A Merciful Secret (Mercy Kilpatrick #3)(60)

“Clearly she’s heard the gossip,” Christian admitted, “but I never thought she’d react like that.”

“She knew instantly who I was. What have you told her about me?”

“We’ve never discussed you.”

I snorted. “That doesn’t make me feel any better.” But I said it with a smile.

His mother had caught me off guard and stabbed her way through my shields. It wouldn’t happen again.

“You’re not a witch, right?” he joked as he started his vehicle.

“I only help others.” We’d touched on this topic several times. I’d shown him the ointments and teas I sold and explained what was in them. He’d ordered me to stop selling the potions with booze, worried someone could get hurt. I saw his point and stopped. Ever since school was out, the demand had dried up anyway. I’d never told him about my sensory talents. It was too difficult to explain.

“I’m sorry she was a bitch,” he told me.

Scents of regret and embarrassment filled the car. I touched his hand. “It doesn’t matter.”

“I can’t wait to get out of here for college.”

He was going to California. Briefly I’d considered following him, but the financial numbers simply didn’t add up. I also didn’t want to scare away any potential girlfriends. His friends were uncomfortable when I was around, so I knew no girlfriend would approve of our close friendship.

I would miss him dreadfully.





TWENTY-FOUR

Eyes like Christian’s looked at Mercy from Gabriel’s face and unnerved her. The brothers also tipped their heads in the same curious manner, and had identical voices.

Gabriel carefully recited his answers to her questions. She frequently glanced at Christian, wondering if he knew how much they sounded alike.

“Why did you come here instead of go to your home in Portland?” Mercy asked.

“The media was all over the murder,” said Gabriel. “My neighbors told me reporters had been camping out on my street. I knew Christian’s home was secluded. Besides, family is important at a time like this.”

Christian shifted his feet and looked out the window.

There’s not much affection in this room.

“Have you talked with your mother?”

“Of course,” said Gabriel. “Even though they’ve been divorced for decades, my mother still cared for my father.”

The younger brother shifted his feet again.

The signals were obvious. Every time Gabriel said something that Christian didn’t agree with, he couldn’t hold still. He kept his mouth shut, but the energy of his objection came out through his movements. Mercy wondered if their differences were due to the divorce. It appeared they’d both been left behind with Brenda Lake, their bonds broken with their father. But Gabriel’s commitment to his mother had continued, while Christian seemed to have slowly drawn away from both parents.

Gabriel was painting a picture of his family, but Mercy didn’t know if it was an accurate picture or simply the one he thought the investigators should have.

“When did you last speak to your father?”

His shoulders slumped. “Two days before his death, I talked to him on the phone. If I’d known I’d never speak to him again, I would have said something more meaningful.”

“What did you discuss with him?”

“Ummm . . . I can’t quite remember. It was purely a check-in call. You know . . . ‘What’s going on? What are you up to?’”

“You don’t remember what he said he’d been doing?”

“Nothing’s sticking in my head, so it must have been the usual reports about his fund-raisers and golfing trips.”

“Do you call him often?”

Gabriel lifted one shoulder. “I’m better than I used to be. I was angry with him for a long time after the divorce, but we’ve worked through it over the last five years or so.” His face brightened. “Now I remember what we talked about!” Gabriel launched into details of a case that he’d shared with his father and some of the restaurants he’d mentioned eating at on his last trip to Palm Springs.

Her time was ticking away. He had looked at his watch a few times while they talked, clearly marking off the minutes until he could escape.

How can I keep him talking?

“Did you hear about Rob Murray?” she asked Christian. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Gabriel perk up.

“Who’s that?” he asked.

“A guy who does some work for me,” said Christian. “What’s up with Rob? I told him I wasn’t upset about the Lexus.”

“He was murdered yesterday.” Mercy watched both men.

Christian stared at her, the blood draining out of his face. Gabriel tilted his head and frowned. He spoke first. “That’s horrible. Did you know him well, Christian?”

Christian swallowed. “Wait a minute. I saw him yesterday.” His voice was hoarse. “He came up to apologize about the SUV.”

Mercy leaned toward him, Gabriel momentarily forgotten. “What time was that?”

He stared at the floor as he thought. “Right before lunch. I’d just finished in the gym and was starving when he came.”

Truman had visited Rob in the morning. So Rob did go somewhere after Truman’s visit. She knew the information would relieve some of Truman’s anxiety.