“I suppose it really isn’t important in regards to the murder investigation. But, I really don’t understand why anyone would want to kill Harrison. To be brutally honest, he has been out of the loop for a number of years, in more ways than one.”
“Was something wrong with him, mentally?” Kim asked.
“I really would prefer this not get beyond the family. But it may, considering the investigation. I believe Harrison was mentally ill for years. My dear departed brother was always charming and charismatic. Yet, there was always something about him that was just a bit off. It’s hard to explain. He got worse the last few years. It bordered on paranoia. That’s one reason he and Shelly lived here. My father wanted to keep an eye on him.”
“But he was a senator,” Kim said.
“Well, trust me; I don’t imagine he was the only imbalanced charmer to make it to Washington.”
“He had his own office?” Kim’s statement was more of a question.
“Yes, it was a place for him to go. We tried to keep him busy with some charity work, but I don’t think he did much at the office. Like I said, I’m trying to sort through his papers and see if I can come up with a paper trail.”
“I would imagine the investigators would be doing that instead of you.”
Garret laughed. “You really think my father would allow a bunch of government employees to poke around in family business? No, the authorities have access to some information but not all of it. I’m only telling you this because I think you have a right to know what is going on, considering your poor mother was thrown into the middle of whatever Harrison was involved with.”
Chapter 10
Jake woke Kim on Friday morning, sitting by the side of her bed meowing loudly. Finally, he jumped up onto the mattress and began walking around Kim’s head. His loud purring reminded her of a motor boat.
“Go away, Jake,” she moaned sleepily, giving him a gentle shove when he tried to sit on her head. Persistently, he nudged her nose with his until she started petting the side of his neck. The nudging stopped, but the drooling began. Jake laid down next to her head, closed his eyes and savored the moment.
Fine black cat hair floated off his body, making her nose itch. Kim told herself she would never get a boyfriend this way, if she kept sleeping with a fat, slobbering, and shedding cat. One thing was sure; guys with allergies were off her list.
While stroking under Jake’s chin, Kim thought about the previous day and her time spent with the Coulson clan. She had talked more with Garret than she had with Adam. Angela had never once left Adam’s side, nor had she initiated any conversation with Kim. Angela had been friendlier on their first meeting at the police station. Kim wondered what the girl knew of Adam’s long ago relationship with her.
She did get an opportunity to talk with Sarah and Hannah; both were lively teenage girls. They obviously knew Adam and Kim had once dated, and when they had managed to pull Kim away from the rest of the family, they had asked her question after question, desperately wanting all the juicy details. Kim soon realized the girls had no idea she had once carried Adam’s baby. Nor did they know the couple had once planned to marry.
What Kim could not get out of her head was the fact that had her daughter lived, she and Adam would have married. Instead of two bubbly teenage girls, there would be three. Undoubtedly, she and Adam would have raised their daughter alongside Alex and Kate’s, spending holidays and family time together. Instead of one Thanksgiving dinner with the Coulson clan, this would have been one among many. The part of Kim that longed for a family for a connection, mourned for a life she would never experience.
It was raining outside, not terrific weather for a funeral but fitting. She imagined the crowd would be much larger for Harrison than for her mother. Instead of the funeral home chapel, the service was being held at a large church in the center of town. Kim wasn’t sure if Harrison had been a member of the congregation or if it was simply the most convenient place for the family to hold the service. When dating Adam, he had told her his parents had never attended church regularly, yet he identified himself as a Christian, as did his parents. She knew nothing about the Coulson family’s religious beliefs other than they too considered themselves Christian. At least, that is what she speculated, considering the location of Harrison’s service.
Kim arrived at the church early and took a seat in one of the back pews. To her surprise, Adam joined her a few minutes later. The church was filling up quickly.
“Where’s Angela?” Kim asked.
“She had one of her migraines,” Adam explained before sitting down next to Kim.
After the service, Kim met Adam over at The Coulson House. There were far more people at the residence than there had been for Thanksgiving dinner. Instead of Alex and Kate helping with the food, caterers were hired. To escape the crowd, Adam and Kim slipped off to the library to chat.
“I really do love this room,” Kim said as they walked into the library.
Adam closed the door to give them privacy.
“Adam, why didn’t you sit in the front pew with your family?”
“I’m not a Coulson,” Adam reminded her.
“I thought you liked Garret.” Kim took a seat on one of the leather chairs.
“He’s a good guy. But that still doesn’t make me a Coulson.” Adam leaned against the desk in the same way Garret had the previous day.
“Normally, I wouldn’t agree to spend Thanksgiving at this mausoleum, but Mom roped me into it, and Angela wanted to go.”
“I think the house is great. It will belong to Garret and your mom someday,” Kim reminded him.
“Well, I’ll be surprised if Mom ever agrees to move in, even after the old man kicks off.”
“Sheesh, Adam, you sound like your Aunt Kate.”
Adam laughed at the comment. “Well, he is an ornery old SOB, but I kind of like him. From what I understand, he was a real asshole as a father. It’s amazing Garret is such a good dad. Surprises the hell out of me.”
“You had a good dad.” Kim remembered how close Adam had been to his father.
“Yes, he was a good dad. But I have to admit, and this may sound horrible, Garret is probably a better father in many ways.”
“Are you serious?” Kim could not believe what Adam was saying.
“My dad was great, and I still miss him. But he was always wrapped up in his work and spent most of the time at the restaurant. Garret, well, he was retired when he married Mom, so he spent time with his family and with my sister. In fairness to my dad, he had to work to support his family, whereas Garret didn’t have to. Yet, knowing my father, I can’t imagine him ever retiring. The restaurant was his life.”
“So, how do you like it? You said you took the week off.”
“Yeah, I needed a break, and when all this stuff happened with Harrison I figured I would take some time off.”
“Are many of the same people there? I remember picking you up after work.”
“Steve is still there. He started managing the place after Mom married Garret. He got married a couple years ago.”
“Steve? I thought he was gay.” Kim frowned.
“I never said he married a woman.” Adam laughed.
“Really? Who is the guy?” Kim was curious. She remembered how supportive Steve was of Adam and his mother after Ryan’s death.
“His name is Peter Mathews. I don’t think you ever met him. The whole thing was a little weird at first, but I figure, whose business is it anyway? They seem really happy. Do you remember Rosa?”
“I think so.”
“She went back to school a few years after we graduated and got a nursing degree. For a while, she worked at the local hospital. Ended up marrying someone she met while taking a cruise with some girlfriends. A couple years ago, she and her new husband moved to Hawaii. Mom still hears from her. Aside from Steve, I don’t think there’s anyone at the restaurant who worked there when you lived in Coulson.”
“What about tha
t cute bartender? Gee, what was his name?” Kim tried to remember.
“Taylor? Oh, he was killed in a motorcycle accident about ten years ago. Hit Mom hard. She really liked him.”
“That’s horrible. Did he ever marry?”
“Taylor? No.”
“Did you know Harrison Coulson very well?” Kim asked.
“Fairly well. Yet, not as well as I originally thought.”
“What do you mean?”
“When I first met Harrison, I thought he was a nice guy and never realized he had a darker side. I didn’t understand his true nature until it was too late.” Adam cringed. He didn’t mean to say the last sentence aloud.
“Too late?”
“It’s just that sometimes we get involved with certain people before we know them well. Or we think we know them. But then we discover they aren’t who we think they are.”
“Are you saying you used to be close to Harrison?”
“Well, not really. I mean, I first met him after Mom married Garret, but I’d seen him around before then. He used to come into the restaurant sometimes. He was never close to his brothers. After Mom and Kate married into the family, I saw Garret and Russell all the time, at least when I came home from college. I didn’t get to know Harrison until about three years ago. I figured whatever problems he had with his brothers were none of my business. Basically, what I learned is that Harrison Coulson didn’t do anything from the goodness of his heart. If he did something nice, it was a safe bet he was getting more in return.”
“I got the impression from Garret and your mother that Harrison was mentally imbalanced.”
“Well, that, too.” Adam laughed bitterly. “Which just made dealing with him, well, so much more interesting. You know…” Adam abruptly changed the subject. “Hannah and Sarah think you are pretty terrific.”
“They are cute girls. I just can’t get over the fact our daughter would be about their age now.”
“Yeah, I think about that sometimes, too. I wonder if we would’ve made it.” Adam asked.
“You mean if we went through with the marriage?”
Adam just nodded.
“What do they say? Half of marriages don’t work out, and it’s even higher for teen marriages.”
“Something like that. But I like to think if we had gone through it, we’d still be married.” Adam insisted.
“To be honest, we didn’t have much of a chance. We both know you were never really in love with me.”
“You keep saying that, but I did love you.”
“Well, you’re engaged to Angela now, so I don’t think we should keep having these types of conversations anymore.”
“I guess it would be rude of me to point out that you started it.” Adam chuckled.
“Oh, I guess I did.” Kim blushed. “Sorry about that. I suppose part of me wants to talk about it because I haven’t had anyone to discuss it with for sixteen years. Being here, all those memories just rush back.”
“Don’t you have anyone back home that you talk to? Did you discuss it with your mother?”
“No, Mom and I never really talked about it much, even when it was going on. I just knew she was disappointed in me, especially when we broke up and didn’t get married.”
“That surprises me. I didn’t think she liked me very much.”
“That’s not true,” Kim argued, and then she recalled something she hadn’t thought about for a long time. “Mom always seemed to like you, yet I will confess, she got a little weird after she found out your mother was seeing Garret Coulson.”
“You never mentioned that before. Why in the world would she care who my mom was seeing?” Adam asked.
“I remember Jenny and I were in my bedroom, talking about how you moved in with your uncle. Mom overheard and asked me why you weren’t living with your mom. I told her she was dating Garret Coulson and you didn’t like him. I didn’t go into the true details of the situation. Mom got really quiet. I swear, she turned as white as a ghost. Then she said that was probably for the best.”
“That’s bizarre. Why in the world didn’t you ever mention it before?”
“By that time, I already suspected I was pregnant, and I had my mind on other things.”
“What did your mom think when I moved back home?” Adam couldn’t help but wonder why Kim’s mother had an issue with Garret Coulson.
“Well, one time she grilled me about how involved you were with Garret’s family. I told her you and I really had nothing to do with any of them. That seemed to make her happy. Hey, did you know my mom used to work for Harrison? Garret told me.”
“Really? No, I didn’t know that. Obviously, Mom doesn’t tell me everything."
“Did your mother tell you about the photographs I found of my mom?” Kim asked.
Adam didn’t answer immediately. After a few moments, he said, “Yes, she did.”
“I’m going up to see my father tomorrow. My brother is taking me.”
“Yeah, I sort of heard that too.” Adam smiled. He noticed how green Kim’s eyes looked today, not realizing her green blouse was accentuating the color. In high school, he had always thought she was a pretty girl. She was no longer that pretty girl but now a beautiful young woman. Kim seemed more reserved than he remembered, although he recalled how his friends used to make comments about how she seemed a bit stuck up. Kim never was, Adam thought, just a little shy and standoffish. Yet, she hadn’t been that way with him. In those days, Kim had provided Adam emotional shelter.
“Gee, does your mother tell you everything?” Kim teased.
“She didn’t tell me about your mother working for Harrison. But Mom sincerely cares about you, and she would never tell me something you told her in confidence, or if she thought you wouldn’t want me to know.”
“I really do like your mother. She’s been very sweet to me, and so has your Aunt Kate. I rather regret not taking the time to get to know them better when we were dating.”
“You can now,” Adam reminded her.
“I won’t really be here that long. I plan to head home after the New Year.”
“You’re going to stay that long?” Adam was surprised but pleased to hear she wasn’t leaving immediately. “I thought you’d be leaving sometime next week. Glad you’re staying longer.”
“Yeah, I thought about it, but I can’t see any reason to rush back home. The real estate market is typically slow around the holidays, anyway. It’ll give me time to get Mom’s house ready to list and to settle her estate. I haven’t even seen her attorney yet. I intended to stop by his office when I made funeral arrangements, then figured it would be impossible to get an appointment during Thanksgiving week. I plan to call and make an appointment after the holiday weekend.”
“Kim.” Adam realized this might be his last opportunity to talk privately with her. Considering how Angela had clung to his side on Thanksgiving Day, it was doubtful his fiancée would allow him any private time with his old girlfriend. “I want to tell you something that I’ve wanted to say for a long time.”
Kim gave Adam a questioning frown.
“I will always be grateful for the emotional support you gave me when my father died. I felt so alone back then, and you just seemed to always know the right thing to say to make me feel better.”
“I think part of it was the sex.” Kim laughed, trying to make light of his words, which made her uncomfortable.
“Well, teenage boys always appreciate sex.” Adam laughed but got serious again. “No, I mean it. The only regrets I’ve ever had regarding our relationship have to do with my personal actions. I was often thoughtless with you, such as when I went on that ski trip.”
“Oh, that.” Kim shrugged. “Adam, it wasn’t that you went on the trip but that you wanted to go and really didn’t think twice about it. While I was pretty hurt back then, I think your actions were honest. I never would have wanted you to stay home out of guilt.”
“I understand now, and I’m sorry.”
“D
on’t apologize for it now, because it was probably for the best. You wondered if we would still be married now if we had gone through with it. I don’t think so.” They were both quiet for a moment, lost in their private thoughts. Finally, Adam broke the silence.
“So, have you come close to marrying anyone else?”
“Not really. It’s not easy meeting people. I’m not much for the bar crowd, and I haven’t tried the computer dating thing.” Kim smiled. “Last year, I dated this escrow officer for a few months. He was a nice guy, but there wasn’t any spark. Most of the people I meet are through work. Clients, other agents, people in the industry. I spend my time taking a lot of real estate classes, going to open houses, and attending meetings. My life is kind of boring, now that I think about it.”
“What do you do for fun?” Adam asked. When they had dated, they spent most of their time making love, going to parties, or attending school functions.
“I haven’t gotten to the fun yet.” Kim laughed but silently asked herself, What do I do for fun?
Before Kim could answer the question, the door to the library opened. Standing in the doorway was Angela’s father, Joe Carter.
“Well, here you are. I wondered where you were hiding,” Joe said as he walked into the room. His glance moved from Adam to Kim.
“Hi, Chief. How is Angela feeling?” Kim asked. She couldn’t help but notice the cool way he looked at her—not quite the same warm greeting she had received on Monday.
“She just called me on my cell phone. Apparently, she was trying to get a hold of Adam, but he hasn’t been picking up.”
“Oh, damn,” Adam said as he reached in his pocket and pulled out his cell phone. “I turned it off at the church. I forgot to turn it back on. Kim, if you will excuse me, I’m going to go call Angela.”
“Sure,” Kim replied as she watched Adam leave the room, his cell phone in hand. Adam was already dialing Angela’s number when he left Kim alone in the library with the retired police chief.
“Those two have been dating for two years now,” Joe told Kim as he glanced at the doorway.
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