I took the phone back, scrolled down to show them his parting shot. “And then he said this.”
Always the martyr. Some things never change.
“I want to punch him,” Lila said, with a quiet intensity that was very unlike her.
“Get in line,” Gillian said.
I tucked the phone away. The wine was warm in my chest and the company soothing. My friends were the best.
The server came by with a basket of bread and told us about the specials. We ordered and she hurried off to her next table.
“Where’s Grady tonight?” Delphine asked, reaching for a piece of bread. “I’m surprised he didn’t insist on staying with the kids.”
“He’s out of town,” I said. “Unexpected trip.”
“Where is he?” Delphine asked, buttering the piece of bread.
I drew in a deep breath, letting it out slowly. “L.A. You guys aren’t going to believe this.” I told them everything, starting with Grady’s strange behavior when the news announced Sean Hale’sdeath. “So of course I had to ask Robbie to do a little digging.” I recounted how Robbie found the connection online. “He came here to start fresh. Gave up his job. Sold his condo and moved here. He said he didn’t want anyone to know because we’d all see him differently.”
“I mean, he has a point,” Delphine said. “And I kind of get it. I’m always going to be the woman whose husband took his own life. In this town, anyway.”
“His dad’s Sean Hale,” Seraphina said slowly, setting down her glass. “The brief meeting I had with him concerning my book being made into a movie was a bit weird. And I heard other stories about him. The crew talked about him while I was on set last year. A few of the actresses had a few run-ins of their own with him.” She shuddered. “Horrible, horrible man.”
One of Seraphina’s books was being made into a limited series that was airing in the new year. We couldn’t wait. She’d spent time on location while it was being filmed and entertained us with stories when she returned to our sleepy little town.
Delphine swirled the wine in her glass. “It does explain a few things.”
“Like what?” Lila asked.
“Like why Grady never mentions his past. Or anything before Willet Cove.” Delphine tilted her head. “I always wondered about that.”
“We all just assumed he was a free spirit,” Seraphina said. “Didn’t want to be pinned down.”
“Hewaspinned down,” I said. “Only it was with invisible ropes. That’s how shame is.”
Gillian was quiet, turning her wine glass slowly by the stem. “I followed that trial closely. The things those women described.” She paused. “I can’t imagine what it must have been like for him or his sister. Awful.”
“Did they have any idea what he’d done?” Lila asked.
“No. Grady said he and his sister were shocked,” I said.
“Do you believe him?” Gillian asked. Not skeptically. Just honestly.
“Yes.” It came out without hesitation. “I do. Especially since his reaction was to get as far away from it all as he could.”
“I don’t blame him for wanting to start over,” Seraphina said. “But walking away from such a good job? All that money? I couldn’t do it.”
“Me either,” Gillian said.
“Yeah, and there’s more,” I said, gripping my wine glass. “He’s in L.A. to hear the reading of the will. His dad left him something.”
“Do you know what?” Seraphina asked.
“No, and neither does Grady. He assumed it had all been used up with payouts and attorney fees,” I said. “But he said, whatever it is, he’s not taking it.”
“Why on earth not?” Delphine asked.
“He called it blood money,” I said. “It makes him sick to think about what his father did.”
