Stephanie Bond - 4 Bodies and a Funeral

“And?”

“And … I was told that everything was handed over to the D.A.’s office.”

She frowned. “But surely the firm kept copies?”

“One would think, but since Walt came around wondering why I was asking questions, I decided not to push it.”

Walt Tully—her father’s former partner at the firm and her and Wesley’s godfather. In name only, since he hadn’t bothered to check on them after their parents had disappeared.

“Well, I guess we’ll just wait to see what dear old Dad has in store,” Carlotta said. “He certainly likes to make dramatic exits and entrances.”

“So your first day back to work sounded pretty interesting.”

Grateful for the subject change, she nodded. “In all the commotion, the guy with the cake stole Eva McCoy’s charm bracelet.”

“That’s too bad. I’m sure it meant a lot to her.”

“Yeah, it did. She was really upset.”

“I noticed you’re wearing a charm bracelet.”

She stroked the links. “It’s one of Eva’s bracelets. All of them are supposed to be unique.”

“And foretell the future, I’ve heard. Let’s see what you got.”

She put her hand over the charms. “It’s silly, they don’t mean anything.”

He ran his thumb over her bare ring finger. “So you wear jewelry only if it doesn’t mean anything?”

Carlotta felt pressure building in her chest. “Peter, let’s not go there.”

“You’re right. I’m sorry.” He smiled. “How’s Wesley?”

She brightened. “The D.A. reduced the charges. He got off with having to perform more community service, which is good for him. He’s so smart, you know. He really should be in college.”

“He needs to follow his own path,” Peter chided gently.

“I know. Still, I can’t help but worry about him. It’s not as if he had anyone else who cared.” She sighed. “This whole thing with Mom and Dad leaving has affected him more than it affected me.”

“Don’t downplay what they did to you,” Peter said, then grimaced. “What we all did to you, leaving like that.”

“It was tough on me,” she agreed. “But Wesley was young. He didn’t understand what was happening, or why. He blamed himself for them leaving, and he had so many problems adjusting. No one will ever know how much he suffered.” She smiled. “That’s why it’s so hard to be angry with him when he makes dumb decisions.”

“Is he still working for Cooper Craft?”

She shook her head. “Not since the body-snatching incident. But I can’t blame Coop. He gave Wesley a chance and Wesley’s stupidity put Coop’s reputation on the line.”

Peter’s eyebrows raised. “From what I heard, the doctor did himself in years ago.”

Carlotta frowned. “Have you been checking up on Coop?”

“A Google search isn’t exactly a background check.”

She angled her head. “And what exactly did you find out?”

“That he ascended to coroner at a young age, and was considered a wunderkind … until he started drinking. There was something about him declaring a woman dead when she was still alive?”

She nodded. “Jack told me about it. He said that Coop was driving home and came upon an accident. He’d had too much to drink and declared the woman dead when she was only unconscious.”

Текст предоставлен ООО «ЛитРес».

Прочитайте эту книгу целиком, купив полную легальную версию на ЛитРес.

Безопасно оплатить книгу можно банковской картой Visa, MasterCard, Maestro, со счета мобильного телефона, с платежного терминала, в салоне МТС или Связной, через PayPal, WebMoney, Яндекс.Деньги, QIWI Кошелек, бонусными картами или другим удобным Вам способом.