I see you, her expression read.
“She’s not going to give them anything,” Katherine said. “Her sister didn’t when she was questioned. And her partner attacked me in my own home.”
“Silence worked,” Megan said. “The jury found her sister not guilty in that case.”
“But here they have your testimony,” Toni said. “Yours and hopefully Rodney’s. They found the stolen grapevines in her greenhouse. That has to be enough to at least convict her of theft. Not to mention attempted murder.”
“But they can’t prove anything about the actual murder,” Megan said. “They can’t even prove there was a murder. All they have is blood, no body and no person reported missing.”
“I hate to admit they could get away with that part,” Toni said. “But these hills are pretty dense. If you wanted to hide a body out there, you could.”
“I’m going to try to talk to Rodney,” Megan said. “I think he’ll talk to me alone.”
Angela kept her eyes trained on the mirror, seeming to stare at the three of them as Drew and her attorney continued their tense exchange.
“I get nothing from her,” Toni said. “Not anger. Not pride. She’s just like a big empty hole.”
“I told you,” Katherine said. “Sociopath.”
Someone tapped on the door, and they turned. Henry opened the door with a tiny bundle in his arms. “Hey. I think someone is hungry.”
Toni grumbled, but she stood. “Come here, kid. I got you.”
Alida was three weeks old, and she and Toni had definitely figured out the whole breastfeeding thing. Toni complained about her football boobs, but Megan saw her friend’s whole face transform when she was feeding her daughter.
Toni settled Alida into the curve of her arm and tucked her rolled-up leather jacket under her elbow before she pulled up the black T-shirt with Whiskey ’n’ Mama written across the front and started to feed the baby.
“What do you think is going to happen to Fairfield Family Wines?” Katherine asked. “Or the Dolphin Cove Resort? Angela Calvo sank a lot of money into Moonstone Cove.”
“That may be something she’s counting on,” Megan said. “Are people going to be willing to convict her and lose all her money when she’s invested so much in the city?”
“Drew said they may look at a change of venue for the trial,” Toni said. “I don’t know if that would help or hurt.”
Katherine didn’t take her eyes off Angela through the window. “Well, at least we know the university is not going to change its stance on Alice Kraft’s record. They finally ruled on that. Apparently there were two professors on the ethics board who’d received anonymous threats regarding the case.”
“In her favor, or against?”
“In favor of lifting her censure,” Megan said. “They’d spoken to the police about it, but they hadn’t told the rest of the ethics committee out of fear that might influence their decision improperly.”
Megan shook her head. “Academics are weird.”
Katherine nodded. “We can be.”
“Megan, how are your kids doing?” Toni asked.
“They’re convinced their father had something to do with all this, so they’re pretty horrified, all in all. But they’ll be okay. Rodney keeps calling, and none of the kids will talk to him. Not even Cami.”
“His new girlfriend did try to kill their mom.” Toni ran her fingers through Alida’s curls. “I don’t think he should ever get to see them again.”
“I don’t think that’ll be up to him,” Megan said. “And I don’t know what’s the best thing for the kids.”
“How are they liking life at the winery?” Katherine asked.
Since they had no idea if Angela had other conspirators—or whether she might hire someone to go after Megan, Toni, and Katherine—all three of them had been taking extra precautions.
Toni and Henry had been staying with Toni’s brother for a few weeks at his place south of town. Katherine and Baxter had a police officer assigned to their house in town. And Megan, Trina, Adam, and Cami had taken over the guest rooms and the cottage at Nico’s place.
Was it convenient not having to travel for work? Yes. Did she feel pampered while all her stitches healed? Also yes.
Was it awkward to be in the same house as her possible new boyfriend, his kids, her kids, and a partridge in a pear tree?
Very much yes.
“I think we’re all pretty ready to get back to normal life,” Megan said. “It’s been nice having extra hands while I recuperated, and Nico kind of took over Cami’s driving lessons, which was a load off my mind.”
“Nico’s a really good driving teacher,” Toni piped up. “He taught me and most of the younger cousins.”
“He doesn’t seem to have that gut-wrenching fear that I have when Cami drives, so that’s definitely a plus. Still, I’m very ready to get back to normal life.”
Normal life. Boring life.
Just three nobodies from Moonstone Cove, California.
How lucky were they?
Megan wanted to plan anniversary parties and graduation celebrations. She wanted to talk down jittery brides and reassure their mothers. She wanted to arrange a wine-club party and maybe go on an actual date with Nico now that things were more normal.
And she definitely didn’t want to hear about Angela Calvo for a long, long time.
Megan watched her would-be murderer from behind the glass. The woman was perfectly coiffed, dressed in an immaculate white blouse and navy pants. Her makeup was carefully applied, and not a single hair was out of place. “Is it wrong that I feel a little sorry for her?” Megan said. “She has nothing. It seems like she has some kind of feelings for her sister, but that’s got to be the most fucked-up relationship ever.”
“Yes, it’s wrong.” Katherine looked up at Megan. “Don’t waste pity on a person with no humanity. She’s not capable of feeling anything for anyone other than herself.”
“Her sister?” Toni asked.
“No, not really. She most likely views her sister as an extension of herself. Therefore, a wrong against her sister is a wrong against her.”
“That’s messed up,” Toni said.
“Yes, it is.” Katherine nodded at the room. “I believe they’re wrapping up. Drew is making the attorney sign some papers.”
“Next, it’s Rodney’s turn.”
Megan stood and walked to the door. “I’m gonna see if I can talk to him a little before Drew puts him in the spotlight.”
She walked out to the brightly lit hallway and looked for the tall, sandy-blond man she’d been married to for over twenty years. She spotted him within minutes. His attorney was sitting with his back against a wall and a phone to his ear.
Megan gave Rodney a little wave. “Hey.”
Rodney pursed his lips but didn’t say anything.
“I’m gonna keep shoutin’ across the hall unless you come talk to me,” she said. “You want God and everybody to know your business, Rodney Carpenter?”
He scowled, but he stood and walked toward her. “I doubt I’m supposed to be talking to you.”
She looked at his lawyer, then at him. “For Pete’s sake, I’m not the police. Whatever you tell me, you can always claim I’m lying. God knows they’re not going to listen to your ex-wife, right?”
His shoulders relaxed a little, but only a little. The man was visibly shaken. He was thinner than usual, and his skin looked tired and sallow. He clearly hadn’t been sleeping well or spending much time outside.
“You look horrible,” Megan said. “Have you been eating decent food?”
“You’re not my mama, Megan.”
“No, but I have her phone number, and if you don’t take care of yourself, I’m gonna call her. I am still on that woman’s Christmas card list, and you know she’ll listen to me.”
Megan led him to a side hall where no one was sitting, all the while keeping an eye on the attorney. Something about him struck Megan as wrong. A Brioni suit wa
s way too nice for a small-town criminal-defense attorney.
“Hey, Rodney?”
“Yes?”
“I know you need a criminal-defense lawyer for all this and not Larry.”
“Larry is a tax and estate lawyer.” Rodney rolled his eyes. “He has no idea how to protect me from all these charges.”
“Right. But can I ask where you got your lawyer? Who recommended him?”
Rodney looked over his shoulder, and Megan saw the nerves in his eyes. “Angela did. She’s even helping me pay for him.”
Megan nodded. “Okay. But then I think it’s smart to ask, is this lawyer working for you? Or for Angela?”
Rodney’s jaw tightened. “What does that mean?”
“It means…” She lowered her voice. “I don’t give two shakes what happens to your girlfriend, Rodney, but you are Trina, Adam, and Cami’s daddy. I do care what happens to you.”
“Then you’ve got to stop spreading this fiction that Angela tried to kill you. I’m sure it was a misunderstanding.”
“And I’m sure she definitely tried to kill me. Multiple times.” Megan sat back in her chair. “I know about the truck, Rodney.”
His eyes widened. “How—?”
She dropped her voice to a whisper. “I know you were driving that night.”
“Do the police…? How—?”
“I told you, don’t ask me how I know. But if my guess is correct, you can place Angela in that truck right next to you.”
Rodney’s face was pale and his jaw was set in a firm, straight line.
“You can put Angela there, and maybe her sister too. I know you were driving that night, I know you hurt your ankle, and I also know that you didn’t want that man to be killed. That was not part of the deal. When you told her what Adam had discovered, you were expecting a little mischief, right?”
Rodney’s expression didn’t crack.
“You were expecting to steal some grapevines and sabotage Nico to mess with me a little, not end the night with someone dead. You didn’t pull any triggers that night, Rodney. She did. I know she did because she told me she’d done it before when she tried to kill me.”
Rodney’s face was pale, and he started darting looks at his lawyer.
He cleared his throat but kept his voice low. “My lawyer says I can’t say anything. That anything I say to the police will only implicate me.”
“I think they’re going to place you at the scene anyway,” Megan said. “Think about it. You’ve been arrested now. They have hair samples. They have fingerprints. I know you weren’t able to clean off every fingerprint on that truck—I’ve seen your attempt to clean a bathroom. They’re going to find out you were driving, and I’m willing to bet not a single one of Angela’s prints is on that truck. Just yours.”
“What do you think I should do? Megan, I can’t go to jail!”
“I don’t know what’s going to happen, but I know that your silence helps one person more than anyone else: Angela Calvo. Not you.” She spoke quickly when she saw Rodney’s attorney walking over to them. “And this is about more than just you. What kind of man do you want to be for your kids? A man who admits his mistakes and makes things right?”
“Rodney!” his lawyer shouted. “I told you not to talk to anyone.”
“Or a man who covers up the truth?” Megan kept Rodney’s eyes on her own. “A man who lies and hides from consequences of his actions?”
“Rodney, don’t say a word.”
“I know you’ll do the right thing,” she said quietly. “I know you want to be a father your kids can be proud of. You’re not like her, Rodney. You know what’s right and what’s wrong.”
“Mrs. Carpenter, I’d like you to leave my client alone.”
Megan finally looked up at him. “Your client? Is that Rodney here? Or is your client really Angela Calvo?”
The lawyer sneered. “I’m sure you’ll try to convince him that it’s the latter, but I’m only looking out for Mr. Carpenter.”
“I hope that’s true.” Megan stared at Rodney, letting her eyes bore into his. “I really hope that’s true.”
Rodney was staring straight ahead in the interview room as his lawyer said almost the exact lines that Angela Calvo’s had recited to Drew and the sergeant who was assisting him.
“Mr. Carpenter?” Drew tried to speak directly to Rodney. “Mr. Carpenter?”
Megan watched from behind the glass, willing her ex-husband to do the right thing. For his own sake and for his kids.
For once in your life, Rodney Tucker Carpenter…
“You have no reason to speak to my client,” the lawyer said, “as he will not be volunteering any information today or ever. Like Ms. Calvo, he is retaining his right to remain silent. Therefore, all your questions—”
“I know your kids, Rodney.” Drew ignored the lawyer and spoke directly to Megan’s ex. “And I’m telling you straight, I don’t think this guy is looking out for you.”
She felt tears come to her eyes. Listen to him. Please.
Drew’s words finally broke through Rodney’s frozen expression; he turned to look at the detective. “You know my kids?”
“I know Trina and Cami and Adam,” Drew said. “They’re good people, man. They deserve a father who plays things straight. A dad they can be proud of for doing the right thing even if it’s tough.”
Megan bit her lip so hard it was probably bleeding. Please listen. Please listen to him.
The lawyer started putting papers in his briefcase. “I’m ending this right now. Rodney, don’t say a word. He shouldn’t even be directing questions to—”
“Angela hired him.” Rodney spoke to Drew and nodded toward the lawyer. “She didn’t even ask me; this guy just showed up the day after they arrested her and started telling me what to do, what to say. If I ask for another attorney, can I get one?”
“Are you saying that you’d like to formally fire Mr. Gregson as your attorney of record and ask for a public defender?”
The lawyer looked panicked. “Rodney, you have to be joking. A public defender?”
“If that’s all that’s available right now, then yeah,” Rodney said quietly. “I might talk to Megan about finding me someone local though.” He glanced at his old lawyer. “Someone who’s going to work for me.”
“If that’s the case,” Drew said, “then I think we can postpone this interview so you can find counsel of your choice.”
The lawyer’s tone had turned less pleading and more menacing. “Be very careful with what you’re doing right now, Mr. Carpenter. Be very careful which friends you choose to align yourself with.”
Drew stood and moved between Gregson and Rodney. “Was that a threat, Mr. Gregson? From a member of the bar? I believe I’ll be reporting that to my superiors.”
The corner of Gregson’s mouth turned up. “Do what you like. I’m done here.” He looked at Rodney. “And you’ll regret this decision. I promise you.”
Rodney stood to his full height and looked down at the fancy lawyer. “Yeah. I don’t think I will. Tell Angela I’ll mail the stuff she left at my place to her office. I don’t have any interest in seeing her again.”
Megan felt her knees give out and she sat down hard.
“Way to go, Rodney.” She closed her eyes and nodded. “Way to go.”
Chapter 29
Two months later…
It was a Dusi family dinner like no other. Not only was it baptism day for Toni and Henry’s daughter, but it was a wedding party too.
Not a wedding mind you. Just the party.
The only nod Toni made to traditional bridal wear was a short purple veil that matched the vintage dress she wore to Vegas the weekend before, when she and Henry got married at the Elvis drive-through chapel.
Katherine, Baxter, Megan, and Nico had accompanied the unconventional wedding party out to the desert in classic convertibles they’d borrowed from Toni’s father. It was a weekend of friends, laughter, and one very loud baby interrupting th
e wedding ceremony from her car seat.
Toni was ecstatic.
Of course, spontaneous friends having spontaneous weddings meant Megan had been given three days’ notice to plan a classic-car wedding-caravan weekend and less than two weeks to plan a reception with Toni’s family, Henry’s family, and all their friends and family from Moonstone Cove.
Katherine patted Megan’s shoulder as they sat at a corner table, surveying the friendly madness. “You did an amazing job.”
“Thank you. I think it works pretty well, and all the right people are here to celebrate, which is the point. Let’s not talk about the hoops I had to jump through to make the food and the cake happen.”
She’d be paying back those favors in blood and possibly her firstborn child.
Sorry, Trina.
Katherine sipped a glass of straw-toned sparkling white from a narrow glass flute. “Of course, it helps to have a gorgeous house in the middle of a winery at your disposal.”
“That does help, yes. I’m not saying I’m dating Nico for access to his event venue—I mean his house—but it doesn’t hurt either.”
Toni walked over and plopped next to Megan and Katherine under the oak tree. “You’re awesome, Atlanta.”
“You bet your butt I am.” She glanced sideways at Toni. “Are you happy?”
Her friend grinned. “In this crowd? I’d have to wear a suit of armor if I wanted to avoid all the joy beams bouncing around this place.”
“Can I tell you,” Megan said, “I’m honestly a little surprised you two got married at all.”
“Well.” Toni made a face. “Both our families are very Catholic. And I never really minded the idea of being married, it was the getting married bit that rubbed me the wrong way. When Henry suggested the drive-through chapel, I knew that was the perfect way to go. It’s not a traditional Catholic wedding, but we can always sort that out later, you know?”
“Any fallout from your mom and dad?”
“Are you kidding? They’re just thrilled we’re not living in sin anymore and our child is no longer a bastard.”
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