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While we were all anxious to learn what happened, Agent Curran informed us it could take weeks or even months to sort through everything they’d uncovered. Even longer to figure out his connection to Nick, considering the two people who knew the truth were now dead.
I found solace in that, though. As much as I did want answers, the man who tormented me for so long was dead, as was the man who killed both Lachlan’s girlfriend and sister.
“I apologize for the interruption…”
At the sound of the familiar voice, I looked toward the foyer as Agent Curran walked in behind Nikko, a petite, older woman with platinum hair beside him. “I was hoping to have a few minutes of your time.”
“Mrs. Shea,” Lachlan greeted, brows scrunched. “What—”
“Good morning, Mr. Hale,” she said evenly. “I hope you don’t mind that I asked to tag along. I just shared all this with Agent Curran, who was going to brief you about it. But I felt compelled to be here. Share it with you myself.” She met my eyes. “Not have you learn the truth from a third party. Although, I must admit, I feel like a third party.” She laughed slightly, then drew in a shaky breath. “Nonetheless, I felt obligated.”
My curiosity was certainly piqued, especially since Dax had been released from custody once Agent Curran learned of Ethan’s involvement. The last person I expected to see here was his mother.
“Come on in.” Lachlan wiped his hands on a dish towel, leading Lucy Shea and Agent Curran toward the couch in the living area. I gave Imogene a look. She scooted around the island and clasped my hand as we followed, sitting on either side of Lachlan.
Lucy glanced in Imogene’s direction. “Is it okay if she—”
“It’s fine. I’m not going to shield Imogene from the truth. After what she went through, she deserves to know.”
Lucy nodded, squaring her shoulders.
“Go ahead, Mrs. Shea,” Agent Curran encouraged, his expression soft and comforting.
She inhaled a deep breath, closing her eyes before she returned her gaze to mine.
“I first met Domenic Jaskulski when I was a senior in high school. In case you’re not familiar with my family—”
“I know all about the Ellis family,” I told her with a smile. I was pretty sure most of the country did.
Her family had deep roots in the South, their money coming from cotton and oil. To them, appearance was everything. On the outside, they were the perfect family. But I knew from experience just how deceiving appearances could be.
“Of course.” She gave me a sweet smile. “Well, when I was in high school, I struggled a bit with my studies.” She fidgeted with the skirt of her designer suit. “I suppose you could say I was more interested in boys than reading Shakespeare. Growing up in the family I did was quite…isolating. My father was rarely home, preferring to spend his time in the Manhattan penthouse he kept for a revolving door of mistresses. And my mother was only interested in me when there was some formal event requiring us to attend as a family. Otherwise, she barely acknowledged me. So I guess I found attention elsewhere, even if it wasn’t the kind of attention I wanted.”
“And did Nick give you that kind of attention?” I asked, sensing this was where the story was going.
“Actually, no.” A nostalgic smile tugged on her lips. “He was the first person in my life who didn’t look at me and see my daddy’s money. He saw a person. He treated me like a person.”
While I wanted to remind her of the monster my ex-husband was, there was something familiar about the way she spoke of Nick. I remembered feeling the same when our paths crossed in college.
“How did you know Nick?”
“My parents wanted me to go to Brown. They’d both attended there. As did their parents. And so on, and so on. Unfortunately, no amount of bribe money would convince the administration to admit me with my grades, not unless they saw a drastic change. So my mother hired a tutor from a college down the road in Savannah, where I grew up.”
“And that was Nick.”
She nodded. “He was only fifteen at the time. I thought he was another high school student. I didn’t believe her when she told me he was in college. And not just for his bachelor’s, which he’d already earned two of, but that he was currently pursuing his master’s. The absolute last thing I wanted was to spend my summer studying while the rest of my friends were at the beach. But as Nick began helping me…” She shook her head.
“He had a way of explaining the material that made it so…interesting. I couldn’t help but be mesmerized by his raw intelligence. We had lively discussions and debates, which was drastically different than the grunts and unintelligent conversations I was used to with the jocks I tended to date, even if they did come from ‘good breeding’, as my mother put it.
“Over the course of the summer, you could say we became pretty good friends.” She paused, biting on her lower lip. “Then we became more than friends.”
“More than friends?”
“I know how it appears. I was eighteen. He was fifteen. And a very…inexperienced fifteen at that. But I liked the idea of being able to teach him something in return. He could recite quotes from great works of literature, yet couldn’t tell you what it was like to kiss a girl. So I gave him that. Showed him…” She trailed off, glancing at Imogene, obviously unsure if this were appropriate.
I remember being Imogene’s age. This was probably tame compared to the things she overheard in the hallways at school.
“It’s okay,” I assured her, smiling.
