Page 66 of Rebels and Roses

“You think I want to impress my ex-wife.”

“No, I do not,” Jane stated firmly. “Knowing you the way that I do, I think that you feel a sense of responsibility to Fiona, even though you’re not married anymore. You want to find out the truth about her brother to ultimately help her.”

“You could be right, but I’m not sure she wants my help,” Cooper said with a shake of his head. “She hasn’t asked for it, and she’s not shy when she wants something.”

“Then do this for you,” Jane said. “If you have questions, we’ll try and get answers. But that does lead to another topic.Does Fiona know that you’re going to talk to Tom’s other girlfriend Cassie?”

“I didn’t say anything. I figured she had enough on her plate without me adding more. Especially, as I don’t know if I’m doing all of this for nothing. I don’t want to upset her. That’s never pleasant.”

“From what Finn said, she’s already upset,” Jane said. “He said that she wants a paternity test for the baby. Is that standard procedure for the rich?”

“Baby, I have no idea. I’ve never been in a position where I’ve knocked someone up. I don’t really know why Fiona would be upset, but then I haven’t been around her in years. I would think the family would be happy that Tom had a baby that survived him. The very first question out of Fiona’s grandparents’ mouth was when we were planning to have a baby. They practically demanded a great-grandchild within a year of our wedding. They were focused on it, almost strangely so. Eventually, my father-in-law told them to lay off, and we’d have a baby when the time was right. Thankfully, that time never came.”

“You don’t like kids?”

“I love kids, and I wouldn’t mind having one or two. But a baby with Fiona would have been a huge mistake. She and I weren’t even remotely ready to focus on anyone but ourselves.”

They both exited the car, walking into the apartment building and down the hall. Amanda Barber lived in 1C, the second door on the right. Jane could hear music from the other side of the door, and a few people laughing.

“Sounds like someone’s home.”

“I called before we came,” Cooper replied. “She said she’d be around this afternoon, studying for finals.”

“Smart girl.”

The door flew open after a quick knock by Cooper. Amanda was a pretty girl, although to Jane she seemed awfully young.

Maybe it’s because I’m just too old.

“Come in,” Amanda said, stepping back so they could enter. “Sorry, I didn’t have a chance to pick up before you came. It’s kind of a mess.”

“I remember my college apartment. This is fine,” Cooper replied.

It wasn’t as bad as it could have been. It was far from a pigsty, but there were clothes, books, and a stray pizza box strewn around the room. But the living room smelled fresh, and there weren’t any signs of actual dirt. It was just clutter. Jane had seen far worse - apartments that should have been condemned and have holy water sprinkled over them.

Amanda pushed an armful of books on the couch to the floor where they fell with a thud.

“Go ahead and sit down.”

Cooper and Jane did as Amanda perched on the floor on the other side of the coffee table. There was another young woman sort of hovering in the kitchen, but she walked down the hallway to what Jane assumed was her bedroom.

“I’m not sure why you want to talk to me. Tom is dead. He’s not coming back, is he?”

The words sounded rather callous, but Amanda hadn’t really even known Tom. A few days out of her young life at most.

“We just have a few questions,” Cooper replied. “We’re hoping that you can answer them. That night you left the bar with Tom. What did you do?”

“We came here. We had a few drinks. We talked and danced. Some of my friends were here, too. We all had fun, and Tom was in a really good mood. He left around midnight or twelve-thirty. Somewhere around that time. I don’t remember it exactly as we’d been partying, and I wasn’t paying attention.”

“Is that all you did? Dance and drink?”

“We didn’t…do that, if you know what I mean,” Amanda replied, her cheeks pink from the question. “Sure, we kissed a bit, but I always knew it that was it. Tom was a nice guy, but he was also a little strange. You know what I mean.”

That last statement was directed to Jane, not Cooper.

“I probably do,” Jane said. “Was he a little handsy? Wouldn’t take no for an answer?”

Amanda rolled her eyes and shook her head.

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