The messages were from the investors that Jesse had mentioned. Three of the men wanted in to “broaden their portfolio,” another wanted to see about expanding his bottom line. They both meant the same thing, just one more honest than the other. He was fielding question about the Benton building when Curtis walked in with two other men. One he recognized from the fire, the other he didn’t know.
“Let me get back with you on that. We’re still checking the area out.” He hung up on the man as he was sputtering about timelines. “What can I do for you gentlemen?”
“This is Inspector Gordon from last night and this is Fire Marshal Will Swanson. They have a few questions on the insurance we had in place. I tried to tell them it’s a common practice for us, but Swanson here seems to think otherwise.”
Royce simply got up and walked to the file cabinet against the wall. After a quick search, he came back with a handful of files. “There are the insurance policies that we have on each building we purchase. If you’ll notice that on the day we sign the papers, we open a policy on the place. It’s mostly for peace of mind, but also for the workers when they are on site. There are also attachments to each policy that we cancel. The reason, the date, and who did the closing. While I understand why you’re asking, it doesn’t mean I have to be happy about it.”
They looked over the papers quickly. No one said a word and when they’d seemed to be satisfied, the two men left. Curtis hung around and said nothing for awhile. Royce knew his brother well enough to know that he’d say his piece eventually and when he did Royce knew it was going to be nothing he wanted to hear.
“Benton is going to make it. He confessed to the entire thing, including setting the fire on his own. He claimed it was because he was so grief-stricken, that the death of his daughter finally got through to him.”
“Do you believe him?” Royce didn’t. But he never had liked the guy in the first place.
“No. But it’ll be a good defense. Temporary insanity over the death of his daughter is a good way to swing it. Finding out that we had plans to make the building as a tribute to her and he’d done nothing—less than nothing actually. He’ll get off with some time, but not as much as he should.”
Royce nodded. “And those idiots, what do you think they were doing if they knew he confessed? Looking for another angle for a friend?”
“No, CYA. It’s always good, even when you have an ace in the hole to cover your ass. Like me covering yours for instance.”
Royce didn’t want to ask, but he did. “What have you done? And how much is it going to cost me?”
“The girl, in the off chance that she’s pregnant, I’ve put together a contract that gives her a house and a car. Money to spend as she sees fit and a trust for the baby. All she needs to do is to leave you alone and never contact the family again. I also have one that says she’d entitled to nothing if she divorces you and that you keep the child. Either way, you’re covered.”
Royce shifted in his chair. He wasn’t sure if he was supposed to be happy with what Curtis had done or pissed. He was feeling a little bit of both. Before he could answer, his brother stood.
“Or we can go with plan C. You tell me you love her beyond all your wildest dreams and I tear up both contracts and the two of you live happily ever after. It’s up to you.” Curtis walked to the door. “I’ll see you tomorrow. If you need me or just want to talk, call. See you in the morning.”
Royce was still sitting at his desk an hour later, no closer to figuring out what he wanted to do than he’d been before Curtis had come in. His personal line rang and he picked it up, smiling for the first time in days.
“I missed you today. The two girls we got from the pool to fill in for you didn’t make my coffee right and they couldn’t find anything I needed the way you did. Please tell me you’re coming back tomorrow.”
“I can come in tomorrow, but I’ll need the next day off.” Bobbie was quiet for a few more seconds than he liked. “I guess you didn’t hear.”
Royce sat up in his chair and closed his eyes. “I was told you had a death and that you needed to be off. Who was it? Not your sister-in-law, was it?”
“No. I thought…Leah York passed late yesterday afternoon. She’d been ill for some time and an aneurism took her life.”
Royce felt the room tilt off its axis and then back again. He closed his eyes. Here he’d been plotting with Curtis the best case scenarios concerning her future and she was dealing with her mother’s death.
“How’s…Christ, I didn’t know. How are they doing? Is…is Kasey all right? Jay, is he, is he handling this well?”
He heard her sob and his heart broke for his friend. “Jay is trying to keep them all together. Suzy of course doesn’t understand, but she knows something is wrong. Kasey. Kasey is…I’m not sure. She won’t…Leah called her when she was dying. She called Kasey and told her that she loved her and that she wanted her to be happy. When the ambulance got to her home, Leah had the phone on her lap and she was gone.”
Royce stood up to leave. “Tell me where she is and I’m coming to her. I want to see her and…” And what? He sat back down hard in the chair.
“She was at her uncle’s house when I left. I don’t…I’m not sure if she was going to stay there or go home. She’s taking it very badly. Then there was her father. He showed up right before I left. Kasey didn’t move to speak to him, but I could tell she was upset.”
“When is the funeral and where?” Royce didn’t know if someone had sent flowers or not, but he would be there. “My family will be there for them.”
“That’s very nice of you, Royce. I’m sure they’ll appreciate it. It’s only a graveside. The poor dears haven’t any money. It’s at Cedar Cemetery on Wyatt Street. The paper said that the family would be there around one and that the service would begin at two or thereabouts.”
Royce laid his head on his desk. He was an ass and he hated himself more in that moment than he had in his entire life. He sat up and spoke again to Bobbie.
“Let me know if I can do anything for them. Anything. I’m going to call my mom now, but you have my number if she…if they need anything.”
“I will. You’re such a dear boy. I know that they knew this was going to happen, but I don’t think you’re ever prepared. The poor girl and Jay…I don’t think I’ve seen a man more devastated than he was today.”
Royce called his mother when he got off the phone with Bobbie. “Mom, I have to tell you something. Can you meet me at my house? It’s really important.”
Chapter 9
Kasey sat in the chair near her mother’s casket. Every time she looked at the daises decorating the top she felt tears slide down her face. She kept reaching out and running her hand over the top of the casket, wanting more than anything to have her mom back there beside her. She looked up when someone touched her arm.
“Hello, sweetheart. How you holding up?”
Kasey nodded and turned back to her mom. She didn’t know who most of the people were who came to talk to her. Maybe she did, but she didn’t care. She wanted them all to go away and leave her to her misery, but they just kept touching her and trying to have a conversation with her. She only knew one person she wanted to talk to and she wasn’t speaking to her.
“Kasey, honey, can you please come back under the shelter? You’ll get sick if you don’t.” Uncle Jay. She turned to look at him. “Come on, baby, you can’t get sick. Let me help you pull the chair under the shelter.”
She realized it was raining. Not a hard pour, but enough that she was getting soaked. Someone was standing next to him and she tried to stand, but she lost her footing in the wet grass and nearly tumbled.
“I’ve got you. Come on.” She looked up into the face of Royce and tried to pull away. “Let me put you over here and then I’ll let you go. Come on, Kasey, your uncle’s right, you need to stay healthy.”
“My mom is gone. She died and left me. She was doing so much better and now…what am I supposed to do now?”
He didn’t answer her, not that she thought he would. He was there because her family…well, her uncle worked for him. It was nice of him to show up, but not necessary. She didn’t want anyone there, as a matter of fact, and wished again that they’d go away.
She sat in the chair and looked at the casket again. The daisies where getting wet, she realized, and thought someone should cover them up. Then a small giggle escaped her mouth. They were flowers and needed to be wet. She looked up when someone stood in front of her.
Mrs. Hunter, Kasey remembered. She’d only seen the woman a couple of times. But she still remembered her. She stood up and took her hand. When she started to slip again, Mrs. Hunter steadied her.
“Why don’t you have a seat, dear? You look all done in.” She sat in the chair next to the one Royce had put her in. Kasey turned to look at the casket again. “I’m so sorry about your mother, Kasey. She was a nice woman.”
Kasey turned to look at her. “You knew her? She never…at the Christmas thingy. She went with my uncle Jay last year. Yes, I remember now. She told me that you said she had on a pretty dress.”
“She talked about you. She was so very proud of you. She told me that she couldn’t ask for a better daughter.”
Kasey started crying again. “I was a shitty daughter. She was alone when she died because I wanted my own place. What kind of daughter turns down living with their mother when she knows she is going to die?”
“Stop that right now, young lady.” Kasey turned to look at Mrs. Hunter. “You know better than that. She raised you to be independent and I doubt very much your mother was anything but happy for you.”
Kasey felt herself being pulled into a warm hug and she lost the little control she had over her tears. She sobbed in earnest now, her heart broken, and feeling so lost she clung to the woman who held her until she had no more tears left. When she pulled away from her Kasey felt stupid and tried to move away as she apologized.
“I’m so sorry. I’ve had a bad few weeks. And my mother would be so…she’d be so unhappy with me if she could see what I’ve been doing.” Kasey blew her nose on her damp tissue. “I thank you for just now. I didn’t realize I needed that.”
“Kasey,” Mrs. Hunter said softly. “Royce told me what happened between the two of you. He said you and him have been fighting and that he wants to talk to you.”
Kasey looked over her shoulder and saw him standing there with her uncle. He turned to look at her. Kasey turned back to the casket and felt her heart pound.
“Did he tell you what we’ve been fighting about, Mrs. Hunter? Did he tell you that…that there might be a child from our act of stupidity?” Mrs. Hunter said nothing and Kasey turned to her. “He…we won’t marry if there is one. We both agree that…that it would be like pouring gas on an already out of control fire. I’m not sure if…I’ve been a little distracted about…”
“Kasey, I didn’t…he said that you two had fought, but he never mentioned that he didn’t…I’m sorry, dear. If there is a baby, I’ll make sure he does the right thing by you and your child.”
Kasey thought he was by not marrying her and turned to tell her so, but the reverend called the short service to order. Kasey barely heard what he said. Barely heard him telling the large gathering there that her mom was one of the sweetest people he’d ever known. That Leah York was proud of her family and that she’d be so embarrassed about the people gathered there to be with her. He went on to tell the congregation that there would be food and friends at Jay York’s house and everyone was welcome. After a short prayer everyone but a few left for their cars while the family said their finally goodbyes. Kasey was still sitting in the chair when Royce came to sit beside her.
“Kasey? I told Jay I’d bring you to the house. Are you ready to go?” He took her cold hand into his warm one. “Baby, come on. You’re frozen through.”
“You told her. You told your mother that I might be pregnant. She pretended not to know, but she did, didn’t she?”
“Yes. I told her last night. When I told her your mother had passed away, I said that I may have gotten you pregnant and that you and I had been fighting.”
Kasey nodded. “But you didn’t tell her you and I weren’t getting married. She knows that now, but I don’t think she believes me.”
Royce didn’t say anything for several minutes. And Kasey realized that the men were waiting for them to leave so they could finish up. She started to stand and he put his hand out to steady her.
“Don’t touch me. Please, just…just don’t touch me.” She started to hobble away when she was suddenly lifted up in his arms. “Put me down right this minute.”
“I’m going to carry you to the car and put you in it. Then we’re going to stop at the closest drug store we can find and I’m going to buy a pregnancy test. We’re getting this solved right now. It’s been more than two weeks and we might know something. After that we’ll have a calm and rational conversation and both of us will decide what we’ll do if there is a baby.”
She was suddenly in his warm car. When he reached across her and pulled the belt across her lap, she wanted to snarl at him to leave her alone, but she started to tremble and couldn’t get the words out. By the time he came around to the driver’s side, her teeth were chattering and she was shaking hard.
“Christ. You’re in shock. Come on, Kasey.” The blast from the heater hit her in the face and she felt something warm covering her. As she tried to get warmth into her body, she felt Royce begin to rub her leg.
“Cold. I’m so cold.” She tried to stop her teeth from banging together, but all she managed to do was bite her lip.
“How long were you out in the rain? You’re soaked through. I’m taking you home and putting you into a warm bath. Don’t move.”
Like she could. Her body’s trembles made her dizzy and soon she was drifting in and out. She didn’t think she should be doing that from just being wet, but was too cold to ask him.
She was lifted for a brief time then she heard someone swearing. When someone started tugging on her clothes, she tried to fight them back.
“Stop it. You have to get out of these wet clothes. I’ve called the doctor and he said to strip you down and put you in the tub. He said that once I get you warm to bring you in and he’ll see about taking the bandages off permanently.”