“Yeah, thanks. And I just had a nice catch-up with a girlfriend.”
“I wanted to fill you in on a few details I heard—all from Vic, who spoke to Drew. The guy is shattered, just as we’d expected, but he’s also angry as hell and wants justice for Jamie. It’s early days, of course, but it sounds like Tori might take some kind of plea deal, that she’s not covering for either Liam or Taylor anymore—and yes, it’s looking like it must have been Taylor who killed Jess.”
“We were right, then.”
“Here’s something else: Taylor has already moved once since he’sbeen in Florida and there’s a rumor that he might have gotten in trouble with the law in Fort Myers, the first place he lived.”
I shiver. “God, that’s awful to contemplate.”
“It seems his mother is only willing to go so far to protect him.”
“I appreciate the update, Sam. But there’s still one big unanswered question. How was Liam able to fake the suicide so effectively?”
“Vic pointed out that Liam was in the military years ago and knows about guns. And apparently you can fake gunpowder residue with ash so maybe that’s what he did. He was a smoker, right?”
“Yeah. Poor Jamie, he must have let Liam into the car thinking there was just some minor matter to discuss.”
“I know. I can’t imagine what he thought in that brief moment when he saw the gun.... Just one more thing you’ll want to know. Percy is out on bail, but she’s still facing charges.”
I sigh. “Hopefully she’ll get some psychological help, too.”
“Maybe. I’ll let you know if I hear anything else.”
“Are you still in Connecticut?”
“Yeah, for now.”
“Well, enjoy.”
I feel a pang, thinking of what it would be like to be with him there, in that lovely cottage, waking to the smell of pine trees and the sound of birds.
“Before I let you go,” Sam says, “there’s someone who wants to say hi to you.”
“Are you with Vic and Ava?” I ask, confused. He hadn’t indicated anyone else was present.
“No, it’s not them.”
A couple of moments of silence follow, and the next thing I hear is a snuffing sound. Either it’s a pig rooting for truffles or a dog sniffing the phone.
“Wait, is that a dog?”
“Yeah.”
“You have a dog now?”
“Notanydog. Maverick.”
I can’t believe what I’m hearing, and I nearly start to cry. “Oh, Sam, that’s so wonderful.”
“I knew you’d learned he’d been adopted, but I didn’t want to tell you it was me until it was a sure thing.”
“Were you afraid it wouldn’t go through for some reason?”
“A little.” He chuckles lightly. “I figured there was a chance I might be disqualified for being a ‘free spirit.’”
I can’t help but laugh out loud. “Well, I’m glad it all worked out in the end.”
“Anyway, I’m coming back to New York on Monday. What if I brought him over to say hi?”
