***
FELIPE WATCHED AS OLIVER’Sgrey eyes widened with momentary panic as he pointed toward the closet door and scuttled inside. When he felt the two tugs during the meeting, he assumed Oliver had found new evidence or maybe Joe had sent word that he was calling the whole thing off, but he never expected to find Teresa glaring at him with her jaw set. Felipe swallowed hard. He was accustomed to calming her down when Louisa told her she couldn’t do something, but this wasn’t the same righteous, adolescent fury she usually brought to him. Her lips twisted with anger and something he couldn’t quite untangle as her eyes raked over his form, lingering on his chest and face.
“Teresa? What’s wrong?”
“I spent the whole night worried you were hurt or dead or worse.” She shook her head. “Mama and Ma Ma told me you were fine. I feel so foolish.”
Felipe’s brows furrowed. Had she had a vivid dream or some premonition of what had happened months ago? He hadn’t told Agatha or Louisa, and Oliver certainly wouldn’t have told her without his permission. There was no way she could know he had died, but stranger things had happened. More than anything Felipe wanted to ease the worried lines between her brows. He was her indestructible Papa. She didn’t have to worry about him.
“Honey, why would you think I was hurt?” he asked softly, taking a step closer. “You know I’m a healer.”
“Then, why else wouldn’t you have shown up without saying anything?” she spat, as if the answer was obvious. “You didn’t send a note yesterday or even in the morning.”
Felipe’s mind raced over his past conversation with Teresa at the department store. He swore they hadn’t planned another shopping date or future outing. “Show up to what? I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“How do you not know? Did he not give it to you?” When Felipe still didn’t understand, Teresa released a frustrated huff. “I sent you a note. Wednesday evening, I dropped it off here, myself, in the box in the foyer, because I was afraid the mail wouldn’t get it here in time. I wrote to tell you that I ran into Mr. Waite, you know, my old fencing master at the academy, and he invited me to be part of the exhibition he was holdingyesterday evening. I invited you to come see me fight, but you never showed up! How can you say you didn’t know when I dropped it off myself?”
Felipe shook his head in disbelief. He never received any letter. If he had, he never would have missed her exhibition. He would have postponed their trip to the Green Daisy if— Felipe opened his mouth to speak, but the breath caught in his throat as his eyes widened and trailed to the letter sitting on the bench beneath the pneumatic tubes. He had completely forgotten about it. Oliver had told him he had gotten a letter from Teresa, and he had meant to read it right after he dropped the plates off in the kitchen. Instead, he ended up eating another plate of meat to stave off the shakes and going up to the gymnasium to reserve a training room. By the time he circled back to the laboratory, his thoughts had turned fully to the case and what they would do at the Green Daisy. Obviously, Oliver hadn’t opened the letter, or he would have told him it was important. Felipe ran a tired hand over his face. He should have known anything from Teresa was important, but he had grown accustomed to her being away from home and having time to get to her letters.
Following his gaze, Teresa snatched the letter off the bench and shook it at him. “So did he hide it? Or did he convenientlyforgetto give it to you?”
“Teresa,” Felipe hissed. “Why would you even think that? Oliver would never do something like that. He has been nothing but kind to you. I promise you, the fault is entirely mine. Oliver told me it came, and I forgot to open it. I’m—”
“You missed my match to go to a bar,” she cried.
“I was at the barfor a case. If I had known about the exhibition, I wouldn’t have gone. I didn’t do it on purpose. I’ve been busy.”
“You’re always busy!” she yelled, slamming her hands on the lab table. “I thought you were done being busy. You told us you were partially retired now. You said you weren’t going on cases that took you away from us. You said we would have more time together.”
Felipe’s pulse pounded in his ears and his mouth went dry at the hurt written across his daughter’s features. When he tried to catch her hazel gaze, she turned her head and bit her lip. Dropping his voice, he said, “Teresa, it was an accident. I’msorry. I never would have missed it had I known. You mean more to me than any case.”
“I don’t believe you! Time and time again, you have chosen work over us. You and Mama used to fight about it all the time, don’t you remember? Because I do. Back then, I thought she was exaggerating, that youhadto go, but you didn’t. Vanessa’s mother is an investigator, and she rarely misses anything.”
“Vanessa’s mother and I do very different things.”
“It doesn’t matter. I can forgive all of that, but I’ve been waiting so long to have you back,” Teresa said, her voice thick. “Then, I come home from school, and you don’t even live there anymore. Mama told me you moved into an apartment here with Dr. Barlow, that you had lived there formonths, and I didn’t know.”
Felipe stepped back as if he had been slapped. How had she not known that he had only been pretending to still live at the house when she returned home from school? The charade seemed as obvious as Santa Claus, yet she hadn’t known or had chosen not to see it. While he and Louisa had kept up appearances for their and Teresa’s safety when she was a child, Teresa had always known he and Louisa weren’t a normal couple. Louisa and Agatha were happy living in the house by themselves now that Teresa was at college, and he had finally found a place to call home with Oliver after being adrift for so long. He had been with Oliver for months and had known him for years, but it was easy to forget all of this was new to his daughter. In her nineteen years, he had never brought someone home and had always been so careful to keep his work and family separate. Perhaps, that had been a mistake.
“I know this is difficult for you—”
“And, now, you choose him over me too. You don’t live at the house anymore, and every time you come over, Dr. Barlow is with you.” Teresa drew in a shaky breath, tears gathering in the corners of her eyes. “I like him; I do. I know he’s trying to get to know me, but I want to spend time withyou. Just you. I missed that, and I thought we would have that again now. But I was wrong.”
“Teresa, we will,” Felipe replied, laying a gentle hand on her arm. She had to know. She had to know he had made a mistake. He had made so many, but he would make them right a hundred times over if he could. “Wewillspend more time together. Once this case is over, I promise, we’ll—”
“Don’t.” Swatting his hand away, Teresa stepped out of reach and shook her head. “Just don’t. I don’t want to be an afterthought.”
Crumpling the letter into her reticule, Teresa pushed past him.
“Teresa!”
“Go solve your stupid cases. I don’t want or need anything from you.”
Felipe’s heart clenched as Teresa turned on heel and made for the door. He knew he was babbling. He was begging her to come back, to talk about this, to let him explain, but she didn’t stop. At the laboratory door, she turned and gave him one last teary look before slamming the door shut behind her. Clutching the railing, Felipe’s breath came in sharp gulps as he sank onto the steps. His chest tightened with dread. He was a terrible father. He told himself that he had been given a second chance and would do better, but what had he done? Exactly what he always did. Dying had taught him nothing. He had put off seeing her then, and he had done it again. How had he ever thought he deserved another chance?
***
OLIVER STOOD IN THEsupply closet trying not to listen, but he couldn’t help but hear every word echoing through the laboratory and feel every bit of sadness and guilt sluicing across the tether. Felipe didn’t deserve this. He had been running them both ragged trying to be both father and investigator, and Oliver wished he could say as much without making everything worse. He had already made it worse if the way Teresa said his name was any indication. Closing his eyes, he drew in a calming breath and clamped his hands over his ears. He didn’t need to hear the rest.
