The man rose from the porch swing with a broad smile. His gray hair was neat and trimmed. A pitcher of lemonade and a package of store-bought iced oatmeal cookies were on a table. “You must be Paradise Alden. You’re just as pretty as your mother.” He gestured to the chairs as the three of them stepped to the porch and took a seat. “It’s a warm day so lemonade sounded good even if it’s from a mix.” Donald poured the drink into glasses andhanded them around. “I love the sound of ice tinkling in glasses, don’t you?”
“I sure do.” Paradise sipped the lemonade, which wasn’t bad. “Thanks for seeing us.” She introduced Drew and Blake. “Did you know my mother well?”
He tore open the bag of cookies and retrieved one. “I hired her, and we often ate lunch together in the cafeteria. Her pottery was beautiful. I still have the coffee mug she made me. And she was a dedicated fine arts teacher. Students loved her. My, how she loved you. I saw many pictures of you as a child.”
A lump formed in Paradise’s throat. Her cousin had said the same thing, except when it spilled off Lily’s lips, it had been with derision. “I loved her very much.”
“I’d heard you were looking into what happened. It’s about time someone did. I said all along the detectives weren’t investigating very hard.”
Glass in hand, Drew leaned forward. “Why did you believe that?”
“She was afraid,” Donald said. “Someone had been following her. They broke into the house a few times and moved things around as if to let her know she wasn’t safe.”
“Did you tell the police about this after the murders?” Drew asked.
“Of course. They made note of it, but there was no call record of her reporting a break-in, so I think law enforcement dropped the thread.”
“Did she say who she thought might be targeting her?”
Donald demolished the cookie in two bites before shaking his head. “She admitted she’d reconnected with a former lover and thought the harassment was someone in his family discouraging the affair. I’ll admit I was shocked she would betray her husband when it would hurt her daughter.”
Drew set his lemonade on the table. “I think that man was my father. I was adopted and never met him, but hearing about his death and then the way Paradise’s parents died triggered my interest in whether the deaths were connected.”
A tiger cat leaped onto Blake’s lap, and he stroked it a moment. “One thing we’ve heard is that Drew’s father was well-to-do. Did you ever stop to think you might have more siblings out there, Drew? We’re assuming the murderer wants to stop our investigation because of the fear of discovery, but it could be something else.”
“The thought has crossed my mind,” Drew said. “Maybe I was the firstborn and there were provisions in a will. Until we discover the man’s name, we’re at a dead end. Did our mother ever mention anyone by name?”
Phillips pulled a pipe from his pocket. “You mind?” When they shook their heads, he lit it and puffed out a plume of cherrywood-scented smoke. “I overheard her on the phone about a month before the murders. I caught a glimpse of her phone with the name ‘Benny’ on it. She quickly left the cafeteria and went outside to sit on a bench by herself. I could see her through the window, and she appeared agitated. At one point she stood and paced while gesturing with her free hand. She was perspiring when she came in and put her things away with angry movements. She was on the verge of tears the whole time.”
“Did you ask her what was wrong?” Paradise asked.
His rheumy blue eyes stared at her through the smoke, and he finally nodded. “She said it was personal. I asked if she thought it had anything to do with someone harassing her. She just shook her head, but I saw fear flash into her eyes.”
“Were there any other incidents?” Drew asked.
“Just one. The day before she died, she gave me a file of pictures and told me to give them to her son. I was going to give them to you, Paradise, because I didn’t know where to look for a son. But they belong to Drew.” Donald reached under the wicker coffee table and pulled out a folder, then handed it to Drew. “I was quite happy when you called. I’m happy to finally be able to complete my promise to your mother.”
Drew’s eyes widened and he slowly reached for the folder. Uncertainty flickered in his eyes, but he shook the pictures out onto the table. There were four pictures—one of Drew in his early twenties. The other three pictures were of two boys and a girl. Paradise reached for Drew’s picture and looked at the writing on the back. “This was in 2011. You would have been twenty-one.” She read the numbers on the other pictures. “One is a year older than you, and two are younger. Your siblings?”
Drew’s expression was hard to read. “If they are, they’re suspects.” He reached for the photos. “I can run these through facial recognition and try to find out who they are and where they live, though I’m not hopeful since they’re children and these were taken so long ago.”
The thought of sharing her newfound brother with more family stirred something in Paradise’s chest. Jealousy was an ugly feeling.
“Donald, are there any other people you think might know more about Mom’s private life?”
“Did you speak to Greta Welch?”
Paradise shook her head. “She knew my mother well?”
“The two of them worked together at the college, and Greta was torn up about Becky’s death. She wouldn’t talk about it, but I always thought she knew more about the guy than anyone else did.”
Paradise glanced at her watch. There was plenty of time to talk to Greta before they had to get back. But first, lunch.
The guys had been all for grabbing lunch at Jesse’s Restaurant in Magnolia Springs. They opted to eat outside at one of the tables with the lively blue-and-white chairs. The weather was gorgeous with a light breeze that carried the scent of roses. The setting felt like being cocooned with beautiful trees and plants. The men had spilled most of what Adams told them on the drive back.
She ordered shrimp and grits and a club soda with lime. Both guys got Jesse’s burgers and iced tea. Her stomach rumbled in spite of her need to talk. “I’d hoped Adams would tell us something important. We still don’t know why he went to see Bea.”
Drew reached for a piece of bread and buttered it. “Maybe he was blackmailing her. He seems the type to poke around and learn things.”
