Page 55 of Rebels and Roses

“He—He did…offer me another deal. He wanted me to get you to reconcile, and then bring you back into the family fold. I told him no, of course. He was angry about it, so I told about your job. I wanted him to see that you - and me - can’t be bought.”

“He was mad? That doesn’t sound like my dad.”

“Well, he didn’t yell about it. But I could tell that he wasn’t happy.”

“And that’s why you told everyone about my being S.S. Cooper?”

“Yes, and I am sorry about that. I was just mad, too, I guess.”

Cooper wasn’t quite buying Fiona’s story. It didn’t truly matter why she’d done it. It had happened, and it couldn’t beundone so the why was a moot point. He didn’t trust Fiona completely, however. One of the reasons they’d divorced was her casual relationship with the truth.

That and her narcissism.

“Why did you wait for dinner? Why didn’t you tell him when you talked to him alone?”

“I don’t know. I didn’t think of it then. I only thought about it when I saw you. Are you very angry with me?”

“Not really. It’s a drop of rain in a bucket. By tomorrow, no one will care. It doesn’t change anything about me except that I can pay my own bills.”

“Hey, brother,” Tate called from the doorway. “Finn is here. He has news about Tom Kemp.”

Already? The coroner hadn’t wasted any time.

Cooper couldn’t wait to hear what Finn had to say.

Finn’s arrivalhelped alleviate some of the awkward tension in the living room while Cooper and Fiona were outside. Tate had assured Jane that this was par for the course in the Winslow family, and it wasn’t a huge deal.

“We need to talk,” Lucy had said, taking a bite of her cheesecake. She didn’t look mad, just curious. “You knew. I could see it in your eyes.”

“I did,” Jane admitted. “But I found out by accident. Cooper was talking about a plot point in an S.S. Cooper book, and I realized that it had never happened. I quizzed him mercilessly, and he finally admitted it all and that it was a plot point for his upcoming release. He’d forgotten that it hadn’t been released to the public yet. He asked me to keep it a secret. I said yes.”

“You’ve been keeping a lot of secrets lately.”

“I swear I don’t have any more. My life is generally boring and monotonous.”

Before Lucy could question Jane further, Finn had arrived. In uniform, it appeared that he was still on duty. He had information for Fiona and Erica from the coroner’s report.

“That was quick,” Cooper said when he rejoined the group, shaking Finn’s hand.

“It was a straightforward process,” Finn explained. “I wanted to give the news as soon as I had it.”

The sheriff was holding a folder which he held out to Fiona and Erica. Neither of them reached out for it.

“This is the paperwork I need you to sign so we can release Tom’s body to you. There is also a copy of the coroner’s report. Tom Kemp died from an overdose of fentanyl. I’m very sorry for your loss. Drug-related deaths are tragic, especially with someone so young.”

“Fentanyl?” Fiona repeated. “My brother didn’t do fentanyl. He did have a drug problem. I’ll admit that, but he didn’t take fentanyl.”

“Unfortunately, fentanyl is used to cut other drugs, mainly heroin, not cocaine. It was probably cross-contamination. When a dealer measures out fentanyl, some might be left behind on the scale. Then he measures out cocaine, and it gets contaminated.”

“Wouldn’t they notice the fentanyl still on the scale?” Jane asked.

“The amount of fentanyl needed to overdose is tiny, like the amount you might get with a finger swipe over a surface,” Finn explained. “We don’t think the drug was laced on purpose. Generally, drug dealers want to keep their customers alive, because dead people don’t buy drugs. We believe it was an accidental overdose.”

Fiona pressed her hands to her face, shaking her head as if in denial.

“As I said, I’m so sorry for your loss, ma’am. If there is anything we can do to help you transfer the deceased, please let us know. I’m sure this is a difficult time for you.”

Erica sat on a chair, still appearing stunned by the news. Fiona rested a hand on the other woman’s shoulder before leaning down to whisper in her ear. Erica nodded as a few silvery tears rolled down her cheeks.

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