“I see.” I knew, and he should have, that there would be no bargaining with Marci the Schemer. “She’ll get an attorney. If you can’t prove adultery, I’m not sure how much bargaining power you’ve got.”
“That’s what Robert said. He wants me to get proof.”
“How do I know you’re not here just because she pissed you off?”
“Liz, I’ve never loved anyone but you. I’ve lived a lie so long I’d begun to believe that’s all I could hope for. But then you came home. If she hadn’t cheated, I still would have left. Maybe not today. But make no mistake, this—us—is inevitable. Marry me, Liz. I’m lost without you.”
I smiled a teary smile. “Come back and see me when you have that divorce. We’ll talk then.” I slammed the window shut.
“Liz, wait,” he shouted.
I closed the plantation shutters.
“Liz!”
I crawled onto my bed and propped against the headboard. I pulled a pillow to my chest and cried.
THIRTY-ONE
The combination of not nearly enough sleep, repeated adrenaline rushes, and emotional drama caught up with me. Somehow, I dozed off. I woke with a start and glanced at the clock. Hell’s bells—it was after two in the afternoon. I hadn’t had lunch. I had work to do. My family would be worried about me. And I was missing The Most Fabulous Spring Bazaar Ever, which had commenced that morning, homicidal maniacs on the loose notwithstanding.
I’d no sooner gotten dressed than someone started hammering out Chopsticks on the doorbell. Of course, I just knew it was Blake, or possibly Michael again. I wasn’t expecting anyone else, least of all my ex-husband, holding a dozen yellow roses—my favorite. I stared at him through the peephole, hoping I was hallucinating.
“Scott?” I reacted and called through the door before thinking it through. Damn. I should have let him think I wasn’t home. I did not have time for this. I took a deep breath and opened it halfway.
“The one and only.” He shoved the roses in my direction and flashed me his best imitation of an appealing smile.
I crossed my arms and didn’t take the flowers. “What are you doing here?” I was relieved he had roses and not a gun.
“I miss you, kitten. I guess I didn’t realize how much. Lately, it just all seems so final.”
I drew my head back and studied him for a moment. Even if I hadn’t known what he was up to, I would never have fallen for that lie.
He took a step towards me. “I talked to Nate this morning. I had to pry it out of him where you’d gone. The next thing you know, I was headed down here.” His voice deepened to a husky drawl. “You sure are a sight for sore eyes. Come on, baby, let me come in. Can’t we just talk?”
Scott was a smooth liar. He had to come up with something to explain how he knew I was home. But he hadn’t thought that lie all the way through. No way Nate would have ever told Scott where to find me. Rhett materialized by my side. The low, warning growl indicated he remembered Scott well.
“Talk? About what?” I said.
He pressed the roses into my arms.
“This is insane.” Reluctantly, I took the flowers.
He grinned that cocksure grin of his.
I gave him my spare-me look. “Let me get something to put these in.” I opened the door far enough to admit him into the foyer. I didn’t want to arouse his suspicions by showing him I was afraid of him.
Rhett backed up but braced to pounce.
“Wait right here,” I admonished Scott.
Moments later when I returned from the kitchen, he was gone. “Scott?”
Rhett barked from the sunroom.
“In here,” Scott called. “I hope you don’t mind, I made myself comfortable.”
I hustled down the hall, thrashing myself for letting him in the door. What the hell was I thinking?
There he sat, on the sofa, looking up at me with his innocent look.
“I do mind. You’re not staying that long. Look, I’m sorry you drove all this way, but we said everything we had to say months—no, years—ago. This doesn’t make any sense.”
“It makes perfect sense,” he said. “When Nate told me you were staying down here indefinitely, it snapped me to my senses. As long as we were both in Greenville, the split didn’t feel permanent. But with you taking up residence here, I guess it’s sinking in. If we don’t patch things up now, we never will.”
“Scott—”
“Come back with me, Liz. Let’s start over. We’ll leave right now and go someplace in the Caribbean. Then we’ll go home together. I’m not asking you to make a commitment now. We don’t have to get remarried until you’re sure. But just give me another chance.” As he was speaking, he’d stood and crossed the room, and now stood way too close.
My, my. Two marriage proposals in one afternoon. So this was his plan. Another female might have been swayed by the pleading look in his blue eyes. But I’d been inoculated.
Rhett’s barking became more urgent.
I backed away. “Scott, I am not going anywhere with you. You are going to leave now, do you understand?”
“Okay, okay. I’ll go. For now. I can see this has been a shock for you. I’ll call you later. Maybe we can have dinner.”
“No, we can’t.”
Something shifted in his eyes.
Alarmed I may have pushed him too far, I softened my tone. “Please go, Scott.”
“I’m not going back to Greenville without you.” He backed slowly down the hall, not taking his eyes off me. “I’ll be at the Stella Maris Hotel, waiting.”
“It’s not going to change anything.” I followed him, resisting the urge to shove him out the door.
“Don’t say that, now.” He tried for charming, but I felt chilled. He stepped across the threshold to the porch. “You come see me when you change your mind. Anytime now, you hear?”
I closed the door, locked it behind him, and leaned against it.
Arrrhhh! I dug my fingers into my hair. I took a few slow, calming breaths, and then went into my office. I called Blake and, thankfully, got his voicemail again. I left him a message letting him know I was fine, and I was working, and I was so, so sorry, and I would see him later that evening at Mamma and Daddy’s. Blake would be steamed I’d been gone all day when he’d asked me to wait for him that morning—which now felt like three years ago. But he would get over it.
I grabbed a banana and a glass of tea to hold me over and went into my office. I pulled out Gram’s list and studied the names and, in particular, the question marks. If my hunch was right, Gram had been sure that Mackie made Grace vulnerable, and Marci was Michael’s vulnerability. Mildred and Olivia each had one question mark, indicating perhaps Gram suspected there was something that could be used against Lincoln and Robert, but wasn’t quite sure. Evidently, she hadn’t uncovered Mildred’s prior occupation.
Gram was even less sure that John Glendawn’s history with Hayden Causby and Stuart Devlin could be used against him—they had two question marks. And apparently Gram had considered Merry a possibility—though a long shot with three question marks—as leverage against Daddy. Or maybe she thought Merry could convince Daddy to go along with a zoning change that allowed her to build her camp. That made sense. But I would have put four or five question marks there. Convincing Daddy to go along with oceanfront development was not a likely scenario.
I pulled out my phone and tapped Quincy Owen’s saved phone number, with no real expectation he would answer.
He picked up on the second ring. “Quincy Owen.”
“Mr. Owen. Glad I caught you. This is Liz Talbot calling from South Carolina.”
“Oh, right. The private investigator.”
“Yes. Am I catching you at a bad time?”
“No, no. I’m sorry I haven’t retu
rned the call. I’m in the middle of a new project that’s pretty much consumed me, I’m afraid. Down your way, actually.”
I had a sinking feeling. If this camp turned out to be legit, I’d be left with a lot of loose ends.
“That’s what I wanted to speak with you about.”
“You from the Upstate, are you? Could have sworn you said you were calling from the Charleston area.”
“Wait.” I scrunched my face so hard I could feel the wrinkles setting in. “I’m calling from Stella Maris, near Charleston. That’s where you’re planning your new camp, right? On Stella Maris?”
He chuckled. “I wish that were possible. We’re building a camp in the foothills near Lake Jocassee. A benefactor left the property to the foundation in her will.”
“Mr. Owen, does David Morehead work for your organization?”
“Who?”
“David Morehead.”
“Never heard of him.”
“How about Merry—Esmerelda—Talbot? Are you by chance trying to recruit her for a project?”
“She related to you?”
“Yes. She’s my sister.”
“Sorry, I haven’t had the pleasure.”
“That’s what I needed. Thank you for your time.”
I leaned back in my chair and pondered the New Life Foundation. Merry was one of the smartest people I knew. She would have researched these folks on the web. And she would have found exactly what I’d found. Pictures of pristine campgrounds and happy teenagers. And she would have called David Morehead back on the number he gave her. Many people used cell phones for business these days. That wouldn’t have raised her suspicions.
I pulled up the South Carolina Secretary of State’s webpage and did a query on New Life Foundation.
Oh my, my. The New Life Foundation of South Carolina popped up.
With Adam Devlin as the registered agent.
It was not a nonprofit organization.
THIRTY-TWO
St. Francis Episcopal is the oldest church on Stella Maris. It’s built of stone with a steeple and stained glass windows. The gym doubles as a fellowship hall. The Most Fabulous Spring Bazaar Ever was still in full swing at three o’clock when I pulled into the parking lot. Tables of pickles, jams, casseroles, and every homemade or hand-stitched thing under the sun spilled out of the gym and onto the shady lawn. Throngs of people examined the merchandise and chatted with their neighbors.
I smiled and waved my way into the gym and tried to find Mamma. I needed her to see me, preferably after I’d purchased something. The noise level in the gym was deafening. I picked up snatches of conversation as I worked my way through the crowd.
“…just can’t believe poor Emma was murdered…”
“…serial killer…running loose…”
“…strange lights over the ocean…”
“…all be murdered in our sleep…”
“…my Tom has all our guns loaded…”
I spotted Kate Devlin behind a table selling her chicken potpies. I could see stocking up on those. I pushed through the crowd in her direction. I slid behind two women engaged in earnest gossip, and smiled brightly as I popped out of the crowd and landed right next to Michael.
Kate smiled at me, but continued talking to her son. “Where have you been keeping yourself, son?”
Michael glanced at me. Tacitly, we agreed to keep things simple just then. “Hi, Liz,” he said. “Good to have you home.”
I tingled from head to toe. My mouth was so dry I struggled to make it work. “Hey,” I said. “I didn’t mean to interrupt. I’m just here to get some of your mamma’s pies. I’ll just browse. You all go on and visit.” I focused on the pies and casseroles.
Michael turned back to his mother. “Mostly I’ve been working, Mamma. How are you feeling? Are you taking care of yourself like you’re supposed to? You look a little weak.”
“Yes, I’ve been following the doctor’s orders precisely, and aside from feeling a bit drunk from the medication Warren gave me for my heart, I feel fine.”
“You’ve cut back on the caffeine like he said, right?”
“Warren Harper is an alarmist,” she said. “Always has been.”
“Have you been walking, like he told you?”
“I walked just this morning. Early. Before your brother came by.”
Michael stiffened. “How is Adam?”
I was wondering myself if she’d seen him before, or after, Michael blackened his eye.
“He seemed in a stew,” Kate said. “But you know your brother. Always in a stew about something. He was by before breakfast.”
Michael visibly relaxed. “What was bothering him?”
Kate’s smile diminished somewhat, and she glanced down at her folded hands. “He didn’t want to talk about it, whatever it was. After I told him Blake had been by asking about Emma Rae, that’s all he wanted to talk about.”
“Emma Rae Talbot?”
“Yes.” Kate glanced at me. “Blake has some farfetched notion that Emma Rae was murdered.”
Michael asked, “What does that have to do with Adam?”
Kate shrugged. “Nothing more than it has to do with any of us, I suppose. I guess he was concerned for my safety. And poor Emma Rae…” Kate turned towards me. “She was one of my dearest friends, you know.”
“Listen, Mamma,” Michael said. “Adam didn’t say anything to upset you, did he?”
“Why, no. He hasn’t mentioned anything in months about that other nonsense. It’s a moot point now, anyway. I told you, I’m donating two hundred acres of that land for a camp.” She turned to me and smiled. It was an odd little smile. I couldn’t quite read it. “Merry’s camp.”
Michael nodded. “That’s for the best.”
What nonsense was she talking about? I gathered my wits. I needed to buy my pies and get Michael out of there so we could compare notes. “Kate, I can’t tell you how much I enjoyed that potpie you brought by the other day. It was delicious. These freeze, right?”
“Well, of course.”
“I’ll take half a dozen. And two of the chicken rice casseroles. Do you have a bag?” You should never shop for food when you’re hungry. That banana hadn’t gone far. I was starved.
Kate did the math, took my money and bagged my food. I thanked her, motioned Michael with a nod, and headed towards the back of the gym, leaving him to say goodbye. Foot traffic was chaotic. People were not sticking to the whole “walk on the right-hand side” rule. I hadn’t gone three steps before I was feeling claustrophobic. I hate crowds. They make me feel like I’m suffocating, perhaps because I’m afraid to breathe. You just know a third of the people in any given herd have something contagious. I had an impulse to bolt for the nearest door.
Michael came up behind me. “Here. Let me carry that bag. You’ve got a month’s worth of food in there. Maybe you’ll need some company for dinner to help you eat it.”
“I doubt it. I’m a healthy eater. And I can carry my own bag, thanks.” I stopped walking. “Look, we need to talk. Not about us, not now. But there’s something I have to tell you. I just have to say hey to Mamma, and then we can get out of here.”
A concerned look crossed his face. “Okay. Your mamma’s in the back, at the information booth, near the quilts.”
We pressed though the crowd in that direction. It seemed like hours before I caught sight of Mamma. I waved through the crowd. We negotiated our way over to the information table.
“Well, there you are,” Mamma said. “Your brother’s been looking for you.”
“I know, Mamma. I tried to call him. Several times. I’ll see him tonight at your house. What a great turnout.” I offered her my brightest smile. “I’ve been shopping up a storm.” I lifted my bag.
“Well, I’m gl
ad you made it,” she said. She turned to Michael and her smile widened. “How are you, Michael?”
“I’m fine, Carolyn,” he said. “Looks like the bazaar’s a big success. Congratulations.”
“Thank you so much. A lot of folks had a hand in it, of course. Liz, did you see the quilts?”
“Not yet, Mamma, but I’m going to right now. And I just have to have some of Alma’s bread and butter pickles. I’ve only made it half way around the gym.” I could tell I had only partially redeemed myself by showing up late in the afternoon. “I’ll see you later at the house, okay?”
“All right then.” She eyed me like she might inventory my purchases later.
Michael and I found a quiet spot outside on a bench under a live oak. “What’s wrong?” he asked.
“Tell me what ‘other nonsense’ Adam has been bothering your mother with.”
He gave me an odd look, but answered. “Adam has tried, several times now, to bully her into going along with developing Devlin’s Point. Last winter when she was still on town council, he had some harebrained scheme to turn Devlin’s Point into a high-dollar resort, and he was trying to badger Mamma into voting for a zoning variance when it came before the council.”
I nodded.
Michael said, “Of course she wouldn’t have any of it, but he hounded her for weeks. I didn’t know anything about it until Mamma broke down and told me. He didn’t want me to know.”
“I’ll bet he didn’t.”
“The whole thing was crazy. It would’ve taken more than Mamma’s vote to pass something like that. But he insisted he could get the other votes. Said we’d all be billionaires. Mamma was so upset she resigned from the council. That’s when I took over her seat.”
“How do you suppose he was going to get you to go along with this scheme?”
“No idea,” Michael said. “I really believe he had a lot to do with her heart problems back last winter. That’s when it all started, right about the time he was carrying on with all this.”
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