A Man's Promise

by Brenda Jackson

  “I know all of you have work tomorrow, so I’ll begin asking my questions now, if you don’t mind,” Jules said, when it was apparent everyone was getting too relaxed. That was one of the downsides of a good dinner. You had a tendency to become content and sleepy, and she needed Caden and Shiloh very much alert when she began asking questions.

  “All right,” Caden said, taking Shiloh’s hand and moving closer to where Jules sat in a wingback chair. Caden sank down on the sofa, and Shiloh eased onto on the floor by his feet to lean back against his legs. He leaned forward slightly to place his hands on her shoulders. Jace and Shana sat on the love seat, and Jace wrapped his arm around Shana’s shoulders. Both couples, Jules noted, had gotten rather comfortable and cozy.

  “I will need the two of you to remember everything about Saturday night, even something you might not think is important,” she said, addressing Caden and Shiloh.

  “Okay, ask away,” Caden said. “But just so you know, Shiloh and I talked about it on the way over here, and we still feel that what happened Saturday night was nothing more than an accident.”

  Jules stood to pull a mini-recorder from the back pocket of her jeans. Before turning it on, she asked their permission to record the conversation, and they agreed. “Tell me exactly what happened that night, Caden, leading up to your near-fatal accident.”

  Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Jace flinch. It was easy to see that the thought of nearly losing his brother still bothered him deeply.

  In a clear voice, Caden told her that he’d left Shiloh’s grand-opening celebration and had walked out through the courtyard to go to his car. He explained what had happened after that, detailing how he’d heard Shiloh scream his name just in time to turn and see a vehicle speeding toward him. It seemed the car was mere inches from hitting him when he was knocked to the ground and out of the car’s path. He’d had the breath zapped from him and was thankful for the man who happened to be walking by that night.

  Jules then heard Shiloh’s version, which pretty much lined up with what Caden had said. “When did you realize Caden was in trouble?”

  Shiloh’s eyebrows drew together, and Jules could tell she was thinking really hard. “I didn’t notice anything at first, mainly because I was mad.”

  Jules arched a brow. “Mad?”

  “Yes, at Caden. We’d had a disagreement. I watched him cross the street. I saw the driver of the car when he turned on his lights and pulled from the curb. But I figured he would stop because Caden had the right of way when crossing the street.”

  Shiloh paused a moment, remembering. “It was only when I noticed that the sound of the engine had grown loud and the car had picked up speed that I knew the driver was probably drunk. He had to be not to see Caden. I recall glancing at the car, and in that quick second, I saw Caden and knew that if the car didn’t stop, it would hit him.”

  “Can you recall whether the driver was male or female?”

  “I think male, but I’m not sure. All I remember is that my throat froze and I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to warn Caden to look out,” Shiloh said.

  Jules watched as Caden took her hand in his and held it tight. These two Grangers were men who didn’t mind touching the women they loved. She’d never considered herself a romantic person by any means but would admit that seeing such affection warmed her.

  “What about you, Caden? Do you recall seeing the driver?” she asked.

  He shook his head. “No. The bright headlights coming toward me were blinding, and that’s all I saw. I literally froze in my tracks, like a deer caught in the headlights. If it hadn’t been for that Striker guy pushing me out of the way, I know I wouldn’t be here now.”

  “And this guy, who identified himself as Striker, happened to be walking by?”

  “Yes, and I’m glad that he was. Talk about perfect timing.”

  “Do you know how to contact him if I need to ask him a few questions?”

  “Unfortunately, no. He left before I could get his contact information,” Caden replied.

  “And do you know his full name?”

  “No, he just said Striker. He said his friends call him Lucky Strike but, for me, he was more than simple luck. I’m convinced he was a godsend.”

  Jules didn’t say anything for a minute and then said to Shiloh and Caden, “The two of you are so convinced it was an accident and not intentional. Why?”

  Shiloh shrugged her shoulders and leaned forward somewhat. “I just assumed it was an accident. I guess the reason I don’t think it was intentional is because I don’t know of anyone who’d want to deliberately hurt Caden.” She glanced up at Caden, and a smile touched her lips when she added, “He’s such a lovable guy.”

  Caden released a husky chuckle. “I think I’m a lovable guy, as well.” Amusement faded from his face when he said, “Although at Shiloh’s party that night, I got a few hateful stares.”

  Jules lifted a brow. “Really? From whom?”

  “Mainly the Greenes.”

  “Who are the Greenes?” Jules asked, watching how Shiloh leaned back against Caden’s legs again.

  “Michael, Yolanda and their son, Ivan. They also have two daughters, Kerrie and Deidra, who live in another state somewhere,” Caden replied, as his hands left Shiloh’s shoulders to spread down her arms.

  Jules watched as Shiloh lifted her hand to Caden and he took it, placed a kiss in the palm of it and smiled down at her. She thought what had just transpired between the two was incredibly romantic. “Ivan Greene? The one who’s running for mayor?” Jules asked, while thinking that her sister and Shiloh were two lucky women.

  “Yes, one and the same,” Caden replied. “His father, Michael Greene, used to work for Granger years ago in the information-systems department. Not sure why he left. I was in my early teens but remember them because one of their daughters—Kerrie, I believe—was a classmate of Jace’s. I seem to recall that she came to school one day saying that her dad didn’t work for our company anymore and that it was all my dad’s fault.”

  Jules glanced over at Jace and saw how his expression had hardened. There was something about the Greenes that bothered her future brother-in-law, and she intended to find out what. “I assume this was before your father went to prison?” she asked, addressing both of the brothers.

  It was Jace who answered. “Yes, that’s right. Less than a year before.”

  She was glad it was Jace who’d responded. She had a feeling he knew more about what had happened with the Greenes than Caden did. “Is that why the Greenes were giving Caden hateful stares, Jace?” Jules asked, meeting his gaze directly. “Fifteen years is a long time for a family to hold a grudge because someone lost his job. Could there be another reason?”

  Jace hesitated a moment and then said, “No.”

  Jules had a feeling there was something else, but she wouldn’t push. But on the other hand, she’d been asked to see if an attempt had been made on Caden’s life, and that was what she was trying to do. And to be successful, she needed everyone to be totally honest with her.

  “What time did the Greenes leave the party?”

  Shiloh’s face went blank for a minute. “I don’t know. I never saw them leave, but then, I didn’t notice a number of other people leave, either.”

  Jules returned her attention to Caden. “Was it one or all of the Greenes who were showing some level of animosity toward you?”

  “It was all three of them, which was strange. I hardly know those people, so I don’t know what their problems are with me specifically, or with the Grangers as a whole.”

  Jules switched her glance to Jace and decided to call him out. “But you do.”

  She and Jace held each other’s gazes for a minute before she said, “The only way I can be effective in determining whether Saturday night was an accident is for me to know everything, Jace. And I mean everything.”

  Jace drew in a deep breath and broke eye contact with her to glance over at Caden. “One night, while we were wo
rking late, Shana and I discovered a secret compartment inside the sofa in Dad’s office.”

  “A secret compartment inside the sofa? In Dad’s office?” Caden asked, to make sure he’d heard correctly.

  “Yes.”

  Jules wondered if she was the only one wondering why Jace and Shana were in Sheppard Granger’s office one night while working late, and how they’d managed to find a secret compartment in his sofa.

  “And what was in the secret compartment?” Jules asked.

  “Photographs that Yolanda Greene sent to my dad.”

  “Photographs?” Caden asked. “Why would she send him photographs?”

  Jace paused a moment and said to Caden, “The photographs were proof that her husband was having an affair with our mother.”

  Thirty-Four

  It was obvious that Jace’s revelation had shocked Caden to the point that he couldn’t speak for a moment. He simply sat there and stared at his brother. When he finally spoke, he said, “That’s bullshit.”

  “I wish it were, Caden, but that’s the reason Michael Greene was terminated from Granger. I don’t know when Yolanda Greene found out about the affair, but she hired a private investigator who proved her suspicions...if the pictures are anything to go by.”

  Caden didn’t say anything for a minute, as if allowing what Jace had said to sink in. “You told Dad about finding the file?”

  “Yes, and I asked him why he let the prosecution make it appear as if he was the one having an affair. All those hotel receipts they attributed to Dad with the initials S.G. had been Mom’s receipts, not Dad’s.”

  “What did he say? Why didn’t he provide that information during his trial?” Caden asked in a frustrated tone.

  “He knew they couldn’t pin anything on him, because he didn’t have an affair,” Jace said. “But he reasoned that had they found out about Mom, the prosecution would have gone after another motive—saying he killed Mom for being unfaithful.”

  “I can hardly believe this.”

  “Another reason he didn’t say anything about Mom’s affair was to protect her reputation in the media. She was our mother, and he didn’t want us to have to contend with that.”

  Jules sat listening to the exchange between the brothers. From their conversation, it sounded very much as if Sheppard Granger was an honorable man. She could see her own father doing something similar to protect his daughters, just the way Sheppard had protected his sons.

  “What about Yolanda Greene?” Caden asked. “She had a reason to kill Mom. Why didn’t Dad’s attorney come up with a defense strategy and put reasonable doubt in the jurors’ minds by suggesting that Mrs. Greene could have done it out of jealousy?”

  “Because the Greenes had proof they were on a cruise when Mom was murdered.”

  “How convenient,” Caden said curtly.

  “They took the cruise together as a way to repair their marriage. According to Dad’s attorney, their story checked out, and he confirmed their alibi.”

  While Jules sat quietly and listened attentively, her mind was racing. When Shana had first mentioned she had been hired by Granger Aeronautics, she had checked the company out and learned about Sheppard Granger serving time for his wife’s murder. The case had looked pretty cut-and-dried, especially since his fingerprints had been on the murder weapon.

  It was alleged he was having an affair, although the prosecution was never able to discover the name of the mystery woman, nor did Sheppard ever reveal anything. He also claimed the hotel receipts in question were his own.

  From what she was hearing, the receipts and the affair were all Sheppard’s wife’s doing. And he had taken the rap just so his sons’ image of their mother wouldn’t be tarnished.

  “When you found out about Mom, why didn’t you tell me, Jace? Didn’t you think I had a right to know?” Caden was now upset and angry.

  “Yes, I knew both you and Dalton had a right to know, but Dad forbade me to tell you. Although I said I understood his feelings, I told him I couldn’t promise.”

  Caden nodded. “Dad didn’t want us to know the truth about Mom.” He shook his head. “Can you imagine how Dalton is going to react if he ever finds out? He was closer to Mom than the two of us and he thought she walked on water.”

  “I know, but he has to be told. I’d rather he hear it from us than anyone else,” Jace said.

  “You think there are others who know about this, apart from the Greenes?” Caden asked.

  “I’m not sure.”

  “I believe there are,” Shiloh said, adding to the discussion. “Saturday night at my party, shortly after you arrived, I was talking to Harold and Helen Owens, an older couple who’re known around town for their lavish parties.”

  Caden nodded. “I remember them and I recall you were talking to them when I first approached you.”

  “Well, when they saw you they began talking, and one of the things they said was that your mom had been involved in an affair. I spoke up and told them I’d never heard that before, repeating what everyone had believed back then—it had been your father who was the adulterer. Mr. and Mrs. Owens both looked at me and then quickly changed the subject.”

  “Well, if Helen Owens knew something, then there are others who know, too. One thing I recall about her is that she liked to gossip,” Jace said.

  Jules knew it was time to intervene. It was getting late, and she needed to make sense of why the Greenes disliked the Grangers. That information would help her determine whether it was connected to what had happened to Caden on Saturday night.

  “But it doesn’t make sense for the Greenes to hold any animosity toward you and your brothers, Jace. From what you said, I would think Mr. Greene would feel some sort of shame and not anger. And if Mrs. Greene should be angry with anyone, it should be toward her husband and your mother.”

  Jules drew in a deep breath before saying, “And Ivan Greene’s attitude is baffling. Even if he knew about his father’s affair with your mother, surely he realized you and your brothers were young. You were just in your teens and had no control over the actions of your mother or your father.”

  “Honestly,” Caden said, “I don’t know what to think about all this, but I can say I was not imagining things on Saturday. Shiloh picked up on it, as well.”

  Jules glanced at Shiloh. “Has there ever been anything going on between you and Ivan? If so, could he be jealous?”

  Shiloh shook her head. “Caden asked me the same thing on Saturday night, and the answer is no. I’ve never been involved with Ivan. He’s come into the wine boutique to make a few purchases, but he’s barely said two words to me.”

  “What about with you, Caden?” Jules asked. “Has there been any jealousy toward you from other music professionals or band members? What about the women you dated in the past? Do any of them have a beef with you?”

  Caden shook his head. “There has never been any jealousy. I get along with my band members and fellow musicians. As far as women are concerned,” he said, glancing down at Shiloh, “I’ve only loved one woman. However, while we were apart, I did have lovers but I always made sure they understood up front it was for sex and nothing more.”

  “And none of them had a problem with that?” Jules asked, watching the looks exchanged between him and Shiloh. She wasn’t sure of their history, but imagined their separation must have taken a toll on them.

  “No, none had a problem with it.” He then paused a moment and a frown settled on his features. “However, there was someone named Rita.”

  Jules lifted a brow. “Rita?”

  “Yes, Rita Crews. She was a member of my band for a time. A damned good guitarist. She and I had a no-strings affair for a few months earlier this year. But she began getting possessive—she even had a couple of altercations with fans who she thought were giving me too much attention. I ended up letting her go.”

  “You fired her?”

  “My manager fired her, but she knew I was behind it.”

  “When
was this?”

  “Around four months ago. I haven’t seen her since. She tried calling a few times, but I wouldn’t take her calls.”

  Jules nodded. “You said she was a good musician. Has she hooked up with another band?”

  “Not sure. I would think so, but I don’t know. It will be fairly easy for me to find out.”

  “Please do.”

  “Surely, you don’t think Rita had something to do with Saturday night,” Caden protested.

  Jules stood to disconnect her tape recorder. “I still can’t say whether it was intentional or accidental. But given there aren’t any bars in the area, unless the driver parked while intoxicated—or attended your party, Shiloh, then—”

  “My party?” Shiloh asked with expressive eyes.

  “Yes. I hope no one left the party drunk, but it’s possible. Did you notice anyone drinking excessively?”

  “No, not at all.”

  Jules nodded. “It would be helpful if I could get a list of the invitees.”

  “Not everyone who came received an invitation,” she said, smiling over at Caden. Returning her gaze to Jules, she added, “But I will give you the list I have. And there are video cameras inside the shop, and they were turned on that night.”

  “Perfect. Are there any cameras in the courtyards?”

  “Yes, but none facing the streets.”

  “I’d like to view what you have if I may.”

  “By all means. You can stop by anytime to pick them up,” Shiloh said.

  “Would tomorrow be okay?”

  “Absolutely. Tomorrow is just fine.”

  Jules released a deep breath. “I wish I could have checked for tire prints on the road to see if there were skid marks. That would tell me whether the person had lost control of the vehicle. It’s too late for that now. But I do have a friend with the Charlottesville police department. I’d like to see whether any vehicles were caught on camera speeding through that intersection during the time frame we’re looking at. The video camera from the traffic light should shed some light on that. There are a few other things I want to check out, as well.”