Chapter 30
Paradise’s feet hurt, and she’d eaten too much. The potato salad had been the best she’d ever tasted, and the beignets were
divine. Would anyone notice if she kicked off her shoes and walked down the path to the water? Blake was deep in conversation
with Victoria and Percy. Their faces glowed with animation, and she could see their liking for that man of hers on their faces.
She waited until she left the green carpet of grass behind for the oyster path, then kicked off her shoes. The cool crushed
shells underfoot felt soothing against the soles of her feet. The scent of the water drew her on past banks of azaleas, and
she followed the sound of the gentle surf until the trees and flowers petered out at a stone wall with an opening to the water.
She stepped through onto the beach and dug her toes into the warm, sugar-like sand.
She wasn’t alone.
A woman sat on the stone wall, gazing out to where blue sky met blue waves. Her gauzy white dress fluttered in the breeze,
and she pushed her long blonde hair out of her face. She appeared to be in her late twenties or early thirties.
A bird chattered angrily from somewhere, and she straightened, then caught sight of Paradise. “Well, hello.” She patted the space beside her. “Most comfortable seat in the house.”
“My feet could use a rest.” Paradise had left the chairs scattered around the party for the elderly. Victoria was age eighty,
and many of her friends were of the same generation, though Paradise hoped she looked as fit and beautiful as Drew’s grandmother
when she was that age.
The woman lifted her legs straight out to show pink-tipped bare toes. “Me too. I never feel like I fit into these things.
I’m Gray’s wife, Unity.”
“What a lovely name.”
“I try to live up to it, but it’s hard in this family. Don’t let their welcome fool you. There’s a lot of darkness behind
those smiling eyes.”
Paradise blinked at Unity’s candor. “I-I’m surprised. They’ve welcomed Drew with open arms.”
“You ever hear the saying ‘Keep your friends close and your enemies closer’? That’s their motto. Drew seems like a nice guy,
and I’d hate for him to open his heart to them only to see it trampled. Like mine.”
“You don’t have a good relationship with them?”
Unity stared at the blue water a long moment. “I probably shouldn’t have said anything.” She corralled her hair and tucked
it behind her ears. “I’m divorcing Gray. He doesn’t know yet. There are more secrets in this family than a scientist with
unfiled patents. Layers and layers of secrets. Be careful when you go looking for one that you don’t find something that knocks
you on your heels.”
“I’m sorry.” Unity’s despondency was so poignant that an unexpected moisture of film blurred Paradise’s vision. There wasn’t much she could say or do that would help, except one thing. “I’ll pray for clarity for you.”
Unity straightened. “That’s kind of you when we’re strangers.”
“Do you have children?”
“I wish we did. Maybe it would have cracked open that shell Gray has around him. He’s so closed off and remote. Being raised
in that household would warp anyone though.”
“Even Parker? He seems different.”
“He’s worse than Gray. My husband doesn’t pretend to be something he’s not. Parker sucks you in with smiles and warmth that’s
a veneer for someone who only cares about himself and what is best for him. He’d make a perfect politician. I’m not sure why
he didn’t choose that career.”
Paradise shuddered with a chill, and it wasn’t from the wind. “Thank you for telling me. Drew wants to find out who killed
our parents, and that’s our only goal.”
But Drew would be hurt by this news. The initial welcome had warmed a place inside that longed for more family. It grieved
her that he wouldn’t find it here.
“There you are.”
She turned at Blake’s familiar deep voice that always accelerated her pulse. What you saw was what you got with him. No subterfuge,
no masks. He was all kindness and encouragement.
Unity rose. “I’d better be getting back. Gray will be wondering where I am and what secrets I’m spilling.” She paused by Blake
before walking through the wall opening. “I’d suggest you hold the whole family at arm’s length. Things aren’t always as they
seem.”
Blake frowned. “What do you mean?”
“They’re good at covering up the darkness inside.”
Paradise rose and went to stand beside her. “Do you know who killed my parents?”
Unity held her gaze. “I have my suspicions, but I know better than to talk about them. I’ve said too much already.” She brushed past Blake and walked up the oyster-shell path to the echoes of voices and laughter.
Blake took her hand. “That was weird. You think she was just blowing smoke?”
“I believe her. There’s a deep strain of hurt and pain she didn’t even try to hide. She warned us not to trust the welcoming
smiles of the Collins family. I was already uneasy around them, but I told myself I was jealous and didn’t dig into why I
distrusted them.”
Paradise wanted to get her brother and get out of here before the Collinses’ tentacles wrapped them all up tight.
Blake parked behind the white convertible he’d followed from the Collinses’ home. “Nice digs.”
He’d seen more and more white homes with black window trim in the area, and the modern, clean lines appealed to him. This
one was massive with beautiful landscaping. He got out of the truck and the four of them approached the door Octavia held
open for them.
They filed into the soaring foyer behind her and followed her to the living room. The walls inside were white, too, and pale
wood floors added to the clean feel. The furniture was white and shades of beige with a few teal throw pillows. The ceilings
soared to twelve feet and the whole place felt open and expansive. It had to be new.
“Let me get those backups.” Octavia disappeared into a hallway and a door opened somewhere.
“You like this place?” Blake asked Paradise. “I thought I didn’t like modern, but it’s nice.”
She nodded. “It could use a little more color, but I love the floors and high ceilings.”
Abby touched the top of a leather chair. “Once you start thinking about building a house, it becomes an obsession. This is
beautiful.”
Blake hid a smile when he saw the way Drew watched Abby. And she couldn’t keep her gaze off him either. Drew’s decision to
move here and get a job could change a lot of things.
Octavia stepped back into the room. “I found one file folder in the cabinet as well as the backups. It’s from Ben’s final
campaign.” She held them out to Drew, who took them.
“Thanks for your help with this,” Drew said.
Octavia’s green eyes softened. “You’re very welcome. Your father was a special man, Drew.”
Paradise shifted beside Blake. “You’ve been around the Collins family a long time. Do you have any idea who might have wanted
Ben dead?”
“Ben was one of those charismatic figures who drew everyone. Even women who should have been focused on their own husbands.”
“Did Ben make a move on someone Bear loved?”
Octavia regarded her quietly a moment. “Did Unity say something? I saw you talking to her.”
Paradise squared her shoulders and glanced at her brother. “She warned us the Collins family wasn’t all it seemed. I met her
on the beach.” Paradise touched Drew’s hand. “I should have told you on the way here, but it was such a short drive and I
didn’t want our conversation to be interrupted. She wanted you to keep your guard up—that the family isn’t always what they
seem.”
A shutter came down over Drew’s eyes. “I see. I’ll keep that in mind.”
Octavia settled on a chair and kicked off her shoes. “You might as well know that Ben was engaged to another woman when Bear
started dating Pamela. Ben took one look at her and everything changed.”
Paradise gasped. “Bear dated Pamela first?”
Octavia nodded. “Ben broke his engagement and married Pamela six months after he met her. Bear never got over it and has stayed
single. Though the two brothers got along well, I think Bear moved because he couldn’t stand to watch Ben live the life that
Bear had wanted.”
Paradise twisted the engagement ring around on her finger. “Marriage didn’t seem to mean much to Ben. He was married when
he pursued my mother. Pamela would have been better off with Bear.”
Octavia relaxed in the chair and crossed her legs. “You’re probably right. Pamela was beautiful. People compared her looks
to Julia Roberts, and she was so sweet back then. The more years she stayed married to Ben, the harder she became to live
with.”
Blake rolled the words over in his head. “Did he have any other children besides the four we know about?”
She gave an elegant shrug. “Who knows? Victoria is my best friend, but some things she tends to keep very private. I had no
idea she knew about you, Drew, until you showed up. But she knew all along.”
“How did Bear find out?” Paradise asked. “About Ben and Pamela?”
“He’d noticed Pamela pulling away, being distant.
Ben broke his engagement without any explanation, and that made Bear even more suspicious.
He started following Pamela and the trail led to a hotel in Biloxi.
Bear knew the hotel manager and got a key to their room.
He caught them, um, red-handed, so to speak. ”
Drew winced. “That’s about as sleazy as it comes. Did the brothers reconcile?”
“Oh yes. Bear always loved his younger brother, and he was a very attentive uncle to Ben’s children. The year before Ben died,
Bear lost a bid for state representative and decided to give up on running for office. He loved politics so much, but he never
connected with the voters. After Ben died, he moved to Dallas and founded a polling company.”
Octavia stared off into space. “I never believed Pamela’s death was an accident. When she found the letters from Becky, she
asked me for a PI recommendation and I gave her Fletch’s information. We never told Victoria. We knew it would upset her,
so Pamela talked to me about everything.”
“What do you suspect happened?”
“I wish I knew. I don’t believe Bear would hurt his brother, if that’s what you’re thinking. I’m not so sure about Percy though.”
Paradise gasped. “His own father wouldn’t have hurt him, would he?”
Octavia lifted a brow and shrugged. “Power is everything to Percy. Ben was about to throw away generations of a good family
reputation. I’m not sure what lengths Percy might have gone to.”
Drew stared at the folder and the USB drive in his hands. “We think Granger was only killed because he came home unexpectedly.”
“I honestly don’t know what happened. Nothing makes any sense to me.”
Blake stared at the folder and drive in Drew’s hand. They needed answers, but he wasn’t sure where they’d find them.