“What kind of questions?” he asked now. “Did this caller say why they were asking?”
Alaine spread his hands, as if trying to find the right words. “He didn’t. And as for the questions, honestly, it was nothing specific. Were we friends? Were you and Sofia an item?”
“He? So the caller was a man? Do you have a name?”
“He said his name was John Galt. What?” Alaine added seeing Damien’s reaction. “Do you know him?”
“He’s a character in a novel. A brilliant man who disappears. Most people believe he’s only a rumor. But he’s real, and he’s slowly destroying the fools who are in charge of the world. I have a feeling your caller considers me one of the fools.”
“Oh,” Alaine said. “Doesn’t know you well, then, does he?”
“No,” Damien replied. “He doesn’t.” He met his friend’s eyes. “What else did he ask?”
“About Richter’s death, but you could probably guess that.”
“What did you say to him?”
“Nothing, really. He just kept rapid firing the questions, and I kept trying to get him to explain to me who the hell he was and why he’d called me in the first place. I’m guessing he was a reporter trying to stir up dirt. Maybe he wanted to time it with your vow renewals. As I said, I was going to tell you tomorrow. But under the circumstances, I didn’t want to wait.”
“I’m glad you didn’t. Can you forward the number his call came from? Were there any voicemails?”
“It came to the restaurant, the land line. The numbers aren’t stored. Like I said, the voice was just a man. No particular accent. American, possibly from the Northeast, but I wouldn’t swear to it. Definitely not Southern.” He sighed, and held out his hands in a what can you do gesture. “I’m sorry not to be more help. I was mostly annoyed about the call and ended it quickly.”
“You handled it fine. Thank you for telling me.”
Alaine nodded, then turned and took a step toward the corridor leading to the kitchen. He paused, and for a moment he just stood there. Then he seemed to come to a decision.
He turned back around. “Damien … about Germany. After the trial ... I mean, after you went public about what happened to you and Sofia … well….”
He trailed off, then drew a deep breath before beginning again. “Well, the truth is, I had a hard time dealing with that. Which seems ridiculous considering what you had to deal with.” He swallowed, then shoved his hands in the pocket of his chef’s coat. “I should’ve called you. I should’ve been there for you. I know we spoke briefly, but we never really talked. I’m sure you needed a friend, and it should have been me. I was there, after all, back when it was all going down. There, and so damned oblivious.”
“It’s not your fault.”
“No, it wasn’t. But I could have been a better friend once I learned about it.”
“You called me,” Damien said. “You said you were sorry for it. For not knowing it was happening.”
“All true, but one call and no more mentions? I was a shitty friend.”
“No, you weren’t. And it wasn’t something I wanted to talk about anyway.”
“Still….”
“No,” Damien said firmly. “Believe me, you were a rock for both Sofia and me in those years. I told you that before, and I meant it. You were a friend while it was happening, and after … well, after, you were part of the reason we were able to keep going.”
He flashed his friend a grin. “Now get back to work. You only have a week to get ready. And since Nikki and I are already married, it’s your food that’s going to be the real show.”
Alaine chuckled. “You do have a way of calming a man’s nerves.”
“Goodnight, Alaine.”
“I’m so sorry about all of this. Not telling you about the calls right away, and also about someone pretending to be my staff so they could vandalize your home.”
“Don’t worry about it. This wedding doubled as our rehearsal, and now we know that security needs to be seriously beefed up. Which reminds me, I’ll contact you about whatever new security measures will be in place for when you come back next Saturday.”
“Sounds good. I’ll go finish packing up. We’ll be off the property within the hour.”
“Take your time. Do you want to stay for a drink?”
“Thanks, but I’m good. It’s been a long day.”
“That it has,” Damien said, then watched his friend go. He hated not telling him the full truth about the video and the vile texts. This was a man he’d trusted for years, after all. If it were just him, Damien would have told him everything. He believed his gut, and it said Alaine had nothing to do with the damn text and the video.
But it wasn’t just him anymore. It was him and Nikki and two sweet little girls and a baby boy. And it was Bree who’d suffered so much, too. Plus Gregory, who worked in the house and lived on the property, and was older and more vulnerable. An entire household of people who had Damien’s love and were under his protection.
But there was more, too. Another reason he didn’t tell Alaine everything. Because even though he hated to face it, Alaine had been around back then. And maybe, just maybe, he’d had access to Richter’s tapes.
What Damien didn’t—couldn’t—believe, was that his friend had a motive.
Despite the horrible note on the portrait, the entire day had been just about perfect. He’d opened his home so that two people he loved could exchange their wedding vows, he’d mingled with friends and family, he’d watched his kids play with their cousins, and he’d spent some time with his wife, his brother, and their closest friends.
Now, though, he was ready for it to be over, and after he closed the front door behind Jackson and Sylvia, he pulled Nikki closer. “Alone at last,” he said, making her laugh.
“Let’s go check on the kids. Then I think I need to crash. It has definitely been a day.” She squeezed his hand, then led him toward the playroom. They stepped lightly, not wanting to wake anyone, and found Bree sitting up in the alcove at the front of the playroom reading, and all the kids sprawled about on the huge room’s floor.
“They’re sacked out,” Nikki said.
“They should be,” Bree replied. “They all had a busy day.”
“I doubt they’ll wake in the night,” Damien added. “And we have a monitor. You’re welcome to go back to your place.”
She shook her head. “No, I’ll stay here. I’m sure they’ll be fine, but if one of them wakes up confused, I want to be close.”
“You okay watching BB?” Nikki asked. “We can take him back to his room.”
“No, it’s fine. And I think he’s proud to be in with the older kids. I’ve got a blanket and stuff in here. It’s all good, really.”
“Then we’ll leave you to it,” Damien said.
“Syl will be back around ten tomorrow for beach time,” Nikki added. “Can you make sure they’re up by then?”
Bree rolled her eyes. “Have you met your children? They’ll be up long before that.”