AllFreeNovel
Share Us
"I thought it was odd, too," he admitted.
"Kim used you to get into your brother's house," Kade said harshly.
"I don't know that that's true," Ian said slowly.
Despite his words, I could see that he was starting to realize that was exactly what had happened. I felt immense disappointment in my mother's behavior, too. I had never thought she was that mercenary.
"Why didn't you tell the police you took Kim to the house a week before the robbery?" Kade asked. "That wasn't in the police report."
"I didn't believe it was relevant. She wasn't at the party. The police only asked me about that night. It never occurred to me that our trip had had anything to do with the robbery. Kim a twenty-one-year-old girl who played the violin. She wasn't dangerous."
"But you were at the party," Kade said. "And you were the last one to leave, the last one to speak to my father. Isn't that correct?"
"Yes. I went to that party because it was a fundraiser for the college. When it was over, I said goodbye to the security guard, and I left. I don't know what happened after that."
"Did you see my mother after the party?" I asked.
"No. She called off our next date. She was sick. I wanted to take care of her, but she lived with roommates, and we couldn't let anyone know about us. I kept waiting for her to get better and call me, but she never did. The next thing I knew, she dropped out of school, and her number was disconnected." He paused at the sound of voices.
I turned my head to see several college kids entering the auditorium.
"There's another class starting soon," Ian said. "We need to leave."
"Wait," I said. "Can you give me your number? I might have more questions."
He hesitated. "I really don't want to talk about this anymore. I'm sorry Kim is hurt, but we ended a long time ago. Good luck."
He walked away as the next teacher came down to the stage. As they exchanged a few words, Kade and I headed up the steps and out of the auditorium.
Kade was tense and silent as we walked across the parking lot to my car. When we got inside, I turned to him. "What do you think?"
"I think your mother helped the robbery crew get into the house, and she used her professor to do it."
"But she felt guilty when your father was killed and sent your mother money."
"Blood money," he said coldly. "I'm sorry I sold her my art. I'm sorry I moved into her house. I'm sorry I ever met her."
I could understand where his anger was coming from, and I suddenly realized where this might all be going. Kade was done with my mom, and he might be done with me, too.
CHAPTERTWENTY-EIGHT
"Let'sgo back to the city," Kade said. "I need to get to work."
I started the engine and pulled out of the lot. On the way back to San Francisco, I thought about what I could say to him that might make him feel better, but nothing came to mind. If my mom had helped that crew, then she was tied to the murder of Kade's father. And whatever she'd done to help Kade had come from a place of guilt.
I'd felt jealous of her interest in Kade's life, in her willingness to support a complete stranger over her own daughter. Now I just felt incredibly sorry that he'd been hurt again, that her actions had brought him more pain.
I should have gone home a long time ago. I wasn't the only one getting hurt, and Kade didn't deserve any of this.
While the thoughts spun around in my head, I couldn't get any words out. And Kade didn't seem interested in talking, his gaze turned out the window as we crossed over the Bay Bridge and headed back into the city.
When we got to the house, Kade followed me inside, then stopped in the entry. "Why don't you make sure everything is okay here?"
"And then what? What are you going to do?" I asked.
"I need to get some work done, Brynn."
"I get that, but do you want to talk about what we learned?"
