All She Ever Wanted - Barbara Freethy [97]
"I didn't—"
He cut her off with a wave of his hand. "Everything in the book is true. You had a fight. You wanted Cole. You wanted Emily to get him for you. When she wouldn't call him, you pushed her off the roof."
"I didn't do that."
"But you don't remember, do you?" Janet asked her in a soft, sad voice. "Emily was so sweet, so kind. And she loved you like a sister. She told me so. You were her best friend."
Natalie's heart broke a little more. "I felt the same way about her. And I'm going to prove that Malone is lying."
"Mr. Malone had to get his information from somewhere," Richard continued. "The Santa Cruz Police will be calling you, Ms. Bishop."
"That's Dr. Bishop," she retorted, throwing her chin up. The Parishes might be hurting, but she didn't intend to be their whipping post any longer. "And I'll look forward to talking to them."
"So will I," Cole said. "There seem to be a lot of questions that need answers."
"No! I don't want you involved, Cole," Janet said sharply, with every last bit of energy in her body. "I can't bear the thought of something happening to you, too. You have to stay out of it. You're all I have left. I can't lose you, too. Promise me. Let your father handle it. Let the investigators do their job. I want you safe. You have to do this for me."
With Janet's words, Natalie could see Cole's shoulders sag under the burden of his mother's need. It was easy now to understand why Cole had never left his family or the paper. His mother was so fragile, like a China doll that might shatter into a thousand pieces at any moment. Emily had felt that burden, too, Natalie realized. Janet hadn't been quite this fragile back then, but she had needed her daughter's love and attention, and Emily had always felt trapped by that need.
"Nothing will happen to me, Mom. I can promise you that," Cole said.
"You can't promise me. Emily told me everything would be all right, too. She was wrong." Janet sent Natalie a troubled look, then glanced back at her son. "I don't think you two should be together."
"Natalie wants to clear her name, and I want to find out the truth."
"Those two may be in opposition," Richard said.
"They won't be. I'm confident of that," Cole replied.
"Because you're sleeping with her, blinded by sex and a beautiful woman. I thought I taught you better than that."
Cole stiffened at his father's harsh words. "Look, I know you're upset, but I can handle this. I know what I'm doing, and who I'm doing it with."
Natalie frowned, wishing Cole had presented a clearer defense of her character.
"You should have enough respect for your sister's memory to stay away from this woman," Richard said sharply.
"I did stay away from her—for ten years," Cole replied. "How many more do you want?"
"The rest of your life." He gave Natalie a hard, bitter look. "We took you into our lives, shared our holidays with you, treated you like a daughter, and what did you do—you got Emily drunk. You argued with her. You let her go out on a roof when she couldn't see straight enough to walk. And you either pushed her or you let her fall. Either way, you killed her."
Natalie couldn't breathe. She felt like he'd just stabbed her in the heart.
"You're going to have to choose, Cole." Richard tipped his head toward Natalie. "Between her or your family."
Cole's face tinned white. "Don't give me an ultimatum," he said, but his words hit only air. His parents were gone, slamming the door on their way out of the apartment.
Natalie slowly finished buttoning up her blouse, realizing belatedly that she'd been talking to Cole's parents half-naked. Another mark against her. Cole finally moved toward his dresser, taking out a T-shirt and pulling it over his broad shoulders. They were dressed now; they had their armor back on.
"I guess the night is really over," she said, feeling a huge wave of regret despite her best intention to feel nothing.
"I guess it is."
She hated the way he wouldn't look at her and wondered if they