3 Dime If I Know (16 page)

Rafe didn’t veer onto the offshoot of the drive that circled to the two-story garage. Instead, he followed the broader sweep of the driveway, parking in front of the mansion like a guest. My heart went out to him. Was he so worried about his reception that he thought we might need a speedy getaway?

I glanced at his drawn face, and I couldn’t hold back the tide of remorse. He hadn’t looked this grim in the police station. “I shouldn’t have pushed so hard. I apologize for insisting on handling your family my way. We don’t have to do this.”

“We don’t, but I’ve been thinking about what you said. I want to clear the air with my family as an adult. I need to see where I stand with them, once and for all. I’ve stayed away for years because I don’t feel welcome here. My choices weren’t their choices, and it hurt that they weren’t supportive of the career path I chose to take. For so long, we’ve all danced around the disconnect. I’d like to have their emotional support, but truthfully, I don’t know if that’s possible.”

I was so proud of him, I nearly burst with emotion. As we exited the car and trod the stairs, I wished we’d stopped to change clothes. Maybe a ball gown would be appropriate for this swanky address. Yeah, right. Like I had one of those in my closet.

A smiling housekeeper welcomed us. Light glinted off her owlish glasses. “There’s my handsome golfer. About time you came home.”

Her face looked so familiar, I nearly asked if I knew her, but Rafe clued me in during our introduction. “Florie is Mary’s mother. She’s been with our family for twenty-five years.”

“Nice to meet you,” I said. Florie’s smile had been genuine, but she hadn’t embraced Rafe. Hmm. I was trying my best not to make snap judgments, but I was a fish out of water here. In my experience, family hugged each other, particularly if they hadn’t seen each other in a long time. Maybe the housekeeper didn’t consider herself family.

A slim blond-haired woman in an ivory shell, knee-length navy skirt, strappy sandals, and a perfusion of light and dark pearl necklaces hurried toward us. Her heels clicked on the foyer’s ceramic tile floor.

She had Rafe’s forehead and his long-legged stride. Her tanned skin and expertly colored hair bespoke a life of privilege and wealth. I’d already met his sister so I pegged this person as his mother.

She stopped a few feet short of us, though her floral perfume surrounded us a second later. “Rafe, I left the banquet as soon as I could. The ladies’ club honored me today as Woman of the Year for the D.C. metro area. I couldn’t walk out on them when I was their featured guest.”

I noticed they didn’t hug, didn’t kiss, and yet not only had Rafe been through a trying ordeal today, he hadn’t been home in a while. Did these people have an aversion to touching?

“Hello, Mom. This is my friend Cleopatra Jones. Cleo, my mother, Amanda Golden,” Rafe said.

Amanda sized me up with a dismissive glance and didn’t offer her hand. Not wanting to be rebuffed, I kept my hands to myself. “Nice to meet you, Mrs. Golden,” I said with a head bob of acknowledgment.

A booming male voice from a room down the hallway cut into my words. “Rafe, that you, boy? About time you came home. Come on in here and join me for a scotch. It’s cocktail hour somewhere.”

“Coming, Dad,” Rafe said.

I didn’t understand this family dynamic at all, but I followed Rafe into a beautiful room. Vibrant jewel-colored art graced the wall. Delicate crystal accented the sleek tables. The jewel tones repeated in the sofa and chairs, rich burgundys, golds, spruce greens, and acorn browns. All in all, the perfect foil for a family adorned with golden hair, brows, and lashes.

Shep Golden wore casual clothing with a yachting flair—white-soled leather shoes, pressed khakis, and an anchor decorating the pocket of his blue oxford dress shirt. His dark tan contrasted nicely with his rolled-up sleeves.

Unlike the housekeeper and Rafe’s mom, Shep put his drink down and wrapped his son in a bear hug, then he did the same for me. “Hey, hey, hey,” he said, chucking my chin. “I like the looks of this one.”

The feeling was mutual. Shep’s open arms were the welcome I’d been missing in this household. “Hey yourself, Mr. Golden. Nice to meet you.”

“Shep, please. No formality in my den, or whatever they’re calling this room these days.”

Mary popped in the door. She still wore her suit and heels from work, her dark hair pulled back in a twist. “May I fix anyone a drink?”

“Freshen mine up,” Shep said. “Anyone else?”

“Gin and tonic for me,” Amanda Golden said. “Don’t forget the lime this time.”

Regina trooped in with her cousin Ashley. “Red wine for us,” Regina said.

“I’ll help Mary,” Ashley offered, placing her purse on a corner of the bar.

Regina scowled at her companion. “Suit yourself.”

“Thanks for the offer,” Rafe said. He turned to me. “What will you have?”

“Water,” I said softly. Though I wanted this to work for Rafe’s sake, I needed to stay alert and focused in this crowd of strangers. They might be Rafe’s family, but the vibe I was feeling wasn’t positive. Parking by the front door had been an excellent idea.

“A water for Cleo, and I’ll have a diet soda,” Rafe said as we sat on the couch. I hoped this visit would be in his best interest. Hoped that the worst was behind him.

“To what do we owe this honor?” Shep said after Mary handed the drinks around.

“Rafe was taken to the police station for questioning today,” Regina said. “He came home to admit he was wrong for breaking out on his own. He’s crawled back to use our legal team to extricate him from this debacle.”

“Actually, I came here to let you know I was all right,” Rafe said. “I have retained independent counsel, and I won’t need the Golden legal team.”

Shep swirled the scotch in his glass. “Our lawyers never lose. Sure it’s wise to keep them out of it?”

“I’ve got this, Dad,” Rafe said, gulping down his soda. “I didn’t kill anyone, so the incident will fade from memory as the police continue with their investigation.”

“If they questioned you today, chances are you’re still a suspect,” his mom pointed out. “Our legal team can determine the best plea for you and get you the best deal.”

“I’m handling it my own way, Mom. I have every confidence in my attorney.”

“You and your plebian tastes. No offense to you, dear.” Amanda shot me a wry smile before shaking her finger at Rafe. “That’s what landed you in trouble, associating with people like Starr Jeffries. Thank God you didn’t marry her.”

Rafe’s chin went up. “Starr was a nice girl who never caught a single break in life.”

“She associated with the wrong people and came to a bad end. You can do better that that. You
are
better than that.”

“I’m no different than anyone else, and neither are you. Dad inherited the company and the money from his family. The rest of us live off the largesse. We’re parasites.”

“Watch your mouth. I won’t tolerate disrespect. My conduct is exemplary. I wasn’t questioned for murder,” Amanda added in ringing tones.

“I didn’t do it.”

Regina came forward from the wet bar, raising her wineglass as if making a toast. “Well now, isn’t that special? Either the evidence is wrong or you’re lying to us. Which is it?”

“Leave your brother alone.” Leather creaked as Shep shifted in his chair. “Everyone’s overlooking the fact that this turn of events brought Rafe home. Stay the night, son. Let’s put this unpleasantness aside and enjoy the evening. You might even decide to come back to Golden Enterprises. The CEO job is yours anytime you want it.”

The look of alarm on Regina’s face was genuine. “Not so fast, Mr. Chairman of the Board. We had to economize to keep everyone at the firm. You didn’t want to fire anyone.”

“So?”

“As Chief Operating Officer, I’m privileged to know the financial details of the company. If Rafe comes back, someone else will lose his job. Maybe two someones, to cover the cost of his salary.”

“I’d fire every person on the payroll if it brought Rafe home for good,” Shep said. “The company is important, but it isn’t family. I want my son here, and I don’t care who knows it.”

Over at the wet bar, Mary knocked over a full glass of something, dowsing the front of her white blouse. Her face flushed as she sopped up the mess. “I’m sorry for the disturbance. Please excuse me while I change my clothes.”

Lucky her, getting to escape the edgy tension in this room. Reggie and Amanda vibrated with it. Shep, who I’d dismissed as being clueless, wielded the power. The family money came through Shep. Since the others deferred to him, I assumed he controlled the money.

Rafe’s assessment had been correct. The Golden family enjoyed wealth and privilege, but they did it at the whim of Shep Golden. Interesting twist.

“Did I miss anything?” Hill breezed around Mary, hugged Ashley, who was mopping up the mess at the bar, and turned back to us. “Is the great white hope moving home and making everyone’s life perfect?”

“Lay off the sarcasm, Hill,” Rafe growled. “I don’t want anything from the family. I thought by coming here I could clear the air.”

“The air’s fine. Got a new cooling system not too long back,” Shep said. “But I could use a golf tune-up. I’d love to take Walt’s money for a change in our weekly game.”

Shep’s change in topic worried me. Was there a subliminal message here? Was he opening up to Rafe? Besides bringing Rafe back into the family fold, what was Shep’s motivation to keep his son close at hand?

Rafe nodded. “Come out to Hogan’s Glen anytime, Dad. I’d be happy to give you all the lessons you want.”

“Perhaps I will,” Shep said, a playful quality to his voice.

“That’s true for everyone.” Rafe gestured broadly. “You’re all welcome to stay at my place and to play at my club.”

“Of course we’re welcome,” Regina sneered. “You work at a public course. They let anyone play there.” She turned to Hill. “When’s the last time you played a public course?”

His sister’s exaggerated eyeroll at
anyone
and subsequent glare my way shocked me. She didn’t like me. I wasn’t born with a silver spoon in my mouth. She couldn’t have been more obvious about my lackluster lineage. I checked out the distance to the paneled door. About fifteen strides to exit this room, twice that many to the front door.

“That’s not important,” Hill said.

“Did you tell Rafe you moved back in with Mom and Dad?” Regina asked.

Hill huffed out a heavy breath. “What is this? Pick on Hill afternoon? I’ve done what you people asked. Rafe is sitting here in Dad’s den. I want my principal released.”

As Rafe studied his family members, the tension in the room thickened. He placed his empty glass on a cocktail napkin on the gold-inlaid coffee table. “What’s the deal, Hill?”

“Your brother had financial setbacks again,” Regina crowed. “He asked to tap into the principal of his trust fund. Dad wouldn’t allow it until Hill helped us bring you to your senses.”

“It isn’t enough for you to run the company?” Rafe asked. “You have to run Hill’s life, too?”

“He was being irresponsible,” his sister said.

“He’s a grown man. Stop bullying him.”

“We have an image to maintain.”

Rafe leaned forward. “So do I. Except my image involves hard work and supporting myself.”

“You think you’re different from us,” Regina countered. “I’ve seen your car and your swanky condo. You didn’t buy those luxuries with your weekly wages. You’re as much a trust fund baby as Hill.”

“How I manage my inheritance is my business, not yours.” Rafe rubbed his temples and shot me a pained look. “Not quite a warm and fuzzy experience, is it?”

“My family isn’t warm and fuzzy either,” I said quietly, aware of everyone watching us. “But I still believe you have an opportunity here, if you want to pursue it.”

“I came here today because I wanted to be part of this family.” Rafe scanned the room and so did I. Amanda and Shep stood together by the mantel, Hill had joined Ashley over at the wet bar, and Regina had commandeered Shep’s easy chair. The large seat fanned out around her, throne-like.

“What happened today was a detective followed a lead and questioned me,” Rafe explained. “I didn’t kill Starr. I don’t know who killed her. My reputation is important to me, and I wouldn’t dishonor the family by committing a crime.”

He paused to take a deep breath. “Dad and Florie welcomed me home, and I thank them for their kindness. Cleo said something to me the other day, something that gave me hope we could be a family again. Now I’m not so sure about our ability to forgive and forget. It’s been fireworks and drama ever since I arrived, and we haven’t even started talking about Brenna.”

“Leave my sister out of this,” Regina said, leaping to her feet. “She’s no topic of idle discussion.”

“We’ve never talked about the shooting,” Rafe said. “Golden money and Golden lawyers made the repercussions go away, but Brenna’s death changed all of us. It’s time we faced facts.”

“You’re mistaking this cocktail party for a therapist’s office. Go blab to them, but leave us the hell out of it,” Regina said.

Shep studied the amber-colored booze in the bottom of his glass. Ashley looked as if she’d rather be anywhere else in the world but here. Hill stared out the window. Reggie stood close to her mom. Brenna was clearly a sore subject here.

Beside me, Rafe cradled his head in his hands. “I don’t feel so good.

“What’s wrong?” Beads of sweat dotted his hairline. His color seemed off, too. “What can I do?”

“Dizzy,” he said.

“Let’s find you a place to lie down.” I glanced at his family. “Anyone care to make a suggestion?”

Hill stepped forward. “I’ll show you the way to Rafe’s room.”

“Thanks.” I followed his lead, wrapping my arm around Rafe’s torso to support him. Midway up the wide stairs, Rafe paled even more and clutched his stomach. “Need a bathroom,” he said.

“Help me, Hill.” Together we wrangled him upstairs and into a bathroom. I heard the unmistakable sounds of retching and vomiting. A while later, Rafe wobbled back into the hall.

“I need to lie down a bit before we drive back to Hogan’s Glen,” he said. “I don’t want to stay overnight, but I’m too weak to drive.”