As always, this is a work in progress and there could be (will be) typos, plot holes, and other errors but those will be fixed before the book is published a couple of months from now.
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Chapter 14
She drove back to the house slowly, knowing she should call Tanner. He needed to know what she’d overheard in the bathroom, but he also needed to know about the missing button on Luke’s coat.
She didn’t want to tell him about the missing button though. She couldn’t.
Not until she’d talked to Luke first.
As for the conversation between the woman, she would pass that information on at least. It probably wouldn’t help at all, but at least it would offer proof that the family knew Samantha was Derek’s daughter. She wondered if Tanner had figured that out yet.
She considered a stop at Brewed Awakening for a cup of coffee but couldn’t face seeing Abbie right now. The intuitive mother would know something was wrong and would do her best to drag it out of her. There was no way she could tell Abbie that one of the town’s beloved pastors might be a murderer.
To her right she noticed a woman walking slowly, looking at the sidewalk, her shoulders sagging. She looked how Gladwynn felt.
As the car began to pass the woman, Gladwynn realized it was Eileen and that she was crying. She didn’t feel like she had the mental or emotional energy to comfort Eileen, but she pulled the car slowly into a parking space in front of the park in the center of town anyhow.
The recently painted gazebo stood in the center of a myriad of sidewalk paths, benches, light poles and a variety of types of trees. Gladwynn watched as Eileen walked up the steps of the gazebo and sat down, placing her head in her hands.
In some ways Gladwynn felt she needed to leave the woman alone, but another part nudged her to go talk to the woman, not only to comfort her, but learn more about what she knew, or didn’t know about Samantha. She closed the driver’s side door gingerly and made her way across the grass to avoid letting her heels click on the concrete and alerting Eileen to her presence. That couldn’t be avoided as she made her way up the steps of the gazebo, though.
Eileen looked up sharply, her eyes red and swollen. She sniffed loudly, her eyes narrowing. “What are you doing here? I don’t want to talk to the media.”
“I’m not here to talk to you for the paper. I saw you walking here and looking upset and I wanted to see if you were okay.”
Eileen glared, hands gripping the bottom of the bench she was sitting on, her straight, long hair falling loose around her face. “No you didn’t. You want to know what I know about Samantha and the day she died.”
Straight and to the point as always, but she was right. Gladwynn walked over slowly and sat next to her, tilting her knees in Eileen’s direction, her hands folded on her lap. “You’re right. I do want to know what you know about Samantha. She was a good friend to a lot of people and I want to know what happened to her. I have a feeling you’d like to know what happened to her too.”
Eileen let go of the grip she’d had on the bench, her knuckles white. She reached inside a small purse for a tissue. “I do want to know but telling you what I know about Sam won’t help anything. I don’t know who did this to her. I have ideas, but I don’t know for sure.”
“You and Sam were closer than you’ve let on weren’t you?”
Eileen nodded as she blew her nose, her voice breaking. “Yes. We became friends shortly after she moved here and grew closer in the last several months.”
“And you knew Derek well too?”
Eileen continued to cry, looking down at the hardwood floor of the gazebo. “Yes. He was a good man.”
Gladwynn decided to go for it and reveal her theory. “So you knew they were father and daughter?”
Eileen looked up quickly, tissue to her nose. “How did you know?”
There it was. Another confirmation.
“I guessed. They hung out a lot. Samantha had moved here not long after Derek did. A few other things tipped me off too.”
That really wasn’t a lot to go on to guess the two were related, but Gladwynn didn’t want to reveal what she’d read in the letter or what she’d heard in the bathroom. “When did they tell you?”
Eileen crumpled the tissue, shoved it in her purse and reached for another one. “We’d been hanging out a lot, watching movies together and playing cards. I came over early one night with a special cake I’d made and overheard Samantha asking Derek if he’d told his children yet that she was his daughter. I was shocked. I just stood there on the back patio with the cake, unable to move. Sam saw me standing there, assumed I had heard them talking and told me to come in. They talked to me and asked me not to say anything. I said I wouldn’t, of course.”
Eileen drew in a ragged breath. “Derek’s death had seemed natural, but after Samantha died – I don’t know. I just feel like it’s too much of a coincidence that they died so close together. I wasn’t surprised at all when the police said Samantha’s death was suspicious.”
Gladwynn leaned forward slightly. “Maybe I shouldn’t ask but was a cause of death ever determined for Derek?”
“I couldn’t tell you. I called the coroner and the funeral home to come after he died but the family handled things after that.”
“You had a number for the family?”
“Yes, Derek had given me his contact information but I didn’t recognize the last name.” She shrugged. “I’m not really up on billionaire hotel owning families.”
Gladwynn laughed softly. “Yeah. Me either.”
Eillen shrugged a shoulder. “It wasn’t until I found out about Sam and Derek that they told me who Derek was.”
Gladwynn hesitated to ask the next question, but in the end decided Eileen could simply decline to answer if it was over the line. “Who found Derek?”
Eileen’s expression crumpled. “Me. I went over to take him the coffee I’d ordered him from a specialty place in Italy.” She closed her eyes as if to block out the memory. “He didn’t answer but the back door was unlocked so I let myself inside. I called for him and then I went to look for him in his room. The door was open and he was in bed, peacefully sleeping. Or so I thought. It wasn’t until I got closer that I realized he was gone.”
She pressed her face into her hands and began to sob. Gladwynn’s chest tightened. The woman hadn’t been standoffish or rude all this time after all. She was simply a grieving, traumatized woman.
Gladwynn reached out and laid a hand against her shoulder. “I’m so sorry, Eileen. You’ve been through a lot the last couple of weeks. Do you have anyone close to you who you can talk to?”
Eileen shook her head slowly. “No. I moved here six years ago from Florida to take this job and don’t know anyone really. Sam and Derek were my only friends.” She blew into the tissue in her hand. “That’s how Sam and I first connected. We’d both had lived in Florida.”
The postmark on the letter had been Traverse City, Michigan. Vince had said she told him she was Nebraska but had attended Ohio State. Who had this woman really been? Why did she have so many different stories about where she was originally from?
Gladwynn squeezed Eileen’s shoulder gently. “I know we don’t know each other well, but if you need someone to talk to, I’m around.”
Eileen no longer looked like the hard woman poised to argue with anyone who spoke to her. Her guard had been let down. “Thank you.” She hooked a strand of hair behind her ear. “That’s very sweet of you, but, honestly, I think I might move back to Florida after all this. I need to reconnect with my parents and siblings. We had a falling out before I moved here and we’ve stayed connected some but I really just need to go home.”
That story sounded familiar, though Gladwynn had no intention of going back to Carter anytime soon. “I understand. Until then, though. I’m here.” She paused, looking out over the park as a couple walked hand-in-hand from the direction of a small thrift store. She watched the man and women look at each other, smile and give each other a quick kiss. Pulling her gaze away, she focused on Eileen again. “Eileen, do you think Derek died of natural causes?”
Eileen shook her head slowly. “No. I really don’t. I mean, I did, but now that Sam’s been murdered and knowing what I know about Derek’s family . . . ” Her voice trailed off. She looked down at the crumpled tissues in her hands. “Sorry. I really shouldn’t talk about that.”
Gladwynn thought about what she’d heard in the bathroom. “Did Samantha ever say they threatened her?”
“No, she didn’t, but she did tell me they weren’t happy when Derek told them he’d made a change in the will to leave money for her. She was very upset he’d done that because she’d never wanted his money. She just wanted to get to know him. She hated that it looked like she’d contacted him so she could get his money.”
“Do you have any idea who would murder Sam besides someone in his family? Maybe someone who didn’t like her or someone she’d argued with?”
Eileen dabbed at the corner of her eye with the tissue. “No. Not at all. Everyone loved Sam. I can’t imagine anyone who would want to hurt her. Anyone other than Derek’s children and their spouses. They’re selfish, vindictive and bitter people. I wouldn’t be surprised if one of them killed Derek too.”
Gladwynn caught a glimpse of Luke driving by and her stomach clenched again.
She focused her attention on Eileen instead. “Have you met them before? Other than your interaction with Michael the other day?”
“No, but Sam and Derek told me a lot about them. Derek was very disappointed in them.” She sniffed and opened her purse, pulling out a small container of breath mints. “He didn’t want Sam to have to deal with them after he passed away so he wrote her into the will. Also, I saw Michael here in Brookstone a couple days before Derek died. I didn’t know it was him at the time but I recognized him the day he confronted me at Willowbrook.”
“Where did you see him?”
“Coming out of Berry’s Pharmacy.”
That was an interesting bit of information. She wondered if Tanner knew it. “I wonder what he was doing here. Maybe talking to Derek? I also wonder if his family knew for sure he was going to write her into the will.”
Eileen placed one of the breath mints in her mouth. “I don’t know but it would be a very good reason for one of them to kill her if they did know, wouldn’t it? Or maybe even to kill Derek.” She took a deep breath. “I know I shouldn’t have but I sort of lied to Michael Thornton that day. I do have a waiting list and someone did want to move into the apartment, but I had Derek’s belongings placed in storage because I didn’t want anyone in that family going through all of Derek’s stuff before Samantha had a chance to look through it and take some mementos of him. They’re a bunch of vultures. That’s where I was that morning. The morning Samantha died. I was renting out space in a storage facility.”
Gladwynn stood and walked across the gazebo, looking out across the park toward the Brookstone Theatre. A few movie goers were walking through the front doors for the matinee. She turned back toward Eileen and leaned back against the railing. “Who would have been the last person to see Derek alive do you think?”
Eileen shook her head slowly, staring somewhere beyond Gladwynn’s shoulder. “I don’t know for sure. Probably Sam. She usually was the last one to leave his place or him hers. Why?”
Gladwynn pressed a hand against her forehead. “I don’t know. I guess I just wondered – I don’t know really. Just brainstorming ideas of what could have happened to him if it wasn’t natural causes.” She moved her hand from her forehead to her hair, pushing a strand back from her forehead. “What about this Mary Kendall. Who is she?”
Eileen eyed her suspiciously. “She’s Sam’s aunt. How do you know her?”
Gladwynn tipped her head down briefly before looking up again, her cheeks flushed. “I happened to see the name when Bridgett knocked some paperwork off the desk the other day when we stopped by for the key.” She held her hands up. “I promise that I wasn’t snooping on purpose.”
A small smile tugged at Eileen’s mouth. “I like how you said, ‘on purpose,’ but, really, I shouldn’t have left that paperwork out where anyone could see it. I was a little flustered that day. I pulled that information out for the police so they could notify her of Samantha’s death. Then Mr. Thornton stopped by and I had to leave.”
“Did you ever give that information to the police?”
“Yes, when I came back to the office.”
So the police already had Mary’s name and information. Then they could ask her more about Samantha’s past and the letter.
Eileen hugged her arms around herself. “I also told them about something that happened the night of Sam’s murder, after they left. I saw someone trying to get into Sam’s condo. It was the middle of the night and I’d gotten up to get a drink of water. I saw a figure outside her door, grabbed a flashlight and my phone and headed out to find out what they were doing. They were gone by the time I got there and it looked like the door hadn’t been opened. I must have scared them off. When I turned to go back to my apartment, I saw a dark truck or SUV pulling out onto main street. I don’t know if it was related or not but I’ve been on edge ever since. I check her condo every night before I go to bed to make sure it is still locked and I also remind all our residents to do the same.”
Gladwynn’s eyes narrowed as she considered this new piece of information. “Do you have security footage of that?”
“I do. I gave it to the police as well.” She stood and smoothed her skirt down. “Thank you for checking on me, but I need to get back to the office. I had a call for a repair needed in condo number 23 before I left and have a call into a plumber. I apologize for how rude I’ve been acting lately. This has all been such a shock. That day at Sam’s I just wanted to get out of there. I couldn’t believe she was dead. My mind kept racing, worried that she might have killed herself but feeling that there was no way she would have. She was so full of life.”
Gladwynn heard her phone ringing in her purse, but ignored it. “I’m sure this all has been very hard for you. I was serious about you contacting me if you ever need to talk.”
“I may do that,” Eileen said. “Thank you.”
Gladwynn watched her walk down the steps of the gazebo and across the sidewalk to her car parked on the other side of the park. There were a lot of people who had the wrong impression of Eileen and she’d been among them before today. The cold demeanor people saw in the woman was really her way of coping with all the hurt in her life. It made sense.
Eileen’s grief was yet another reason Gladwynn hoped the police would be able to find out who killed Samantha sooner rather than later.
When she arrived home William was locked in her grandfather’s office. She knew Lucinda would be helping to clean up after the dinner at the church, which meant she had some time to relax and try to process Luke’s missing button.
She didn’t take long to think about it, though, because she needed to call Tanner and fill him on what she’d heard in the bathroom.
He’d given her his work cell phone during the Stabler investigation and she used it now to try to reach him, fully expecting to reach his voicemail.
She was surprised when he picked up.
“Detective Kinney here. How can I help you, Miss Grant?”
“Do you have my number saved in your phone?”
“I felt I should since you seem to pester me so much. Have you been busy sticking your nose in police business again?”
She rolled her eyes. “No, Detective, I have not been sticking my nose in anything. I happened to be in the right place at the right time and overheard something.”
“And where were you at when you heard this?”
“That’s not important.”
“It is if you are sharing information for a criminal investigation.”
“I was in the ladies’ room at the Brookstone Methodist Church if you must know.”
There was a brief pause, then, “You were hiding in the bathroom, spying on people?”
“No, I was using the bathroom when they came in.” Her face flushed warm. “I mean, I wasn’t actually using the bathroom. I was preparing to – let’s just change the subject. I was in the right place at the right time.”
“Or the wrong place at the wrong time.”
“Either way, I overheard them talking about Samantha Mors. They said she said she was Derek Thornton’s daughter.”
“Okay, so?”
She tapped a pen on top of the kitchen table. “So, isn’t that important to your investigation? That two people who died a week apart from each other were actually father and daughter?”
“Yes, but I already knew that.”
Gladwynn sat up straighter. “How did you know?”
“Quite frankly, I don’t have to tell you how I know that, but I will anyhow, since you don’t seem to think we can do our jobs. We found a letter from Derek to Samantha in her bedside table. The letter you found was simply another confirmation of their connection. I don’t know how we missed the letter you found when we went through the apartment. I’m guessing the officer I asked to check that room didn’t pull the drawer all the way out and empty it. I’ve asked for him to be placed on administrative leave.”
“In his defense, it really was wedged up in there pretty good. I think Grandma just shook it loose when she opened the drawer fast.”
Tanner cleared his throat. “Excuse me? Grandma? I thought you found the letter and that she was just there with you.”
“Well, yeah, I mean, I think I just shook it loose –”
“Now you have your grandmother snooping around with you. Really?”
“We were looking for some scripts Samantha had at her place. I told you that. There was no snooping going on for anything other than finding the scripts we needed.”
“Yeah, okay.”
“It’s the truth.”
“Except you just lied to me about who found the letter.
Gladwynn groaned softly. “I didn’t really lie. I just wasn’t specific about who found it. I didn’t want you to think my grandmother was snooping around.”
“But she clearly was.”
“She wasn’t! I already told you what happened.”
“Okay, while we are talking about true things, is it true you’re going to be in the play?
“Why is that important and who have you been talking to?”
Amusement tinged his words. “A little birdie told me.”
“Yes, I’m going to be in the play, but that’s really not important. Back to the women in the bathroom.”
The scratching of a pen on paper could be heard on the other side of the phone as she filled him in on the conversation between the women.
“Do you have identifications for these women?” he asked when she was done.
“I believe one was called Marjorie and one Beatrice. I don’t know the third woman’s name.”
“Did you see them?”
“I didn’t.”
“And this is supposed to help us how?”
She clutched her hand into a fist and pressed it against her mouth, biting at her finger before answering. “Tanner, I am just passing on what I heard.”
Tanner sighed. “Okay, thank you. Really. We were already planning to question Mr. Thornton, his wife, his sister and his sister-in-law so we will discuss this conversation with them.”
“Are you going to tell them who overheard it?”
“I don’t think that would be wise, no.”
“Okay, well, I just wanted to fill you in.” She took a deep breath, contemplating how to handle the situation with Luke. She just couldn’t bring herself to tell Tanner about the button.
“And I appreciate that.” Tanner’s tone softened. “I really do, Miss — Gladwynn. Thank you for filling me in and to show you my appreciation I’d like to fill you in on something as well. We found an earring in Samantha’s room. It may or not be related to this case but it was –”
“A silver hoop earring with a dangling green jewel.”
“How did you –”
“I wasn’t snooping! I saw it when I went into Samantha’s room the day I found her. I just happened to see it. I did not snoop. I promise.”
“Okay, well, we don’t think it was Samantha’s. It doesn’t match any of her other jewelry. Can you keep an eye out for anyone who wears similar jewelry. I don’t want you to do anything other than call me if you see anything suspicious, do you understand?”
Gladwynn smirked. “I certainly do.”
“Also, don’t get any ideas here. I’m not asking for your help beyond this.”
“I understand perfectly, Detective.”
“Okay. Good. Thanks for the information.”
“I do have a couple questions, though. Did you ever find Samantha’s cell phone?”
“We have not. No.”
“So you can’t find out who she was talking to that day at the lake?”
“Unfortunately we can’t, no, but hopefully we’ll get a breakthrough soon.”
She took a chance on another question, sure he’d hang up on her soon. “And what about the security footage from Willowbrook the night of her murder. Did you see anything on it?”
“How do you even –”
“The information was voluntarily shared with me. I didn’t ask for it.”
Tanner’s voice had switched the soft tone he’d had before to the harder one. “Uh-huh. Sure you didn’t. But, yes, we did see something on the footage. Someone was trying to break into the condo. Vertically challenged and slightly overweight, possibly a woman. The person was gone by the time we arrived.”
Vertically challenged? Had he really just said that?
She knew he wasn’t going to be forthcoming much longer. “Thank you for telling me that much at least. Does the person fit any of the profiles of the suspects you have?”
Tanner sighed into the phone. “Gladwynn, you really need to get another hobby and stop reading all those Agatha Christie novels. Let me know if see anything similar to the earring. Other than that, go write about the new lights in the park or something.”
Gladwynn straightened her shoulders at this news tip even if it wasn’t very exciting. “There are new lights in the park? What kind?”
“I have no idea. Call the borough. That’s their department.”
“I’ll do that, but before you go can you tell me if Samantha really had a small hole above her—”
“I think this office needs a reminder on keeping a tight lid on investigations,” Tanner grumbled. His voice softened at his next words, though. “Listen, we’ll find who did this. Tell your grandmother and her friends we are working as hard and as quickly as we can on this.”
A small smile tugged at her mouth “I will, Detective. Thank you.”
“Now go away,” he said, his voice gruff again.
She laughed as he hung up the phone.
Chapter 15
When Lucinda arrived home, it was around supper time and Gladwynn was already in the kitchen cooking up stir fry. William hadn’t left the study and Gladwynn was fine with that. She still wasn’t ready to talk to him about their conversation the other day.
Lucinda winced as she sat down at the kitchen table. She groaned softly and pushed her shoes off as she leaned back in the chair. “What are you making there, little lady? It sure smells good.”
“It smells good but we will have to see if it tastes good. You know I’m not a cook.”
“Don’t sell yourself short. You made a pretty good three bean salad last week.”
Gladwynn laughed. “Grandma, I opened the can and poured it in the bowl.”
Lucinda stretched her legs out on a chair opposite her. “Well, it was still good.” She stretched her arms up over her head. “Have you seen your father today?”
“Nope.”
“And I’m sure you’re fine with that.”
“Yep.”
“So what was the real reason for you looking like you had seen a ghost today when you left the church?”
Gladwynn continued to cook, her back to Lucinda. There was no way she was going to tell her grandmother that their pastor might be a murderer.
“I overheard a weird conversation in the bathroom.”
Lucinda’s voice was full of concern. “What does that mean? What kind of weird conversation?”
Gladwynn turned around, spoon in her hand. “What would you say if I told you that I think that Derek was Samantha’s father and that what I overheard today confirms that?”
“I would say that I had that theory floating around in my mind as well. Who did you overhear talking about it?”
Gladwynn began to spoon the stir fry into a dish. “I think Derek’s daughter and daughter-in-laws but I couldn’t see them. They said Samantha said she was his daughter but they didn’t believe her and one of them said she was glad Samantha was dead so she wouldn’t get any of their money.”
Lucinda frowned as Gladwynn placed the bowl in the table and turned to pull the plates out of the cupboard. “Did you tell Tanner what you heard?”
“Yes, I called him before you came home.”
“And what did he say?
“That he will look into it.”
“Then he will. The police will figure this out.”
She sat and filled Lucinda in on her conversation with Eileen as well.
Lucinda sighed. “Poor Eileen. What a tough thing for her to deal with.” She reached over and laid her hand on Gladwynn’s. “Now, hon’ you know you can’t figure this all out on your own. Let the police do their jobs now. I want you to go upstairs and rest after dinner, okay? Take your mind off things. You finish setting the table and I’ll go tell your father dinner is ready.”
When she did go upstairs later, though, Gladwynn couldn’t rest. Her mind kept going back to her conversation with Luke, to that missing button on his suit coat.
She rolled over on the bed and sent a text to Laurel to try to stop thinking about the theories of why the button had been in Samantha’s room.
Have you asked Lance why he didn’t sign the papers?
Laurel: He said he thought he signed everything and told me to have my lawyer send it back to his lawyer
Gladwynn: Then it will be final?
Laurel: Yes, technically, but really, it’s already been signed off by the judge so it is final.
Gladwynn: And you’re sure you want it final?
Laurel: Gladwynn. Stop. Yes. I want it final. This isn’t a Hallmark movie. We aren’t getting back together.
Gladwynn: I understand, but if you change your mind, you know it would be okay to admit you made the wrong decision.
Laurel: Anything new on the Mors case?
Gladwynn: Maybe. I’ll fill you in later. I’ve passed it on to Tanner and I’m not sure how much to share yet.
Laurel: Fill me in when you can. Back to the grindstone for me. See you tomorrow.
Gladwynn rolled on her back and stared at the ceiling for several moments before closing her eyes and letting sleep overtake her, drawing her into a hazy world where Luke laughed with his blue eyes shining and Samantha fell onto the carpet with her eyes wide open over and over until Gladwynn woke up gasping.
She spent the rest of the day reading books, listening to Harry Connick Jr., and wishing she’d never found that button.
***
In some ways Gladwynn was surprised when her father agreed to go to church with them the next day. He’d been mainly working in his father’s office since he’d arrived. They had also talked very little since their conversation over dinner on his first night in town. Gladwynn had a feeling they’d both been avoiding each other, but church was important to them both and this was one day where they’d need to put their issues aside.
Missing a Sunday service when she was growing up was rarely allowed unless someone was sick. She’d missed services more than she should have in college but after college her faith became even more of a center of her life and she had returned to regular attendance.
There were times she doubted her father’s pride in her, but she didn’t doubt that his faith was an important part of his life. She wasn’t sure if it was the center of his life like it had once been most of his life, but she hoped it would be again one day if it wasn’t now.
Rain smacked against the windshield as her father drove and she looked down at her hot pink shoes and realized she should have worn rain boots. Wearing inappropriate footwear for the weather was a common theme for her. She’d wanted to change that, but she thought the rain had been mainly sprinkles when she woke up. Now it was a full-on downpour and running from the parking lot to the church in these shoes would be a challenge.
Seeing Luke was going to be another challenge. She’d much rather deal with the shoe challenge.
No matter how many theories she came up with about how Luke’s button broke off in Samantha’s room she came back to one that made more sense than the worst possibility. Samantha and Luke had been having some sort of affair. If that was true, though, then why hadn’t Luke seemed more upset by Samantha’s death? He wasn’t callous to the news by any means but he also didn’t act like a grieving lover.
A small-town pastor who encouraged others to live like Christ from the pulpit while being involved in a secret sexual affair was a hard concept for Gladwynn to wrap her mind around. He didn’t seem the type of man who would speak with a forked tongue as the saying went, but she supposed it was possible.
As William parked the car her stomach clenched with a sudden horrible thought. What if Luke and Samantha had been having an affair and she’d threaten to tell the church board? That would have been plenty of motivation for him to murder her.
As soon as she glimpsed him in the doorway of the church smiling as parishioners arrived, though, she couldn’t seem to accept either of the most sensational theories she’d come up with. She couldn’t imagine Luke as someone who would sleep with a woman he wasn’t married to nor could she imagine him being a violent person who would murder anyone.
She watched him shake hands with Tanner’s sister and then Tanner himself. Tanner had recently started attending more regularly. Doris was next and then a woman she didn’t recognize but who was carrying a baby. Luke touched the baby’s head gently and Gladwynn’s chest constricted. There just had to be a perfectly innocent explanation for why his broken button had been in Samantha’s bedroom.
“Earth to Gladwynn!”
She snapped back to her surroundings at the snap of Lucinda’s finger and thumb in front of her face.
“Oh! Yes, what?”
“Good grief, what color are the clouds in your sky this morning, girl?” Lucinda asked with a laugh. “Your father has pulled up front to let us out so we don’t have to run in the rain. Are you ready?”
Gladwynn grabbed her purse and Bible. “Of course. Thank you.”
“You should have drunk the rest of that smoothie I made for you,” Lucinda said as they walked under the porch toward the front door. “You seem like you need some energy.”
“I’d be in the bathroom most of the service if I had,” Gladwynn responded in a whisper.
She prayed that Luke would disappear to get ready for the service before she and Lucinda reached the front door but instead, he caught her gaze and smiled.
“Ah, my favorite Scottish ladies are here. Good morning to you.”
He offered two quick kisses on each of Lucinda’s cheeks and then reached his hand out to Gladwynn. She slid her hand into his slowly as his fingers wrapped around hers in a gentle shake. The palm of his hand was soft and warm.
“Good morning, Gladwynn. Are you feeling better today?”
She stared into his blue eyes, her brow wrinkled in confusion. “Better?”
His smile faded slightly. “Yes, better than you were yesterday after the funeral.”
“Oh. Right. Yes, I do feel better. Much better. Just needed a cup of coffee and a nap.”
His rich laughter tickled across her skin. “That sounds like a bit of an odd combination, but okay.”
Lucinda nudged her gently in the ribs with her elbow. “This one can drink coffee before bed and still sleep. Must be nice, eh?”
Luke laughed again. “It must be, yes. I have a fairly high toleration for caffeine myself. Not that high, however.” He glanced at Gladwynn’s shoes. “Still wearing shoes not meant for the weather we’re having I see.” He grinned and warmth flushed from her chest into her face.
Music began to play at the front of the church before she could respond. “Oh,” he said. “Excuse me. I need to get ready for the service. I’ll see you ladies later.”
William slid into their pew with them a few minutes later, his hair and suit coat damp but not soaked. He gave a quick look at Jacob sitting next to his mother, then focused his attention on the worship team as they started the first song.
Gladwynn did her best to concentrate during the service, but she found herself trying to imagine Luke with an angry face, grabbing on to Samantha and tossing her around the room. No matter how hard she tried, she simply couldn’t. She was grateful when the service ended and she, her father, and Lucinda headed out into the sunshine that had now broke through. Luke hadn’t been at the back of the church when they’d left and she was relieved.
“What do you girls think about lunch at the country club this afternoon?” William asked as they left the church. “I’ve been meaning to visit there all week and this would be a nice time to do it before I leave Tuesday for the conference.”
Lucinda looked over her shoulder at Jacob who was speaking to another parishioner. “I would love to but I invited Jacob over for lunch and have a roast in the crockpot remember?”
William adjusted his tie and took a deep breath. Gladwynn watched his jaw clench slightly before he said, “I’m sure the roast will be fine until we get home and Jacob can follow us if he’d like to come.”
“I’ll ask him what he thinks,” Lucinda said. “A dinner out would be nice and we can always have the roast for lunch tomorrow.”
“We’ll meet you in the car,” William said in a tone that sounded to Gladwynn a lot like a teenager who wanted to do something fun but was told he had to do a chore instead.
A few minutes later as Gladwynn pulled her door closed William turned around to look at her from the driver’s seat. “Why didn’t you tell me about Jacob and your grandmother.”
“Tell you what?”
“They are clearly seeing each other.”
“Yes, they see each other. They’re not blind.”
“This isn’t the time for your humor, Gladwynn. My mother is dating a man and you didn’t think to tell me about it?”
“You and I don’t exactly check in with each other if you haven’t noticed.”
A vein near William’s eye flinched. “I have noticed but that’s not my doing.”
Gladwynn tipped her head. “Isn’t it? I don’t recall receiving a bunch of calls from you that I never returned.”
William hugged out a frustrated breath. “You have made it clear in the past that you don’t appreciate my interference in your life so why would I call?”
“Is saying, ‘hello, my dear daughter, Gladwynn. How are you doing?’ really interference or is it just a father showing he cares?” She pasted the broadest smile on her face that she could.
William pressed a hand to his forehead. “Then I apologize. I will try to remedy that in the future but as you will recall, when I have asked you in the past how you are all you have said is ‘fine.’ That word really doesn’t give a father much to go on to know how you are actually doing.”
Gladwynn leaned back and crossed one leg over the other, laying her hands folded on her knee. “Because saying much more opens the door for you to criticize my life decisions.”
William was glaring now. “Gladwynn, as I have said before, I am only expressing concern, not criticism. Now quickly, before your grandmother gets back, how long have your grandmother and Jacob been dating?”
Gladwynn lifted her chin slightly, liking the fact that she had information her father didn’t have, yet so desperately wanted. “She doesn’t like to call it dating. She simply says they are enjoying each other’s company or spending time together.”
“Fine. How long have they been enjoying each other’s company?”
Gladwynn sighed, deciding to stop toying with her father “I’m not actually sure. They were enjoying each other’s company for an unspecified amount of time before I arrived here. I only found out when I saw them out together at a local diner and it took me a bit to drag it out of her.”
“Well, I –”
Gladwynn waved her hand and pointed out the windshield. Lucinda was almost to the car. “Save your closing argument for later, counselor. The defendant is on her way back.”
Lucinda slid into the passenger seat with a soft sigh. “Jacob says he thinks it would be nice for us to have a family dinner together and he will catch us tomorrow for some lunch. He’s going to go grab a grilled cheese at the diner. I tried to talk him coming with us, but he insisted.”
William started the car. “That was nice of him. He was completely welcome to join us, however.”
Lucinda patted William’s arm. “I’m sure he was. Thank you, William for this spontaneous plan. I haven’t eaten at the club restaurant in years. I didn’t realize you were still a member.”
William backed out of the parking space. “Send in my donation every year.”
Gladwynn wasn’t as thrilled about going out for lunch, but when she’d visited the country club with her parents as a child and teenager, she’d always loved the food, the atmosphere, and the second story view of the golf course below.
She noticed that the country club had changed more than she expected as they made their way up the long road to the restaurant portion of it. An addition had been added to the front of the club house and it looked like the course had been expanded.
Inside, the restaurant had definitely been renovated with the addition of large windows in the dining area that made the view of the course and the hills surrounding it even more picturesque. The walls were now painted white, making the entire space look large and brighter. Each table was fitted with a white tablecloth and red napkins. The bar area had also been refurbished and improved with a long, curved bar stretching around a mirror that reflected the entire dining room. Gladwynn found this fact both fascinating and terrifying. She wasn’t sure how she felt about everyone in the dining room being able to see her eat from any and every angle.
The waiter sat them at a table near the large windows and took their drink orders.
William opened the menu they’d been handed. “Quite an improvement to the place. Almost looks like something you’d find in the city now.”
Gladwynn knew that William saying “something you’d find in the city” meant he felt it was up to his standards. She wasn’t exactly sure when he’d developed a wealthy standard. Her family had always had more money than most with her father being a corporate lawyer, but they’d never been at the level of the Thornton family.
Still, over the last 15 years or so, her parents had become more particular about the restaurants they ate at, the people they associated with, the clothes they wore, the places they visited, the cars they drove. More and more of their life became focused on what they looked like to others and if they were popular or not.
To be popular they seemed to need the finest clothes, a house in a “better” part of town. This had started while Gladwynn was in high school and only got worse while she was in college. She half expected her father to tell her one day how important it was for her to marry within her class.
Luckily her sister had married “within their class” when she’d married a doctor straight of college and immediately began having children.
Gladwynn looked over her menu at her father, studying him and wondering what switch had been flipped in his early 40s to take him from casual and relaxed to stuffy and uptight.
“So that was a nice sermon.” He spoke without looking up from the menu. “The pastor seems like a fine young man. Not up to Dad’s standards, of course, but I’m sure that will come with time.”
Lucinda laid her menu down. “He’s young and he’s not your father. Of course he won’t preach the same way. We like him very much.” She smiled at Gladwynn. “Don’t we Gladwynn?
Gladwynn narrowed her eyes and looked at Lucinda a few seconds then looked back at the menu. “Yes,” she mumbled. “He’s a good speaker.” She laid the menu down. “I think I’ll have the grilled chicken salad.” She made sure not to make eye contact with Lucinda. “So, Dad, have you talked to Sheena recently?”
She knew she’d regret asking about her talented older sister, but at least it would steer the conversation from her personal life.
William laid his menu down. “Yes, actually. She’s on tour in Australia right now and will play at Buckingham Palace in October. I was sure she would have told you that already?”
The regret solid in her chest, Gladwynn reached for her water and took a long drink “I can’t imagine why she would. We rarely talk.”
She’d never been super close to either of her sisters, but as the oldest child, Sheena was almost from an entire other generation. Gladwynn had little in common with her other than their love of music. Sheena was currently on tour with the London Philharmonic as a violinist. Her talent was something Sheena and her parents had nurtured since she’d been very young and Gladwynn had always been impressed with her dedication, if not a little bit jealous of the attention it brought her.
She didn’t dislike Sheena, but they didn’t often talk and when they did, Sheena didn’t exactly confide in her.
William continued to share some more about Sheena’s accomplishments and then the waiter came to take their order. Gladwynn was thankful for the break.
William stood. “If you’ll excuse me, I’m going to visit the men’s room.”
Gladwynn let out a breath as he walked toward the back of the restaurant and relaxed back in her seat.
“Could you be any more tense?” Lucinda asked, squeezing a lemon into her water.
Gladwynn shrugged her shoulder. “I could. Do you want me to try?”
“Clearly, I was joking, young lady. Now, you really shouldn’t –”
Lucinda’s eyes widened and she tilted her head to one side suddenly.
Gladwynn’s heart pounded in alarm. “Grandma? Are you okay? Are you having a muscle cramp?” She reached her hand out to touch Lucinda’s arm. “A stroke?”
Lucinda straightened her head and narrowed her eyes. “No, I’m not having a stroke. I’ve just spotted someone who might know more about who killed Samantha.”
Gladwynn scowled. “Why didn’t you just say that?” She started to look over her shoulder. “Who?”
Lucinda grabbed her hand. “Don’t look! We don’t want to be obvious.”
“How else am I going to see who you’re talking about?”
“Fine, but turn slowly.”
Gladwynn turned slowly in her chair. Michael Thornton was sitting two tables away with another man. Both were wearing suits and both wore serious expressions as they spoke.
She turned back to face Lucinda. “Well, so what? What can we do about him being here? We can’t just go over there and talk to him.”
Lucinda bit her lower lip. “I could.”
“No, you couldn’t.” Gladwynn shook her head. “You don’t even know him.”
“I knew his father and I could –”
“Grandma. No. We are not getting involved. We are not police officers. We are a newspaper reporter and a retired, elderly woman.”
Lucinda mocked gasped. “Elderly? Gladwynn, really. How could you call me elderly?” She smiled and lightly touched a hand to the bun her hair was pulled into. “I don’t feel a day over 30.” She lowered her voice as she sipped her water. “A day over 30 times three, but that is besides the point.”
“How do you think he even got in?” Gladwynn asked in a whisper. “He isn’t even local so how does he have a membership?”
“You don’t actually have to be a member to eat at the restaurant,” Lucinda responded. “But also – he’s a billionaire, remember?”
William’s return to the table ended the conversation. After they placed their orders, Gladwynn couldn’t help but wonder what Michael and the other man were talking about. She had just told her grandmother that they needed to stay out of it and now here she was wanting to get into it somehow, see if she could overhear anything that would incriminate Derek’s family in Samantha’s death.
She really needed to listen to her own advice, but she wasn’t going to.
