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We were almost at the front door to the auditorium when a man approached me. "Are you all right?" he asked, concern on his face.
I looked into his blue eyes, recognizing the man who'd dropped off the flowers—Tom Wells. "I'm okay."
"I heard what that reporter said to you, and it's not true."
"It's not? Because someone mentioned that your ex-wife had a confrontation with my mother."
"It was a conversation, not a confrontation," he said. "Renee was confused. She's had a difficult time since we separated, but I made it clear to her that your mother had nothing to do with our marital problems, which she did not. We didn't go out until after Renee and I had split up."
"Did my mother break up with you after this conversation?" I asked.
Tom nodded. "Yes. She didn't want to have any part in whatever was going on between Renee and myself. It was very sad. I really cared about her, but I understood why she felt we needed time and space for things to settle down." He paused. "I thought they had quieted down, but I suspect Renee is the one who told that reporter that we were in a love triangle. She used to be a news producer, and she still has contacts in the industry."
"Well, that's great," I said with a sigh.
Tom gave me an apologetic look. "I'm sorry."
"You need to do more than be sorry," I told him. "You need to talk to the police. And so does your ex-wife."
"Renee had nothing to do with what happened to your mother."
Despite his words, I could see a cloud of uncertainty in his gaze. "You're not sure, are you?"
"I am sure. She's a loose cannon, but she's not violent."
"Then you don't have to worry about talking to the police, do you?"
He squared his shoulders. "No, I don't have a problem. I will clear this up."
"Good."
Tom's gaze narrowed on my face. "I have to say that I don't understand why Laura didn't tell me she had a daughter. I thought we'd gotten close. To leave out something so important seems unimaginable."
"She left my life a long time ago," I said.
"We should go inside," Kade interrupted, and I was happy for that. I didn't want to talk to Tom. I was too confused about who he was to my mother and what had happened in their relationship.
"Please talk to the police," I said to Tom. "If you still care about my mother, then you should do everything you can to keep her safe, because the person who shot her might not be done trying to kill her."
Tom's face paled at my words, but he didn't respond.
I turned away as Kade put his hand on my back and ushered me into the auditorium. It was a relief to be inside and away from the reporters. As we waited in line to go to our seats, I turned to Kade. "Do you think it's possible that this love triangle is the motivation for my mother being shot? I've been working under the assumption that the danger came from her distant past, but maybe it didn't."
"I think the police need to look into Tom and his ex-wife."
"I'll follow up with Inspector Greenman after the show."
"And get Jeremy on it, too," Kade said.
"I'll text him when we sit down." As I finished speaking, another one of my mother's male friends came up to me. Mark Harrison wore a black suit with a gray tie, and he looked quite handsome. I could see why my mother might have been interested in him, maybe more than she'd been in Tom. She might not have broken up with Tom because of his ex-wife, but because of this guy.
"Hello," he said, giving me a kind smile. "I don't know if you remember me. We met the other day."
"Yes. You're Mark Harrison."
He nodded. "Your words about your mother were very sweet."
"Thank you." I waved my hand toward Kade. "This is Kade Beckham."
