Chapter 36
Warmth spread through Paradise’s chest at being in Brady’s restaurant again. She stared at the gorgeous emerald on her engagement
ring and remembered the light in Blake’s eyes when he’d asked her to marry him. This place would always be special to her
when she thought about that day and the family dinner that followed right here at this table.
She buttered a dinner roll and watched the door. “You think Bear’s avoiding us? He’s five minutes late.”
Drew lifted a brow. “Traffic?”
Abby chuckled. “I don’t think so. He might be delaying the inevitable as long as possible. At least he agreed to meet up for
dinner. Taylor too. I’m surprised your grandparents didn’t accept the invitation.”
“They gave no excuses either,” Drew said. “Just a ‘Sorry we can’t make it.’ Maybe they’re trying to preserve the warm feelings.
Though Bear was welcoming.”
Paradise glanced at the door again. “There they are.” She rose and waved.
Drew’s uncle and half sister threaded their way through the tables to this larger one toward the back of the restaurant.
Paradise had hoped to meet Taylor’s husband, Troy, but oil executives were often out of town.
Or so they’d told them at the party. She had to wonder if they were living apart. They had no children either.
Drew rose to greet them. He touched his sister’s shoulder and she stepped back before he could hug her. He shook Bear’s hand.
“Thanks for joining us.”
“Glad to spend more time with you,” Bear said. “I was pulled away so often at the party we hardly got to know you.”
Conversation paused as the server took their drink orders. Paradise smiled at Taylor. “You look lovely in that color.” Taylor’s
robin’s-egg-blue dress brought out the shade of her eyes.
“Thank you. I love your hair. I never told you that the other day.”
“Thank you. We have a common acquaintance. Governor George has been to the refuge several times and has been a great help
with saving the animals.”
Taylor smiled. “Her son Josh is a treasure.”
“He’s a good kid,” Bear said. “Tell me about how you guys came to own a refuge like The Sanctuary.”
Paradise let Blake take over, and she watched Bear’s face as he heard about the original roadside zoo owned by the Steerforths.
“I think I visited that place once. I’m a nut for big cats, especially leopards. Black panthers are my favorite. I’ll have
to come see your place before I go back to Texas. It’s not that far.”
“No, it’s not,” Blake said. “Let us know when you’re coming, and we’ll give you the grand tour.”
“Maybe Saturday? What kinds of big cats do you have?”
“Tigers, lions, ligers, jaguars, leopards, and cougars. We had a cheetah, but she was old and passed away last year. Big cats
are my favorite too. Our white tigers are very popular.”
“I look forward to the tour.” Bear took a sip of his tea.
Paradise chose her words carefully. They’d decided not to tell anyone about the car in the governor’s garage just yet. “The
governor said your families have been close for years.”
Taylor reached for a roll. “I’ve known them my whole life. When Josh applied to be my aide, I jumped on it. He’s a little
younger than me, and he’s worked for me for five years.”
Drew shot Paradise a “my turn” glance. “We’ve been thinking about how peculiar it is that Ben’s Barracuda was taken. Do you
know how he got it?”
Taylor shook her head. “It was in the garage as far back as I can remember.”
Bear put his dinner roll on the plate. “Ben was a nut for muscle cars from the time he was a kid. He talked Dad into taking
us to car shows, and the big Mopars were his favorite. He could spend hours going over specs and peering at interiors. Not
me. Bored me to death, but Dad thought it was a good bonding experience for us.” Bear reached for his drink. “He never understood
the two of us were oil and water.”
So the brothers were at odds before Pamela came into the picture. Paradise couldn’t understand it. She loved Drew dearly and
only wanted his happiness.
“It happens with siblings. Look at Cain and Abel,” Drew said.
“Well, I never thought to murder him if that’s what you’re implying.” Bear’s tone rose a notch.
“Not at all. I just meant siblings are sometimes very different. I never had the luxury of finding out firsthand until this
year.” Drew’s smile settled on Paradise. “First Paradise and now Taylor, Gray, and Parker. It’s an abundance of riches. So
about the car?”
The fire in Bear’s eyes dimmed a bit. “It was all Amelia’s doing back when we were in college.
We ran into her and her dad at one of the car shows.
Her dad had a car there in the competition, and she told Ben he had to see it.
He took one look at it and fell in love.
It had to be his. Dad laughed and told him he’d have to earn the money to buy it.
Even back then when it wasn’t worth much, it was more than Ben could afford.
After the show Amelia’s father gave it to Ben. ”
“Wow, that was generous.”
“Ben had to promise to work for him as an intern during his first summer of college. He learned a lot and his future in politics
was set. Amelia’s dad knew a lot of people, and he helped to launch Ben’s first run for state congressman. He even found Ben
his campaign manager, Angela Burns. You’ve probably met her, right?”
“Oh yes. She came to the park with the governor. She’s a powerhouse.”
“She’s never lost an election for her bosses. When Ben died, she went to work for Amelia and has been with her ever since.
She’s the loyal sort.”
“Yes, she is,” Drew said. “Did Ben and Amelia ever date?”
“In college, but it was never serious. But then, Ben was rarely serious about anyone.” Bear’s voice turned acerbic. “Ben had
a short attention span when it came to women. Cars were another matter. Most of the cars in the garage he’d had for years.
The ’Cuda was his first and favorite.”
“Do you have any idea why someone would take that car and only that car?”
“It was worth the most money.” Bear shrugged and reached for his tea. “Or maybe someone had always wanted one and couldn’t
afford it. It would be worth several million dollars today. Of course, the killer couldn’t sell it. It would immediately implicate
him.”
Paradise leaned forward. “What size shoe did Ben wear?”
Bear lifted a brow. “Strange question, but he wore a ten. So do I. That was the only way we were alike.”
“Did he have a favorite brand of sneaker?”
“Nike,” Bear said. “He was particularly fond of Air Jordan 4.”
Paradise forced her expression to go blank. The same shoe that was found at her parents’ murder scene. But Ben was dead by
then. Had someone tried to frame him?
Blake walked along the sand of the Gulf with Paradise and Drew in the twilight. Their feet were bare, and the cool sand felt
good against his soles. The whitecaps rolling to the shore in the dimming light could have been on a postcard. They’d stopped
before leaving Pascagoula to talk about what they’d learned from Bear and Taylor, but they’d all been curiously quiet about
starting the discussion.
Blake had seen it in combat. The intensity of battle could cause a need to retreat from reality in jokes, cards, and books.
The past months for them had been intense, but he could sense the resolution was nearly ready to step out of the shadows.
Closure was coming.
Paradise let go of Blake’s hand and ran to dip her feet in the waves. The wind blew her tawny hair around her face in a halo.
She kicked at the waves before twirling in a circle with her arms above her head, the picture of joy. He smiled as he watched.
She had no idea how entrancing she was.
Drew watched too. “You’re a lucky guy, Blake. You take good care of my sister. She’s one of a kind.”
“I plan to spend the next fifty or sixty years doing just that.”
A smiling Paradise returned to his side. “That was refreshing.” She headed for a grassy park area with benches ahead, and the men followed.
Blake was alert and ready to unpack what they’d learned. Paradise settled on a long bench. Drew sat on her left side and Blake
on her right. “A rose between two thorns,” he said.
Her laugh sounded forced. “We might as well talk about it. I’m not convinced Bear had nothing to do with the murders.” She
turned her attention to Drew. “He got hostile and defensive when you mentioned Cain and Abel.”
“I noticed that too. While I’m not ready to throw cuffs on him, he looks good for it.”
“When he comes on Saturday, let’s be ready with more questions. He clearly hated Ben, and it probably had to do with Pamela.”
“I think it’s more than that,” Blake said. “Bear said they were oil and water. I suspect there was a lot of jealousy going
back to childhood.”
Drew moved restlessly. “I found out something today. My former partner in Atlanta has a friend who works at the Pascagoula
PD. She told him she’d get me in to take a look at Ben’s murder files, and I’m going to do that as soon as I can, hopefully
next week. But the most interesting piece is that the toxicology report showed Ben was as high as a kite on Vicodin.”
“Did he have a prescription for pain?” Blake asked.
“Nope. It’s something the police held back from the news and the family. Someone could have dosed him with it before attacking
him with the golf club. Bludgeoning is a very up-close-and-personal type of murder. It indicates rage, and I’d say Bear has
a lot of that pent up about his brother.”
Paradise shuddered and hugged herself. “It’s hard for me to wrap my head around anyone wanting to hurt their own brother.”
Drew nudged her with his shoulder. “You mean I don’t have to watch everything you fix me to eat and drink? That’s a relief.
I’ve been awake a lot at night worrying about what you’ll do next.”
She chuckled and nudged him back. “You can never be too sure.”
He hugged her. “I’m glad we found each other, kiddo. That’s just like God to give you what you weren’t quite sure you needed.”
“Oh, I always knew I needed a brother.” Her voice wobbled.
Blake loved watching them interact. His brothers brought such joy to his life, and Drew was helping provide that firm foundation
for her. He waited until Paradise pulled away and stared out at the moon glimmering on the water. “What’s our next move?”
“Jane should have the pictures developed by tomorrow.” Drew’s phone sounded and he stared at the screen. “It’s Jane. Adams
has been captured. He’s not talking yet though.”
“And Abby is safe,” Paradise said. “You don’t have to stay out there any longer.”
Drew turned off his phone. “That too.”
Blake knew the lack of elation in his voice was only about the thought of those evenings with Abby ending. “We’re shorthanded
in the morning so I have to work. We can get the pictures in the afternoon.”
“I can get the pictures first thing tomorrow,” Paradise said. “We can reconvene after lunch and see if they hold the key to
what happened. I’m trying not to get my hopes up though. I’d like to think that Bea would have told us if it’s clear proof
of who killed our parents.”
Paradise always kept her expectations low, and it hurt Blake’s heart to know she had been taught to expect the second shoe to drop.
Her life had been one of such turmoil that she might never get over that inclination.
He hoped eventually she’d learn to rest on God’s promises and begin to look for the silver lining.