“You’d value that, but how pushy are they getting? Is there more going on that I should know about? I don’t like secrets, Rory. We have a deal. Don’t you go back on it now.”
Talk about guilt.
“Kane McGregor is the son and is taking over the business at some point. I haven’t met his father, Daniel, yet, but I’m betting I will soon. Kane made it a point to seek Gale and me out at dinner on Friday and get an introduction. She didn’t give my last name, but I knew damn well he was aware of who I was.”
“Makes sense if people are talking.”
“Gale’s brother owns Ridgeway Hard Cider and Kane called him on Saturday hinting at some business deal. All it did was piss Clay off. Guess they went to school together and Clay never cared for him, but it’s more than a coincidence that it’s happening now, don’t you think?”
“He sounds like someone who likes to throw his money around. How old would Kane have been when Rene died?”
“Twenty-three, maybe, twenty-four. Out of college and working for his father. He seems a little too pretty for me to think he’d get his hands dirty.”
“Don’t let looks deceive you. When people are afraid to get their hands dirty, that means others know their secrets.”
“I thought of that. It’s also why I think there is so much talk. Someone went through my car last week.”
“Rory!”
“That’s not all. When I was at Gale’s parents’ yesterday there was a note slipped under my door to back off. There was a picture of Rene and one of Gale.”
“That’s it,” his mother said. “You got the ball rolling and you need to come home. I can’t do this again.”
“You wanted to know,” he said. “Gale got a note too telling her to stop digging or else. She’s not backing down. It’s not in her nature to nor her family. All it did was rile them up.”
“And I’m sure they are going to turn their anger toward you for getting their sister involved. You’d be that way.”
Which was another weight he carried along with what he and Gale had done last night.
But did he really feel guilty over that?
She was a big girl. They were both adults fully aware of what they were doing.
He didn’t believe it was a sympathy fuck on her end. It sure the hell wasn’t a quick emotional release on his.
There was something the two of them were trying to navigate on a personal level. Would it get messy? Seems it already was.
“I would. We have an understanding. I care about her.”
There was silence on the other end. “And it’s a burden you don’t want to have?”
“Yeah. I’m struggling there along with everything else.”
“We are going to switch topics here,” his mother said. “You deserve to have a life too. Maybe I’ve put too much on your shoulders by encouraging you to never stop trying to find answers, but I don’t want it at the expense of your happiness.”
He snorted. “Mom. There’s been no happiness in either of our lives. Who are we kidding?”
“Stop. Don’t be that way. Don’t feel that way. Rene would be upset. I know you’re not happy, but I want you to be. If you can find even a sliver, grab it by the horns and take that ride. Hold on until you can’t grip it any longer. And if you fall off, get back on it. Rory, don’t feel as if you’ve got to pick one or the other, because if you say that, I’m going to tell you to pick you over Rene right now.”
“How can you say that?”
Who was this woman? The one who had his back while the two of them went over every detail for months, years. Who watched her marriage crumble while she tried to hold it together for him.
“Because I’m still your mother and I refuse to lose another child. Even if it’s mentally or emotionally. Rene can’t be brought back. We may never find the answers we need.”
“I’m going to find them, Mom. I feel it. I’m not leaving here until every rock is overturned. Someone wants me gone, and when that happens, there are secrets that need to be unearthed.”
“I’m not disputing any of that,” his mother said. “But I want you to come home if it gets dangerous. I mean that. You’ve got a connection there. You’ve got more information than you had before. Let Ford do his job.”
