All She Ever Wanted - Barbara Freethy [127]
"You're right," Natalie said. "I don't want to judge her."
"Then don't."
"But since I went out on that roof today, I can't stop thinking about that night. There must have been a moment when Emily saw the madness in Diane's eyes, when she backed up, when she felt herself go over ..." Natalie couldn't bring herself to finish the thought.
"Do you think Diane pushed her?"
"In a blind fit of passion, probably. Or else she just took a swing at Emily and Emily backed up and slipped off. I don't think we'll ever be able to prove it one way or the other. At least Diane's presence on the roof that night will prove that I didn't do it. Unfortunately, Emily's affair will probably come out, too. Unless the Parishes can bury it all. I wouldn't be surprised if they tried to do that. I wouldn't blame them, either. I don't think the world needs to know that Emily was in love with a married man. By the way, there's something I've been meaning to ask you. How did you find the professor and get him to come to the house?"
"That was easy. I followed Diane and her friend to the stadium. I was hanging around outside wondering what to do next when Diane came out again. She ran over to a car that had just pulled up in the parking lot. A man got out and she started yelling at him. I figured he was the professor. After their discussion, she took off, and I moved in."
"Just like that," Natalie said in amazement. "I've been chasing that man for days. And you walked over and said hello. Amazing."
"I got lucky. Not that we needed him in the end. Diane was the real villain in this. And it was her own husband's book that finally cleared the air. If he hadn't written Fallen Angel, we would have never known the truth."
"You're right."
"It's funny how we thought no one had spoken to Emily that night," Madison continued. "In actual fact, there was a damn parade going through her room. You were talking to her while Dylan was hovering in the hall; then Drew went in to see her. He said she was on the phone talking to someone— I guess it was the professor. No wonder she went out on the roof. She probably wanted to be alone."
"Instead, she was accosted by the wife of the man she was sleeping with."
"Hey, at least she had sex before she died."
"Madison!"
"Sorry, but you wouldn't have wanted her to die a virgin, would you? Isn't it better to know that she'd loved someone, had that experience?"
Natalie thought about that for a moment. "I guess it is better to know that. She always wanted to find love. And she did. I think Greg Martin truly loved her, even though he was married, and what they were doing was wrong."
"Love isn't always right." Madison paused. "Speaking of love, what's your prediction on Laura and Drew? Do you think they'll stay together?"
"I hope so. They have a lot of history together, not to mention children and a home." Natalie gave Madison a curious look. "What about you?"
"What about me?"
"Somewhere along the way I got the idea that you were interested in Dylan."
Madison uttered a harsh laugh. "Even if I were, so what? He's still in love with Emily. He probably always will be. You saw the closet shrine in his apartment. How could anyone compete with a goddess like Emily?"
"I think if anyone could, you could," Natalie said. "You're stunningly pretty."
"That's true," Madison said with a toss of her wavy blond hair.
"And you're smart, ambitious, competitive. Tell me something—do you really want Dylan, or is he just a challenge? The one who got away?"
"He is a challenge." Madison thought for a moment. "Sometimes I think he's a lunatic, but he's interesting. He's creative, different, bold, daring— not at all boring."
"Sounds like you're hooked."
"Not at all. I'm just intrigued. I'd like Dylan to see me for who I really am. He judged me early on, and he was wrong. I want him to know he was wrong. Then we'll see where we go from there—if we go anywhere. It's not like I need a man in my life. I'm doing fine on my own."
"So am I," Natalie said, but as she leaned back in her seat and