“Andi! It wasn’t, and you’re supposed to help me here. I’m your future brother-in-law! We should stick together!”
“Against my future husband in this scenario of yours?”
“To add spice to your marriage!”
“Sorry, Daniel, I have more than enough spice in my life. George’s glaze is perfect. I’ve been treated to it more than enough to say this with full confidence.”
“You wound me, Andi.” Daniel made a dramatic face while George started giggling.
After a moment, Daniel did the same, letting go of the bowl at the same time. It didn’t crash, but only because George’s reflexes were worthy of Spiderman.
“Fine, you win. Make the glaze the way you want it.” Daniel threw his hands in the air.
George pumped his fist after he put the bowl down. “Common sense triumphs again.”
“And just for that, I should kick your ass.”
“In your dreams.”
Both brothers huffed before Daniel turned to Tyler. “Are you staying for the buns, champ?”
Tyler looked at George, who nodded. “Yes. I’d love to.”
“Wonderful!” Daniel clapped his hands. “George, they look about right. Get them out and pour your mediocre glaze on them, then we can eat.”
“With you complaining all the time how you’d have made it better?”
“You know me so well.”
And that was basically how the visit with George’s family ended. They enjoyed the perfect cinnamon buns, ignored the pointed looks from Miranda in Tyler’s direction, said their goodbyes when the rideshare picked up the guests, and then they started cleaning up. George had no problem with Tyler staying over, and, miracle of miracles, Chief Norris didn’t put up a fight either. Andi had a suspicion that she was secretly relieved to have some breathing space. As much as he resented it, he did have some empathy for her. Dealing with a kid like Tyler was a challenge, even more so when your own bad experiences clouded your judgment while the love you had for that kid warred with your own trauma. Being an adult sucked.
Tyler was too emotionally drained to do much talking and instead opted to take up camp on the sofa and watch TV, where he was joined by George after the kitchen was spotless once again. Andi went outside to do some yoga before he, too, ended up on the sofa snuggled against George. As far as birthdays went, this one was fine.
CHAPTER 27
LIKE SCALES FROM THE EYES
Monday after lunch saw them back on their way to Spartanburg. George was still a bit unsure what to make of the weekend. On the one hand, his mother had finally met Andi and hopefully saw that he wasn’t the devil, and Andi had made a lasting impression—not that George would have doubted that—and also managed to take some of her momentum. On the other hand, his mother now had a firsthand impression of their circumstances and therefore more ammunition to line up. His father had made it clear in his stoic way that he wasn’t happy with this relationship but would respect George’s decision. Griff had texted him that he thought Andi was odd but nice, and Daniel was over the moon because he had finally met the man.
Andi himself didn’t show any signs of being upset, which George counted as a win. His family could be a bit much.
Shireen had called them in the morning, stating she hadn’t found out anything new but that there were also a few hundred people she still had to look into. Andi’s idea to cast a wider net might still yield results, though in the meantime, they had decided to go back to Paradise Home for the Elderly once more to talk to the director, Shelby Delaine.
The plan was to go there then meet with DeCapristo, who was coming back to Spartanburg in the evening. She had booked a room next to them at their usual hotel. After the almost run-in with the wasps, none of them wanted to take any risks. Ms. Delaine welcomed them into her office, gesturing at the two chairs in front of her desk. “Detectives, it’s a pleasure. How can I help you?”
From the way Andi was staring ahead, George knew his partner was receiving on a broader level than he would have liked. As usual, he took over the conversation. “Ms. Delaine, thank you for seeing us on such short notice. We wouldn’t have asked you to take time out of your busy schedule if it wasn’t important.”
“Now you have me hooked, Detective Donovan.” She batted her lashes playfully. She was much more relaxed than during their last meeting.
“We wanted to ask if there were any other incidents—apart from Suzie Monahan—that might have left some of the residents or their families with a grudge?”
Shelby tapped her right index finger against her chin. “Hmm. I have to admit, nothing springs to mind. I’d have to think about it and maybe ask around. Though the fact that I don’t have an immediate answer is probably an answer in itself?”
George couldn’t stop the disappointment from flashing over his features, which prompted Shelby to get up and gesture to the wide window that faced into the lush garden. George followed to stand beside her.
“I’m sorry, detective. This is actually a pretty drama-free institution, despite the various stages of dementia and other illnesses our residents display. We’re not a high-end place, but I’d like to say we are a good place to live out the rest of one’s life. Most of the people here have loving families who visit regularly and care deeply. Take Mrs. Byrnes, for example. Her daughter doesn’t have much time to come because she works so hard, but her granddaughter comes over at least once a week, always taking the bus because her mother doesn’t have a car.” She gestured at two figures sitting next to the pond. George recognized them as Tamika and Tammy Byrnes. “Tammy is such a sweet girl, always taking care of her grandmother, bringing her little gifts and telling her funny stories. She was so upset when Suzie stole her grandmother’s necklace. It took the staff some time to win back her trust.”
“How exactly did you find out about Suzie stealing? If you don’t mind me asking?” Andi’s voice sounded far away, almost dreamy. He was in way too deep.
