As Uma started to speak, Aileen held up a finger. “Please let me say this, let me thank you. Yesterday, while the girls and I had to spend hours making arrangements, contacting friends, relatives, while Joy had to handle business and the media, you all tended to us, looked after us. Uma, I know what you did in the office.”
She put a hand to her throat, steadied herself. “I’m forever grateful. Tyler, when the girls decided to take this semester off, you arranged for their things to be packed and shipped so we wouldn’t have to deal with it. Divine, you put food on the table, managed to convince us to eat. And I heard you give that reporter a very colorful piece of your mind when they managed to get your personal ’link number.”
“I enjoyed that, missus, maybe more than I should have.”
“I did, too. For myself, for Joy, for my beautiful girls, for Nate, thank you for taking care of us.”
She took a breath, turned to Eve. “You must have more questions.”
“We’re following a line of inquiry. Henry Barrister’s fourth wife mentioned a blond woman at a party held in Europe during her marriage.”
“There was always a woman,” Joy said dryly. “Not necessarily a blonde, but there was always a woman.”
“She was very young at that time, possibly about twenty, which would make her mid-thirties now.”
“He liked them young.”
When Aileen shot a sharp look at her youngest, Anya just shrugged. “Like Chloe and I didn’t know? Come on, Mom.”
“According to my information,” Eve continued, “this woman, whomthe former Ms. Barrister couldn’t identify, made a play for—I’m using first names—for Henry. Lacey also states that she saw this woman a few more times, and believed she and Henry were involved.”
“This isn’t surprising information.” Aileen held up her hands. “I couldn’t count the number of women Henry was involved with, one way or the other, since Nate and I were together.”
“After speaking with his ex-wives, it became clear Henry had declined in the months before his death, as you and Joy have stated. Lacey further states that she saw this woman in New York during that time period. I’d like to know if she visited Henry here, at Barrister House.”
“A blonde in her mid-thirties.” Once again Aileen lifted her hands. “I couldn’t begin. And I’m not sure why she’s important, considering.”
“Ms. Carville—”
“First names.”
“Great. Aileen, if everyone in this room has spoken the truth, if no one in this room told anyone—excepting the lawyer—about the vault and what was in it, that leads me to believe Henry did. Whoever broke in, whoever stole the emeralds, whoever killed your husband knew the location of that vault, and came for the emeralds.”
“He might have. Joy! He might have.”
“He’d kept that secret for so long, half his life from what we can tell. Why would he talk about it to some blonde?”
“He wasn’t himself the last few months.” Chloe spoke up. “The last year or so really. He got me and Anya mixed up a few times, and remember, Mom, we were having dinner and he called you Lacey.”
“Those are just slips, and he was slipping, but to tell someone, some woman about the vault?” Joy shook her head. “It doesn’t make sense.”
“I’d like to identify her, if possible. Maybe you remember someone like that who attended one of his dinner parties toward the end of his life. Or was a houseguest. Possibly last December.”
“That narrows down the timing, but I honestly don’t remember.”
“Ms. Carville, I think I might.” Uma glanced at Tyler. “Ms. Fancy.”
As he nodded, Divine let out anOhhh.
“That one,” she continued. “Breakfast in bed at nine sharp. Greek yogurt—one-half cup exactly—with fresh berries. One slice of whole wheat toasted lightly, cut on the diagonal. Six ounces of freshly squeezed orange juice—no pulp—and coffee with cream, no sugar or sweetener.”
“That’s specific,” Eve commented.
“I’ve got a good food memory.” She started to rise when Peabody stepped in. “Let me get you some more coffee.”
“No, thanks. I’m fine.”
“Sit,” Eve told her. “We may have an identification on the blonde. Ms. Fancy, you said?”
