Chapter Twenty-Seven
THE NEXT DAY, DIANA shivered. She shouldn’t have come to this place where she’d never been welcome, only Adam was. But as much as she didn’t want to be here, she had to be. Was she making the biggest mistake of her life? Laredo had certainly thought so. She’d never seen him that angry.
Her pulse scattered like a frightened rabbit. She might as well have been a terrified rabbit in this large, richly furnished house and affluent neighborhood. The kind of neighborhood her parents approved of. Again, she craved the deceiving safety of alcohol—or was it safe deceit?
Instead, she lifted her chin and settled deeper into the custom-made cream-colored sofa from an in-demand designer. All the previous times, she’d perched on the sofa edge here. Now, just her nerves were on edge. “I’m going to sell my house. As I said before, you’re welcome to any of your son’s things from the house.”
This conversation with her former in-laws was bound to be as difficult as it was gut-wrenching. Everything in her felt like she’d been put through the proverbial wringer.
At least, she didn’t cower from her in-laws any longer. The realization hit her almost like the sweet wave she often felt once alcohol started working.
Her former mother-in-law bristled in her fancy armchair. Was it time for her to clutch her pearls yet? Even at home, she wore a cream-colored designer suit. Maybe she was trying to match the walls? She’d swept her gray hair up in a sophisticated updo, showing off the pearls gleaming like dewdrops in her earlobes. “How can you? That’s the memory of our son. But then, you always were selfish.”
On the contrary, Diana had been too much of a people pleaser, sacrificing her identity in the process. But arguing here would be useless. She shrugged. “You’re welcome to buy the house, then. I’ll forward you the details.”
Weariness settled in her bones. Her body and spirit could only take so much, and she was pushing herself way too far. But if she didn’t do this now, she’d never again have the courage to.
“That might be a good idea. I can look into it.” Her father-in-law, always sort of a mediator in their fights, foisted off his frosty smile.
Well, not exactly fights, more like his wife berating Diana and Diana trying to justify herself.
In his white polo T-shirt and cream slacks, he looked as if he’d just come from playing golf, and based on the golf clubs in the hall, maybe he had. Then her trained nose distinguished a faint, very faint, whiskey scent.
No, there must’ve been a time gap between the golf game and this conversation, enough to, well, self-medicate. She should feel a kindred spirit and empathy. After all, she used to self-medicate, as well, or that was the word she sometimes used. Instead, she just felt exhausted as if her body had already used up all the adrenaline it could’ve produced and now paid the price in fatigue.
She snatched an elegant white pillow and hugged it like a shield. In her new place, the pillows would be of bright hues and provide a pop of color. Like they did at every apartment Pat ever lived in. Diana was going to have accent walls. Something Adam had never wanted.
“We should’ve inherited that house to start with. We shouldn’t have to be forced to buy it.” The woman’s long ballerina-slipper-hued fingernails dug into the armchair. She’d probably gouge Diana’s eyes out with those fingernails if she had the chance.
Diana pulled her shoulders back. Once, she’d walked on eggshells around this couple. Knowing she no longer had to liberated her.
“Did you know Adam cheated on me?” Diana expected the knife to turn in her heart. But while the pain lingered there, it wasn’t as sharp today.
Maybe because Laredo’s words rang in her ears. It wasn’t her fault. She was enough. She was more than enough.
Adam’s father flinched. “No!” Often, his expressions mimicked his wife’s, but not this time.
His wife’s eyes narrowed, but no shock flared in her pale blue eyes. “Don’t try to tarnish his reputation when he’s no longer here to defend himself.”
More tiredness pressed on Diana, so much that she didn’t know how she’d be able to get up. “It’s true. People saw them kissing, and his lover admitted it.”
“Well, then you weren’t woman enough to keep him from seeking comfort elsewhere.”
Diana didn’t expect anything else from her former mother-in-law. “You knew then. But your perfect son could do no wrong in your eyes. Did you know he accused my father of stealing drugs from the hospital?”
“We considered you as coming from a good family, but apparently, we were wrong.” The woman’s lips, covered in pale pearlized lipstick, thinned. Her fingers fidgeted around her pearl bracelet. There were too many pearls here.
At least, Diana wasn’t being blinded by diamonds like during that first family dinner with her soon-to-be in-laws. No, the diamonds hadn’t blinded her then—her insecurities had. Now she was a million years away from the girl who’d thought she wasn’t adequate.
“Where’s that guy who seems to be attached to your hip? Your new boyfriend?” The woman nearly spat the words. “You didn’t honor our son’s memory for long! If at all!”
Seriously? Diana took a deep breath of air scented with orchids coming from the flowers on the round white table and concentrated on the important part. “How did you know about him?”
Just thinking of Laredo sent longing jolting through her veins. He’d been angry with her the last time they’d talked. Still, he’d been gentle.
Adam’s father shrugged. “I used to work at the hospital, so I still have connections there. I heard you were in the ER and a man stayed by your side the whole time. You left with him. I’m glad you’re okay now.”
Yet he didn’t bother to visit. It was probably for the best.
Diana leaned forward. “There’s been a suspicion that your son’s death wasn’t due to natural causes.”
The pearls scattered across the polished hardwood floor. Adam’s mother must’ve pulled on the bracelet too much. None of them got up to gather the precious pearls. Their eyes huge, mouths agape, the in-laws seemed to have difficulty gathering themselves .
“Then you must’ve had something to do with it!” Adam’s mother shrieked. “You know what they say! It’s always the spouse. Especially a spouse like you!”
Diana didn’t expect anything less in this case, either. But again, doubt needled her. Had she made a huge mistake in coming here?
Adam’s father got up and walked to his wife. Pearls crunched under his shuffled feet, and his back was hunched. He seemed to age years in mere seconds. He placed a hand on her shoulder.
That didn’t seem to have any calming effect. His wife looked up at him, rage twisting her mouth. “What? Diana had plenty of motive and opportunity. She inherited everything from our son, which is totally unfair. And maybe she discovered his... his... his transgression and wanted revenge.”
Diana sighed. “I didn’t know about his affairs then. I didn’t do it. I want to discover who did.”
Adam’s mother’s lips pursed. “We’ll see about that.” She got up. “This conversation is over. I’m going to visit our lawyer.” She ground out the words with a chilling menace. “You can see yourself out.”
Diana was in no hurry. She wasn’t angry with the woman. She even said a prayer for her. Once, she’d been terrified of her mother-in-law like a rabbit terrified of a fox. Now, she just felt pity, and a pressing fatigue.
Adam’s father flinched from the slap of the front door as if he got slapped in the face. Seconds later, a motor’s low purr announced his wife’s departure.
He didn’t show Diana to the door. Instead, he walked to the cabinet and poured himself a glass of whiskey. The scent stirred the desperate need in her stomach. It was difficult to ignore. It was always going to be difficult to ignore.
“I should’ve offered you something to drink.” He glanced back. “Whiskey? Aged twenty years. Or... white wine? Or maybe rosé?”
He knew.
She swallowed hard. “No thank you.”
He settled back in his chair, the glass in hand, and raked his fingers through his white hair. “Why do you think something sinister caused my son’s death?”
“My friend, who discovered his affair and possibly something else about him, was attacked and left for dead. Our maid died soon after he did.”
“That’s tragic. But not much to go on.” He sipped his amber drink. Ice cubes clanked in his glass.
She stared at it like a desert traveler would stare at an oasis. Fascinated, with longing, but deep inside knowing it was an illusion. Like her marriage used to be.
With an effort, she tore her gaze away from the tempting drink. “No. Not much to go on at all. That’s why it’s so surprising that a capstone was thrown from a roof at me in Port Sunshine. Then I was nearly run off the road. But then, maybe someone didn’t want me to figure things out. They wanted to stop me, badly enough to try to poison me. Can you imagine?”
“I’m sorry those things happened to you. Is there anything I can do to help?”
“You sure can.” She picked up a tiny pearl, focusing on the luminous play of sunlight on it. Her heart was broken like the bracelet on the floor, but maybe she could still string it together, pearl by pearl.
She was much more motivated now when she had someone worthy to give her heart to. Of course, if she could stay alive.
Her former father-in-law nodded. “What do you need?”
“Information.” She paused. “Considering how much you’ve worked in the medical field. I was in the ER because I was poisoned.”
He flinched. “That’s horrible. Do you need me to look at the toxin screen? To get that toxin screen to you sooner rather than later? I can still pull some strings to put a rush on it.”
She rolled the pearl between her fingers, so smooth, so slick.... “That would be nice. See, that’s what I think happened to Adam. He came home early that day, though he wasn’t supposed to. And I stayed working late, though I wasn’t supposed to. He drank something that caused heart attack symptoms.”
Adam’s father frowned. “You think the maid mixed that drink? But what was her motivation?”
“To kill me . The drink was for me, not for him. I always had a pot of tea made for me when I got home. Except for that day. I was so devastated by Adam’s death that I didn’t think about it. I should have realized. I love tea. Adam hates it. If someone wanted to poison me, that would be something to use. Hence, the recent repeat performance that sent me to the ER.”
“Tea?”
She nodded. “Chamomile tea. My favorite.”
“Why... why would he drink it?” His words were barely a whisper.
“Maybe he was agitated after breaking up with Jill Jamieson and needed to calm himself. And I constantly praised its calming effect.” That was why something needled her when she’d looked at all the teas in the Port Sunshine pharmacy. That was the reason something had nagged at her when she’d looked at the teas in her house before foolishly making a cup and drinking it.
The whiskey glass shook in his hand. “That’s ridiculous. But if it’s true, it’s a tragedy that my son paid for it. Who’d want you dead? Do you... do you think the maid was in love with him and wanted you out of the way? Or his lover? The latter could pay the maid. Or did you have any patients angry enough at you to do that?”
Diana understood now that the maid’s tears were sincere that day. The girl had messed up the job.
“I had some cranky patients, but I don’t think any of them would want me dead,” Diana said carefully.
He took several sips in a row, despite a possible throat burn. “One thing we know is that it wasn’t a man. Everyone knows men usually use guns to kill and women use poison.”
“There’s another woman who hates my guts.” She awaited his reaction. “Your wife.”
“No. She wouldn’t do that.” He shook his head. “She’d be an obvious suspect.”
“Well, it’s a cliché—the mother-in-law disliking her daughter-in-law. Yet, I don’t think there are a lot of cases of the former poisoning the latter.” But she could see his point. Sort of.
“She just... she loved our son very much. He was her life. You’ve got to understand.”
“What I don’t understand is why take such a risk again.” She rubbed her throbbing temples.
“What risk?”
“We didn’t have cameras in our house then.” Which surely her mother-in-law knew well from her son. “But six months after Adam’s death, I installed hidden cameras around the house.”
The whiskey glass slipped from the man’s hands and smashed against the hardwood floor. Amber liquid doused the pristine white pearls except for the one in Diana’s hands. She twirled the tiny ball between her fingers.
She bluffed about the cameras, but he didn’t need to know that. Not installing them was another one of her mistakes, but she just hadn’t cared enough. If she had them, they wouldn’t be having this conversation.
“But... but you told us you didn’t care for them.” His pale eyes went huge. “That it was a safe neighborhood.”
“I changed my mind.” She leaned forward. “Your wife must’ve gotten a copy of the key from Adam when he was alive. That’s why the lock wasn’t tampered with. You wore a disguise. Dark hair and beard and came late at night.”
That was the information she and Laredo received from one of her neighbors, an insomniac who’d been sitting up by the window that night. If not for the faint scent of Adam’s fancy cologne, Diana wouldn’t have put two and two together. Adam had worn the same cologne his father favored since he’d received a coming-of-age bottle from his dad for his sixteenth birthday. Like many people, Adam had been loyal to the familiar. Apparently, with the exception of loyalty to Diana. But he had to honor what he considered the legacy of his family and chose the same profession as his father, the same designs of expensive suits, the same kind of large homes with beige décor, the same kind of alcoholic drink. And the same cologne.
She watched carefully for his reaction. “With the right technology, it wasn’t difficult to figure out it was you.”
“Then why didn’t you go to the police?” His eyes empty, he looked right in front of him.
She shrugged. “We’re family. Dysfunctional. But still a family. I wanted to give you a chance to confess. And I guess I needed to know why. Have closure, maybe? You were always much nicer to me than your wife was.”
He stared at the floor and the broken shards. “You have no idea what I had to live with. How much nagging. My wife just wouldn’t stop. She thought our son deserved a different wife. More accomplished, refined, successful. Someone who could shine in high society with our son instead of shying away into a corner.”
“Unlike me?” Diana closed her eyes, then opened them.
“Probably. She persuaded me he’d be better off without you. And he clearly didn’t love you because he cheated on you. I... I had to set him free. I had to make her stop nagging. You do what’s best for your family.” He covered his face with his hands. “I never meant to hurt Adam.”
Only his daughter-in-law who wasn’t good enough.
“What a tragic mistake.” She resisted the urge to shake her head. “You must’ve been devastated.”
“Of course, I was! I had the best intentions. Well, I mean...” He lowered his hands, but he wouldn’t look her way.
She knew what he’d meant. A part of her felt sorry for him. But another part couldn’t forget how he’d hurt her best friend and could’ve killed the man Diana loved. Yes, loved. She knew it as if the sharp edge of the knife she was walking on now made her see things clearly. Her heart stirred with a simple truth. She loved Laredo with everything in her, good things and bad, and would love him for the rest of her life.
However long that might be.
Instincts screamed at her to run, get out of here, but she had a task to accomplish. “Did you kill the maid, as well?”
“No!” Her former father-in-law’s hands dropped. “She had an accident. After bleeding me dry with blackmail first.”
How convenient.
“And then you tried to kill my best friend.” Diana’s heart ached.
“I had no choice!” He threw his hands up. “She came here with accusations of my son’s infidelity and concerns someone might’ve killed him. If she hadn’t figured it all out yet, she would’ve soon.”
“Did you go to Port Sunshine to kill me?” Diana’s mind whirled. Though Marina had checked it, and he hadn’t seemed to travel there.
“No. I hired someone. Not to kill you. Just to scare you enough to stop you from searching for your friend. But you kept going. You wouldn’t stop.”
“What did you do with the car you used to take Pat to the forest?” And leave her to die there. The thought made Diana seethe.
He shrugged now as if he’d driven to the forest for a simple walk to hear the birds sing. “Pat bled all over the leather seats. I couldn’t leave that evidence. I dumped the car in the lake, then bought a new one. We could easily afford it.”
So simple. “What about those drug accusations aimed at my father?” She held her breath, waiting for the answer.
“Your father found out about my son’s infidelity and was angry. Adam needed leverage, and I hinted at what it could be. We have to look out for our children.”
She nearly slumped with relief. Her parents were cold and dismissive, but at least they weren’t dishonest.
He got up again. “I need another drink.”
She couldn’t blame him. An overwhelming thirst burned inside her, as well. “Don’t slip on the wet floor,” she said automatically.
Adam’s father chuckled. “That’s the least of my worries.”
She gasped when he turned around, a gun in his hands. He must’ve had the weapon in the liquor cabinet. “What are you doing? It doesn’t have to come to this.”
Resignation heaved from his lungs. “It didn’t have to. You should’ve let bygones be bygones. Just like your friend. I never wanted to hurt either of you.”
She stared at the person who’d never wanted to hurt anyone and yet killed one person, nearly killed another, and was about to kill her.
“Then you don’t have to do this.” She got up and stepped back, focusing on the gun barrel, then the man’s pale eyes. Both the gun barrel and the eyes were empty, but soon the former wouldn’t be.
His lips twisted in a sad smile. “You left me no choice.”