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I got to my feet fast. I didn’t mind fighting with Honey, telling her what a greedy moron she’d been, but the way Anemone just smiled and gently cut her knees out from under her made me very uncomfortable. And more determined than ever not to ever cross my boss. I mean, I’ll argue with her, but actually oppose her on something that matters? Nope.
When we were back in the car, I said, “That was brutal.”
Anemone sighed. “It was brutal because it was true. She’s a public person, she loves being a public person, and she’s about to lose all of that. Whether she loves him or not, she’ll save herself first.”
“You’re that sure.”
Anemone met my eyes. “She knows I was telling her the truth.”
“So,” I said, “did you decide to tell her all of that to save her or because she took a shot at George?”
“Both,” Anemone said.
“She thinks she can get George back.”
Anemone smiled. “What do you think?”
“I think you own George’s ass.”
Her smile faded into a prim little line. “I wouldn’t say that.”
“Do you love him, Anemone?”
She blinked. “Of course.”
I put the car in gear and drove back to the Pink House, thinking about Anemone’s marriages, every one of them a project with a house, although I thought she’d probably loved all of the men when she married them. And then they’d died or betrayed her and she walked away with half their assets and more life experience.
But I thought George might be different. For one thing, he had no money. For another, I think Anemone’s project wasn’t just rehabbing George, it was rehabbing the town he loved. Something they could build together. In her pink mansion. I realized it was her house this time, not his. That was a big change. And for another, I thought Anemone really had been looking for love and permanence all along. George would never cheat on her, never betray her, he was the walking embodiment of truth and justice.
“Can I be a bridesmaid?” I said as I pulled up in front of the house.
“You’ll be maid of honor,” Anemone said. “Assuming George proposes. He might not.”
I laughed really hard at that one.
CHAPTER 54
I stopped by Ken Porter’s place to work on what Liz was calling Phase Three: The Senator. Getting her to kick Cash to the curb was going to take some heavy-duty ammo, and I was pretty sure Thacker had had some on his laptop.
Elena directed me to Ken’s office where he was working through a stack of documents. He seemed glad for the break.
“What’s up, Vince?”
“Things are looking busy,” I noted.
“There is a positive side to River Vista,” Ken acknowledged. “People from out of state are calling me to represent them as the buying agent. There are some willing to buy sight unseen. It’s pretty crazy. The prices look really good for those coming from California.”
I inwardly groaned at the thought of a bunch of California yuppies relocating to Burney. Then again, people probably hadn’t been too thrilled when a Ranger from the Bronx showed up and look how well that had gone. Murder, arson, and all-around mayhem. I consoled myself that it had actually been Liz’s arrival that had coincided with all that. Not that I was blaming her; I was exonerating myself with the fates.
“What can I do for you?” Ken asked.
“Have you ever heard of Deaf Goat Lane?”
Ken frowned. “In Burney?”
I nodded. “Over-the-Hill.”
“Ah. That explains it,” Ken said. “There’re a lot of private roads in those hills and hollers. Not county-maintained, thus they’re not on most maps. But we’ve got some of the old surveys in the back. Let’s take a look.”
