AllFreeNovel
Share Us
She fiddled with a strand of small lustrous pearls and looked everywhere except at Devine. The woman was clearly uncomfortable with his presence here. She wore little makeup, and the dark circles under her reddened eyes spoke of long bouts of crying.
Maybe she thinks if she ignores me, her eldest daughter wouldn’t be dead.
“Ms. Robards, I’m Travis Devine with Homeland Security.”
“Yes, I know, Mr. Devine,” she said in a low voice. “Please sit.”
She finally looked at him—resignedly, Devine concluded.
“Would you like something hot to drink? It’s quite chilly today.”
“No thank you, I’m fine.” He settled into a wingchair opposite her. “And I’m very sorry for your loss.”
She twitched at his words, and closed her eyes for a moment. “We all thought Jenny was indomitable, a survivor. She had survived...much, until this ugly, ugly business.”
“She had a stellar career, and a brilliant future in serving her country.”
“That goddamned job cost my daughter her life,” she barked. Then she quickly let the regal mask slide back down over her features. “I’m sorry,” she said in a hushed voice.
“No reason to be.” He glanced around. “Is your husband here?”
“Vernon is in Thailand, at least I think so. Business,” she added with a touch of bitterness. “Apparently, for some people business and making money trumps all, even themurderof one’s stepdaughter.” She glanced at her lap and let her fingers intertwine as though she suddenly felt the need to hold on to herself. “It’s funny, Mr. Devine.”
“What is?”
“When I married Curt, he was already a war hero. This big strong marine that no enemy could defeat. And he was gone all the time, too. Not to make money, but to serve his country, like Jenny did. He survived that. And then he got into politics. Worked his way up and eventually ran for the Senate and won. And he was gone all the time, again, not for the money but to serve. And here’s the funny thing.” She paused and seemed to collect herself, running her fingers delicately along her expensive pearls. “The funny thing is, for the people left behind, the motivation doesn’t matter. The result is the same: one is alone.”
“I can see that.”
She looked around at the tastefully decorated room in the luxurious mansion in the pricey, sought-after neighborhood with beautiful views. “And in case you’re wondering, as so many have, no, the grass is not always greener.”
“I understand that Jenny was not in full agreement with the divorce?” he said quietly.
“She hated me for it, plain and simple.” Robards dropped her hand to her lap. “She and apparently everyone else thought I left Curt because of his illness. The fact was we had agreed to divorce a year before. But these things take time and he had an election coming up, so we made the mutual decision to wait. He won the race and we went our separate ways. Then he was diagnosed shortly thereafter and I became the thoughtless ex-wife.”
“I suppose you could have halted the divorce proceedings,” noted Devine.
“I’d already met Vernon and was engaged to him. We were waiting for the final decree to announce our impending wedding. And the truth was I had given Curt four decades of my life and three children. He had his twin careers. And me? I hadn’t even started to live my life yet. So I decided to move forward and do just that before it was too late. Curt was going to receive the best care regardless.” She glanced up. “I suppose you think me heartless, too?”
“While it may be tempting for many, judging others has never been a fascination of mine.”
She nodded. “Now, how can I help you?”
“When was the last time you saw or spoke to your daughter?”
“I saw her at an event at the Senate to honor Curt’s legacy about six months ago.”
“Was that also the last time you spoke to her?”
Her gaze fell to her lap. “No. She actually called me recently. She said she was heading to Putnam. She grew up there, along with our other two children. An ancestor of Curt’s, Hiram Silkwell, built the family home there. It’s quite Gothic, and I think extraordinarily ugly. Curt kept paying the taxes on it until he became ill. He couldn’t part with it, apparently. He was always a very nostalgic person, very much tied to the past in certain respects.”
“Did she say why she was going there?”
“She said she had some unfinished business.”
“What sort of business?” asked Devine sharply.
“She didn’t say, and I didn’t ask.”
