Look Closely - Laura Caldwell [58]
“What did he say exactly?”
“She fell down the stairs.”
Maddy pursed her mouth in a suspicious smirk.
“I know, I know. It’s the classic line to cover up abuse, and Manning said he suspected my dad. It’s crazy, right?”
“Ridiculous! They obviously cleared him.”
“That’s the thing,” I said, returning in my mind to the Mannings’ snug kitchen and their painted wood table. “I asked Ty’s dad if they’d ruled him out, and he said, ‘I guess you could say that.’”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“I’m not sure.” I pushed my plate away, not hungry any longer. “At the time, I took it to mean that my dad was cleared of those suspicions. I mean, that’s how the conversation seemed, but now that I’m remembering it, Chief Manning didn’t really say that.”
“Well, this isn’t a deposition, Hailey. He wasn’t precise with his words, but I’m sure he meant he ruled your dad out. Otherwise they’d have pressed charges.”
“Right,” I said, wanting to believe her. “Right.” But something about Chief Manning’s response irked me.
“So keep going with your story,” Maddy said, pouring more wine.
I dragged my mind away from the Mannings’ kitchen and told Maddy about Portland, meeting Matt, and finally my conversation with the woman in Santa Fe, as well as my phone calls to the Albuquerque home of someone named Dan Singer.
“Geez,” she said. “You’ve been busy. So when are you going to Santa Fe?”
“What?”
“No one answers at Dan’s house, right? So you don’t even know if he’s in Albuquerque anymore. And that woman who had a kid with him isn’t going to talk to you on the phone. She’s hostile, and she’s had enough. If you happened to go to Santa Fe on business, though, if you just happened to call from your hotel and say you’re stopping by, maybe she’d tell you what she knows.”
I thought for a second. “I like it, but I’m too crazy with the McKnight case.”
“You can work on planes. You can work in a hotel room. You’d probably get more done if you’re by yourself without the phones ringing and everybody around your firm talking about the partnership election.”
Maddy had a point. “Would you go with me?” I said, excited. “We could make it a girls’ trip.”
“Oh, sweetie. I would. You know I’d do anything for you, but I’ve been kind of busy myself.” Maddy wore a coy expression.
“What is it? I’m sorry I’ve been dominating the conversation.”
“Oh, shut up. My story’s not half as interesting.” But Maddy looked very interested. “I think I might be falling for someone.”
“What?” The word came out louder than I expected, and I noticed a few other diners turning their heads toward me. “You mean just one guy?”
Maddy had a big smile on her face now. “Yep.”
“Tell me!”
“Well, he’s older.”
“Of course.” Maddy had a thing about older men, and as long as I had known her, she had mostly been interested in guys that were anywhere from five to twenty years her senior.
“A little older than usual, actually.”
“He’s not seventy or something, is he?
Maddy laughed. “No. His name is Grant, and he’s in his fifties. Married once a long time ago, no kids.”
“Any issues with the wife? Was the divorce recent?”
“Oh, no. They were married and split before they were even thirty. He found the love of his life after the divorce, but something happened with her. I think he’s still trying to get over it in some way.”
I held up my glass to her. “And you’re the perfect girl to help him with that.”
“Exactly!” she said, toasting with me.
We made our way through the bottle of wine, and Maddy gave me all the details about Grant, a business consultant from Boston who came to Manhattan often.
I let the warmth of the wine and the conversation fill me. I let Maddy’s familiar smile shine a light into my heart. And as I threw my head back and laughed with Maddy, I realized this was the first time I’d felt safe since I’d gone back to Woodland Dunes.
The rest of the week flew by. Magoo Barragan and I worked long into each evening, preparing a budget and trial analysis for Sean McKnight, while Natalie Decker focused on research. I had returned to dealing exclusively with Beth Halverson at McKnight