The Wife Stalker(64)

Hard work and long hours came naturally to him by way of his father, who kept the restaurant open seven days a week. I thought about the last time I saw the family. They were all at the house, Leo’s parents and his two brothers with their wives and children. It seemed there were kids running around everywhere, and Evie and Stelli were having a great time with all their cousins. I spent most of my time in the kitchen with Leo’s mother. She and the other women in the family had brought trays and trays of delicious and aromatic Greek food, and we were busy heating things and transferring them to platters. It was a veritable feast, as it always was when the family got together.

It always astounded me that a family could be so large and so close, since my upbringing was singularly lonely. It was fascinating to watch them all together, and it was apparent that they adored Leo. He was the one who had made it big, the first to go to college. And then, when he continued on to law school and became a lawyer, he really became the golden boy.

My thoughts were interrupted by heavy traffic on the New Jersey Turnpike, and I had to concentrate more carefully on my driving. Eventually, I crossed into Delaware and then decided to stop at a rest area for lunch once I hit the Maryland border. When I pulled into the parking lot, I punched the address into my phone’s GPS and saw that I was about an hour away from Ethan Sherwood’s parents’ home.

I’d never been to Annapolis, and when I finally pulled off the highway at exit 28, I began to see why it had been called one of the most charming cities in the country. I passed by large rivers and meandering creeks as I drove to their house, which was at the end of the road on a small peninsula. I pulled up to a beautifully landscaped lot, with seagrasses and graceful trees, and parked on the street. The house was a three-story yellow shingle with a turret room and large front porch.

I breathed in, feeling nervous, and paused for a moment before ringing the bell. Almost immediately, the door opened, and a woman who looked to be in her late sixties stood in front of me.

“Hello, I’m Joanna.”

“Yes, hello, I’m Trish,” she said, running a hand through her silver hair. She had a nice smile and warm brown eyes that put me at ease. “Please, come in. Why don’t we go sit in the living room?”

I followed her down a wide hallway to the back of the house. “Can I get you something to drink? Perhaps some coffee? Or something cold?” she asked.

“Are you having anything?” I asked, not wanting to put her to trouble.

“I usually have an herbal tea in the afternoon.”

“That sounds perfect,” I said.

Trish returned with a tray holding two cups of tea along with milk and sugar and set it down on the coffee table. She handed me a cup, took her own, and then sat in a chair opposite me. “Now, dear, what is it I can help you with?”

I had thought about this carefully beforehand. Since I wasn’t sure of the Sherwoods’ feelings for Piper/Pamela, or if they were even still in contact, I didn’t want to reveal my suspicions, so I’d come up with a slightly different scenario to present. “I’m not sure if you know that Pamela’s living in Connecticut now.”

“Actually, we lost touch a few years after Ethan died. The last time we spoke she was living in California. San Diego.”

“I am sorry about your son. That must have been a terrible time.”

Trish took a sip of tea, and her hand shook as she placed the cup and saucer back on the coffee table. “Yes. It’s something you never really recover from, the death of a child.” She sat back in her chair and gazed at the floor, as if peering into the past. “Ethan was my firstborn. He was bright as a button, full of imagination.” She looked up at me then, her eyes shining. “He loved to tell stories. He’d keep us on the edges of our seats with his tales. He wanted to be a screenwriter, you know. That’s why they went to California.”

“They were awfully young, weren’t they?”

“Well, yes, they were.” She smiled sadly. “Don and I were not the most attentive parents in those days. We should have given Ethan a lot more guidance than we did. We made up for it with Ted, Ethan’s younger brother.”

“And Pamela?” I asked.

“Ah, Pamela. She was such a lovely young girl. Polite and kind. So pretty. And smart. A straight-A student. We didn’t know her parents then. We traveled in quite different circles, but I knew her father taught at the Naval Academy, and they were very strict. I always felt sorry for her. She always seemed so in need of love and affection. How is she doing?”

It was a good thing I hadn’t begun by denigrating Piper. Trish obviously still thought highly of her. “She’s well. But I am a little concerned about her. As the wedding day approaches, she seems to be more down. I think she may feel guilty about remarrying,” I lied.

“Poor dear.” She took another sip of tea.

I continued. “She still seems to be carrying heavy grief over Ethan’s death—I thought perhaps speaking with you might shed some light so I can help her move forward.”

“I see. I’m sorry to hear that she’s suffering. How long has she been seeing your brother?”

“About a year and a half.”

“I’m sure it hasn’t helped her state of mind that her father died recently,” Trish said.

I disguised my surprise and pretended that this was old news. “Yes, that may be what set her back into a depression,” I agreed. “If it’s not too difficult to talk about, would you mind telling me about Ethan’s accident?”