CHAPTER 55
CHAPTER
DILLON?”
Nash turned to see Mindy hurrying out from one of the home’s exterior doors. He’d been checking his emails and was about to leave.
“Yeah?
She stopped in front of him. “I. . .I could use some advice.”
“Mindy, full disclosure, even before he brought it up at dinner, Rhett had mentioned what was going on with you two.”
“Did he also mention that he hit me?”
“What?” Nash exclaimed. When she pointed to her swollen face, he added, “I asked him about that and he said you’d had some dental work done.”
“The only dental work I’ll have done is to fix a loosened tooth from when he slugged me.”
“Did you call the cops?”
“I can’t.”
“Just because he’s rich doesn’t mean he can use you for a punching bag. It’s against the law. He assaulted you, that’s a crime.”
“But I can’t prove it.”
“You don’t have to. You can tell the police your story and then they can investigate. It’s their job to prove it.”
She started to cry and Nash put his arms around her. “Mindy, it’s okay. Look, I can drive you to the police station if you want.”
“I can’t go to the police.”
“Why not?”
She stepped away from him and wiped her eyes. “Because if they come out here they might . . .”
“They might what?”
“Start snooping around and asking questions about other things.”
Nash looked down at her, his eyes narrowing. “What other things?”
“Rhett would kill me if he knew I was talking to you about this.”
“He won’t hear it from me. But what other things are you worried about?”
“Mandy needs her mother.”
“Are you planning to go somewhere without her?” said a confused Nash.
She looked back at the house. “I can’t say, Dillon. You might. . .tell someone.”
“I’m not looking to hurt you, Mindy. Or your daughter. But I think you both should leave here and get away from Rhett. You have the money. And if he’s beating you, who knows what he might do to Mandy?”
“I know that he feels trapped. And he. . .he might lash out.” She picked nervously at her nails. “You were always very kind to me when you were here. Even when I came on to you, you, well, you handled it like a gentleman.”
She looked back at the house again before facing him with a determined expression. “Rhett’s father?”
“What about him?”
She blurted out, “He didn’t kill himself. Rhett pushed him off the balcony.”
Nash didn’t react in surprise because he had long felt this was the case.
Sensing this she said, “You. . .you don’t seem shocked.”
“I know Rhett. And his story about what happened to his dad seemed lame to me. And even the police thought it was homicide. They just thought this guy Walter Nash had done it. But then he was exonerated. That left only Rhett as a suspect.”
Mindy shuddered. “No, it. . .it left me, too.”
“What exactly happened, Mindy?” he said quietly.
She told him all the details of Barton Temple’s last minutes on earth.
“So he knocked out his father in an argument and then basically blackmailed you to help get him out to the balcony, where he finished him off?”
“But I knew,” exclaimed Mindy as she teetered on her feet in her anxiety. “I’m an accessory or something. I looked it up.”
He put his hands on her shoulders to steady her. “You told him to call an ambulance and were going to when he didn’t. Then he scared you into participating in his scheme. I call that coercion.”
“But I would have been stuck with the shitty prenup if Rhett hadn’t fixed it so I got all that money. I’m as guilty as he is.”
“No, Mindy, you’re not. He killed the guy, not you. Okay, maybe you made a poor choice, but you were under immense pressure. Lots of people would have done the same.”
She said tearfully, “So that’s why I don’t want the police around. For all I know Rhett will tell them I did it. I can’t go to prison. Not with Mandy and all.”
“Look, you don’t have to call the police. But you can’t stay here if he’s beating you. If you make arrangements to go somewhere else, even temporarily until you have more permanent plans, I’ll ensure you get there safely.”
She hugged him. “Thank you, Dillon. You’re really so kind.”
“It’ll be okay, Mindy. You and your daughter can start a new life together.”
“Would. . .would you want to come along, at least for a bit? Until I got settled.”
“Mindy, my employer would not allow that. She’s counting on me for some important work and I committed to doing it for her. I can’t go back on that.”
She touched his right cheek and then kissed him on the other one.
“You really are one of the good ones, Dillon. I hope I find someone like you.”
“Just don’t jump at the first guy, and if your radar buzzes, run away, fast. You don’t need to settle for anybody, Mindy. There are good ones out there. You’ll find somebody.”
He gave her his phone number and told her to keep him in the loop. “And if you need me to drive you somewhere, or just want to talk, okay?”
“Okay.”
“And if he does anything to you again, you call me. And I’ll deal with him.”
“I will, Dillon, and thank you.”
She went back inside and Nash eased into his car.
He looked up at the facade of the Temple mansion. And Nash could have sworn he saw Rhett Temple staring down at him from an upper window.