Paradise twisted the engagement ring around on her finger. “Marriage didn’t seem to mean much to Ben. He was married when he pursued my mother. Pamela would have been better off with Bear.”
Octavia relaxed in the chair and crossed her legs. “You’re probably right. Pamela was beautiful. People compared her looks to Julia Roberts, and she was so sweet back then. The more years she stayed married to Ben, the harder she became to live with.”
Blake rolled the words over in his head. “Did he have any other children besides the four we know about?”
She gave an elegant shrug. “Who knows? Victoria is my best friend, but some things she tends to keep very private. I had no idea she knew about you, Drew, until you showed up. But she knew all along.”
“How did Bear find out?” Paradise asked. “About Ben and Pamela?”
“He’d noticed Pamela pulling away, being distant. Ben broke his engagement without any explanation, and that made Bear even more suspicious. He started following Pamela and the trailled to a hotel in Biloxi. Bear knew the hotel manager and got a key to their room. He caught them, um, red-handed, so to speak.”
Drew winced. “That’s about as sleazy as it comes. Did the brothers reconcile?”
“Oh yes. Bear always loved his younger brother, and he was a very attentive uncle to Ben’s children. The year before Ben died, Bear lost a bid for state representative and decided to give up on running for office. He loved politics so much, but he never connected with the voters. After Ben died, he moved to Dallas and founded a polling company.”
Octavia stared off into space. “I never believed Pamela’s death was an accident. When she found the letters from Becky, she asked me for a PI recommendation and I gave her Fletch’s information. We never told Victoria. We knew it would upset her, so Pamela talked to me about everything.”
“What do you suspect happened?”
“I wish I knew. I don’t believe Bear would hurt his brother, if that’s what you’re thinking. I’m not so sure about Percy though.”
Paradise gasped. “His own father wouldn’t have hurt him, would he?”
Octavia lifted a brow and shrugged. “Power is everything to Percy. Ben was about to throw away generations of a good family reputation. I’m not sure what lengths Percy might have gone to.”
Drew stared at the folder and the USB drive in his hands. “We think Granger was only killed because he came home unexpectedly.”
“I honestly don’t know what happened. Nothing makes any sense to me.”
Blake stared at the folder and drive in Drew’s hand. They needed answers, but he wasn’t sure where they’d find them.
Chapter 31
Paradise felt everyone’s excitement as they waited for the governor and her entourage to show up. The boys nearly vibrated with the anticipation of seeing the governor’s grandson again. The news crew had already arrived with cameras ready, and she waited with Blake at the park entrance for the black SUVs to pull into the lot. It was a perfect summer day for the visit, with temps in the eighties and lower-than-normal humidity for July.
Dust swirled in the distance, and she spotted four SUVs heading for the refuge. “Here they come.”
“The tigers are ready. I waited to feed them until she gets here. I’ll let her use the feeder if she wants. It might play well for her constituents,” Blake said. “I’m going to suggest a tour of the dens in case she wants to talk about housing with a backdrop of the animals. Her donation already came through too.”
If she wasn’t already a fan of the governor’s, Paradise would have jumped on board with that news. She held Blake’s hand and waited. The back door of the first SUV opened, and fiftysomething Governor George exited with her eight-year-old grandson. She wore white capris and a wraparound tunic with boots andchunky jewelry. The outfit looked elegant yet casual, and Paradise admired the governor’s choices. The red-and-white top complemented her short gray-streaked dark hair.
The campaign manager, Angela Burns, exited behind her, but she’d opted for a pale blue pantsuit that played well against her soft white hair and brought out her blue eyes. Her smile emerged when she saw the welcome party. She waved the camera people over. “Get a picture of the group.”
Levi waved. “Hi, Jackson.”
Dark-haired Jackson glanced up at his grandmother, who made a shooing motion. “Join your friends,” she said. The boys fell into chatter about the new additions to the park since Jackson had been here last.
Paradise let Jenna and Blake welcome the guests while she hung back and glanced at her phone. Drew was supposed to let her know if he’d found anything in the files. He’d made copies for all of them, but she hadn’t had a chance to study hers yet.
Evan gestured her toward him. She veered from the path to the big cat enclosure to join him. “What’s wrong?”
“One of the jaguars needs his right maxillary canine repaired. It’s infected too. I didn’t want to bother you on this big day, but the infection seems to be spreading. His jaw is swollen, and I don’t like the way he looks.”
Dread congealed in her gut, and her previously injured shoulder began to ache. The canines were what the big cats used to pierce the skulls of their prey, and she shuddered at the thought of working on one again.
Stop it!It was just a reaction to the last time she’d worked on a jaguar’s tooth. She’d make sure it was completely sedated this time. It wouldn’t happen again. But her hands trembled despite her self-talk as she told Blake she had to tend to a jaguar.
“Want me to come?”
