Shelby laughed self-consciously. “Not much. I’ve been sleeping with her in my arms.”
I suspected I would have done the same. “I was wondering if it would be okay if we gave Jillian one of the puppies. I didn’t want to say anything without asking you first.”
“Oh! A puppy!” She turned and looked through the kitchen doorway at the three girls and their squirming bundles. “Uh, I think—Yes, I think she would like that very much.”
“Do you want to check with Carter first?”
She glanced over at her husband whose eyes were still on her. He winked and she smiled. “No, I don’t think that will be necessary.”
“He’s not allergic to them or anything?”
“No, I’m sure it will be fine, but I’ll mention it to him.” She walked back over to the fireplace where Carter and Greg were talking soccer, rugby, and marathons with Charlie, Declan, Matt, and Josh. All six males stopped talking as soon as Shelby joined them. The power of a beautiful woman.
“Jenny has suggested that Jillian might like to have one of the puppies. I thought it was a wonderful idea.”
Both men quickly concurred, and Shelby and I went into the kitchen to tell Jillian. Tears welled up in her eyes instantly and she grabbed the smallest of the four puppies, the runt, obviously her favorite. It had two black ears, a white snout, and a tongue that wouldn’t quit licking its new owner.
As if in a trance reserved for mothers, Shelby and I stood there watching the three girls with the puppies. Not one of them looked more than ten-years old at that moment as they cuddled, nuzzled, and scolded their new best friends.
Somewhere in the background I heard some clicking and noticed some light flashing and I knew MacGregor, my personal photographer, was committing images to more than memory. If I knew him, he would stay up late into the night in his darkroom, developing pictures that he would frame and present to me as soon as it was humanly possible. I would thank him later. Many times over. But at that moment, I couldn’t stop watching the three girls who would now have another reason for gathering in the park on misty Seattle mornings.
Chapter 14
“You’ll join us at The Shamrock and Thistle later tonight?” I asked Matthew. He had come to tell me they were about to leave for Joe’s. At least that was the reason he gave me. But I was his mother. I knew better. He needed some moral support and a hug. Just as Holly could reduce my self-confidence to half, Matthew’s father could reduce his to even less.
“I thought you were going to Scott’s party.”
“We are, but we’re going to the pub afterwards.”
“Is Charlie’s band playing?”
“They are.”
Almost a guarantee that his grandson would be there. He loved hearing his grandfather blare his trumpet and rasp out lyrics to old jazz tunes with The Covenant Stompers.
“Will Josh be playing his sax with them?”
“He will.”
“We’ll be there.”
I gave him a second hug. “Josh is coming with us to the party so he and Charlie can head straight to the pub from there. Mac and I will join them a little later.”
“Sounds good. It will give me something to look forward to.”
“Like the ice cream cone after the visit to the dentist?” I took his hand before he could walk away. “You’re sure you’re okay doing this?”
“Hey, Dad will be on his best behavior. Especially if he wants us to keep seeing him.”
He was right about that. No lectures on what he was doing with his life and the pitfalls of trying to make it as a writer. No subtle comments about his own athletic prowess which undoubtedly exceeded his son’s because of his far more competitive nature. But that wasn’t where my greatest concern lay.
“You think you’ll be comfortable spending a few hours with him when you haven’t yet gotten over the shock of his affair?”
He inhaled a deep breath which ended on a smile. “If I’m not, I’ll just leave and come back for Holly later.”
“You’re sure?”
“I’m sure. If you’re worried I’ll punch him—Hmm, there is that option too.”
I laughed and watched my son trot down the stairs to meet his sister who was leaning against his car, impatiently waiting. When she saw him, she looked up and waved at me. Almost as good as a hug.
When we arrived at Scott’s new home, there were several cars lining the street. I hoped they didn’t all belong to people attending his party. Fewer people would make it easier to observe the Green family dynamics. It was important that we see them interact with one another.
“Nice place,” MacGregor commented as we walked down the driveway to the craftsman style home that wasn’t all that different from Scott’s other house, except that this one would not hold the memories of a lost love that the old one had. I was glad he had found it.
Scott greeted us at the door with a hug for me and handshakes for Charlie, Josh, and MacGregor. “They’re all here,” he whispered. “Even Casey and Cat.”
“How on earth did you get them out if they’re dealing drugs?”
“They dropped the dealing charges. Turns out the reason they had such a large stash of cocaine was because they were planning a coke party.”
“Lovely.”
“Marsha even showed up. She said you called her.”
“I did. Is she okay?”
“She’s fine. She brought a date. And Mike’s wife, Val, is talking to them. She and Marsha are good friends.”
“Thanks, Scott, for doing this.”
“No problem. Make yourselves at home. It is a catered party but it’s very casual. You’ll even be able to identify the hors d’oeuvres.”
I laughed. He knew me well enough to know that fancy parties and unrecognizable food were not my thing. “Is Danny here?”
He smiled, a father’s pride. “No, he’s at my mom’s tonight. But there are some pictures of him hanging on the wall.” He nodded across the room and I gasped at the change in his son who had gone from baby to toddler overnight. “I heard the Elliot baby was found.”
“She was. Actually she was returned, left in my Volvo.”
“What a relief. They must be ecstatic.”
“They are. I don’t think Shelby’s put her down.”
MacGregor chuckled. “Carter had difficulty convincing her to let him hold Ally at Thanksgiving so she could eat her meal.”
“I’m not surprised,” Scott said. “So, are you continuing to look for the kidnapper? It sounded as if the police have dropped it. At least that’s the impression I got when I was down at the station.”
“I don’t know if they have or not, but—”
MacGregor’s arm slipped across my shoulders as he finished my sentence. “Jenny has difficulty letting these cases go until she knows everything there is to know.”
Scott nodded, an amused look on his face. This was something he knew about me, firsthand. “Well, give them all my best, would you?”
“We will,” I promised. Before we walked across the room to get a closer look at his son’s photographs, I said, “Tell me something, Scott, if you would. In college, I know the three of them were friends, but which one was Shelby’s love interest at that time? Greg or Carter?”
Scott thought for a moment, then shook his head. “It’s hard to say. I honestly don’t remember who she spent more time with. And the three of them were together so much. Why do you ask?”
“Just curious. It’s an unusual relationship the three of them have.”
“I’d have to agree with that. When the three of them are together, it’s as if no one outside of their little group exists. And if no one else did exist, they’d be quite content.”
Definitely unusual. I shivered involuntarily and told myself to focus. I was here to observe Greens, not Elliots.
George was the first Green to notice us. He quickly crossed the room to greet us. “I didn’t realize you were going to be here.” His forehead furrowed. “Work or purely social?�
�
“Both,” Charlie answered simply.
George glanced around the room before asking, “Have you learned something?”
“No more than I knew when I spoke with you this morning.”
“Your men are still tailing the suspects though, right?”
“Of course.” I could sense Charlie stopping short of mentioning that they were also keeping a protective eye on George and his wife.
He sighed in exasperation. “I just want this over, Charlie.”
“Is it beginning to wear on you, laddie?”
“It is. I haven’t been sleeping. And Judy has been having nightmares. She acts tough, but I think that last incident where she had a narrow escape, thanks to her high heel, really has her frightened.” His eyes darted across the room. I followed them, expecting to find his vulnerable wife at the other end. I was wrong. It was his ex-wife he was focused on. Did he suspect her after all?
“I see Marsha is here,” I said.
“Yes. With a date.” His words were soft, but the look in his eyes was anything but. Anger that she was enjoying her evening when he believed that she was behind these incidents and was wreaking havoc with his life? Or was it simply jealousy? If it was the latter, I wanted to remind him that he had given up the right to be jealous where his ex-wife was concerned. I managed to bite my tongue.
“I trust you’ve hired bodyguards for you and Judy?” Charlie asked.
George nodded. “I have, Charlie, despite loathing the thought of living with someone following me around all day.” We wouldn’t be introducing him to Gil anytime soon. Apparently he hadn’t noticed Charlie’s ex-student and sometimes-employee whom he had hired to tail George in order to keep him safe. Gil and Ramon and Denny were Charlie’s strongest and most agile men and if necessary could act as bodyguards in a pinch. He had selected those three to keep an eye on George and Judy in the hopes that they would protect them if the need arose.
Charlie raised his eyebrows. “At least you’ll be living now, won’t you laddie?”
George sighed and patted Charlie on the back. “You make a good point, Charlie.”
“Well, I’m glad you’ve done it. Are they here tonight?”
“Not tonight. I gave them the evening off. I didn’t want them hovering at a party.”
“Not wise, laddie.”
George paled at my father’s words. “Are you sensing something, Charlie? Do you think something’s going to happen?”
“Something already has. You and Judy could have been killed in the airport parking lot when your brakes failed. And a couple days ago, someone tried to run Judy down.”
George’s breathing almost returned to normal. Had he returned to living in that delusional bubble of invulnerability where teenagers live? Did he actually think this was all just someone acting out and that they wouldn’t actually harm them? Charlie often ran into this problem with clients. They were scared, yet their pride and ego disallowed them from taking threats seriously. Add to that their belief that they were invulnerable and they were a disaster waiting to happen.
“George,” Charlie encouraged. “You need to keep them on the job night and day.”
George’s nod came slowly. “You’re right. I’ll call them first thing in the morning.”
“Good decision, lad.” Charlie patted him on the back. “But tonight would be better.”
George nodded his consent and pulled out his cell phone as he walked away.
“I’m glad I’ve kept my men on the job,” Charlie said. “Especially since they haven’t seen hide nor hair of any bodyguards as yet.”
“You think George is just trying to appease you?” MacGregor asked.
“Who knows. Maybe he gave them the entire holiday weekend off. Let’s get to work. The sooner we solve this, the sooner they’ll be out of harm’s way.”
I looked at the gathering of Greens across the room. Judy was looking nervously up at her husband, obviously wanting him to return to her side. She was surrounded by family members who were anything but doting. Casey and Cat were ignoring her. As he talked to his sisters, Mike Green gave his sister-in-law a cursory look up and down now and then while his wife Val visited with Marsha and her extremely handsome date. Was it purely coincidence that he was six feet tall and had blond hair just like her ex? And was it my imagination that Val Green was flirting with her friend’s date? Marsha did not seem to notice. Judging from her constant gaze in our direction, she was not nearly as absorbed in their conversation as she was in ours.
I shivered and looked back at George who had put his cell away and whose focus had returned to the attractive couple. But that wasn’t what had caused me to shiver. I looked once again to the current wife who no longer appeared meek and subdued. Her intense green eyes were roaming back and forth between her husband and his ex-wife. As for George’s brother Mike, he was none too pleased that his wife Val seemed to prefer the company of Marsha’s date to his own. Jealousy was running rampant in this room. Only the twins seemed immune. But then they had their drugs to keep them warm at night.
Upon an unspoken command, George Green returned to his wife’s side. I watched and waited as he put an arm around her waist. Why I was surprised by the gesture, I wasn’t sure, except that he did not seem like the outwardly affectionate type.
Having observed my observation of the couple, MacGregor said, “He’s trying to appease her. Clearly she’s upset.”
But when he kissed her on the cheek, I looked from MacGregor to Charlie. “What do you know about their relationship?”
Charlie shrugged. “It is a wee bit strained at times, understandable under the circumstances. Sometimes he seems very concerned about her wellbeing. Other times, he seems to ignore her.” He laughed. “Typical male, I suppose. Or should I say typical—”
“Don’t go there, Charlie,” I cautioned.
“Go where?” Josh asked. When he saw the glare in my eyes, he said, “Sorry, never mind.”
I put a hand on his shoulder. “It’s okay. Charlie was just going to say, ‘typical attorney.’ His one prejudice.”
“Because you were married to one, you mean?” Josh asked innocently.
“Basically.”
“But don’t you work for a lot of attorneys, Charlie?”
We both nodded. “All the time. But one lemon in the bunch—actually several lemons—seem to have tainted them all for me,” Charlie admitted.
“You like Scott Morrison,” I pointed out.
“I do indeed. One of the few exceptions.”
“Okay, enough of this conversation. Let’s mingle, shall we?” I suggested.
Charlie and Josh went one way while MacGregor and I went the other. Our first stop was to the ex-wife’s intimate circle of three. But before we could reach them, Mike Green had pulled his wife aside and whisked her out to the back garden. Marsha introduced her date, and we made polite conversation for a few minutes before moving on.
“Which way?” I was asking myself as much as MacGregor.
He nodded toward the garden and guided me in that direction. When we spotted Mike and Val Green in the midst of what appeared to be an argument, MacGregor pulled me into his arms as if our reason for being in the garden was quite the opposite of theirs. He waltzed me around in a valiant attempt to match the music which was American jazz, not Viennese. But he was convincing as we danced closer to the spatting couple, close enough to overhear their conversation.
“What the hell’s the matter with you, Mike?” Val tried unsuccessfully to wriggle her arm free of his determined grip. Her glare was more effective. He released her.
“Flirtation doesn’t become you, Val, particularly the silly, flamboyant kind.”
“And you’re one to talk?”
“What are you talking about? I’ve been with my sisters and sister-in-law for the past half hour.”
“Maybe you weren’t actually flirting with Judy, but you’re obviously attracted to her. Tell me, Mike, is it her brain, breasts, or the fact that she�
��s your brother’s wife?”
“What the hell?” His voice softened, but we could still hear it as we feigned a romantic conversation of our own. “For your information, I loathe the woman.”
Val’s smirk was clearly visible under the flood lights. “So, it’s just lust that would cause you to want to sleep with her.”
“Nothing would cause me to sleep with that woman! I feel nothing for Judy but disdain. And perhaps a little pity.”
“Pity?” Val’s surprised response felt genuine.
Mike’s laugh seemed to dispel the marital tension. “She’s married to my brother, isn’t she?”
“Good point.” Val shook her head as her mind shifted directions. “How can Marsha still love that asshole after he cheated on her? And then to dump her for a brainless gold digger? I don’t understand.”
Mike looked as if he had suddenly taken ill, and I recalled the conversation between him and George that I had overheard at George and Judy’s party the week before. Guilt. He couldn’t very well condemn his brother when he too had cheated on his wife with his secretary.
“Nor do I,” he murmured, his voice restrained.
The comfortable silence grew into tension before Val asked the question that was still on her mind. “You’re really not attracted to Judy?”
“Why would you even think—?” He stopped as if struck by the answer to his own question. He studied his wife’s expression and said, “You know, don’t you?”
Val exhaled and turned away from her husband, then faced him once again. “I suppose I should be grateful you’re finally being honest with me.”
Honest with her? The man was cornered. Obviously she already knew the truth.
“I’m sorry, Val. I never meant for it—It just happened.” A familiar excuse. Why did cheating spouses think “it just happened” was an excuse at all? “Mandy and I were working late one night and one thing led—” He stared down at the rich damp soil beneath his feet. An attempt to ground himself and his first chakra? Probably not.
“If you’re trying to console me, you’re doing a helluva job.”
“I’m sorry, Val. Really sorry. I did end it. Right away.”
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