Authors: Brenda Jackson
Thirty-Four
I
t was obvious that Jace’s revelation had shocked Caden to the point that he couldn’t speak for a moment. He simply sat there and stared at his brother. When he finally spoke, he said, “That’s bullshit.”
“I wish it were, Caden, but that’s the reason Michael Greene was terminated from Granger. I don’t know when Yolanda Greene found out about the affair, but she hired a private investigator who proved her suspicions...if the pictures are anything to go by.”
Caden didn’t say anything for a minute, as if allowing what Jace had said to sink in. “You told Dad about finding the file?”
“Yes, and I asked him why he let the prosecution make it appear as if
he
was the one having an affair. All those hotel receipts they attributed to Dad with the initials S.G. had been Mom’s receipts, not Dad’s.”
“What did he say? Why didn’t he provide that information during his trial?” Caden asked in a frustrated tone.
“He knew they couldn’t pin anything on him, because he didn’t
have
an affair,” Jace said. “But he reasoned that had they found out about Mom, the prosecution would have gone after another motive—saying he killed Mom for being unfaithful.”
“I can hardly believe this.”
“Another reason he didn’t say anything about Mom’s affair was to protect her reputation in the media. She was our mother, and he didn’t want us to have to contend with that.”
Jules sat listening to the exchange between the brothers. From their conversation, it sounded very much as if Sheppard Granger was an honorable man. She could see her own father doing something similar to protect his daughters, just the way Sheppard had protected his sons.
“What about Yolanda Greene?” Caden asked. “She had a reason to kill Mom. Why didn’t Dad’s attorney come up with a defense strategy and put reasonable doubt in the jurors’ minds by suggesting that Mrs. Greene could have done it out of jealousy?”
“Because the Greenes had proof they were on a cruise when Mom was murdered.”
“How convenient,” Caden said curtly.
“They took the cruise together as a way to repair their marriage. According to Dad’s attorney, their story checked out, and he confirmed their alibi.”
While Jules sat quietly and listened attentively, her mind was racing. When Shana had first mentioned she had been hired by Granger Aeronautics, she had checked the company out and learned about Sheppard Granger serving time for his wife’s murder. The case had looked pretty cut-and-dried, especially since his fingerprints had been on the murder weapon.
It was alleged he was having an affair, although the prosecution was never able to discover the name of the mystery woman, nor did Sheppard ever reveal anything. He also claimed the hotel receipts in question were his own.
From what she was hearing, the receipts and the affair were all Sheppard’s wife’s doing. And he had taken the rap just so his sons’ image of their mother wouldn’t be tarnished.
“When you found out about Mom, why didn’t you tell me, Jace? Didn’t you think I had a right to know?” Caden was now upset
and
angry.
“Yes, I knew both you and Dalton had a right to know, but Dad forbade me to tell you. Although I said I understood his feelings, I told him I couldn’t promise.”
Caden nodded. “Dad didn’t want us to know the truth about Mom.” He shook his head. “Can you imagine how Dalton is going to react if he ever finds out? He was closer to Mom than the two of us and he thought she walked on water.”
“I know, but he has to be told. I’d rather he hear it from us than anyone else,” Jace said.
“You think there are others who know about this, apart from the Greenes?” Caden asked.
“I’m not sure.”
“I believe there are,” Shiloh said, adding to the discussion. “Saturday night at my party, shortly after you arrived, I was talking to Harold and Helen Owens, an older couple who’re known around town for their lavish parties.”
Caden nodded. “I remember them and I recall you were talking to them when I first approached you.”
“Well, when they saw you they began talking, and one of the things they said was that your mom had been involved in an affair. I spoke up and told them I’d never heard that before, repeating what everyone had believed back then—it had been your father who was the adulterer. Mr. and Mrs. Owens both looked at me and then quickly changed the subject.”
“Well, if Helen Owens knew something, then there are others who know, too. One thing I recall about her is that she liked to gossip,” Jace said.
Jules knew it was time to intervene. It was getting late, and she needed to make sense of why the Greenes disliked the Grangers. That information would help her determine whether it was connected to what had happened to Caden on Saturday night.
“But it doesn’t make sense for the Greenes to hold any animosity toward you and your brothers, Jace. From what you said, I would think Mr. Greene would feel some sort of shame and not anger. And if Mrs. Greene should be angry with anyone, it should be toward her husband and your mother.”
Jules drew in a deep breath before saying, “And Ivan Greene’s attitude is baffling. Even if he knew about his father’s affair with your mother, surely he realized you and your brothers were young. You were just in your teens and had no control over the actions of your mother or your father.”
“Honestly,” Caden said, “I don’t know what to think about all this, but I can say I was not imagining things on Saturday. Shiloh picked up on it, as well.”
Jules glanced at Shiloh. “Has there ever been anything going on between you and Ivan? If so, could he be jealous?”
Shiloh shook her head. “Caden asked me the same thing on Saturday night, and the answer is no. I’ve never been involved with Ivan. He’s come into the wine boutique to make a few purchases, but he’s barely said two words to me.”
“What about with you, Caden?” Jules asked. “Has there been any jealousy toward you from other music professionals or band members? What about the women you dated in the past? Do any of them have a beef with you?”
Caden shook his head. “There has never been any jealousy. I get along with my band members and fellow musicians. As far as women are concerned,” he said, glancing down at Shiloh, “I’ve only loved one woman. However, while we were apart, I did have lovers but I always made sure they understood up front it was for sex and nothing more.”
“And none of them had a problem with that?” Jules asked, watching the looks exchanged between him and Shiloh. She wasn’t sure of their history, but imagined their separation must have taken a toll on them.
“No, none had a problem with it.” He then paused a moment and a frown settled on his features. “However, there was someone named Rita.”
Jules lifted a brow. “Rita?”
“Yes, Rita Crews. She was a member of my band for a time. A damned good guitarist. She and I had a no-strings affair for a few months earlier this year. But she began getting possessive—she even had a couple of altercations with fans who she thought were giving me too much attention. I ended up letting her go.”
“You fired her?”
“My manager fired her, but she knew I was behind it.”
“When was this?”
“Around four months ago. I haven’t seen her since. She tried calling a few times, but I wouldn’t take her calls.”
Jules nodded. “You said she was a good musician. Has she hooked up with another band?”
“Not sure. I would think so, but I don’t know. It will be fairly easy for me to find out.”
“Please do.”
“Surely, you don’t think Rita had something to do with Saturday night,” Caden protested.
Jules stood to disconnect her tape recorder. “I still can’t say whether it was intentional or accidental. But given there aren’t any bars in the area, unless the driver parked while intoxicated—or attended your party, Shiloh, then—”
“My party?” Shiloh asked with expressive eyes.
“Yes. I hope no one left the party drunk, but it’s possible. Did you notice anyone drinking excessively?”
“No, not at all.”
Jules nodded. “It would be helpful if I could get a list of the invitees.”
“Not everyone who came received an invitation,” she said, smiling over at Caden. Returning her gaze to Jules, she added, “But I will give you the list I have. And there are video cameras inside the shop, and they were turned on that night.”
“Perfect. Are there any cameras in the courtyards?”
“Yes, but none facing the streets.”
“I’d like to view what you have if I may.”
“By all means. You can stop by anytime to pick them up,” Shiloh said.
“Would tomorrow be okay?”
“Absolutely. Tomorrow is just fine.”
Jules released a deep breath. “I wish I could have checked for tire prints on the road to see if there were skid marks. That would tell me whether the person had lost control of the vehicle. It’s too late for that now. But I do have a friend with the Charlottesville police department. I’d like to see whether any vehicles were caught on camera speeding through that intersection during the time frame we’re looking at. The video camera from the traffic light should shed some light on that. There are a few other things I want to check out, as well.”
“So, do you have any initial thoughts right now?” Jace asked.
“It’s too soon to say just yet. I still have a lot of unanswered questions and I need to do more investigating.”
Jules glanced over at Caden. “In the meantime, I wouldn’t take anything for granted. In other words, watch your back.”
* * *
Caden couldn’t help noticing that Shiloh was quiet on the drive home from Shana’s place. He wondered whether bringing up the situation with Rita had anything to do with it.
He walked her to her door and wondered if he would be invited in. He hoped so, because they needed to talk. He was aware that the idea of his involvement with other women during their breakup was something that had bothered her. But, as much as he regretted it, it had happened, and they needed to be able to move on. Together. Just as he’d told her a number of times, and like he’d told Jules tonight, he’d truly loved only one woman.
She had told him earlier that day about her lunch with Dr. Aiken and how she’d been honest with him about Caden. She said he was very gracious and had wished both of them the best, and he said he was glad she was happy.
Caden intended to make sure she stayed that way.
“Jules asked a lot of questions tonight,” he finally said, breaking the silence as they stepped off the elevator.
“Yes, that’s probably the only way she’s going to find out the truth.” They stopped in front of her door, and she dug into her purse for the key.
“We’re still on for this weekend?” he inquired, needing to make sure, since he couldn’t read her thoughts or her mood.
She lifted her gaze to his. “Yes. Why wouldn’t we be?”
He shrugged. “You’ve gotten all quiet on me.”
She didn’t say anything for a moment and then drew a quivering breath. “Because before tonight there was never any reason for me to assume what happened last weekend was anything but an accident. But now...”
Deciding he didn’t want to discuss anything in the hallway, he took the key from her hand and opened the door. Closing the door behind them, Caden leaned against it and watched as she put her purse on the table and kicked off her shoes before dropping down onto the sofa.
Locking the door, he moved toward the sofa and sat beside her. Reaching out, he lifted her into his arms and placed her on his lap, tucking her head beneath his chin. He loved the way she felt in his arms. He loved her scent. He loved every single thing about her.
“I don’t want you to worry about anything, Shiloh. Personally, I still believe it was an accident.”
She drew back and tipped her head to look at him. “But what if it wasn’t, Caden? What if that woman who used to be in your band is getting back at you? You said she’d had several run-ins with fans over you. That lets me know she had a mean, jealous streak. And a jealous woman will do just about anything.”
He shook his head, wishing he’d never had to mention Rita in the first place. “First of all, we shouldn’t jump to any conclusions. For all we know, Rita could have been performing in L.A. or somewhere else on Saturday night. I’ll call around and see what she’s up to. In the meantime, I don’t want you worrying about anything.”
He paused a moment and said, “When you got quiet on the ride home, I thought my mentioning Rita had upset you.”
Shiloh drew in a deep breath. “No, I’m over that, Caden. No matter who you might have been with in the past, you’re with me now, and that’s all that matters. I’m yours, and you’re mine. I love you.”
Caden felt as if he couldn’t breathe, because when he stared down into her eyes, he could plainly see all the love she’d spoken of. He didn’t think he could love her any more than he did at that exact moment. It took him a moment to gather his composure to say, “And I love you, sweetheart.”
Their gazes locked and held as he continued to feel their love and hope she felt it, as well. She had once been his playmate, then his best friend, his lover and now the woman who had his heart.
He reached down and raked his hands through her hair, loving the texture of the luxuriant softness. Then he moved his hands to caress the back of her neck. She was tense, and he could feel it. Making her relive Saturday night at Shana’s had done a job on her. And like he’d told her, he didn’t want her to worry about anything.
He held her gaze, looking into a pair of dark, beautiful eyes, while his hands continued to trace the contours of her neck. Years ago, when they’d been forbidden to speak to each other, they had begun communicating with their eyes whenever they would pass in the hallways at school, or when he’d been standing off somewhere with his group and she’d stood with hers. And they were silently communicating now, purposely building heat between them.
He leaned down and took her mouth, kissing her softly yet hungrily, not understanding how he could do both. When he heard her moan, he deepened the kiss, increasing the tongue play in a way that conveyed just how much he desired her. He almost trembled with the depth of that need.