"Likewise." Luke addressed me, "Like I said, Sally, Colin made a lot of enemies in Florida. He had a way of pissing everyone off. He took advantage of people and borrowed money with no intentions of paying it back. I don't know if you were aware, but he almost served time once, too."
Colin had always possessed somewhat of a hot temper. He'd never laid a hand on me during our marriage but I knew he'd been fired from a job once because of a fistfight. "Another bar room brawl?"
He shook his head. "It happened right after you left him. I helped him find another part-time job. One night he didn't cut a patron off. The guy was so drunk when he left that he could barely stand."
I shut my eyes. "Oh God. The man killed someone, didn't he?"
Luke grunted. "Well, not himself, of course. There was a couple in another car when the drunk crossed over into the opposite lane. The other driver was killed on impact. His girlfriend was in the passenger seat. She walked away with minor scratches."
I covered my face with my hands. "How come I never knew this?"
"Did they press charges?" Josie asked.
"Turns out they didn't stick," Luke said. "Colin's mom hired some hotshot attorney who got him off on a technicality. The drunk driver is currently serving a term of two to five years. Sickening, huh?"
Josie snorted. "That's putting it mildly."
"I really should get in there," Luke said. He took a business card out of his trousers pocket and handed it to me. "Let me know if you need anything."
"Thanks."
Luke was silent for a few seconds. "I'm not going to lie, Sally. I've walked away from him before, too, but when he got in trouble, he'd always still call me. I was the only friend he had. I thought I was helping, but maybe I made things worse. He could be pretty convincing."
"More like manipulative," I said.
"Yeah, that too." He smiled and held out his hand to Josie again. "Nice seeing you." Then he gazed into my eyes with a look I couldn't quite figure out. "Maybe we could get together for lunch or dinner before I go back to Florida? My treat."
I nodded. "Sure. Call me on Saturday. And thanks for being a friend to him."
"I wish I could have done more." He exhaled deeply. "I'll see you later. God, I really hate these things." With that, he turned and walked into the visitation room.
I glanced at my best friend who was grinning at me. "What's that look for?"
Her mouth fell open in surprise. "Oh, please. It was so obvious."
"Uh, no, not really." I drew my eyebrows together in confusion.
Josie's mouth curved upwards into a sly smile. "First off, might I say Luke Zibro has turned into one mighty fine specimen of a man. He looks nothing like he did in high school. All I remembered were those long, gangly legs of his."
"He ran track," I said.
"Yep, he's filled out nicely since then." Josie smacked her lips together. "And boy, has he got it bad for you."
I rolled my eyes at her. "Oh, give me a break."
"You are so blind, Sal," she said. "If Luke knew Mike was out of town, I bet he would have followed you home like a little puppy dog. So what does he do for a living anyway?"
I glanced at the card he'd handed me. "He's the manager of a nightclub. Hey, I know this place. Colin and I went there a couple of times. Luke must be making some pretty decent money."
"And he said nothing about having a girlfriend, either," Josie teased. "Sounds like a mighty fine catch."
"Okay, stop this. You know I'm with Mike. That's not going to change, no matter what."
An angry shout from beyond the Private door startled us both. We made our way down the hallway and pressed our ears up against it to listen.
"You're not giving it to her," Kyle yelled. "Let Mom have it to pay for his funeral. Why the hell should I cough up the money? I'm glad he's dead."
Josie and I exchanged horrified glances.
There was a pause, and then Krista's voice floated through the air. "You don't mean that."
"I do mean it," Kyle said. "For years, all I ever heard was Colin this and Colin that. He was too busy screwing other women all the time to make an honest living. Work? No, that was too good for Colin but fine for scum like me. No way in hell. Mom lost the house because of him and Sally. Get his grieving ex-widow to pay for the funeral with that fancy ring of hers. I'm done here."
There was a brief silence then the door opened, startling both Josie and myself. Kyle glared at me before he stomped past us down the hallway. The employee wearing the gray suit opened the front door for him, and Kyle disappeared into the night.
"What the hell was all that about?" Josie murmured.
Krista was standing next to me, her face worn and tired. "Sorry to keep you waiting. Come on in. Josie, you're welcome, too."
"I don't want to impose." Josie stepped back.
Krista gave a small sniff. "It's fine, really. I'm sure Sally will tell you everything later anyway. I know how close the two of you are." She smiled as she shut the door behind us. "I guess I'm jealous. I've never had a really close friendship like yours. I thought Bruce fit that category for a while, but—" She glanced down at her hand and twisted the gold band on her left finger. "We've been separated for a couple of months now."
"I'm so sorry." I was genuinely surprised to hear this. They always seemed to have a happy marriage, as well as two adorable little girls I'd been proud to call my nieces. "How are Callie and Emily taking it?"
She shrugged. "About as well as you'd expect. Bruce comes to see them on weekends. When he's not occupied with his new girlfriend, that is."
Ugh. I flinched. "That has to be rough on all of you."
She bit into her lower lip. "Sally, there are some things you should know."
My stomach twisted into a giant pretzel knot. I wasn't liking the sound of this. "What are you talking about?"
Krista sat down in one of the folding chairs that had been placed there for family and motioned for Josie and me to join her. "Well, first off, as you could probably tell, my mother has turned into a full-fledged alcoholic."
My heart ached for her. "When did this happen?"
"About six months ago." She popped a piece of Nicotine gum into her mouth. "I don't know why I chew this. It doesn't help at all. Anyway, everything started when she lost the house last year. The one she kept remortgaging so that she could continue to lend Colin money. For the business he said you guys were starting."
Josie gasped out loud.
Why did Colin have to involve me in his lies? "Krista, that isn't true. I never saw a dime of your mother's money. I started my bakery last September, and that was with funds my grandmother gave me. Honest."
She nodded. "I believe you, but my mother doesn't. She seems to think that somehow you led Colin into this mess. The booze and the needles and everything else."
My initial fear about the drugs was confirmed. "So he was borrowing money from her to support his habit?"
"It looks that way. I'm not sure when he started, but he didn't really seem to go downhill until after you left him." She touched my arm. "And I'm not trying to imply that was your fault. He treated you like crap. I never told you this, but there were others. Kyle confirmed everything since Colin used to brag to him about his conquests all the time."
A surge of anger shot through me. "You or Kyle could have done me a huge favor if you would've let me know. I could have gotten out of that sham of a marriage much sooner. Were you aware he came to my shop the other day and threatened to take me to court over my business? Unless I gave him twenty grand, that is."
Krista's mouth hardened into a fine, thin line. "No, I wasn't. But I'm not surprised. My mother was on the phone with Colin a few weeks ago. I overheard her telling him your shop was doing well and that he should go get what was rightfully his. I had a sneaking suspicion he might pay you a visit."
Josie spoke up. "After everything Colin's done to Sally, it would have been nice if you'd shared this information with her. We had no clue he would show up
in town, especially since they were divorced before she even started the business."
"Colin ruined Mom's life," Krista said sadly. "You know he always was her favorite. For years she ignored me and Kyle yet made excuses for him. He was smarter. He was better looking. He could do anything." She sighed. "It never bothered me much, but as you heard, Kyle can't seem to forget it."
"Should I talk to Elizabeth?" I asked. "Explain to her that I knew nothing about the money?"
Krista shook her head. "It won't do any good. Mom always believes just what she wants to believe. And she's so loaded now, she won't even remember later on. I do the best I can. Kyle won't take her, so she's living with me. He kicks in for some of her expenses, but that's about it."
And I thought my family was dysfunctional. The Browns had always appeared to have their act together. Colin's father had died right before we were married. Maybe that was the start of the downfall for Elizabeth.
My voice trembled. "She always seemed to like me. Was that a lie, too?" I didn't know what to believe anymore.
Josie patted me on the shoulder, and Krista took my hand in hers. "No. She did like you. Then Colin started throwing you under the bus to save his own skin. 'Sally needs this for the business. Sally can't work because of the miscarriage. Sally—'"
"What?" I shrieked. The room seemed to turn upside down as I clutched the seat of the chair so tightly my fingers started to ache.
I heard Josie mutter a curse word under her breath.
Apparently confused, Krista stared at me. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have brought it up. He told us never to mention it around you."
I put my head in my hands. "I can't believe this is happening. Krista, there was no miscarriage. Colin didn't even want children. I hoped he'd change his mind eventually, but I was never pregnant."
"That louse," Krista said in a tight voice. "If he was alive, I'd kill him again just to get even for everything he's done to all of us."
I got to my feet unsteadily. The room was warm and close around me. I tried to wrap my head around all of these new tidbits of information. My ex-husband had been a drug addict. Colin had also lied to my mother-in-law about our needing money. He'd told them I'd once lost a baby. He knew how much I loved children and longed in vain for one. In my opinion, this was almost as bad as the infidelity. I was so angry I couldn't see straight. Had anything ever come out of his mouth that wasn't a lie? I had been deceived over and over again. How had I not seen through his act?
"I need to get some air," I said in a hoarse voice.
Josie put her arm around me. "I think I should take Sal home."
Krista's face was sympathetic. "I'm so sorry. Maybe this will help make things better." She reached into her purse and produced a little plastic bag with something glittery in it and handed it to me.
"What's this?" I asked, taking a closer look. A canary diamond, beautifully cut, that appeared to be about two carats in size. It was surrounded by a halo of tinier diamonds.
Krista drew her eyebrows together. "The police found it in Colin's wallet the night he died. Didn't you give it back to him after the divorce? I knew you wouldn't want to keep anything that he gave you, so I figured—"
I shook my head. "I've never seen it before."
I guessed my former sister-in-law had never paid much attention to my actual engagement ring. She was the type who wouldn't care if hers came out of a Cracker Jack box. The ring Colin had presented me with was comparable to one you'd find in a gumball machine. It was certainly nothing like this J. Lo-type jewelry.
Krista's brow furrowed. "I don't understand. If it's not yours, whom does it belong to? He wasn't dating anyone. Well, no one longer than the usual one-night stand bit. He enjoyed women he couldn't have on a permanent basis." She put her hand over her mouth. "I'm sorry, Sal. That was insensitive of me."
At this point, I was pretty much numb to the pain. "No worries."
I turned the ring over to examine the gold band. I had to squint to make out the inscription on the inside. Love is a gift. A beautiful sentiment and more than enough proof for me that Colin had not bought this ring.
"Will you be at the funeral tomorrow morning?" Krista asked.
I shook my head. "Josie and I are leaving for Florida first thing. We're in a baking competition and won't be back until late Friday. For what it's worth, please extend my sympathies to your mother."
There was no way I could face Elizabeth again. The woman seemed convinced I was a lying, money-grubbing slut. She was suffering enough already, and there was probably nothing I could say that would convince her of my innocence. Still, my heart ached when I thought of the few times we'd baked cookies together and the day she'd traveled almost an hour to bring me homemade chicken soup when I'd been laid up with the flu.
I handed the ring back to Krista. "I hope you find out whom this belongs to. Maybe it could help lead to who really killed Colin. And for the record, my boyfriend is not a murderer."
Krista's face turned crimson. "I believe you. I may be the only one, but—" A sudden gleam filled her eyes, and she handed me the ring again. "You take it for now. Perhaps when you get to Florida you can find out something. Maybe it's Amber's. She broke up with him not too long ago. But I don't know where he would have gotten the money to pay for this. It probably cost at least twenty grand, and as you know, he didn't have two nickels to rub together."
"Who's Amber?" I asked.
Krista took a small pad from her purse and began scribbling on it. "Amber Mills. Another woman he was fooling around with. A married woman to boot."
"Good God," Josie exploded. "He should have been castrated years ago."
Krista handed the slip of paper to me. "She lives near Clearwater Beach in Tampa. I don't have her address, but she shouldn't be too difficult to find. And this is the phone number for Colin's landlord. He listed me as a reference when he got the apartment a few months ago. The guy started pestering me last week when Colin left town, asking if I'd seen him. Apparently, he was late on his rent. Again."
"Why didn't he stay put in the apartment he had with Sal?" Josie asked.
Even though I already knew the answer—thanks to Luke—I let Krista respond. "He got evicted months ago when he couldn't pay the rent. He stayed with Luke until Luke got fed up with him. From what I know, Luke's a pretty easygoing guy, so that tells you Colin wore out his welcome everywhere. I think Luke also helped him find the current apartment."
"This doesn't make sense. How could he afford to buy a twenty-thousand-dollar ring for someone?" Josie asked.
I suspected I knew the answer to this as well. "Maybe he didn't buy it. Perhaps it's stolen. He might have been planning to support one of his habits with it."
Krista rubbed her eyes wearily. "Keep the ring for now. I trust you. You can bring it back when you come home. If you can't find the rightful owner, we'll use it to pay for his funeral. But I don't want to take it without first trying to find whom it might belong to. No matter what Kyle says."
Josie frowned. "Krista, we're not going to have much time when we're down there to play detective. The contest starts—"
"I'll do whatever I can," I broke in.
Josie looked at me in surprise. "But, Sal, how can—"
I shook my head. "I have to clear Mike's name. That's the most important thing to me right now."
CHAPTER NINE
"This is exactly what you need." Josie stretched in her seat as the plane took off down the runway. "A break from everything in good old New York State right now."
I closed my eyes for a minute and sighed. I hadn't slept well last night. Visions of Mike and Colin had flooded my dreams, and now I couldn't even remember what they were about.
"Just think, Sal. In two hours we'll be in sunny, warm Florida."
"Yes. With my ever embarrassing parents."
"At least you have parents who care about you," Josie said.
I stole a sideways glance at my best friend as she gazed out the window. I'd been so involved in my
own drama the last few days that I hadn't stopped to think about everything she was going through. "It must have been tough saying good-bye to the kids this morning."
"It was. They kept asking me not to go, but when I promised to bring them back something, they stopped." She smiled. "What'd you do with the ring?"
I patted my handbag. "It's in here."
"Good. Keep it safe. We'll check in at the hotel and then go over to the television studio to get our instructions. That's all we have to do today, but tomorrow will be grueling. Nonstop from about eight o'clock in the morning till eight tomorrow night." She yawned. "I had hoped to sit by the pool today, but it seems you might have other things in store for us."
I shook my head. "This is my problem. I want you to enjoy yourself while you're here. You need this getaway as much as I do. Maybe more."
"Forget it," Josie said. "We're a team." She squeezed my hand. "Have you heard anything else from Mike?"
My throat tightened, and I stared down at my lap. "Nothing. I sent him a text earlier saying I would be in Florida till Friday, in case he forgot, but he didn't respond." Nor had he replied to the other ten thousand texts I'd sent. When I tried to call, it always went straight to his voice mail.
Josie's voice was gentle. "He'll be back. Mike needs time to figure things out. And we're the only ones who are trying to help him. Do you think someone followed Colin to New York so they could kill him? Or maybe it was an old friend from New York? Did he have any enemies while you were married?"
I shrugged. "No one in particular who I recall." Who knew? It had quickly become apparent that I hadn't known this man at all. How had I been so blind? Or had this all come about after our divorce? Maybe I had only seen what I wanted to before, until I was forced to confront the truth about him. "I still can't believe he's dead."
"I know it's hard," she said, "but you need to stop blaming yourself. You're not responsible for the mess his life became. Colin did that to himself. And he hurt you pretty bad in the process, too."
I knew she was right, but that still didn't make me feel any better about the situation.
Baked to Death (Cookies & Chance Mysteries Book 2) Page 10