“What was his first name?” Drew asked.
“Ben. Becky called him Benny, and he didn’t let anyone else call him such a silly name. He was eight years older, but she didn’t care. I tried to caution her against him, but she wouldn’t listen. Until the day his wife showed up.”
Paradise gasped and put her hand to her mouth. “He was married?”
“Very married. With a three-year-old daughter. It devastated Becky, and she broke it off. Two weeks later she found out she was pregnant. As far as I know she never told Ben.”
Drew gulped. “Was he looking forme?”
Wes came through the door with a tray of ice-filled glasses and a pitcher of tea. “Here we go.”
“I told them everything I know,” Trisha said.
Wes set the tray on the table and began filling the glasses. “Then I’d better tell them the rest.”
Chapter 10
Paradise’s pulse kicked at the thought that Wes might know more than Trisha. She took a sip of the sweet tea. It was delicious and tasted like it had been brewed by the strong Alabama sun on their back deck. “You went to college with my dad, too, didn’t you?”
Wes lowered his bulk to the love seat beside his wife. “We roomed together. Granger’s death gutted me. A close friend like that doesn’t come along every day.” He shot a glance at his wife. “I’ve kept this bottled up for decades, even from my wife.”
Trisha gave a start and stared at him.
He patted her knee, and she put her hand on top of his. “Granger had been ‘off’ about a week before the murders.” Wes glanced at Drew and Blake. “Guys don’t share stuff like women do. I figured if it was important enough, he’d say something.”
Paradise searched her memories for any hint that her dad hadn’t been himself and came up empty, but she’d been a kid and unlikely to notice. She had so many questions, but she kept silent so she didn’t stop his flow of words.
“He called me a couple of hours before he died.”
Trisha gasped but said nothing, and Wes continued. “Granger talked to the PI who left the message. Guy by the name of William Fletcher. He said he was trying to prevent a tragedy.” Wes’s eyes were wet when his gaze went to Paradise. “I guess he failed.”
The enormity of the revelation dried her tongue. “So William knew someone planned to hurt my parents?”
“Granger said this Fletcher guy warned him to take you and your mom away on vacation or something until he had a chance to find out more. That’s why your dad came home early. He called me from the road. He’d asked your mom to pack for a trip, and she refused. She told him she was going to leave him.” Wes’s Adam’s apple bobbed in his neck. “It’s hard to hear a grown man cry.”
Paradise’s eyes burned. Her dad had been so strong, so loving and kind. “I saw a man kiss my mom. I couldn’t remember much of what happened until recently when it started to come back. I found an October entry in my diary about it.”
“Do you remember what he looked like?” Drew asked.
“Not really. I only saw the back of his head. He had dark hair and was taller than Dad maybe. That’s it.”
Wes shifted in his chair. “Your dad suspected her first boyfriend had come back, but the bigger piece of news for you is that Fletcher said the guy had a lot of money and was connected. Granger wasn’t sure if that meant a mob connection or power. He suspected the guy might be from an influential family in politics though. He didn’t tell me why he thought that. Maybe it was something Becky said.”
Drew leaned forward. “So let me get this straight—Fletcher basically told Granger someone wanted to prevent Becky from getting back together with my unknown father and might harm them to make sure it didn’t happen.”
“That’s the gist of it.”
“Who hired Fletcher?” Drew asked.
“The PI told Granger he was hired by an ‘interested party.’” Wes put air quotes around the words.
“That could mean anyone,” Drew said. “A spouse, a parent running for office who didn’t want his kid to ruin his reputation. Even a partner who thought it could derail their business. Any idea where this Fletcher lived? I’d like to talk to him.”
“His phone number was from Pascagoula. That was all Granger knew.”
Drew pulled out his phone. “He might still live there. It’s worth checking out.” He tapped on the screen. “I’ll have my partner check on the man’s whereabouts.”
“I should have told the cops about it, but I didn’t want to drag Becky’s name through the mud. She was a good friend even though I hated what she was about to do to Granger.”
