To Love and to Perish

TWENTY-FOUR


WE DEBATED VISITING BRENNAN at the jail to ask him if Cory’s theory might be even a remote possibility. Cory couldn’t rule it out. Brennan had told him he and Monica didn’t experience fireworks on the night of their senior prom. That didn’t mean they’d experienced nothing. Brennan hadn’t really specified. Cory hadn’t asked.

In the end, we called Catherine Thomas, because she’d asked us not to speak to Brennan. I put her on the speakerphone.

“You want me to ask him what?”

Cory replied, “You have to ask him if it’s possible he fathered a child with Monica.”

Catherine took a moment to respond. “I’ve become Dr. Ruth. All right, I’ll ask him. You know I won’t share the answer with you.”

Cory frowned.

I jumped in. “That’s okay. Just ask. It could put a whole new slant on everything.”

“That’s putting it mildly.” She hung up.

A couple of other ideas had occurred to me. I hit the button to kill the speakerphone and leaned back in my executive chair. “Let’s theorize, Cory.”

His brow shot up, and his eyes glittered with curiosity. He settled back in his chair. “Okay.”

“Let’s say Brennan and Monica created Matthew. Then they broke up. Monica moved on to Wayne, which upset Brennan. Did he know about Matthew?”

Cory shook his head vehemently. “No way. Brennan would have wanted to be Matthew’s father. He and I have talked about how great it would be to have children. He would have wanted to be part of Matthew’s life.”

“Now he wants to be a dad. Then he was only eighteen. He might have viewed things differently at that age.”

Cory shook his head again. “I’m sure, Jo. He would never have walked away from Matthew.”

“Okay. So he didn’t know he was a father, but did Monica know Brennan was Matthew’s father?” As soon as I posed the question, I knew the answer.

Cory didn’t. “Wouldn’t his name be on the birth certificate if he was?”

My past problems with birth certificates returned to haunt me. Ray and I had lost out on an adoption in part due to lies written on a certificate. “I think you can say ‘unknown’ in place of naming a father. Either way, if Brennan’s name had been on the certificate, I think he would have been contacted about Matthew’s custody when Monica was killed in the crash.”

Cory rubbed his forehead. “He was unconscious for days after the crash. Maybe they made the decision without him.”

“They would have had to ask him when he woke up. He was an adult. No one could make the decision for him. If he is Matthew’s father, I think his name’s not on the certificate.”

“But Wayne’s is?”

“Maybe. He might have agreed it was best for James and Suzanne Gleason to raise Matthew, if they were already married by then and willing. Or maybe they knew Monica would have wanted it that way. He still got to be godfather.” I weighed the theory mentally for a moment or two. I liked it. “Okay, say we’re right about Matthew’s parentage. Then what did the four Musketeers argue about at the reunion?”

Cory considered my question. “Brennan’s never mentioned that Monica had a baby. It could have been when Monica told Brennan about Matthew. Maybe he and Wayne had words.”

I weighed his theory and liked it, too. “Brennan could have been upset if Wayne hadn’t married Monica or taken responsibility for the child. Or maybe that’s when Monica decided to drop the bomb that Matthew was really his child. It would be incredibly upsetting to learn you fathered a child you didn’t know about, upsetting enough to affect Brennan’s driving on the way home.”

Cory leaned forward excitedly. “Exactly. Maybe he and Monica argued in the car about why she never told him.”

“Or about whether he really was the father.”

“Either way, it would be almost impossible to keep his mind on the road under that kind of sudden stress.”

I nodded in agreement, shivering involuntarily as I relived our recent near-brush with death when Cory was distracted at the wheel a few days ago.

Cory grimaced. “One problem.”

“What?”

“Why didn’t Elizabeth Potter or Beth Smith or whatever the hell her name is tell Brennan about the baby after he came out of his coma? She must have heard everything.”

“Because she hated him. She must have suffered terribly after the accident with all the surgeries and therapy.”

“Which is why she tried to pin James Gleason’s death on Brennan. To make him suffer the way she suffered. She took advantage of the opportunity to get him in trouble when it was presented. James either stumbled into the road when the crowd surged or she pushed him. We know Brennan didn’t push him.”

I liked this addition to the new theory. It made sense.

Cory’s knee started to bounce.

“What?”

“I like the whole theory, but I can’t figure one thing out.” He hesitated.

“Go on.”

“We know why Brennan was at the Grand Prix festival. We know why the Gleasons were there. Wayne Engle was a gear head, so it makes sense he’d attend. But why was Elizabeth Potter or Beth Smith or whatever her name is there? What are the odds she’s a big car race fan? She was seriously injured in a car accident, endured multiple surgeries, and probably suffered through hours of painful physical therapy. She should hate cars. So why was she there, right on the spot when James landed in the street?”

For the life of me, I had no answer for that.

_____


Cory spent the rest of the afternoon finishing Mrs. Mooney’s Volkswagen. I spent half of it paying invoices and bills and the other half wondering what to do about Danny and Ray. Their relationship had deteriorated rapidly. I didn’t know what to do or say to improve the situation. Paying Mr. Phillips’ bail money would free him to make some decisions for himself and Danny, but I feared he might make the wrong decisions regarding Danny. After losing my mother, my father, and the baby Ray and I hoped to adopt, I dreaded having another person taken away from me, one of the many reasons I overlooked Erica’s nonsense all these years. She was unpredictable but she was with me, both literally and figuratively. I wanted Danny with me, too.

And I wanted the agreeable, rational, and loving Ray with me too, not the defensive, demanding, prickly one he’d become lately. No doubt he felt guilty about arresting Danny’s father and angry at being so helpless to control his own relationship with Danny. Any affection displayed between Danny and I made him all the grumpier. I didn’t know if he was jealous or in need of more attention from me. Maybe he wanted me to consider him first in my thoughts and actions. I know he’d felt jealous when Erica came first in the past. But in my mind, Danny and Erica were more needy and, therefore, always had to come first.

Normally, I would call Isabelle to talk through all my concerns and for advice on family issues. Today I’d reached for the phone at least three times already, then pulled my hand back, fearing she’d repeat her allegations against Jack and I’d have to tell her about the surprise party, still days away. I hoped Jack had finished his plans for that and wouldn’t have any more suspicious phone calls or unexplained disappearances.

The fourth time I reached for the phone, I hit the speed dial for Isabelle. I couldn’t hide from her for two weeks. I might as well call her today.

“Hi, I was going to call you. I heard about Brennan’s second arrest this morning from my receptionist. She said it was on TV Saturday night. What’s going on?”

I filled Isabelle in on all the news, but not our theories, which were only gossipy speculation until we had some kind of confirmation.

“Wow. How’s Brennan holding up?”

“When he calls Cory, he says not to worry. Catherine’s representing him, and we all know she’s a winner.”

“Not in the game of love.”

I smiled. “True, lucky for me.”

“How are Ray and Danny?”

Apparently Mr. Phillips’ arrest hadn’t been newsworthy. I filled her in.

“Oh my god, Ray slapped the cuffs on him right there at the game? Poor Danny. Are the kids at school teasing him?”

“He hasn’t mentioned any problems at school. The problem is between him and Ray. The whole situation has destroyed their relationship. Danny is sullen, withdrawn, and uncooperative when Ray’s home. Ray lectures him on responsibility and piles on the jobs. Danny resents it. They don’t even speak. I don’t know what to do.”

“If it makes you feel any better, my father was incredibly hard on my brothers when we were growing up. They hated him then but look how productive they are now. And everyone still sits down to dinner together every Sunday night. My brothers wouldn’t miss it.”

“That’s true, but your brothers only had one father figure. Danny has two.”

“Should you bail out Mr. Phillips? Then you could all sit down and talk together.”

“I’m afraid he would jump bail and take Danny with him. He doesn’t ever want to go back to prison. He almost got killed there.”

Isabelle clicked her tongue. “Catherine is his attorney. Can she get him off?”

I weighed the evidence against Mr. Phillips. The only real evidence against him was the fact my Ferrari disappeared the same day he did—and of course, his known history of car theft. Everything else I knew of was supposition, and only Catherine and I knew about it. “I’d like to think so.”

“Then keep taking Danny to visit him and just wait out the month until his trial. Ray and Danny love each other. They’ll simmer down and remember that soon enough.”

“What if Catherine gets Mr. Phillips off and he takes Danny away?”

She didn’t immediately reply. Eventually, she heaved a huge sigh. “Jolene, I’ve realized we can’t control everything in our lives and there’s no sense in driving yourself crazy trying. Things happen for a reason.”

I wondered if she might also be referring to her own situation. “You’re right. I’ll sit tight and see what happens.”

“Good.”

“So how are you?” I closed my eyes, fearing I’d hear the worst.

“I’m doing really well. The ad I shot for the United Way came out fabulous. They love it. I love it. Donations are going to pour in this year.”

“Awesome.”

“Cassidy is all excited about Halloween already. She wants to be a princess. We’re going to look at costumes this weekend.”

“Great. She’ll be adorable. Take lots of pictures.” Would she ever get around to telling me about Jack?

“I decided to enroll in a Spanish class. It might help open up a new customer base for my agency.”

“Great.” I waited through a few moments of silence.

She sighed softly. “Jack and I are doing okay. I don’t know what happened the last few months, but everything’s back to normal now. It’s weird, but I’m not questioning it. I’m happy.”

“I’m happy to hear it. I knew you two would be okay.”

“You and Ray and Danny are going to be fine, too. The three of you belong together, I know it.”

As I hung up the phone, I hoped Isabelle was right.