by HELEN HARDT
“Not hungry.”
“At least let me get dressed.”
Talking to my mother wearing a sheet wasn’t really on my bucket list, but at this point, I could never unsee what I’d seen. So no way was I going to let her out of my sight to figure out a way to get out of this.
“Wrap it up like a toga,” I said. “We’re going to talk now.”
She huffed. “This isn’t proper.”
“That ship has sailed, Mom. Just wrap up the damned sheet and then turn off that wretched infuser. The chamomile is going to make me lose my breakfast.”
“For Christ’s sake, Reid.”
I looked away as she knotted the sheet around herself. Once I heard her get off the table, I turned back around. She was covered totally, thank God. She walked to the infuser and turned it off.
“The aromatherapy won’t go away just like that,” she snapped.
“I’m not a moron, Mom.” I breathed in through my mouth.
She nodded to a couple of chairs in the corner. “Have a seat. I have to go to the bathroom.”
I shook my head. “No, you don’t.”
“My bladder says differently.”
“You’re a big girl. Hold it. I know you better than you know yourself, Connie. You’re looking for an out. I’m not giving it to you.”
“I can have you arrested for trespassing.”
“You want to go there? I’ll grab Fabio the masseur and he’ll hum like a hummingbird for the right price. You want to go down for soliciting? And that’s the least I’ll do to you.”
“You kids never had any respect for your mother,” she huffed.
“Why would we? After you let Dad molest Riley all those years.”
She dropped her mouth into an O. “I had no idea!”
“Stuff a sock in it, Mom. She already told us the whole story. How you told her to close her eyes and think of diamonds, Queen Victoria.”
“You have no idea what I’ve been through myself.” She forced a sniffle. “Riley didn’t go through anything I haven’t gone through.”
Was she telling the truth? Perhaps. Unfortunately, any sympathy I might have had for her had been snuffed out long ago. “Then you, of all people, should have protected your daughter.”
“Yes, I suppose I should have.”
“Quit bucking for sympathy, Mom. The fact is that you didn’t, even when you knew damned well what was going on. We all know why you didn’t.”
“Do you? Do you really know why?”
“Of course we do. You let it all happen for the money.”
She fake sniffled again. “You truly don’t know me. None of my children do.”
“Stifle it. We know you better than you know yourself. I’m not falling for this fake crying bullshit. If you truly went through something as horrible as Riley went through, I’m sorry. I don’t wish that on anyone. But you gave up your right for us to care long ago. None of that is why I’m here, anyway.”
“Why are you here, then?”
“I want you to tell me,” I said, “about Dad’s first wife. Irene Lucent.”
43
Zee
I jerked my eyes open.
Moira stood over me, gently shaking my shoulder. “Zee, honey. I’m ready to leave for the day.”
Where was I? Right. Moira’s office. I’d fallen asleep after that horrible questioning from Detective Morgan. “What time is it?”
“It’s four o’clock. I’m leaving early because I have an appointment. I suppose you can stay in here if you’d like, but I figured you wouldn’t want to be alone.”
I sat up. “Right. I don’t want to be alone.”
“Can I call someone for you?”
“Yeah. Reid, please.” I wiped the sleep out of my eyes. Several hours had passed, and they’d seemed like seconds to me. I’d slept hard.
Moira walked to her desk and tapped a button. “Henny, could you get Reid Wolfe for me, please? Thank you.”
A few seconds passed.
Then, through the intercom, “I’m sorry, Moira. Mr. Wolfe isn’t answering.”
“Try his cell.”
“I did. He didn’t answer that either.”
“All right. Thank you.” Moira turned to me. “I can find someone else. Lacey, maybe?”
I nodded. “Lacey’s fine. Riley would be better.”
“Riley doesn’t work here, but I’m sure Lacey is around. Let me check.” She called Henny on the intercom once more.
“I’ve got Mrs. Wolfe,” Henny’s voice came through the intercom.
“Thanks, Henny.” Moira pressed another button. “Lacey? It’s Moira in legal. I’ve got Zee in my office, and I have to leave for an appointment. I couldn’t get hold of Reid, so she asked for you.”
Pause.
“Brilliant. Thank you.” Moira hung up and turned to me. “Lacey will be here in a few minutes.”
“Thanks.”
“I do need to leave or I’ll be late, especially in this traffic. Will you be okay until Lacey gets here?”
I nodded. “Thank you for everything, Moira.”
“You’re most welcome. Perhaps I’ll see you tomorrow, if you’re in the office.”
I smiled. “I’d like that.”
She returned my smile and left her office, leaving the door open just a crack. I stood and stretched my legs. I felt good, oddly. Nice what sleep could do for a body.
I walked to Moira’s desk and gave it a cursory glance. She was a lawyer. Was she working on the Wolfes’ defense? I slid my fingers over a few folders on her desk. Nothing that looked important. I sat down in her comfortable leather desk chair and absently opened the top drawer of her desk. Paperclips and some lip balm. A safety pin. A measuring tape. And a short stack of business cards. Lacey Ward, and the name of a law firm. Lacey’s old firm, probably. Why would Moira have those? One, maybe, but a stack of ten or so?
I shoved the door closed and sighed. Nothing to see here.
I stood quickly. If Lacey showed up and saw me sitting in Moira’s chair, it wouldn’t look good. I stretched my arms over my head and walked out from behind the desk.
Something on top of Moira’s file cabinet caught my eye. A pink handkerchief. Did anyone use handkerchiefs anymore? I could easily see Moira using one. She was an older woman, a mother. Seemed like the handkerchief type. I picked it up and smoothed my fingers over the soft cotton.
Then my eyes popped.
The handkerchief was monogrammed.
LW.
Those weren’t Moira’s initials.
“Knock, knock.” Lacey’s voice slid through my thoughts. “Hey, Zee. What do you have there?”
I held out the hanky for her to see.
Her forehead wrinkled. “Is that…” She grabbed it out of my hand. “That’s one of my monogrammed handkerchiefs. Where did you find it?”
“On top of the file cabinet.” I gestured.
“Seriously?” Lacey fled quickly to the file cabinet. “Right here? On top? Out in the open?”
“Yeah.”
“Where did Moira get it?”
“I don’t know. She was already gone when I found it.”
“Strange. I didn’t even know it was missing.” She bit her lower lip. “This isn’t good.”
“I’m sure Moira just found it somewhere and was keeping it for you.”
“Probably. Except I haven’t used these in ages. The set of four was a gift from my godmother years ago. They’re lovely, but handkerchiefs are kind of old-fashioned.”
“What are you saying?”
“I’m saying that someone took this from my place.”
“You don’t think Moira—”
“No, but someone did, and it ended up here.” She wrinkled her forehead. “Someone wanted me to think Moira took it. I need to talk to Rock.”
“But I—”
“I’ll see you get back to Reid’s, Zee. Don’t worry. But we need to make a detour to my husband’s office.”
I sat, quiet, in Rock’
s office, the door closed and locked, as Lacey told him about the hanky.
“Where do you keep them?” Rock asked.
“In the bottom of my top dresser drawer,” Lacey said. “I haven’t packed that drawer yet. I don’t keep anything in there that I need, so I figured, until the penthouse was ready—”
“I don’t like this. Not one fucking bit.” Rock glanced at me. “Sorry, Zee.”
“About what?”
“The profanity.”
I burst into a sarcastic laugh. “Please. I’ve heard more of that than anyone in the showgirl business. It doesn’t bother me.”
“All right. Good, I guess.” He turned back to Lacey. “Have you noticed anything else missing? Lately? Or before now?”
“No, not really.”
“What about that business card in the rose garden?”
I had no idea what they were talking about, but I listened closely anyway.
“I threw out all my old business cards.”
“How many did you have?”
“Well, honestly, quite a few. I’d just ordered a new batch right before…” Her face went white.
“Right before what, Lace?”
“Right before Derek’s murder.”
“Fuck.” Rock swept his fingers through his hair. “We need to go to your apartment. Now.”
“Excuse me…” I began.
“Right,” Lacey said. “I have to get Zee to Reid’s.”
“We’ll take her with us. She’s trustworthy. Right, Zee?”
“Of course. The only reason I’m here is to help all of you. But I—”
“Surely we have time to take her to Reid’s,” Lacey said.
“We don’t, Lace. We need to get to your apartment and take inventory. I don’t want to waste one second.”
“Can I please finish my sentence!” I hadn’t meant to yell, but I was frustrated. Scared, and freaked, and frustrated.
“I’m sorry,” Lacey said. “I’m anxious about all this. What do you need?”
“I don’t need anything.” I drew in a breath. “Moira has some of your old business cards too.”
“What?” Lacey’s eyebrows nearly flew off her forehead.
I nodded. “In her top desk drawer. I didn’t mean to look. I just… She left, and I was waiting for you, and…”
“It’s okay, Zee. Thank you for telling us. I’ll take care of that right now.” Rock raced out of his office.
Lacey slumped into a chair.
“Moira seems so nice,” I said.
“She is.” Lacey shook her head, rubbing her forehead. “And she’s also not stupid. If she were trying to frame me, she wouldn’t leave a handkerchief out in plain sight.”
“And the business cards?”
“If they were in her top drawer, that’s pretty close to plain sight.”
“So Moira’s not involved.”
“No, I doubt it. But someone wants us to think she is.”
A half hour later the three of us arrived, via Rock’s limo, at Lacey’s apartment.
“Nice to see you, Lacey,” the doorman said. “We’ve missed you around here.”
Lacey nodded without responding, and we hurried into the building and up to Lacey’s door. She unlocked it quickly and raced inside.
It was a lovely place, better than anything I’d lived in, but very modest compared to Reid’s apartment.
“Have a seat,” Rock said to me.
“I’d like to help if I can,” I said.
“All right.” Lacey rummaged through a kitchen drawer and handed me a pad of paper and a pen. “Write down what I tell you.”
I nodded and followed her and Rock into the bedroom. She opened her top dresser drawer harshly, nearly landing it on the floor. She pulled out scarves and garments, throwing them to the floor. “Here they are.” She pulled out a handkerchief identical to the one from Moira’s office. “Only three. In a set of four.”
Rock riffled his fingers through his hair. “Someone was here.”
Lacey nodded. “We need to get a PI in here to dust for fingerprints.”
“We can,” Rock said, “but I’d bet whoever did this was a pro and knew better than to leave fingerprints. What else is missing? Anything?”
“I don’t know. I’m going to have to go through this place with a fine-toothed comb.”
“No time like the present. One pink hanky from a set of four. Write that down, Zee.”
I nodded and complied.
“When was the last time you used the hankies?” Rock asked his wife.
“Like I said, I really don’t know. I don’t think I’ve ever used them.”
“Not at the memorial?”
“Especially not at the memorial. I wasn’t crying. Were you?”
“True enough,” Rock said. “Write down never used, Zee.”
Again, I obeyed.
Lacey continued to open drawers and throw things onto the floor.
“Easy, baby.” Rock gripped her shoulders. “If you keep making a mess like this, we’re not going to be able to figure out what’s missing.”
Lacey’s lips trembled. “You’re right. You’re right. I just feel so…”
“Violated,” I finished for her softly.
“Yes. Yes, that’s it.” She clasped one hand to her lips. “I’m so sorry, Zee. This is nothing compared to what you’ve been through.”
“You’re entitled to feel the way you feel,” I said.
She smiled weakly and then turned back to a pile of scarves on the floor. “I never wear scarves. Most of these are from Secret Santas at the firm. For some reason, everyone thinks female attorneys want scarves.”
“Anything missing?” Rock asked.
“Yes. One I got from my mentor, Robert Mayes. It was blue.” She gulped. “And monogrammed.”
“I’m seeing a pattern,” Rock said. “Whoever did this was going for monogrammed things that could be easily traced to you.”
“Still circumstantial,” Lacey said dully, not sounding convinced.
“Circumstantial is all they need to tie you to the murder.”
“What the hell is my motive?” she shrieked. “I hardly knew the man!”
“Think,” he said. “Is there something you’re forgetting? Did my asshole father ever come onto you?”
“Of course he did. Derek Wolfe came onto every available female.”
“There’s your motive.”
“No.” She shook her head. “He didn’t push it. I told him no, and that was that.”
“What about the guy who referred my father to you?”
“That was Robert Mayes. My mentor.”
“You trust the guy?”
“Of course I do! He was always good to me.”
“Maybe we should talk to him.”
Lacey sighed. “Another scarf is gone.”
“Monogrammed?”
“No, not this one. Maybe we’re on the wrong track.”
“I don’t think so. It’d look pretty suspicious if someone robbed you and only took monogrammed items.”
“This whole thing already looks suspicious. Who the hell breaks into someone’s place and takes only scarves and handkerchiefs?”
“Someone who doesn’t want a person to realize she’s been robbed,” I said quietly.
“Zee, you’re right on target,” Rock said. “Did you write down blue monogrammed scarf?”
I nodded. “Lacey, can you describe the other scarf that’s missing?”
“I can, only because it’s so ugly I’ll never forget it. It was a gift from one of the senior partners, Blaine Foster. It was brown and olive green paisley. Kind of the color of baby puke.”
I quickly made a note, leaving out the baby puke part. Then I sat, numbly, noting everything Lacey discovered was missing. All items that wouldn’t be missed, but enough to know she hadn’t just misplaced them. Especially things she never used, like scarves and hankies. A few pairs of costume earrings.
“Makes sense,” Rock said. “If they
took a piece of expensive jewelry, you’d notice it was gone. And you have a ton of earrings, Lace.”
“This is going to take all night,” Lacey said. “I have to go through everything. Zee should go.”
Rock nodded and took the notepad from me. “Thank you for your help. I’m sorry we didn’t just take you to Reid’s, but I didn’t want to delay getting here any longer than we had to. Now we’re here. I’ll tell my driver to take you to Reid’s. Can you get in?”
“I…don’t know.”
“I have Reid’s key. I’ll take you up,” Rock said. “Will you be okay here for a half hour or so, Lace?”
“I’ll be fine, but get right back, will you? Please? The fact that someone was here has me freaked.”
“I will, baby. Let’s go, Zee.”
I stood. “Where is Reid? Moira said he wasn’t answering his cell phone.”
“I don’t know,” Rock said. “He usually responds. Must be in an important meeting. Come on.”
44
Reid
“Irene Lucent?” My mother’s eyes popped wide. “I’m your father’s first wife.”
“You sure about that?”
“Of course I’m sure. Don’t you think I’d know if my husband had been married?”
Her tone sounded almost sincere, but I was so used to her lies I didn’t believe her for a second.
“Nice try, Connie. Maybe if you weren’t such a pathological liar, I might give you some credence.”
“Look, Reid. I have no idea who this Irene is. Your father and I were young when we married. He couldn’t possibly have been married to someone else.”
“I have a marriage certificate that says otherwise,” I said.
“Then it’s a forgery.”
“Could be.”
“It is. Where did you find it?”
“None of your business.”
“Of course it’s my business. What if it’s real? That means…” Her face went white.
“Right you are, Mom. It means your marriage to Dad was never legal, and the four of us are bastards.”
Oh, she wanted to reply to that with some smartass comment. So apparent in her eyes. But I’d give her credit. She let it pass.