Read Online Trace of Doubt by Erica Orloff - Free Book Online Page B

O’Hare’s doing his time there, right?”
    “Yeah. Poor son of a bitch. I hate the bastard, but…even he deserves better than Dannemora.”
    “He got a message to me. I think he just wants to get under your skin. Something about Mom having an affair.” I decided to leave out the doubts about my parentage for now.
    Dad had been stirring the pot of pasta, but he stopped. “That prick. Bothering you with that bullshit.”
    “So there’s something to it?” I asked. I held my wineglass by the stem and twirled it, barely breathing while I waited for his answer.
    “No. There’s nothing to it. Before your mother met me, she dated this guy for a long time. He had a scholarship to Yale, real smart guy. Old money. That’s who her parents wanted her to marry.”
    “Really?” This was the first I’d heard of it. After my mother’s death, my maternal grandparents passed away within two years—I think the strain of losing her was a big factor. “Were you jealous of him?”
    Dad turned to face me, anger visible on his face. “Yes.”
    My insides crumbled. Could my father have killed her? Even accidentally, in a rage?
    “You were?” I managed to say, though my throat was dry despite the wine.
    “Yes. Who wouldn’t be? Your mother was beautiful. She was the most perfect woman ever. And I’m not just saying that because she passed away, Billie. She was. Did you know I used to bring her a red rose every single Friday?”
    That explained the shoebox of roses.
    He sighed, releasing the tension in his jaw. “Of course I was jealous. And this guy and your mother had a history. My own in-laws thought I was no good. And he could have given her a more…normal life. I mean, that’s half the reason I bought this big old house for her. I never wanted her to feel like she lost out by marrying a crook like me.”
    “She never felt that way, Dad. I’m sure she didn’t.”
    “I know. But people talked. You know how the guys can be.”
    “Yeah.” I knew amongst my father and brother and their crew how the ribbing was both sophomoric and intense at times.
    “But it was bullshit. And that’s why I just…well, I knew even though Daniel ran into her a few times when she would go to Ridgewood to visit her parents, that I had nothing to worry about. She and I were destiny.”
    “Daniel?”
    “Yeah. Daniel Carter. He owns that huge shopping plaza over in Ridgewood. A bunch of other property, too. Kind of a real estate tycoon.”
    I blinked hard a few times. Who the hell was Andrew, then? How many secrets was my mother hiding?
    “Does the name Andrew mean anything to you, Dad?”
    He shook his head. “Nope. Why?”
    “Oh…nothing. I thought that was what Marty O’Hare said, but I guess I was wrong.”
    “Good thing that asshole is in Little Siberia or I’d kill him with my bare hands…. Oh, good…your brother is here.”
    I stifled a smile. That was Dad.
    Mikey came in, kissed the top of my head, grabbed a cold beer from the fridge and sat down at the table.
    “So what’s up, Billie? And where’s David?”
    I shrugged. “He’s been so involved with this law school stuff. I don’t know. And it hasn’t been easy adjusting to being around each other. He’s still very closed in a lot of ways. Always on guard. Can’t sleep.”
    Dad brought over the garlic bread—fairly burnt but still smelling delicious. “Well, you just be patient, Billie. He’s a good man.”
    Next he came over to the table with the pasta and Ragu sauce. He sometimes tosses in some oregano and ground beef to try to doctor it a little. It doesn’t taste half bad.
    “I have to tell you both something,” I said quietly once we all started eating.
    “What?” My father’s voice had a hint of anxiety to it. He’s never been totally comfortable with the Justice Foundation.
    “Well…I got a letter from someone who claimed to know what happened to Mom.”
    My father’s face flushed. “Some crackpot?”
    “No,” I said gently. “Inside the