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“Can I ask you something?”
“Absolutely.”
“What was my father’s grudge against Ethan Lyonne?”
“Ethan?” Uncle Josh stares off at the water again. “The two of them were business partners. Friends.”
“I heard you both talking the morning after my viral internet infamy. He told you to let it sink in that I was out withEthan’s son. There’s a reason. What is it?”
Josh drums his fingers on the table, squints into the sunlight. “It’s a touchy issue, especially because Ethan isn’t here to defend himself. But I’ll tell you what I know. Ethan and Matilda didn’t have a happy marriage. He didn’t come from money, not like her. He was trying to find a way to match her financially so he could fight for custody of Micah. He started gambling. At first it was just small scale sports betting, but then he quickly got caught by the habit and he wound up owing money to some pretty ruthless characters. There was never any proof that his gambling debts were tied to his death, but I’ve always wondered.”
“Is all that really true or just something you heard from my father?”
The news is disquieting in any case. Ethan Lyonne’s murder was always assumed to be a random act motivated by robbery.
He nods. “Ethan was also my friend, Tessie. I knew he had a problem.”
I wonder if Micah’s ever heard this. Maybe not. He doesn’t often mention his father. Ethan’s life and his brutal death have blended together in Micah’s head, tainting his memories, making them uniformly painful. But he thinks about Ethan. I know he does. His sketch of the faceless man at the lake is proof of that.
“Can you forgive me?” Josh asks. “I’d give anything for the chance to be your favorite uncle again.”
“You’re myonlyuncle,” I remind him. But a smile tugs at the corners of my mouth.
He smiles back.
I don’t ask him if he plans to tell my father about this visit. It’s going to take a long time before I’m willing to be in the same room as Stuart Ballerini.
In fact, that day might never come.
Josh can’t stay long. He jokes that the criminal underbelly of West Emerald never sleeps. Micah told me about the gossip that Josh will get the nod to head the much larger Em City police force.
He leaves after extracting a promise that Micah and I will have dinner with him sometime soon, then lingers just outside the door, looking back in a way that makes me hesitate.
“Something wrong?”
His lips part and his forehead crinkles. But then he flashes a smile. “No. Tell Micah I said hey.”
“Will do. Thanks for the scones.” This time I shut the door.
The house is quiet enough to hear a pin drop once Josh is gone.
I miss working in an office, miss the energy radiated by other people when they’re going about their tasks. Still, I laughed when Micah told me of his mother’s job offer. Working for Matilda is just not my cup of tea.
Dragging my laptop to the kitchen counter, I flip the lid and snack on one of my scones. I’ve reached out to a couple of nearby independent realtor firms but haven’t heard back yet.
With a sigh, I shut my laptop again and rest my chin on the counter. My restlessness, however, has little to do with recent family turmoil.
I’m not used to having idle time. I don’t like it. Dani said if I was interested then she’d be glad to have my help with her Lita’s Angels charity. I should call her today.
The phone buzzes by my hand and it’s not Dani.
I answer with a surge of delight that has become very familiar. “How did you know I needed to hear your voice?”
Micah’s instantly alert. “What’s wrong? Should I come home?”
Home.
I love hearing him use that word. “No need. I can’t suck up all your time.”
