Silence.
“Then she’s on the list,” Sam said. “We need to look into her. Now let’s talk about Henry and Rick. Personally, Henry would do anything for our dad, and yes, that includes murder. Rick? I’m not too sure about him. He seemed friendly with Mom, but I don’t think they were ever close. He’s definitely not a yes-man to Dad.”
“Henry, on the other hand,” Zack replied, “would take candy from an orphan if he thought that’s what Dad wanted him to do. From what I’ve seen, he appears to have no conscience or empathy. The only thing he cares about, apparently, is being in Dad’s favor.”
“He craves being in the inner circle,” Frankie said. “I’ve seen guys like him on the tour. They hang on to the talented players, hoping some of the shine from the fame and money might rub off on them. It’s kind of icky to watch, actually.”
“Dad is an asshole, but he’s not an idiot,” Sam declared. “He knows exactly what Henry is. I think he keeps him around for amusement and to clean up messes that he doesn’t want to deal with. Henry will do it, as long as he gets to be close to Dad. It’s a clearly dysfunctional and deeply disturbed relationship.”
“Where does that leave us?” Cooper asked. “We dig into Shayla and Henry? And maybe Kim, although I doubt Dad is going to let us anywhere near her, to be honest. And from what you say, Mark, she’s not going to suddenly break down and confess any of her past sins.”
“I’ll also ask the investigation team to look into her,” Cooper said. “Maybe there’s something we don’t know about your aunt. Plus Henry and Shayla. First, we have to find her.”
“You shouldn’t have any trouble with that,” Mark laughed. “After all, you found me.”
“Let’s not lose you again,” Frankie said, patting his hand. “We need all the sane family we can get.”
“Honey, if you think any of this family is sane, you are in for a rough awakening,” Mark said. “We’re all mad as hatters. If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em.”
And one of those hatters might be a murderer.
Tate and his siblings wouldn’t stop digging until their mother could rest in peace.
Chapter
Nineteen
Cat and Tatedrove back to his house after he closed the tavern. She hadn’t spoken much during the evening. She hadn’t known what to say. All she could see was a family still in a great deal of pain and looking for ways to make it stop hurting.
Yes, they deserved to have answers, but it wasn’t going to make them feel all better and happy. Losing their mom was still going to be painful. It might be less so, but it wasn’t going to magically fix the hole in their hearts that Lily Winslow’s disappearance and apparent death had created.
She’d wanted to talk to Tate about the job offer she’d received, but when she compared it to what he was going through, it seemed too small and petty. He was dealing with death. This was a skin care ad. In the big scheme of things, what did it matter?
“You’re quiet tonight,” he remarked as they crawled into bed. Cat had turned on a cooking program, hoping they could both unwind with a show that wouldn’t be dramatic or emotional. It was only cookies and cakes. “Is everything okay?”
“I’m fine. Why wouldn’t I be?”
Shit, she sounded defensive, and that’s the last thing she wanted. Tate, however, didn’t appear fazed by her reaction.
“Because you’ve barely said two words since you arrived at the bar,” he remarked. “I love you, Cat, but you’re a terrible liar. What’s going on? You can tell me anything.”
“I love you, too. But you have a whole lot going on right now. We can talk about it tomorrow.”
“Sweetheart, shit will still be going on tomorrow. And the day after. And the day after that. I can’t put off life because I’m having a tough day. So, talk to me. What’s going on?”
“I think you’re going to be upset,” she confessed, turning toward him in bed. “That’s another reason I’ve hesitated to tell you. It’s been going well, and I didn’t want to change that.”
Tate took a moment, seeming to ponder her words before replying.
“How about if I promise not to get upset?”
“You can’t make a promise like that.”
She wasn’t naive. It sounded like some promise they’d make to each other when they were in high school.
When the stakes were low. She wanted this second chance with Tate more than anything.
“I can make a promise that I won’t fly off the handle,” he replied. “I can promise that I’ll think through my response and control my emotions. How about that?”
