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.