“I’ve heard of this place called Purgatory. I didn’t know it was literally a place.”
Once we’re there, he looks around and picks up the pie I left there. “How old is this?”
“Damn, my pie. That sucks. It’s ruined.”
He tosses it in the trash. “This is just like that tiny hideout you had under the stairs you used to go to as a kid to eat sweets.”
“And hide from Dad. Kind of like Mom with the cottage I inherited until it burned down.”
He sits on the edge of the desk and I settle on a chair. “Are you going to rebuild it?”
“I don’t know. I have her on my mind, though. Standing in front of Pocher today, I wanted to make him pay.”
“And how do we do that?”
I arch a brow. “How do we do that?”
“I don’t know if he killed Mom. But I know what he did to you.”
“You need to stay out of it.”
“I’m not going to do that. And why the hell hasn’t Kane done something about it?”
“Because we aren’t just dealing with Pocher. It’s the Society. And Dad’s part of that.”
“He called me and told me he had the charity event called off. He wasn’t happy.”
“It was necessary. And of course, he called you and not me. Considering he had no remorse talking to me about my attack. Makes you wonder why he doesn’t want to talk to me now. Maybe he thinks Kane’s crash will get me thinking about Mom’s.”
“You really think he was a part of killing Mom?”
“I have no proof, but if I ever get it, I won’t kill. I’ll put him in jail where he will rot for the rest of his life.”
“And I’ll help you.”
My cellphone rings and Murphy is on the caller ID. I think about my mother being with Lucas’s father that night, about the thoughts Lucas and I had about them having an affair. And yet, Murphy says he was the one having an affair with her. I glance at Andrew. “Something about my boss I didn’t tell you,” I say. “Kane says he was involved with Pocher before Mom died, but he says he was in love with Mom. Let’s find out.”
Andrew stands up. “Lilah—”
I answer the call. “Director.”
“I managed to get to the right person in the right spot of government, and with the right clearances. They’re digging around to find the origin of the weapon we’re dealing with. They also gave me a list of the contract suppliers they use and I’ve gotten that to Tic Tac to begin research.”
“Perfect. That should help. Tell me, Director Murphy, why exactly were you involved with Pocher for the months leading up to my mother’s death?”
I glance up to find Kane standing in the doorway and there is no judgment on his face. He knows what I know. When the evidence is slim, sometimes being direct is all you have left.
“And why didn’t I tell you?” he asks, and he sounds unfazed. “Let me answer both questions. I was investigating your father. That’s how I met your mother. And Pocher was trying to save him. And right or wrong of me, you’d lost your mother. Dirtying up your father more than he had himself didn’t seem necessary.”
“Investigating him for what?”
“I’ll send you the file. Share it with Andrew if you wish. And if you want to know why Lucas’s father was killed right along with her, that’s an easy answer. He was going to turn on your father. Read the file. Let me know if you want to talk. And perhaps my judgment to keep you in the dark was poor, but it was in the proper spirit of protecting you. Anything else?”
“No. I’ll watch for the file.”
“Goodnight, Lilah.” He hangs up.
“What just happened?” Andrew asks.
I grab my bag that is still at my hip, pull it over my head, and sit at the desk, removing my MacBook and powering it to life. The file hits my inbox and I open it and begin to scan. I turn the MacBook around to let Andrew read what is there. “Murphy was investigating Dad. And Lucas’s father was going to testify against him. Pocher was trying to intervene with Murphy. That’s how he met Mom.”
My eyes meet Kane’s. “We both have an immediate situation to handle. Then we get married. And next comes this. We deal with my father once and for all.”
“Yes, beautiful,” Kane says. “We will.”
CHAPTER FORTY-ONE
Andrew stares at the documents Murphy sent for a few more beats and then straightens, scrubbing the dirty blond stubble there. “I just sent the file to myself. I’m not going to look at it any further until this case is done or I’ll lose focus.”
“Agreed,” I say.
Andrew rounds the desk and pulls me to my feet, holding me close. And for once I don’t hate it. “Damn him,” he whispers in my ear.