Unspeakable (25 page)

Collin hesitated. He wasn't completely sure whether or not Ian had been telling the truth about his Bainbridge Island friends. “I don't know her very well,” Collin lied. “She's a senior.”

“Who was the pretty woman you were talking to?” Dee asked, squirming a bit in the front seat.

“Oh, she's Gail's aunt,” Collin said. “I met her a while back.”

His grandfather started up the car. But Dee was shaking her head. She patted Old Andy's hand on the steering wheel. “You're going to hate me, but I don't think I'll make it for the drive home. I better go visit the ladies' here.”

Collin climbed out and got the door for his grandmother. He opened the umbrella, and handed it her. As she headed back to the Stone Chapel, he looked over at Olivia Barker. She was talking to a man in a black suit. Collin realized she probably knew a lot more people here than he did. After all, she was family.

He turned and watched Ian wander back toward his Honda Civic.

“You might as well get in from the rain and sit up here,” Collin's grandfather said. “You know your grandmother. She's going to be a while.”

Collin sat in the passenger seat and closed the door. His grandfather still had the car on, and the wipers were sweeping across the windshield.

“So what were you and this Ian fellow talking about? Was he asking about the fire? I mean, are the Seattle Police investigating this now or what?”

“I don't think so, Grandpa. I think it's just like he said. He's here because Amanda—”

“Bullshit,” his grandfather grumbled. “Where is she? Why is he getting into the car by himself if they're going out for crepes together? He's sniffing around here about something. You can bank on that. Did he ask about where you were on Monday or Tuesday? Because if he's trying implicate you in anything . . .”

“No, I don't think it's like that at all,” Collin said. “He was just being friendly.”

“That's what he wants you to think,” his grandfather said. “I've dealt with a number of guys like that in business. They act like your friend, and all the while they're planning to screw you. We haven't seen him in over two months, and suddenly he shows up again— right after you lose your two friends. There's a connection here, I can tell.” Old Andy nodded to the black Honda Civic pulling out of the Memorial Park's lot. “See, there he goes, all by his lonesome. Where's the niece?”

“Maybe she drove in a separate car,” Collin said. “The choir probably had to get here early. Grandpa, I know you've never liked him much, and thought it was weird we were friends. But Ian's a good guy. I remind him of his kid brother. It was nice to have somebody kind of older I could look up to. I sure never got that from any of Mom's boyfriends. . . .”

“Well, I still don't trust him, Collin,” his grandfather said. “You watch out for that guy. Let me know if he comes poking around again. What's his last name?”

Collin hesitated. If he made something up, his grandfather was bound to figure out the lie sooner rather than later. He already felt he was on borrowed time with this Amanda Brooks he'd never heard of. “Haggerty,” he said finally.

With a frown, Collin stared out the rain-beaded window at Olivia Barker and the man in the black suit. He wondered if the guy was a relative of Gail's. He looked a bit like Mrs. Pelham.

 

 

It had been over two months since she'd seen him in person.

Olivia wondered if he remembered that she'd given him the tie he was wearing. Had he put it on thinking of her? She wished like hell it didn't still matter to her what Clay was thinking.

He was just as attractive as ever as he stood in front of her. The light rain matted down his dark blond hair, and the drops cascaded along his handsome face. All the moisture made his long eyelashes stick together. Most devastating of all was the wounded, vulnerable, apologetic look he gave her. “I've got to tell you, Olivia,” he whispered. “I don't know what I was thinking. I'm absolutely miserable.”

“Good,” she said. She held her umbrella directly overhead—and didn't allow an inch of it to shield him.

He smiled sadly and nodded. “I deserve that.” He shrugged. “I don't know how it happened that I started up with Corinne. Maybe it was all the pressure I felt to make a baby. That really took the romance out of everything. And I kept thinking I was failing you, because you weren't getting pregnant. I hated letting you down. So much of my self-worth is wrapped up in you—and it still is. But Corinne made me feel as if I—”

“I don't give a shit how she made you feel,” Olivia said, cutting him off. “I'm not interested in analyzing what you were going through. I was there, and got hurt a hell of a lot more than you did. I'm sorry about Sue and Jerry and the kids. I've been crying about it for the last two days. I feel horrible for you right now. But don't expect me to give you a break for the terrible way you treated me before all this happened.”

“That's fair enough,” he said, looking down at the ground. “I guess I deserve that, too. If it's any consolation to you, every single one of my relatives thinks I'm an idiot for letting you go. Plus you already knew this, but Corinne's crazy. . . .”

Olivia glanced over at Corinne, standing near the doorway of the church. She held an umbrella over her head and glared at them.

“I'm living with a crazy woman,” he continued. “It's a horrible thing to say about the mother of my unborn child, but it's true. I can't handle her. These last few days, since we found out about Sue and Jerry and the kids, she's been totally off the wall. She barely knew them, and you'd think it was
her
sister's family who died. She's angry as hell one minute, and all weepy the next. We came up to Seattle on Thursday morning and checked into a hotel. When I told her I was going to call you, she went ballistic. She wouldn't listen to reason. I told her how Sue and Jerry were family to you. But that didn't matter to her. She got so upset she jumped in the car and drove away. She left me stranded in this hotel on Lake Union—and I had a bunch of things I needed to do for this service. I'd promised Mike and Cathy I'd—”

“This was on Thursday?” Olivia cut in. “How long was she gone—from when to when?”

“From around four until almost eight. And I was supposed to go pick up memorial programs from the printer that afternoon. Plus I had to—”

“Did Corinne say where she went?”

Clay shrugged. “She said she went for a drive. I was worried about her in all that rain.”

Olivia frowned. “I have a feeling she swung by my office.”

He winced. “Jesus, don't tell me she screwed around with your car again.”

“No, there wasn't any property damage this time. She just tried to spook me out, that's all.”

“I'm so sorry,” he muttered.

Olivia looked over at Corinne again, and glared right back at her. “Listen, Clay,” she said, her eyes still narrowed at his girlfriend. “Tell the mother of your child if she comes near me again, I'll get the police on her so fast, it'll make her crazy head spin. And you won't be able to protect her this time. Make sure she knows that.”

“I will,” he whispered. “Please, Olivia, I'm trying to tell you that I'm sorry. I didn't realize how much I needed you.”

She looked at him, and took a deep breath. “I'm really sorry about Sue, Jerry, and the kids,” she said steadily.

Then Olivia turned away and started for her car.

 

 

More than anything, she wanted a cigarette. But she didn't have any in her purse or in the car, and smoking wasn't allowed on the ferry. So Olivia settled for a turkey and Swiss on wheat bread from the assorted plastic-wrapped cold sandwiches in the cafeteria's refrigerator case. She got a bag of SunChips and a Diet Coke, too. She was in line for the cashier when she spotted the handsome, brown-haired man who had approached Collin after the memorial service.

Grabbing a box of popcorn, he smiled at her.

Olivia quickly looked away. Collin had seemed pretty uncomfortable when this man had come up to him outside the Stone Chapel. She didn't want to encourage the guy to come up and make her uncomfortable, too. Besides, she had enough on her mind after talking with Clay.

She paid for her food and took it to one of the booth-style seats by the windows. She set everything down on the Formica table.

Clay hadn't exactly said it, but he'd given her every indication he was ready to come crawling back to her. Now—while his insane girlfriend was pregnant? Was he crazy, too?

Olivia was thinking about that as she unfolded her napkin.

“Is it all right if I sit here?”

She glanced up at the man in the dark blue suit. With his box of popcorn and a can of Hires root beer, he nodded at the empty bench across from her.

“Help yourself,” Olivia said, putting her napkin in her lap. She tried to look terribly interested in her food.

“Didn't I see you at the memorial service for the Pelham family?” he asked.

With a mouth full of turkey sandwich, Olivia nodded, and left him hanging for a few moments. “Yes, Sue and Jerry were my in-laws,” she finally said. “Were you a friend of theirs?”

“No, I never met them.” He set his box of popcorn on the table.

“But you know Collin Cox,” Olivia said.

“Yes. I guess you know Collin, too. At least, I saw you talking with him.”

“That's right,” she replied over her Diet Coke. She didn't say anything more. She suddenly felt protective of Collin. After talking with Clay, she was almost certain Corinne had fiddled with the lights and the directory sign in her office building on Thursday night. But she still wondered about the man who had been following Collin after he'd left her office. Could this be him?

“He's a nice kid,” the man said. “By the way, my name's Ian Haggerty.”

“Olivia,” she said. “Do you live in Seattle?”

He nodded. “Madison Park.”

Olivia nibbled on a SunChip. If he was telling the truth, he lived only a few blocks from her office in Madison Valley. She gave him a wary sidelong glance. “So tell me, what brings you all the way to Poulsbo—and a memorial service for a family you've never met?”

“I guess it does seem a little strange,” he admitted. “I knew Collin was friends with—well, I guess Gail Pelham was your niece. I'm awfully sorry, by the way. Anyhow, I went there for Collin. I don't know if he told you, but he lost another friend the very same day as the fire. It was a homicide. After everything he's been through, I just wanted to offer my support.”

Olivia sat back. “Are you with the police?”

He chuckled. “Yeah, I'm a Seattle Police detective. How did you know?”

“Just a guess,” she said. “You sound like a policeman. Not too many civilians refer to a murder as a
homicide.
Which are you investigating, the fire or the murder?”

“Neither. I wasn't there on police business. Like I said, I was there for Collin.”

Olivia couldn't help frowning. She wanted to say,
And yet he didn't look all that pleased to see you.
Instead, she took another bite of her sandwich.

“Do you know Collin well?” he asked, nibbling on some popcorn.

“Actually, I've met him only once before today,” Olivia answered. “He seems like a great kid. But now I'm not so sure. I told him to look me up next time he's in Seattle. If the police consider him a murder suspect, I'd really like to know—I mean, just in case he takes me up on the offer.”

“I don't think you have anything to worry about with Collin,” he said. “You're right, he's a great guy. It's just that he's had some real bad breaks lately. . . .”

Olivia's cell phone rang in her coat pocket. She took it out and checked the caller ID:

“I'm sorry, but I have to take this,” she said. She clicked on the phone. “Hi, could you hold on, please?”

“Sure,” she heard Clay reply. She started clearing her food from the table.

“It's okay,” the cop said, getting to his feet. “I can move. After all, you were here first.”

“No, I'm fine, really. Sit there and finish your popcorn. It was nice meeting you.”

He nodded. “Nice meeting you, too, Ms.—I'm sorry . . .”

“Barker, Olivia Barker,” she said.

He nodded. “I'm sorry for your loss, Ms. Barker.”

“Thank you,” she murmured. She hurried to the nearest trash can and threw out the food. She didn't want the cop spying on her while she was on the phone with Clay. He'd never explained how he knew Collin. She had a hard time believing they were really friends.

It was still drizzling outside, and windy on the deck. So Olivia headed for the stairwell to the parking level. “Are you still there?” she said into the phone.

“Yeah,” Clay said. “Listen, did I get you at a bad time?”

“I'm on the ferry, heading down to the car, where it's quieter. Keep holding, okay?” She didn't wait for him to answer before putting him on hold again.

She probably could have talked with him while she walked, but part of her wanted to keep him waiting. It was strange, talking with Collin after the memorial, and then Clay—two different people telling her how much they needed her right now.

The one who seemed to need her more, the one who seemed genuine, was Collin. Even with the crazy way he'd acted when she'd hypnotized him on Thursday night, he seemed less capable of hurting her than Clay.