She smiled.“We’d love to.”
Katrina only hoped Darwin was okay with it.
* * * * *
Katrina and her mother ended up sitting there talking well after they’d both finished breakfast.She told her mom about the family she worked for, her adorable charge, Beverly, and how much she loved being a nanny.When her mom asked why she’d given up her place in the family business, she’d answered honestly.Her mother seemed genuinely hurt by that, admitting she never knew Katrina had felt that way.
They talked more about Darwin, too.Katrina confessed she’d been drawn to him from the moment he’d saved her life, not because of the adrenaline rush, but because he’d recognized there was something in her worth taking a risk for.Her mom smiled and said she agreed with Darwin on that.
Her mother completely surprised her then by telling how she and Katrina’s father had met.It was a story she’d never heard, and to say she was floored when her mom told her about the sweet, caring man who used to write poetry for her and sing songs from The Beatles was putting it mildly.She couldn’t envision her father doing any of that and wondered if that man even existed anymore.
By the time her mother left to take care of some issue that had come up with Khloe’s wedding dress, Katrina realized she and her mom hadn’t been this close since she was in elementary school.
She’d just signed the bill to put breakfast on her room when her phone vibrated.It was a text from Darwin, saying he was just outside Escondido on Interstate 15, and would be there in about thirty minutes.
Katrina smiled to herself as she sent a text back, saying she’d meet him in the lobby near the wine bar.It wasn’t open yet, but the lounge seating there was comfortable.
Francesca was sitting in one of the booths, scrolling through her phone, and Katrina walked over to join her former nanny.
“I haven’t seen you and Darwin since the reception that first night,” Francesca said, giving her a welcoming smile as she sat down.“I’ve heard you’ve been busy, though, particularly finding a dead body in the grape fields.”
Katrina let out a shudder as she remembered the sensation of falling over Arthur’s body in the darkness.A second later, she was telling her friend about everything that’d happened that night and since, including her worst fears about what it might mean for her family.
“I don’t want to believe my brother and father are involved in Arthur’s death,” she added.“I want to think they simply got mixed up in something beyond their control.”
Francesca frowned.“I’m assuming talking to the police is out of the question, or you would have already done it.”
“Dad already seems to have the local chief of police in his pocket, so I don’t think it’d do any good,” Katrina said.“It doesn’t seem like the police are even investigating the murder.”
Katrina expected her former nanny––who always saw the best in everyone––to push back against her cynical assessment of the situation.The fact that she didn’t was probably pretty telling.
So was the way she was chewing thoughtfully on her lip.
“What is it?”Katrina asked.
“Nothing.I’m sure I’m being silly.It’s just that...”
“Just what?”
Francesca sighed.“When I first became a nanny for you and Khloe, your parents didn’t pay much attention to me.Well, not your mother so much, but when it came to your father, I was essentially invisible.Which meant I overheard a lot of his business discussions without him giving it a second thought.And unfortunately, they didn’t exactly paint a good picture of him.Now, I’m not saying I think he was directly involved in that man’s murder, but I wouldn’t be shocked if he knows who did it.”
Katrina’s head spun with the implication of what that meant.“If that’s true...”
Francesca took her hand.“We don’t know if it is.But your father has never shied away from dealing with unsavory people if the money was right.”
Knowing her dad, the money was always right.
“The only way to know for sure is to figure out what kind of business deal Dad had with Arthur,” Katrina said.“Maybe if Darwin and I figure out who else is involved, that will lead us to the murderer.”
“Exactly,” Francesca said.“But you need to be careful.”
“We will.Darwin and I are having dinner at my parents’ tonight.We can snoop around my dad’s study while we’re there.Maybe we’ll get lucky and find something.”
Francesca regarded her thoughtfully.“Look for a black ledger book.It has all the details on your father’s business deals.The kind of details he didn’t want recorded in the official company records, if you know what I mean.If he still does use it, the book would be in his office safe.”
Katrina was kind of shocked at how much Francesca knew about her father.“If it’s in his safe, how are we supposed to get it?I’m sure he keeps it locked.”
Her mouth curved wryly.“Unless he’s drastically changed his ways, then the combination will be a six-digit number based on your mom’s birthday.He used it for everything when I was living there.”
