A Family of Strangers

by Emilie Richards

  “So you asked Bryce for the divorce?”

  “No. I told Bryce I was divorcing him, but not exactly why. I just told him I was unhappy and needed something different. Apparently, he followed up with some snooping and discovered I—”

  “Hadn’t always been faithful?” I supplied.

  “You are so well informed. For the record I don’t think he found out about Vítor, but yes, there was Milt, too. Bryce told me if I gave him full custody, he would keep what he discovered to himself. I could see the girls when I wanted, but he would have control.”

  “You agreed?”

  “It suited me.” She stopped, as if she realized she should say more. “And, of course, it was better for the girls. I wasn’t sure how much time I would be able to devote to them once I was Vítor’s wife.”

  “So, how did Calvo end up dead?”

  She sipped half her wine before she began again. “He sent me a letter in October, calling off the marriage. Wasn’t that a remarkably old-fashioned thing to do? Send me a Dear John letter? Pen, paper, the whole nine yards. He said he was sorry, but with time, he’d realized we weren’t right for each other. He wished me well, and actually told me...” Her gaze was smoldering now. “He actually told me a part of him would always love me.”

  Calvo had hurt her. Then I realized how unlikely that was. Calvo had rejected her, and nobody rejected Wendy Wainwright.

  I struggled to keep my tone even. “That must have come as a big surprise.”

  “I couldn’t believe it! I hired somebody to look into it. Long story short? Vítor found a younger woman.”

  “Was that when you decided to murder him?”

  “No!” She stopped while our server brought my calzone and asked if we wanted anything else. Then as I began to dissect it with my fork, Wendy leaned forward. “I knew I had to talk to him. Too much time had passed since we’d seen each other. I thought if we met in person again, I could rekindle what he’d felt before.”

  “So you arranged to meet him at Golden Aspen?”

  “No! Of course not. Do you think I’m an idiot? Would he have come? I had to be sure. So I got his schedule from someone open to giving it to me.” She rubbed the fingers of one hand over her palm. “Money speaks Portuguese, too. When I saw he was going to do his promotional seminar in New Mexico, I decided to go myself and talk to him.”

  “But you showed up with a man.”

  “I had everything planned. The minute I was sure Calvo had checked into the resort, I was going to haul Milt into the spotlight. He’s good-looking, and certainly younger than Vítor. I thought Vítor might sit up and take notice. You know, reassess.”

  I was surprised at the amount of detail in her story. Maybe she’d been lonely, but Wendy was enjoying the limelight, even if the only audience was me. “You really went to a lot of trouble.”

  “I had a goal. Unfortunately, the first morning I was there, Vítor saw me. The bar beside the lobby wasn’t open yet, but I’d gone in to scope it out. He followed and asked what I was doing at the resort. I pretended to be surprised to see him, but he was angry. So I told him that I wanted to talk to him in person, that letters couldn’t convey what we really felt. And I hoped that if we sat down and remembered the good times, maybe he’d feel differently.”

  “I’m guessing it didn’t work.”

  “Do you know what he did?” Her voice shook with anger. “He had the gall, the nerve, to pull out a photograph of his new love. And he said—” she took a deep breath “—that she was prettier than I had ever been, even after he’d worked his magic on me. And now that I’d seen the winner, I should stop trying to run the race.”

  Calvo sounded as cruel as my sister. “And that’s when he pushed you away and left. Is that the moment you decided to kill him?”

  “I never decided to kill him. But that night I went to his room. I freely admit it, and I took Milt’s gun—”

  “After you drugged him.”

  “Is that what he told you?”

  “I think you’d had practice.” I didn’t elaborate. “Besides, you wouldn’t have taken his gun unless you were sure Milt was asleep for the night.”

  “I only went to scare Vítor. That’s all, I swear it. I wanted satisfaction after what he’d done to me. I was divorcing my husband for him, giving up my daughters, changing my whole life. And did he care? So I knocked on the door, pretending I was the maid there to turn down his sheets. He let me in, and I pointed the gun at him. He was terrified.”

  She actually smiled before she went on, as if Calvo’s panic was the fondest of memories. “I’ll never forget the way he backed up toward the bed. That was all I wanted, really. Just to see him act like the loser he was. Then after he cowered and pled for a while, I was finished. I lowered the barrel, but before I could leave, he leaped at me and made a grab for the gun. Unfortunately, it was loaded. It went off.”

  She turned up her palms. “The end. Not the one I’d planned, but exactly what that bastard deserved.”

  I let the story wash over me. “Not exactly the end. Because next, you tried to pin his death on Milt.”

  “Not very nice of me, I guess. But Ryan, Milt’s not exactly a nice guy, either. And he has no life. I doubted he would be convicted, but if he was, the world would keep spinning. On the other hand, I had everything to lose.”

  “You killed a man.”

  “I was out of my mind. My world was falling apart. I’m not a murderer, just a woman who was treated badly. It’s an old story.”

  “Without his gun, there’s absolutely nothing to tie Milton Kearns to Calvo’s death. He didn’t even use his real name when he registered.”

  Her eyes widened. Obviously that surprised her.

  I nodded. “You missed that, didn’t you? So now there’s no record Kearns was ever at Golden Aspen. He paid cash. He left with the gun, the bloody jeans, Calvo’s watch and wallet. They’re gone forever, and nobody’s looking for him. But if I were the sheriff, I’d sure be looking for the pretty blonde who fought with Calvo in the bar that morning.”

  I was due one small lie after listening to so many. “Milt told me several people saw your fight. He certainly did. Another guest, an employee in uniform, both of them witnessed it. I’m not going to turn you in, but somebody else may. I guess you were right all along. You really aren’t safe.”

  She tapped her fork against her salad bowl, but not in rhythm to Clint Black’s “Killin’ Time,” the eerily ironic title of the selection playing over our heads. “You’re not going to tell me where you found him, are you? You never were. You’re not going to give me a chance to talk to him.”

  I shook my head. “I don’t think a conversation with Milt is what you had in mind.”

  “You want me gone, don’t you?” she said.

  “First I wanted to be sure. But you know? Now, I really do.” I leaned closer. “I want you gone for good. I don’t want you to ever come near your daughters, including me. I want Bryce to have closure and the divorce he so richly deserves. I want Mom and Dad to mourn you and move on. Maybe you can find a good life for yourself, but I don’t want to know, because if you ever come near anybody I love, I’ll turn you in. Without a second thought. I’ll write down every single detail of this meeting, and I’ll willingly share it with the Santa Fe sheriff’s department. That’s how serious I am.”

  “Be sure you write down that Calvo’s death was an accident. A dumb stunt, but an accident. If you’re going to tell the truth, that’s it.”

  I wondered if any of us would ever know. I found it doubtful, since Wendy had tried to frame Kearns, maybe even, as he’d guessed, by drugging him first. But could I prove what I suspected? It was a safer bet to threaten her with exposure. Safer for everyone.

  I picked up my coat and slipped an arm in one sleeve, then another. “You’ve probably figured out that I opened the safe and have everything
in it.”

  “How did you get Jonah to make the call about that?”

  I ignored the question. “I’m keeping the gun, but I brought your passport. I want you to use it.” I wanted her as far from her daughters as possible.

  “Aren’t you kind?”

  “You’ll also find your flash drive. Only, just so you know, it’s been erased. You’ll never be able to blackmail those men.”

  “Ryan...” She shook her head. “Silly girl. You think that’s the only copy of those photos that I had?”

  I had hoped, but not with much optimism. “You’re playing such a dangerous game.”

  “Yeah, I know. But it’s not as bad as you think.”

  Wendy was living on the razor’s edge and probably had been for a long time, maybe even before I was born. She was poised to balance there forever and liked the view. Until she slipped and fell.

  “The stuff’s in my car,” I said, getting to my feet. “Say goodbye to your new best friend.”

  “I’m leaving Utah. If you’ve been lying to me, it doesn’t matter. Nobody’s going to find me. And I won’t fall for your postal trick again.”

  “I’ll wait outside.”

  When she joined me down the block from Pizza Pleasures, a light snow was beginning to fall, and the sky was dark with heavy clouds above us. I was sorry that this gorgeous countryside would forever be associated in my mind with this night.

  I held out a canvas bag, then I pulled it back. “I have the divorce papers for you to sign first. I can witness them. Do it, and I’ll give you the stuff I brought.”

  “You’re so organized. You got that from me, you know. We’re more alike than you think.”

  “No.” I’d attached the papers to a clipboard. I had a pen. She signed everywhere I indicated. I put the clipboard back in the car and locked the side door before I handed her the bag.

  “There’s some artwork of Holly’s and Noelle’s inside,” I said as she pawed through it. “Since it’s the last you’ll see, I thought you might like to have it. I brought some of your jewelry, although I kept the most valuable pieces for your daughters.”

  Her tone was acid. “Aren’t you sweet?”

  “Some personal items, scarves, the beaded purse Mom bought for you at Christmas, some medications you left on the counter to tide you over, and refills until you can get new prescriptions. I want you to stay well so you can get the hell out of our lives.” I didn’t mention the medicine cabinet. She would deny drugging the girls, and I didn’t want to hear more lies. “That’s about it.” I took out her car keys and handed them over. “You leave first.”

  Wendy took the keys and clutched the bag to her chest. “Believe it or not, I’m sorry everything turned out the way it did. I may not have wanted you, but I did try to be a good big sister.”

  “Appearances are everything, aren’t they?” I started around the car, but then I turned back.

  “Just one more thing? Are you going to miss Holly and Noelle? Because they’ll miss you. As bad a mother as you were, they’ll always miss you and wish you had loved them. Isn’t that sad?”

  I’ll never be sure if her tears were real, but after she was gone and I drove back to the bed and breakfast, mine fell like rain.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN

  I had booked the Utah trip with an open return, and after my confrontation with Wendy, I booked a flight home for the next day, rising just after dawn and driving through the mountains as the sun gradually peeked over them. My flight was delayed, and when I finally landed in Fort Lauderdale, I was too exhausted to make the drive to Seabank. Instead I spent the night at my duplex, and the next morning I jogged on the beach as I tried to recover.

  That evening the sun was going down when at last I turned into the town house driveway. Teo’s SUV blocked my way.

  I had texted him from Utah to assure him I had survived, and again today once I was on my way back to the town house. Now I wondered if he was here to learn details or to persuade me to call the sheriff’s office.

  I parked behind him, and by the time I got out he was waiting for me.

  “Hey.” I didn’t know what else to say.

  “Have you eaten?”

  That was not what I’d expected. “Just a snack on the road.”

  “I have dinner almost ready at my house.”

  My eyes filled with tears. “Teo, I’m too wiped out to be grilled tonight.”

  “I was thinking more along the lines of grilling grouper. Everything else is ready.”

  He moved closer and put his arms around me, and I leaned against him, tears spilling down my cheeks. “That bad?” he said.

  “Oh, yeah.”

  “Let me take care of you.” He kissed the top of my head and stepped back. “Unless you really need to be alone?”

  “I’ll meet you there.”

  By the time I pulled up to his house, lights were on inside and lanterns glowed on the porch. Outside the car I filled my lungs with the humid, pine-scented air. Tubs of petunias and marigolds bloomed along his steps, and I was so glad to be in Florida again. “I love this place.”

  “It’s a good cure for a bad day.” He held the door open and ushered me inside. Bismarck barked a happy welcome and did a little spin dance.

  The house smelled wonderful, too, like onions and maybe bacon. I straightened after giving Bismarck his due. “Did you always cook? Because this feels new.”

  “I never had the time, but now I enjoy it. I made my mother’s pigeon peas and rice to go with the grouper.”

  “I didn’t expect this.” I put my arms around him. “You weren’t happy I left. I thought we might be over. And instead, here we are, and you even cooked for me.”

  He held me tight, and his voice rumbled in his chest. “While you were gone I realized the things that upset me most about you are the things I love. Your independence. Your spirit. Your desire to get to the bottom of everything. I have a feeling whatever you learned about your sister, and whatever you plan to do about it, will probably be things I don’t like. But maybe we don’t have to agree. We just have to trust our differences.”

  I looked up at him. “Somewhere in there you used the love word.”

  He kissed me. I melted against him, and my hands crept under the hem of his shirt to rest against his firm, warm skin.

  His lips trailed a path to my ear. “Do you have to pick up the girls tonight?”

  “Nobody knows I’m back yet, except you.”

  “Stay here.”

  “Oh, yeah.”

  “How hungry are you?”

  “Starving.” I kissed him again. “But not for dinner.”

  * * *

  Before I left the next morning, I made coffee, and Teo prepared toast and eggs. Over breakfast I finally told him the upshot of my confrontation with Wendy.

  He listened carefully and waited to respond. “It sounds like you’re going to back off, unless she tries to come home.”

  I was glad we hadn’t had this conversation the night before, because just being with Teo and not having to explain had helped me pull myself together. We’d pretended my sister wasn’t in the room. We’d made love, grilled and eaten dinner, then slept together as if nothing, most notably our differences, would ever separate us again.

  Biz had even given up his prime spot on Teo’s bed and curled up on his new doggie sofa at the foot.

  This morning I’d opened my eyes to find Teo propped up on one elbow smiling at me.

  “Not at my best in the morning,” I’d said, turning away from him.

  He rolled me back. “Let’s see if that’s true.”

  It’s possible I might have been wrong.

  Now our lovemaking felt like something from a distant past. My sister was front and center once again.

  “I haven’t decided for sure what I’m going to do,” I s
aid. “I couldn’t record what she told me. So I don’t have proof she killed Calvo. Just Ex’s story.”

  “And now, hers.”

  “She swore she didn’t intend to kill him, that the gun went off when he threw himself at her.”

  He nodded, as if he’d heard that before. “So here’s what you could do. You could tell the sheriff everything you know and let the law take it from there. Wouldn’t it feel good to let go of responsibility once and for all? All these decisions should never have been yours in the first place.”

  “I told her to stay away. We won’t see her again.”

  “Think. What’s to stop her from showing up at Holly’s wedding in twenty years, or Noelle’s? Or worse, when they’re teenagers and as impressionable as hell. Calvo’s death will be old news by then, and your story will be suspect because you waited so long to tell it, and who knows? You might be suspect, too. Can you really trust her to stay away?” He shook his head. “Can you trust her not to kill somebody else?”

  I felt that last question like a knife in my already wounded heart. “If the sheriff found her, Teo, do you know what an arrest would do to my parents? To Bryce’s career? To Holly and Noelle?”

  “On the other hand the truth might be the best way to protect the people you love. One blow now, but not a fatal one. Bryce knows who Wendy is, maybe not every lurid detail, but enough that he wanted her out of his life. Your mother has come to terms with what you’ve told her so far, and your father must suspect more is going on than he’s been told. And the girls?”

  I hadn’t told Teo about Holly’s nightmare or the revelations afterward. If Wendy was convicted of murder and imprisoned, the girls would have closure of a sort. If she remained at large, she would be a shadow over their lives. They would always wonder why she had abandoned them. They would always wonder if she might show up again.

  I had questions, but no answers. “Is my decision going to affect us?”

  Teo considered, and I respected him more for not answering immediately.

  “She’s your family,” he said after a long moment. “I don’t know what I would do if she were mine, so how can I fault you? But the fate of a murderer should be up to God and the law, nobody else. And those who love the victim or the murderer? They’re least likely to make the right choices.”