CHAPTER25
They decided to take Kari’s car into town, as Rafi and Graham’s van was filled with items for the guesthouse. Or so they claimed. But as they pulled out their overnight cases, Kari spotted three wooden crates withLIMOGESstamped on the sides.
Fifteen minutes later they met on the front porch, showered and dressed and ready. Thus far, Kari had managed to explain only that there was a special event, one the entire town had become involved in. To say anything more would have been like pulling on a thread and unraveling the entire garment. As she locked her front door, Kari decided she had to at least make a start on the way into town. Tell them the basics. About Ian. Graham’s favorite classical musician. Whose music formed a backdrop to any number of gallery events. Here. Playing at Castaways. Oh, and he was being accompanied by Connor Larkin. The movie star. Give them a chance to pepper her with questions. Which they would. For hours.
But as she left the porch, Sienna raced up to the screen door and started yowling. Which meant they spent the entire drive into Miramar debating whether Kari should take the kitten to Miami. The only alternative, Graham insisted, was to leave Sienna in a cattery. “No way are you leaving that poor beast in the care of a child.”
“Liam’s mother is a detective,” Kari pointed out. “She’s promised to help.”
“Say she does. Say they stop by to feed Sienna. And the kitten slips by them and escapes into the wild. What would you do then?”
Kari started to say she wouldn’t go. The kitten was such a perfect reason not to travel. She was suddenly flooded with a desire to call it all off. Never leave behind her safe little Central Coast haven.
Indrid might as well have been seated in the rear seat beside Rafi. Watching her, solemn and silent.
In the end, all Kari said was, “I wish I knew what to do.”
“You have another couple of days to decide,” Rafi said.
Graham nodded. “Right now we need to talk about your brother.”
“He’s stopped by,” Rafi said. “Twice. Limo idling at the curb.”
“When I called last night, we were borderline frantic,” Graham said.
“Our first stall in the Miami exhibition hall,” Rafi said. “Across from the entrance. All those sad, empty walls.”
“Your brother is desperate to attend the gala,” Graham said. “It was the only way he’d even consider letting us show your painting.”
“Which we simply had to have,” Rafi said.
“Your brother can be very insistent,” Graham said.
“Aggressive,” Rafi added. “Demanding. Loud.”
“When we refused to tell him where you were or pass on your phone number, he became quite rude.”
“That sounds like Justin.” For the first time since her arrival, Kari’s family crowded in. Her mind felt split in two. The lovely California countryside basked in another gathering dusk. The breeze through her open window carried the Pacific spice she had come to love. Yet battling for her attention was the coldly avaricious flavor of her former home. The shrieking battles leading to divorce. Her mother’s frigid disdain. Her brother’s ability to pretend at momentary affection whenever a young lady captured his attention. Her father . . .
Graham broke into her reverie. “The gala is one of the city’s biggest annual fundraisers. Tickets run several thousand apiece.”
“Numbers are strictly limited,” Rafi said. “It sells out in days. Hours.”
“When I tried to put him off, he flew into such a rage,” Graham said. He added in a smaller voice, “He frightened me.”
Kari nodded, remembering. Her father’s fury shook the earth. There was no telling what would set him off, so Kari had learned early on to avoid the man and flee his sudden eruptions. Justin’s anger was more predictable and his outbursts far less common. He went weeks without revealing his darker side. Then something would stand between him and whatever goal he had in his sights. And he plowed his own furrow with molten wrath.
“I don’t understand. What is so important about this gala? Justin doesn’t care about Miami society,” she said.
“The Miami show has become the largest contemporary art fair in the entire country,” Rafi said. “The opening gala is a major event on the annual society calendar. Big names fly in from all over.”
When she stopped at a light, Graham observed, “You’re upset.”
“A little.”
“Soon as this is over, I’ll put on my fire-retardant gear and call him back. Tell Justin—”
She pulled into a parking space and cut the motor. “No. Don’t.”
