Say It Again (First Wives, #5)(71)

AJ hesitated, wondered for a brief moment if his father knew more about him than AJ wanted.

“With the German chancellor. My secretary called. I took the call because he said it was an emergency from the States. I was sipping brandy with Von—” Alex shook his head. “He asked what had happened, and I told him. He poured another glass and told me what I already knew. You were looking for my attention and it was too damn late to give it to you. I needed to let you have your rebellion and be there when you fell.”

AJ’s jaw tightened. “Sound advice.” Advice given years ago, after the one and only time he’d been caught with his hands under the hood of a stolen car.

Alex finished his brandy, stood to pour more. “You’d think. He also told me that if you crossed the line, I needed to walk away from you.” He stopped midpour, looked out the dark window. “You stopped. Maybe you didn’t care anymore, a giant middle finger to me. I was so thankful you ended your need to fall off the deep end. I don’t think I ever told you that.”

AJ felt a guilty knot in the back of his throat.

His dad turned to look at him. “I’m proud of you.”

Oh, yeah, he didn’t need to hear this. “Why? I’ve done nothing with my life.” Nothing you’d be proud of.

Alex shook his head. “Your life has just begun. Decent girl, a head on your shoulders. You have a better sense of right and wrong than half the people out there.”

AJ narrowed his eyes.

“I need to tell you something, but you have to promise me you’ll keep this from your mother right now.”

The hair on the backs of his arms stood up. “What?”

“I’ve hired a private firm to look into your sister’s murder. I can’t help but think the authorities aren’t looking in the right places.”

AJ’s jaw slacked. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“You were angry when you left after the funeral. I’m going to do what I can to find out who did this, but if I fail . . . I don’t want this to be yet another wedge between us.” He lifted the brandy to his lips.

“We can’t learn anything if we don’t look,” AJ told his father.

True pain sat behind his dad’s expression. “I worried something like this would happen years ago when you kids were young and I was still working overseas. I never imagined I’d have to concern myself with it now.”

“That’s what you said when you tried to get me to attend the boarding school with Amelia.”

“Your mother was so worried about moving to another country, you kids. She was convinced Germany was some third world place with political extremists everywhere. Boarding schools in Europe aren’t uncommon. I agreed.”

“Nothing crazy happened when you were in Germany,” AJ prompted.

“No. If either of you had . . . if this had happened to Amelia when I was the ambassador, this would have been an international problem. Finding her killer would have only been a matter of time. Now the authorities spend time asking things like . . . Who were her friends, boyfriends? Did she have a drug problem? God, Amelia and drugs?” He shook his head. “Not Amelia.”

“That wasn’t who she was,” AJ said.

“No, it wasn’t. I may not have the kind of influence I once did, but I’m going to use what I have to find out who was behind this and bring them to justice.”

Sasha’s and his mother’s voices carried from the hall.

AJ stood and set his empty glass down.

“Be careful, Alex,” his dad told him. The use of his given name had him pause.

“I’m not Amelia.”

“No. But I can’t lose you. You’re all I have left.”



“Talk to me,” Sasha said the minute they pulled out of the Hofmann driveway.

“My dad told me that he was searching for Amelia’s killer.”

“That’s why he wanted to talk to you alone.” She’d seen by AJ’s expression when she and Marjorie had joined them again that something important had happened. “Your thoughts on that?”

“There was a resolve about him . . . something different than I’ve ever seen before. He mentioned that he wasn’t sure if we’d ever really know, but that he had to look.” He glanced over at her before turning the corner. “That’s something, isn’t it?”

“Does your mother know?” The unspoken stress between the couple was apparent to her. They hardly looked at each other, let alone spoke to one another, the entire night. The conversation was all about AJ and her. Even Amelia’s name wasn’t brought up. Considering they were a little over a month out from her death, Sasha found that difficult to grasp, too.

“I don’t know. Why?”

“Have your parents always slept in separate bedrooms?”

“Always. Dad worked long hours, Mom hated her routine being messed up.”

“An unhappy marriage.”

AJ shrugged. “They don’t fight.”

Sasha reached behind the seat to the small bag she’d left in the car while visiting AJ’s parents. She found her phone and turned it on. “Couples fight when they are trying hard to resolve their issues. It’s when they give up and silence becomes the norm that the happiness is gone.”