He dipped his head. “Carolyn and I went over paper work concerning Frank, his bank accounts, his will, and the rest of it.”
Britt believed herself to be a fairly decent niece, but she wasn’t in Zander’s league. She was a doer, always happy to pitch in whenever her family members needed anything. Zander was good at that, too. But he was also good atbeing there, faithfully, dispensing sympathy as long as sympathy was needed. “Impressive,” she said. “Catch up on sleep?”
“Yes.”
“Go running?”
“Yes.”
“Eat my competitor’s chocolate?”
“No.”
“Good. I saw the interview you did with the Seattle news station.”
“Did I look like an idiot?”
“The opposite. You came across as whip-smart—”
“—and cold.”
“Not cold,” she corrected. “Thoughtful.” And wildly handsome. She had no doubt that the station would be inundated with pink stationery addressed to him and that his book sales in the Seattle metropolitan area would spike.
Britt leaned her upper back against the shelves that framedJohn’s recessed TV. “Nora got back to me with the scoop on Ricardo.”
“And?”
She filled Zander in on the discussion she’d had with Nora.
“She wasn’t able to find out anything about Emerson Kelly?” he asked.
“Nothing. Which makes me wonder if Emerson might have gone to the trouble of removing his information from online databases. It seems a little suspicious, doesn’t it? That Nora couldn’t findanything?”
“A little. It could be that Emerson’s just a private person.”
“Or it could be that Emerson has something to hide.” Britt mulled over the possibilities. “All we know about Emerson at the moment is that he was arrested on Whidbey Island in 1988 for stealing paintings alongside Ricardo, and that later, the charges were dropped. I say we try to dig up more information on him.”
“Do you think Nora could help us locate the arrest record? For the crime on Whidbey Island in ’88?”
“I don’t know, but I’ll definitely ask her.”
She spotted Clint, Grandma, and Valentina coming their direction and beckoned them closer. This was as good a time as any to pump Clint for information on his romantic history. “Enjoying the party?”
“So far,” Grandma answered. “But I’ve decided it would be best if I leave early.”
Whenever Grandma went fishing for attention with statements like that one, Britt had learned not to bite.
“Why have you decided to leave early?” Zander asked, polite to a fault when it came to her grandmother.
“Because I know they’re planning to play cards after the meal, and I don’t approve of cards. Card games can quickly lead to gambling.”
Valentina clucked consolingly. Her round face and plump body housed an unending supply of empathy. “Babbling not good.” Despite having lived in America for decades, Valentina’s grip on the English language could at best be described as loose.
“Gambling,” Clint clarified for Valentina. “Like in Las Vegas.”
“You want to go to Las Vegas, miss?” Valentina asked Grandma.
Grandma reared back, clutching her chest. “Certainly not.”
