Page 100 of The Secrets We Hide
“Baby, look at me.” Everything in the world fell away except for her son. “We can talk about it. Let’s go somewhere right now. Just the two of us.”
“No, I don’t need to talk. I just wanted to say it out loud. To let you know it would be understandable.”
Emmy needed the reassurance of touching him. She tucked his shirt collar under his vest, left her hand on his shoulder. “I’m so sorry.”
“It’s all good.” Cole pulled away. It was like watching a light bulb turn on. He flashed a grin as he put the camera back in his trunk. “Just clearing the air.”
Emmy felt the knife twist. She searched for the right words.
“I’ll text you with the drive time, boss.”
He was such a Clifton, and she was such a coward, because she played along. “Thank you.”
He closed his trunk, then kissed her cheek. “Love you.”
“You, too.”
Emmy kept her composure until the back of his cruiser disappeared into a swirl of gravel dust up the driveway. She could feel her heart shaking inside her chest. What a mess of a human being she’d turned out to be.
The front door opened behind her. Emmy wiped her eyes. Taybee was carrying a large, empty soup pot in both hands. For once, Emmy was glad to stand in the fire hose of her cousin’s one-sided conversation.
“Holy crap, lady. Millie’s still on a tear about Cousin Ace being at Myrna’s funeral. I told her Ace loved Myrna just as much as the rest of us. Even sat with her at the nursing home, didn’t he?”
Emmy felt her hands wanting to shake. She forced herself not to grip them together.
“Good Lord, when is it gonna cool down? I can’t tell if I’m having a hot flash or a stroke.” Taybee used a bungee cord to secure the soup pot to the seat of the golf cart. Then she started the arduous process of adjusting and readjusting. “Have you decided what you’re gonna do about Hannah?”
The question was so out of the blue that Emmy couldn’t decipher its meaning.
Taybee released the bungee and started over. “The school board’s got that hearing next month to see whether she’s gonna keep her job. Most of ’em will vote however you tell ’em to, but you’re gonna have to work on Dervla McClatchy and Cousin Ace if you want her back in the classroom.”
Emmy found her voice. “Why is it up to me?”
“It’s your daddy her husband killed.” Taybee braced her foot on the cart to pull the bungee tight. “Tommy will go with theflow, Celia has more enemies than Stalin, nobody gives a hoot what Jude has to say, and that leaves you.”
Emmy couldn’t deal with this right now. “You told me you had a forensic accountant go through Bill’s accounts.”
“Not much meat on that bone. Bill clears ten grand a month from the family business, but it all goes to credit card companies and the bank. He wouldn’t even have a roof over his head if the house wasn’t in his mama’s name. His truck is leased through the company.”
Emmy had been inside the monastic house. There weren’t any high-end electronics or expensive toys. “What put Bill in that much debt?”
“No idea, but it goes back years. Allison says he’s always been really bad with money. Probably lost his ass in crypto. He’s got that kind of personality.”
“Do you think he gambles?”
“Lady, that’s what crypto is.”
Emmy could tell that Taybee was ready to go. She’d started adjusting the mirror. “How did Allison pay your retainer?”
“Four different credit cards. She probably paid ten times as much in interest. That’s why I couldn’t understand why she didn’t want the retainer back. At least make a dent in some of that debt. Poor thing spent her life trapped in a hole and all she ever did was keep digging.”
“Okay,” Emmy said. “Thank you.”
“You are most certainly welcome.” Taybee turned the ignition key back and forth three times in a row. “Let me know when you want to prep for the debate with Brett. I know he’s being a butt, but we can turn the tide back your way. Hashtag Clifton family strong!”
So many subjects Emmy wanted to avoid.
“Take care, lady. Oh, and stay off Facebook. You don’t even wanna know.”
