Page 50 of Willowbrooke
Maybe I was in denial with Leo or just wanted him to be right, but I wasn’t sure I believed William was responsible for any of it—the truth, however, was that I didn’t know him.
Leo certainly knew him better, but all parents keep secrets from their children. William had been a father figure to Leo, so of course he would have kept the sordid details of his personal life from his adopted son.
“So what does Julie get out of it? She was still with her husband when she died.” Leo was getting upset, but I knew his anger wasn’t directed at me.
“Maybe money?” I tried. “I’m on your side, Leo. I don’tthink William did this, but if the cops have evidence he was at her house—”
“What if he went there because he knew I was looking for her? Maybe he was trying to get her to talk to us.”
“Maybe.” I shrugged.
Leo’s shoulders slumped as he hunched in the chair, completely out of sorts. “And I don’t know what to make of my mom’s file. I didn’t know that Margot and my mom were so close—and I’ve never heard of this Jeremy Pruitt guy—but I’m not surprised that Dad never mentioned anything. We never talked about Mom’s death.”
“I’m sorry,” I said softly, placing a hand on his knee.
Leo moved to take my hand in his when a knock at the library door shocked the two of us apart.
Concerned, Leo bolted to the door and opened it to find his Aunt Margot.
“Why on earth did you lock the door?” She laughed, then saw me, and her face dropped for a moment before a grin replaced her surprise. “Hello, dear.” She beamed. “I saw your work upstairs—fabulous job.”
“Thank you, Margot.” I smiled politely.
“To what do I owe the pleasure?” Leo gave his aunt a hug. While in her embrace, his eyes met mine, then nervously darted down to the file folder on the coffee table.
I swiftly grabbed the papers and sat on them.
“I was worried I’ve been absent too long with all the planning for the gala—I’ve barely seen you in the last fewweeks, so I thought I’d stop by.” Margot set to correcting Leo’s lapels, which had been rumpled during their hug.
“It’s alright,” Leo told her. “Is everything going okay?”
“Oh you know—planning these things should be straightforward, but they never are.” Margot turned to address me.
I hoped my face wasn’t beet red, knowing I was intentionally hiding something from her in plain sight.
“Will you be joining us on Saturday evening?” Margot asked.
“I—uhh.” I looked past Margot to Leo. “I didn’t know I was invited.”
Margot’s laugh tinkled through the room. “Of course, darling, any friend of Leo’s is invited, and I’ve got a few more people who are interested in hiring you—it will be a good time to meet them. Get this business of yours started.”
Leo raised a brow at her last comment. “We’ll see, Aunt Margot,” he stepped in, saving me.
“I need to know by the end of day tomorrow to finalize the seating chart,” she told him pointedly.
“I promise.”
“Now that I’ll have an extra seat, what with William no longer attending—”
“Why?” Leo asked.
“You haven’t heard?” Margot’s eyes bulged. She was in her element spreading gossip. I had thought that she and William were friendly, but his change in fortune allowed fora break in standard protocol.
Leo shook his head. Of course he had an inkling of what was going on, but he didn’t want to explain how or why to Margot.
“Sweetheart”—she cupped his cheek with her palm—“he was arrested this afternoon. They think he murdered your father’s nurse.”
“Is he going to be okay?” Leo’s reaction was genuine.
