Read Online 'Til Death Do Us Part by Kate White - Free Book Online Page B

nipples. Over the years Peyton and I had known each other, she’d definitely bragged about her fair share of adventurous sexual exploits. In fact, in the months before David, Peyton had mentioned that she’d been dating a stunning young stud who, she crowed, was unbelievable in bed. Still, maybe David was up for more than he let on. And there was all that money, of course.
    “Dreadful situation, isn’t it,” he said, pulling out a chair for me at the table. He was dressed in a dark blue pin-striped suit, a white shirt, and a dazzling silk tie that illustrated why Marco Polo had been so eager to find a road to the Orient.
    “Yes,” I said, “it’s just awful. Will there be a funeral here in Greenwich, do you know?”
    He drew a deep breath. “From what I’ve heard, the parents are coming east for the body, but they want the service to be held back in Arizona, where they’ve been living. Ashley apparently spent a fair amount of time there—they’ve had the place for years.”
    I poured myself a cup of coffee and picked a croissant out of a basket lined with a white linen napkin that had been starched to within an inch of its life.
    “Any word from the police yet?” I asked.
    “Not officially,” he said, scowling. “But I have connections in the department, and apparently they’ve more or less concluded it was an accident. It looks as if Ashley climbed a stepladder on one of the landings—perhaps to adjust a light—and lost her balance. It’s not very wide there, so when she fell, she hit the railing and toppled over the side. They’re going to keep the silo closed for a few days while they make some inquiries, but they’ve said that the farm can open first thing this morning.”
    So they’d decided: The third accidental death in six months. I found it hard to believe.
    “Of course, someone could have pushed her without leaving any trace of having done so,” I asserted.
    He nearly choked on his coffee when he heard my words. “But for heaven’s sake,
why
?” he asked. “Peyton told me that Ashley thought the other two had been murdered, but it’s totally implausible.”
    “Robin apparently asked Ashley if she remembered something strange happening at the wedding—or perhaps during the wedding weekend. Does that ring any bells for you?”
    He snorted, as if the idea were absurd. “I find everything about big weddings strange,” he said. “I have no idea why people insist on doing them.”
    Odd answer, I thought, from a guy who had married nine months ago in front of five hundred people.
    “Is there someone who might be
angry
about the wedding?” I asked. “Who might have done this as some kind of revenge?”
    He stared at me, his hazel eyes holding my gaze. “Do you mean Mandy—my ex? We’ve been separated for two years, so I think if she were going to take her revenge, she would have done it by now. Besides, I can’t imagine her doing anything like
this
.”
    “Anyone else? A disgruntled client of yours, for instance. Issues with your business?”
    “A
client
? Of course not,” he said dismissively. “This is all just some horrible chain of events.”
    “How’s Peyton holding up?” I asked, watching him closely. I was intensely curious about how he’d be when he discussed her.
    “As you can imagine, she’s very distressed. She doesn’t even want to get out of bed today.”
    His tone was sympathetic, but for the first time since we’d been talking, his pale eyes pulled away from me. He used the moment to slide his chair back and toss the napkin from his lap onto the table. Clearly, talking about Peyton had made him uncomfortable. Was it because of the tiff last night? Or because of what he’d
said
last night—that Peyton was concerned only for herself?
    “If you’ll excuse me, Bailey,” he announced, “I’d better push off. My partner is picking me up in a few minutes. Despite the weather, we have to drive to Stamford today.”
    “Do you mean Trip—the one who was