Festive in Death (In Death #39)(101)

“Oh, Lance.”

“I’m sorry, sweetheart, but good-looking users seem to be Tash’s type.”

“Did the three of you talk about that situation today?”

“Actually, I didn’t really talk to Cate today, just in passing as she was getting ready to go as I got back from Florida.”

“We did. Cate and I did.” Struggling with tears, Martella burrowed closer to her husband. “I was a little angry that Tash hadn’t told me, even when she knew how horrible I felt when I thought I’d cheated on Lance. I told Cate, and she calmed me down. She does that. She did . . . Oh God.”

“I’m going to get you some brandy.” Schubert kissed her temple before he rose.

“You and Catiana talked about the situation,” Eve prompted.

“We did. It was all so . . . so sordid, really. What happened to me. Cate and Lance, they’ve both been so supportive. And Tash, too. So I was upset when Tash finally told me she’d had an affair with Trey, and that JJ was having one with some stripper. I can understand, really, I can, how Tash would turn to Trey. A kind of revenge, I guess.”

“So Catiana knew the details.”

“I told her. She was like my sister, too. She’s family. Her poor mom. Oh, Lance, her mother.”

“We’ll be there for her.” He handed Martella a snifter, swirled his own. “Catiana would never insert herself in Tash’s marital business. Never.”

“Was she invited to the party at the Quigley-Copley residence the night Ziegler was killed?”

“Yes. Well, more, really. Tash asked her to help out with the prep. Cate’s a whiz with party preparations. So she was over there a good part of the day. Family,” she repeated. “Tash and Cate were good friends, were close. She must have gone there tonight to talk to Tash about something. I don’t know. I can’t imagine the rest. I just can’t. It doesn’t seem real.”

“You knew about your sister-in-law’s relationship with Ziegler,” she said to Schubert.

“I just found out.”

“And Copley? To your knowledge when did he learn about it?”

“I don’t know. I don’t know if he knew or not. He certainly didn’t tell me, or show any signs of it. But then, I didn’t know he was having an affair himself. It’s not the way we live, Tella and I. We don’t live that way.”

“My sister. Please, I need to see my sister.”

“Give me a minute.” Rising, Eve pulled out her comm, stepped out of the room.

“Do you . . . do you know where Catiana is?” Martella asked Roarke. “Can we see her? Can we do something? Anything?”

“I know the person who’s looking out for her now. He’s kind. Lieutenant Dallas is looking out for her now as well. It’s a terrible thing that’s happened. When terrible things happen to those we love, we couldn’t ask for anyone more capable and determined than Lieutenant Dallas.”

“How could he do this to Cate, to Tash? I didn’t even ask. I’m so turned around, turned inside out. What did he do to Tash? Did he hit her?”

“Has he hit her before?” Roarke asked.

“No! Of course not. I . . .” A mixture of horror and grief flashed into her eyes. “I don’t know anymore. An hour ago I’d have said absolutely not. I’d never have believed it of him, even though he had a temper. And I’d have sworn she’d have told me if he ever had. Now I don’t know. I don’t know anything. I don’t know what happened to my family.”

Eve came back in. “I’ve arranged for officers to take you to the hospital, escort you to your sister’s room. It’s the quickest way.”

“Thank you. I . . . I want to change. I don’t want to go to Tash dressed for a party. It feels wrong. I want to go see Cate’s mother as soon as I can. Am I allowed to do that?”

“Of course.”

“And Steven. Steven Dorchester, the man she’s been seeing. Does he know what happened?”

“I can have that taken care of.”

“They were in love, just the lovely beginning of it. She was happy. And she was so worked up about their date tonight.”

“How? Worked up how?”

“Oh, just in a hurry to get home, get ready. She just seemed worked up about it all of a sudden. Distracted. Excuse me, please. I need to change. I need to get to Tash.”

When she hurried out, Eve turned to Schubert. “Did you notice this distraction?”

“I did, now that you mention it. I wish I’d paid more attention. I suppose that’s always the way. You always think, Oh, we’ll talk about that tomorrow. And then . . . I don’t want Tella to be alone.”

“We’ll let ourselves out,” Roarke told him.

“Gotta get this down,” Eve said when they went back outside. “Need to work it around, sort it out. Sordid. It’s a good word. Also convoluted.”

“Do you still want to go by the morgue?”

“Yeah, I need to do that. And I need to get this down.”

“Do that. I’m driving.”

He left her to her notes, her muttering, her short periods of silence, eyes closed, then more notes and muttering.

“When I was a kid,” she said abruptly, “in the whole foster/state school cycle, I sometimes wished I had a sibling. Did you ever?”