Twisted Karma: An Eastern Shore Mystery (The Eastern Shore Mysteries Book 5) by Cheril Thomas

Author:Cheril Thomas [Thomas, Cheril]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Tred Avon Press
Published: 2022-06-06T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

David answered her call on the first ring, and for once, he listened without interrupting. A few minutes later, she was giving Peter directions to The Egret.

“I’ll call and arrange for your room, but right now, just concentrate on meeting David. He’ll be waiting for you in the lobby. You don’t have to discuss the big stuff between you or get all the issues out now. Just meet him as a human being. There will be time to work the rest out later.”

“The rest, like who my mother is?”

She so badly wanted to orchestrate this part. To pull the strings that would make David say and do the right things to help Peter understand what must be incomprehensible to him. She said only, “Meet him and see what happens. Give him a few minutes, and you’ll know what to do.”

The tight timing was a risk, but so was everything else about the situation. Going into the interview without David weakened her argument that Peter had family support. But giving the impression that he knew his father well contradicted his explanation for running away when he saw Mona’s body. She was walking a tightrope with her strategy and praying it would pay off.

After a quick run home to deliver Fiona to Hallie and change clothes, she spent a distracted hour reviewing her data for the interview. If it went well, she might be able to petition the court to drop the charges in the Chestertown incident, or at least charge Peter as a juvenile. But she also had to keep him off Desi Marbury’s list of suspects in Mona’s death.

At one thirty, she packed up and went to the Egret Hotel. At the front desk, she was given directions to a private conference room that David had engaged. She found him with Peter in the midst of an intense conversation that stopped when she stepped into the room.

“Everything okay?” she asked, knowing the question was beyond lame, but suddenly she was at a loss for words. David and Peter had turned to look at her with movements and expressions so alike it was hard not to smile.

“That close, huh?” David said, correctly interpreting her expression.

“The resemblance is remarkable,” she admitted.

“Creepy is more like it,” Peter countered.

“We have an hour,” Grace said, pulling them back to the matter at hand and directing her comments to Peter, alone. “First things first. I’m going to ask David to step out now while we discuss strategy.”

“No. Uh—” Peter glanced at David, then said, “We’ve agreed on some things. He’s going to pay your fees and my expenses. I’ll reimburse him for all of it.” David got a version of his own glare with that statement. “And I’ve decided I want him here. I want him to know everything. I came to find my parents, and this is as close as I get, for now, anyway.”

David said, “I explained to Peter that if Bethany isn’t his mother, I don’t know who is.” His face flushed, but he looked steadily at Grace as he spoke.

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