Deadly Ever After by Eva Gates (distant reading .txt) 📗

“That falls under the none-of-my-business category, which we’re not bothering about.”

“I never knew you to be so forthright.”

“I’ve always been forthright. Perhaps I hid it behind a veneer of polite disinterest. The difference between me and you and my mother and the rest of your social set is I don’t disguise my forthrightness as gossip.”

Rather than getting directly to the point, we were now discussing the habits of the Boston country club set. Not where I wanted this to go. “The cops know you lied. So I’m asking why.”

Evangeline sighed. She put her sunglasses back on. “I’ve discussed this with your Detective Watson, so I suppose it’s not a secret worth keeping any longer. My husband visited Nags Head every one or two years for more than thirty years, almost the entirely of our married life. He did not go fishing, and he did not meet with clients.”

“I didn’t think so.”

“I didn’t come every year to keep tabs on him, and I never came when he was here. I did, however, drop by on a few occasions to check as to how his visit had gone. The fact is, Lucy, Rich has a child who lives on the Outer Banks.”

I wasn’t expecting that. “Really?”

“A child conceived with and born to another woman after Rich and I were married. Rich never acted as a father to the child, and as far as I know the child, now an adult, never knew him as their father. The mother is still alive, and …” Her composure momentarily broke. She glanced away and swallowed deeply. Then she turned back to me. The sunglasses were large and dark and I couldn’t see her eyes. “Rich kept yearly contact. He assured me they no longer had a … relationship, but as he was sending money for the child’s support, he wanted to ensure it was being handled properly.”

“Was that true?”

“Yes. I visited on occasion to make sure it was true. The affair was over, but Rich wanted to see his child occasionally. It was always done discreetly.”

“James Dalrymple.”

She pulled down her glasses and peered at me over the top. “Who?”

“James Dalrymple. I could tell that you knew him and you were surprised to see him in the library.” James was the right age to be a son of Rich. He’d told me his mother lived in England. Maybe she came once a year to meet with her former lover. James had also told me he hadn’t been back to America since he was a child. I pushed the conflicting accounts aside. I’d worry about all that later.

Evangeline shook her head. “I don’t know anyone named Dalrymple, and Rich’s illegitimate child is not named James. Your mother might think you’re some sort of a private detective, Lucy, but if you are, you’re not very good. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I think that’s enough true confessions for one day.” Up the sunglasses went, and Evangeline picked up her book.

I struggled to recover my wits. “Okay, so I was wrong about that, but I wasn’t wrong about you visiting the Outer Banks. What’s the relationship between you and Leon?”

Down came the glasses. “Leon? I hope you’re not about to accuse Leon of killing my husband. Leon and I were close years ago when he spent much of his time in Boston. We were very close. Do you understand what I mean by that, Lucy?”

“Yes.” From deep inside my pocket, the timer on my phone rang. Time to check in with Louise Jane and let her know I was still alive. I didn’t like the interruption, but I didn’t want Connor and half the Nags Head Police out looking for me either.

“Sorry. I have to take this.” I sent Louise Jane a text: All okay here.

This is weird.

I set the timer for another half an hour and turned my attention back to Evangeline.

“The matter is closed,” she said. “Leon and I have not had personal contact for a long time, and before you ask, we did not get together when I was visiting the Outer Banks on that other matter. When he heard via mutual friends I was in Nags Head following the sudden death of my husband, he wanted to be of support to me, as old friends do. Once again, this is none of your business, but you are being very persistent. If I had wanted to leave Rich and marry Leon, I would have done so long ago. Leon is more than comfortable financially, and he’s never been married.”

“Careful there!”

Evangeline and I looked up as Leon yelled at a child running across the pool deck. Leon did a series of stumbling steps and almost dropped the two glasses he was carrying. The child cannonballed into the pool with a shout of triumph and a spray of water, and Leon kept his footing and his grip on the drinks. The flash of irritation on his face was replaced by a look of sheer joy when he realized we were watching. I should say when he realized Evangeline was watching. I highly doubt I had anything at all to do with his reaction. The bit of hair he had left on the top of his head fluttered in the wind, and his round face turned red with pleasure.

That round face. The thinning hair. The average height and the big round belly.

I sucked in a breath. “Leon’s Ricky’s father.”

“Perhaps you’re more observant than I’ve given you credit for,” Evangeline said. “I trust you’ll keep that to yourself.”

“Does Ricky know?”

“No. He does not, and he will not. Do you understand me, Lucille?”

“He won’t hear it from me. The resemblance isn’t that strong. It was the way Leon looked when that kid almost tripped him. And the hair. Or lack thereof.”

“Oh yes, the hair. Rich was always so proud of his thick hair. Fortunately, my father went bald early in life. Rich had no reason to ever wonder.”

“Does Leon know?”

“We’ve never discussed it. He might suspect, but he