With my feet now bare, I had the sensation I’d had on our first meeting. My toes stretched as we kissed goodnight. “Thank you for being honest with me.”
His long finger skirted over my cheek. “You can and will hate me for things in our future, Emma, but never will I lie to you.”
I swallowed and nodded. It was the realization I’d come to, even regarding what had happened in his inner office.
“Goodnight.”
After Rett left, I climbed alone into the big bed. As I slipped into sleep, I took a moment to examine the many gifts he’d bestowed, and I realized that each was invaluable in its own way.
What increased their value was the difficulty I believed that it took for him to part with them. Whether it was granting me control of locks or sharing his tragic past, Everett Ramses rarely relinquished anything. The fact he’d given me both was monumental.
Rett
“You’ve been avoiding my calls,” Michelson said, standing as I entered the front office.
“It’s nice to see you too, Richard.”
“Married.” He held up what I could only assume was a copy of my and Emma’s marriage certificate. “To a woman you claimed to not know.”
“I’m sorry you weren’t invited. It was a private ceremony.”
“The invitation didn’t work out well for Raymond McBride.”
I shook my head as I took the opposite chair. “That was unfortunate.”
Michelson sat on the edge of the other velvet chair. “It seems a possibility to a few people downtown that perhaps you didn’t want witnesses.”
“Excuse me? Please be more specific. I’ve found generalities aren’t always interpreted correctly.”
He opened the piece of paper. “Ian Knolls and Ruth Guidry are employed by Devereux Inc.” He looked up. “Which is you, am I correct?”
Devereux Incorporated was created by my grandfather in my grandmother’s maiden name as a corporation for her to oversee all things related to the house. That included maintenance and salaries paid to household staff. While the entity was in essence part of the Ramses umbrella, the control was transferred to my mother. Currently, it was simply a subsidiary that was devoted to expenses that centered on the house. Instead of explaining that, I simply said, “In a roundabout way.”
“So the only nonemployee or nonfamily member who witnessed your wedding is now deceased.”
I inhaled. “Are you asking me if I had anything to do with Judge McBride’s death?”
“You were aware of it before it was public.”
“Boyd Clark followed up on the certificate to be sure it was filed. The rest of the information came from that call.” I leaned back. “Why would I eliminate the man who was about to file my marriage certificate?”
“Maybe it wasn’t you. Maybe it was your wife. She has a history of association with people immediately prior to their demise.”
It wasn’t my wife, but I was getting closer to adding Richard Michelson to the growing list of casualties. “I can attest to my wife’s whereabouts.”
“And she yours. It’s rather convenient.”
“Who were you with the morning after your wedding, Richard?”
He nodded.
I sat forward. “I have a busy day and the tone of this conversation isn’t to my liking. Tell me why you’re here.”
“Underwood’s parents have appealed to the Louisiana attorney general for an investigation into their son’s death. They claim that there is no basis for a declaration of suicide. They’ve gone as far as to make wrongful death complaints. The feds had backed off on the electronic currency trail, but this potential legal maneuver will undoubtedly reel them back in.” Standing, Richard paced to the tall window and let out a long breath. “Everett, if the Underwoods can convince the AG to pursue this, their case has merit.”
“As you can imagine, Mrs. Ramses was very upset to learn of her friend’s suicide. If that isn’t what happened, I agree that we need to get to the bottom of it.”
Michelson turned my way and exhaled. “You’re now behind an investigation that you didn’t want to have happen six weeks ago?”