The Last Lie Told (Finley O’Sullivan, #1)(93)

Her heart thumped harder as she read the words.

Finley,

I’m sorry I couldn’t find any answers for you. I hope you will move on with your life. What you believe happened is way off the mark. I have every reason to believe this awful thing had nothing to do with you and everything to do with Derrick’s past. You can’t change what happened, and maybe a better detective can find the truth you need.

Goodbye,

Martin Wellman

Finley stared at the letter, at the words. She and Wellman weren’t exactly friends. Why would he feel compelled to write her a letter before eating a bullet?

Anger and frustration tore at her. She was not wrong about who’d killed Derrick.

“Knock, knock.”

Finley looked up to find Matt standing in the open doorway, a large box from the local doughnut shop in hand.

“Jack said I should bring doughnuts.”

She tossed the letter onto the coffee table. Couldn’t think about that right now. “I see how it is. You two have been plotting against me.”

Matt grinned. “Just against your house.”

Jack grabbed the box from Matt. “I hope you got chocolate covered.”

“Course I did. Would I let you down?”

He wouldn’t. This was one answer Finley knew without a doubt. Matt would never let her or Jack or anyone else he cared about down. He wouldn’t lie either.

“I’ll take one.” She reached for the box next.

“I guess this is where we’re starting,” Matt said as he poured himself a cup of coffee.

Jack swallowed a chunk of doughnut. “I hope you’re as good with a paintbrush as you are at smooth talking reporters.”

Matt laughed. “That sounds exactly like a challenge, my man.” He reached for a brush. “I guarantee I can hang with you.”

Finley laughed. “I’ll change and grab a roller.”

The banter between two of her favorite guys followed her to the bedroom. She pulled off her tee and paused. This was the first time she’d felt like laughing in this house since that night.

In the other room Matt laughed at something Jack said.

He’s in love with you. You know that, right?

Don’t be silly, Derrick. We’re just good friends. Best friends.

Finley shook off the memory and grabbed one of her rattiest tees. She finger combed her hair and reached for a hair tie. She checked her reflection and headed back to join the others. She paused at the window. Frowned. Helen Roberts stood in the middle of her yard, her dog under one arm, the water hose in her other hand. She stared at Finley’s house.

Maybe she was lost in thought and wasn’t even aware she was staring.

Strange woman.

“We can have pizza delivered for lunch,” Finley offered, returning to the living room.

Matt stopped pouring paint into a smaller plastic bucket. He smiled. “Sounds good to me.”

Jack was across the room on his cell.

“The Judge,” Matt said as he reached for the paint pan next, “mentioned the firm in a conversation with the trinity yesterday.”

“Really?” Finley could imagine any remark she made was a less-than-complimentary one.

Matt nodded, passed her the pan filled with paint. “She said Metro and the city owe the firm a debt of gratitude.”

Finley almost dropped the pan. “You’re lying.” Which was ridiculous because Matt never lied.

Matt grinned. “Those were her words. I heard them myself.”

“Oh. My. God.” Finley laughed. “The world is ending.”

“Hope not,” Jack announced, joining the conversation. “We just landed the biggest client in Music City, and he’s in one hell of a fix.”

There will always be another case, Fin. And you will always win. Because you’re the best.

Derrick was right about that first part anyway. There would always be another case. She wouldn’t have time to be looking back.

Only forward . . . at least for a while.





ACKNOWLEDGMENTS


I’ve taken the liberty of giving some of the characters, particularly attorneys, in this series a few shady traits. Made them a little self-serving and sometimes a lot uncaring. These characters are wholly fictional and not based on anyone I know. One of my dearest friends is an attorney, and I adore her completely. She is a wise and strong woman I would trust with my life. Another of my favorite legal eagles is a guy who represents the epitome of a brilliant attorney with a heart that makes him a simply awesome human. You know who you are.

The relationship between Finley and her mother (a.k.a. the Judge) is tough, but sometimes mothers and daughters go through difficult times. It’s how you fare in those times and the end result that matters. Life is not perfect, and sometimes we hurt the people we love most. I look forward to this journey with Finley and the Judge.

Nashville is one of my favorite cities. A perfect blend of old and new, amazing and daunting. A place filled with inspiration. I love exploring the settings for my stories, and I most often take the inspiration found and create something fictional with only the slightest basis in fact. It’s important to me that my characters live in real neighborhoods, so I search the perfect places to suit each one. Anyone who knows me will tell you one of my favorite hobbies is exploring houses.