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“How do you know where that is?” Nina asked. “We’ve never been there together.”
“Don’t worry, I didn’t take my secret lover there but went on a retreat. It’s taken at The Cottages because I recognize it. It’s a popular spot for family vacations and retreats such as the one I was on through the hospital. Your father was probably there on business, and Lisa is a colleague. Would he really keep a photo of his mistress lying around?” Zeth asked.
“Leave it up to the scientist to have a perfectly good explanation. I was having a hard time imagining my father as a cheater. He always expressed loyalty, and that couldn’t have been an act. I’d like to think that something would have pointed to an indiscretion,” Sophie said. “All I needed was a plausible explanation. True or not, it's how I'm putting this one to bed."
Nina proposed a toast. “To my logical and loyal spouse. Without you, I’d spend all my free time chasing conspiracy theories,” Nina said.
Sam from earlier stopped in on his way home after dinner down the street. “I remembered the woman’s name. It was Hayley. If you ever need a good nurse, look her up,” he said jokingly.
“Nice meeting you, Sam. Drive safe,” she said.
Sophie worked until close. She went back to her house, looking forward to a pleasant night at home before meeting with Nora in the late morning.
9
Nora Gladstone was at her desk going over the paperwork for her meeting with Sophie Cast. Her partner at the firm, Safra Wesson, walked in with two cups of coffee. They routinely shared a cup in the morning and discussed their caseloads.
“I have a meeting with Sophie Cast today. Do you think I’m doing the right thing working for a client that I've never met? I know he isn't giving me his real name,” Nora said.
“This is a bizarre case, and it’s going to change the lives of three people,” Safra commented.
“You can add two more to that because we also have Lisa and Vera. That’s up to the girls to deal with because I was told they are all bright and strong enough to deal with this. Is this ethical? As my law partner, what do you think?” Nora asked.
“You aren’t doing anything illegal, and this client has paid you. You’re merely performing a legal service for him. You’re transferring a deed and giving out a bit of information regarding a dead man. He did something illegal, and your client was his only accomplice. He is carrying out the last wishes of his friend and doesn’t want to put himself in jeopardy,” Safra said. When you first came to me with this, I researched it heavily. My name is next to yours on the company letterhead, so I made sure everything you’re doing is within the parameters of the law.”
“I appreciate you. Who plays a puppet master like this? Didn't he know that a day of reckoning would come?” Nora asked.
“He had someone in place to handle it, but I don’t think he planned on dying as quickly as he did. I don’t know whether to feel sorry for him or think he’s a major jerk,” Safra said. “What doesn’t surprise me is that he died of a heart attack. Can you imagine the stress involved?”
“No. I’ll be throwing a lot in Sophie’s lap, but I’m glad not to have this on my desk anymore. If it weren’t for lawyer-client confidentiality, we could have made a lot selling this story to the tabloids or even a Lifetime movie producer.”
Nora and Safra laughed.
* * *
“Hey, babe, is your mom going to be home soon?” Margeaux asked Malcolm as he sat at the computer. “I know it’s late, but I want to say a proper hello. She’s beyond kind to let us stay here, and I’m going to insist we pay her something.”
“She’s going to turn you down. My mother is generous with everyone, but she downright spoils me and now you, by extension,” Malcolm said.
“Did she know I was coming back to New York after my stint in the Peace Corps?” she asked.
“I’m not sure because when you left, she was going through a crazy time, and she may have thought our relationship was over.”
“She must have been happy about that. I was in my early twenties and a bit of a brat. Luckily, that all went away after two years in Senegal,” Margeaux said.
Malcolm smiled and shook his head. “I think you’ve both grown up since then. The wine bar closes at ten on weeknights, so she should be home shortly, and I’m going out. The two of you will have time alone. I’ll head to JFK and hit some incoming flights. It’s been working out great because I can usually pick up folks coming this way for my last fare of the night.”
“Don’t get too comfortable in your driving gig. I have a good feeling about you getting a call about an architecture job,” she said.
“I hope so, but the chances are you’ll find your ideal nursing job first, and we’ll end up moving close to wherever that is. That was the plan, remember?” Malcolm asked.
“I know but I don’t want to move to a location where it’ll be tough for you to find work. I want us both to be happy. We already proved to ourselves that we can survive long distances, and I want us to be able to wake up together for a change.”
“I’m in agreement with that, seeing as we’re a married couple,” Malcolm said. He pulled up the chain that was around his neck and hidden under his shirt. It held his wedding ring. She pulled hers out, too, and they clinked rings.
“Are we ever going to tell your mother?” Margeaux asked.
"We will, but before you left, she and Dad were getting a divorce, and her father had died. I felt like it would be rubbing my happiness in her face, and I knew she wasn't up to planning a wedding. There were also too many people who would have tried to talk us out of it."
