“And you told the police all this?”
“Uh-huh. When they questioned me about that fake jewel off my costume.” Tara dashed away her welling tears with the back of one hand. “But now I think I did something wrong. Cleared myself but got my mom in trouble. At least it seemed like that lawyer thought so.”
“You had to tell the truth,” I said, keeping my tone gentle. “That was your responsibility.”
“But my mom had every right to be mad!” Tara blurted out. “I mean, Dad had humiliated her in front of all those other people. Letting all those strangers see him dis her. Carrying on with that woman the way he did. I was angry too. Doesn’t mean either of us killed him.”
“No, it doesn’t.” I sat back, compassion tightening my chest. The girl had obviously been through a lot, and not just on the night her father was murdered. “Did he do that often? Humiliate your mom, I mean?”
“All the time.” Tara looked off to one side as she swallowed back a sob. “He always put her down. Acted like she was stupid or something. Treated her like she was nothing, and she … put up with it.”
Until maybe she didn’t.I refused to voice this thought aloud, instead reaching my hand across the table. “You defended her, I bet.”
“A lot of the time.” Tara glanced back at me. She stared at my hand for a moment before wiping her fist under her nose.
“Did she get angry about it when he wasn’t around?”
“Sometimes. Not that I blamed her. I thought she should’ve slapped him or kicked him in the nuts or something. I would’ve, if he’d treated me like that.”
“They argued, though?”
“Sometimes. But Mom always backed down.”
“I imagine she kept the peace partially to protect you,” I said, my own eyes welling with tears.
“Yeah,” Tara said morosely.
“But that isn’t your fault, and neither is telling the police the truth.”
“I guess. It’s just that”—Tara sniffed back another sob—“if something happens to my mom, I’m all alone, you know. Well, there’s my grandparents, but that isn’t the same.”
“I’m sure it won’t come to that,” I said, knowing in my heart it was a lie. If Jennifer Delamont had murdered her husband, she would go to jail and Tara would be left without any parents. “But couldn’t you stay with your grandparents for a while? I mean, if you had to.”
“I guess. But it’s only Mom’s parents. My dad lost his parents long before I was born.” Tara bit her lower lip. “That’s what he always said, anyway.”
“You didn’t believe him?”
Tara’s eyelashes, beaded with tears, fluttered as she met my gaze. “I guess I did. But he didn’t seem to want to talk about them much. Like maybe they didn’t get along or something, even though he did inherit a lot of money from them.”
“I imagine that’s how he was able to set up as a rare-book dealer.”
“Guess so. I know he didn’t make a fortune off his business later, ’cause Mom was always worried about that. But he had investments, or something. That’s what we mainly lived on, according to what I overhead my parents say.” Tara pursed her lips. “Dad handled all the financial stuff. Mom didn’t know much about it, which made her nervous. She even got a job not long ago. Working as a teacher’s aide at an elementary school. Doesn’t pay that much, but she seems happier, having some money of her own.”
Because she was afraid Lincoln was a crook?I considered whether Jennifer Delamont might’ve been planning a split from her cheating spouse before his untimely death. “It’s always good to have something of one’s own.”
“Yeah, that’s what Mom says. She told me I should always keep some money in my name, even when I get married.” Tara shot me a conspiratorial look. “But I’m not really sure I ever want to do that. Get married, I mean. Doesn’t seem like such a good deal to me.”
I swallowed back a swear word. The poor kid had obviously been disillusioned by her difficult family life. “It can be wonderful, but you have to be with the right person. My husband and I were very happy together, so I know it’s possible.”
Tara’s eyes widened. “But he died?”
“Yes.” I fought my urge to weep, unsure whether it was sparked by my loss or Tara’s situation. At any rate, indulging my own emotions wouldn’t help the girl.
“That’s sad. Seems unfair too,” Tara said. “People who love each other shouldn’t lose each other.”
“Sadly, life isn’t fair,” I said.
“That’s true.” Tara motioned toward the table. “I’ll clean up this mess if you want.”
