Page 88 of Proof

I needed to study everyone and everything I saw and heard while remaining as invisible as possible. When I’d fought with Cass about me going with him, I’d pointed out that he was naturally biased either positively or negatively when it came to his grandmother, her staff, and the rest of his family. The mansion itself probably had Cass leaning one way and then the other. He may not have had the best childhood in the unwelcoming structure that was supposed to pass as a home, but this was where he’d spent the first eighteen years of his life. He’d had a loving grandmother who’d taken him under her wing as well as cruel relatives, including his own father, who still mentally lingered in his mind. That made it nearly impossible for him to be able to pick up any nuances or nonsensicalbehaviors, especially while he was spending time with his grandmother.

As soon as we stepped over the threshold, I felt a chill go through me. The so-called home was cold and lifeless. There was next to no sound. Our shoes were the only thing I heard as we moved around and even those were faint.

White marble floors with gold inlay gleamed, and beautifully displayed paintings and other works of art, some familiar even to me, hung on the walls. Each painting was accented with custom lighting, making the beautiful art come to life. I had a feeling that the majority of the paintings were the real deal and not just well-done replicas. Fresh red roses in crystal vases were on nearly every entry table. In front of us was a set of double stairs, each leading to the second floor. The stairways were mirror images of each other. Just like the floors, the stairs shone as if they’d been freshly polished just moments earlier.

As I followed Cass, I took in every bit of information I could. The layout of the place, the behavior of the few staff members standing in certain positions along the walls of the massive hallway, others walking toward us, their hands full of freshly folded linens and bright silver trays covered with gleaming dishware. Every single staff member stopped whatever they were doing and bowed their heads when Cass walked past them. I could tell from the way Cass was holding himself that he was extremely uncomfortable with the show of respect. He was the kind of man who wanted to earn respect, not inherit it.

The place held no warmth to it whatsoever. The maids didn’t talk to one another even when we were out of earshot. No one smiled, no one laughed. They were all as cold and empty as the home they took care of.

“Your grandmother is about to take her tea in the solarium. Would you and your guest like some tea? Or perhaps coffee?” Renly asked.

The man didn’t look at me even once as he spoke, and he had to be wondering what Cass and I were doing together since we should have been natural enemies. As we’d walked down several hallways, the Ashby butler had managed to maintain his cool and had responded with respect and even kindness when Cass asked questions about his grandmother’s health. Once again, the words were the right ones, so was the way they were spoken, but they still felt wrong.

Before Cass could answer Renly’s question about whether we wanted tea or not, I stepped forward and took Cass’s hand in mine and said, “Some tea would be lovely, Renly. Don’t you think so, babe?”

Despite the fact that Cass and I had agreed that we wouldn’t overtly reveal our relationship during the visit, I had to go with my gut. Thankfully, Cass’s hand tightened around mine before he said, “Yes, tea sounds good. Thank you, Renly. We can show ourselves to the solarium.”

Renly’s eyes fell to our joined hands and his jaw hardened for a split second before the rigid, formal expression returned and he looked at Cass. It was obvious that he wanted to know what the two of us were doing together and how we’d ended up in the Ashby mansion side by side, hands linked, and soft, happy smiles directed at each other. Odds were, the man hadn’t known about Cass’s sexuality, let alone that there was any chance in hell that he’d end up in a relationship with the same man he’d tried to kill two years earlier.

“Yes, sir. Of course,” Renly responded. For the first time, he sounded rattled.

Once Renly was out of earshot, Cass quietly asked, “What are you doing?”

“Playing a hunch,” I responded, keeping my voice low in case any staff were lingering nearby.

Cass responded by tightening his grip on my hand. Even though he had no clue what I was up to, he trusted me enough to move forward with it. It was humbling. If I fucked this up, I could very well lose that trust, especially since the whole thing included Cass’s grandmother, one of the few people in his life that he truly loved. I closed my eyes long enough to put my cop hat on and then walked alongside Cass, allowing him to lead me to our destination.

The solarium was a beautiful room made of glass and filled with various flowers, plants, and decorative water features that would have been calming in any other situation. As we walked toward the back of the large room, the space opened up into a clear area. A small round table overlooked a beautiful garden of roses. Despite the natural wildness of how roses grew, these were meticulously trimmed.

Another display of absolute perfection.

Cass quickened our pace when a thin woman with silver hair came into view. She was sitting in one of the chairs, her gaze fixated on the garden.

“Mother Ashby,” Cass said softly. He had to call out to her one more time to get her attention. She turned in her chair. It took her several long seconds to recognize him. “Cassius?”

“It’s me, Mother Ashby. I came to sit with you again for a while.”

“Oh, my word,” the old woman said as she tried to stand.

He dropped my hand and rushed to her. “Don’t get up, Mother Ashby.” Cass embraced her gently as he eased her back down into the chair.

“You came home safe,” she said as she began to cry. “I thought I’d never see my little rose again.”

When he crouched next to her so they were at eye level, I used the opportunity to study Cass’s grandmother. Shelooked exactly like how he had described her. Dirty nightgown, disheveled hair, slurred speech, and obvious disorientation.

“Honey,” I called loudly. “Aren’t you going to introduce me?” I pasted a fake smile on my face. Cass took the hint and stood. He rubbed his hand over his grandmother’s shoulder before coming up to me and linking his fingers with mine. I made sure I was pressed up against his side as we came to a stop in front of his grandmother.

“Mother Ashby, there’s someone I’d like you to meet. JJ Ferguson, this is my grandmother, Patricia Ashby. Mother Ashby, this is JJ.”

“It’s such a pleasure to meet you, Mother Ashby,” I said as I extended my free hand. I’d purposefully used the title Cass used even though it was disrespectful. I had to force myself to remember that I was here as a former cop, not Cass’s lover. I had to distance my emotions from everyone, even if it meant behaving inappropriately.

Mrs. Ashby’s eyes fell to my hand and then she turned her head to look at Cass. There was no recognition in her eyes as she shifted them back and forth between me and him.

“Did you make a new friend at school today?” she asked Cass.

Renly chose that moment to interrupt the conversation by rolling a cart with several items on it up to the table. Cass invited me to choose whatever seat I wanted. I sat directly across from his grandmother. She looked at me for a fraction of a second before turning her eyes to stare at the garden again.

Once we all had cups of tea before us, Renly rolled the cart away from the table, but he didn’t go far. He stood about a dozen steps behind Cass and Mrs. Ashby, moving his body so he was between them and had a perfect view of me.

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