of my fingers.”
A tiger chuffed, and he turned that way. “Sounds like Evan is feeding the big cats.”
She leaned against his chest. “There’s nothing like the sound of the park at night. The animals moving to rest or to prowl
around their acreage. There’s a feeling of contentment—that all is right with their world and ours. I can’t imagine living
anywhere else.”
“I can’t imagine having anyone but you to share it with.” He kissed her, relishing the taste of her lips and the way she leaned against him with total trust. She pulled away and rested her cheek back against his chest.
He’d gotten a text that her ring was ready for pickup, and he was awed when he saw it. Hez was going to return the favor of
taking pictures when Blake asked her to marry him, but he still couldn’t decide where or how to do it. Aboard a Gulf dinner
cruise? On a walk through the park? Here at home with his little brothers so she realized how much the whole family loved
her?
There were so many choices. Now that the park was on stable financial ground, thanks to Governor George, nothing was standing
in the way of looking for a house of their own. He loved his family and knew Paradise did too—but the thought of having their
own place to start a new life together was an amazing thing.
His mother poked her head out the open door. “The governor texted. She’s sending her aide over tomorrow to arrange another
visit with her grandson and the press.”
Paradise lifted her head. “That’s great news! We’d better prepare for another surge in visitors after the media gets here
again.”
“I need to hire a few more people. Another employee or two for the gift shop and maybe more tour guides.” Jenna ducked back
inside.
“It’s so great to hear the optimism in her voice,” Paradise said. “You have both been under so much pressure lately. It’s
hard to believe things are on the upswing here.” She fell silent. “Today was . . . interesting.”
“How do you feel about what you learned?”
“Shocked. The thought that Mom would leave Dad and take me with her doesn’t sound like her. She was so much about family.”
Paradise took a step back. “If she would do something like that, she must have loved Ben very much.”
“Want to take a walk?”
She nodded. “Stretching my legs might let me absorb everything we’ve learned. What if that PI is still alive? We might solve all of this very quickly.”
Blake didn’t want to burst her bubble, but he had an uneasy feeling it wouldn’t be that simple. He took her hand, and they
went down the steps into the thick grass. It was time to mow again. The list of things to do seemed never-ending, but he loved
the continual activity.
Right after sunset was his favorite time of day. The air smelled sweet and fresh, and the darkness softened the edges, hiding
the maintenance that needed to be done on some of the buildings. One thing at a time. They were getting there. The bills were
paid, and they had enough money to tackle more urgent projects.
He spotted Evan strolling the tree line and nodded toward him. They reached the side of the building and an engine growled
its way angrily into the parking lot. Tires squealed as the driver stomped on the brake and brought the vehicle to a halt.
“Someone sounds upset,” Blake said. “Maybe you should go inside.”
“It’s probably Creed. Evan mentioned he saw him in town. I was expecting him to come here the minute he got back.”
Blake paused and exhaled. “You’re probably right.” He stepped ahead of her into the parking lot and spotted the detective.
Greene’s face was set and angry under his sandy hair, and his hands were fisted at his sides. Still in his uniform, he stomped
toward them and stopped three feet away under a glow from the security light. “I want my lemur.”
Blake stood ready for a sudden move from Creed. “King Julien was a danger to people and was transferred to our care, Deputy.
He’s adjusting nicely. You can come by and check on him tomorrow if you like. He’s sleeping now.”
“What I’d like is for you to put him in the cage I brought. I’ll take him home.”
Paradise stepped to Blake’s side. “He was in bad shape. He wasn’t being fed properly, and he’s diabetic. He has some other
problems as well, including malnourishment. We got an order from the state allowing us to remove him from your custody. He’s
ours now.”
“You have no right to do that.” Greene started to move past them.
Blake stepped to his right to bar the deputy’s progress. “Keeping him in good health won’t be cheap. He needs diabetes medicine
and more fresh fruits and vegetables. He’s a primate and shouldn’t be penned in a crate. We’ll take good care of him and you
can visit whenever you like.”
Greene’s green eyes narrowed, and he hesitated before stalking back toward his truck. “You haven’t heard the last of this,”
he shot over his shoulder before he got into his pickup and drove off.
“I think I’d better let Rod know so he’s prepared to deal with Creed,” Paradise said.
“I think I’ll put up a security camera in the lemur habitat too. Greene is unpredictable.”
She took Blake’s hand. “Forget about him for now. Let’s take a walk down by the pond and listen to the frogs and katydids.
I don’t want to think about anything right now but being with you. It feels like we haven’t had any time together in weeks.
Tomorrow we can decide our next steps, but not right now.”
The pond was a nice, long hike, well away from other people. “That’s the best idea I’ve heard all week.”