Page 74 of Rebels and Roses

“But deep down they know something is wrong,” Lucy said. “But if they admit it, then they have to admit that their own judgment was wrong. Some people cannot admit to mistakes.”

“You sound like you’re talking about our dad,” Cooper joked. “I’ve never heard him say that he’s made a mistake.”

“For Joel, he has levels of rightness,” Zack said. “He’s always right, of course, but sometimes he’s less right than other times.”

“So what happens now?” Lucy queried. “What’s left to look into?”

“I need to call the Kemp family attorney and give him a heads up as to what is going on,” Cooper replied. “I don’t know if Tom made any financial arrangements for his children, but they need to be taken care of. I think the Kemps will step up to the plate.”

“What about Finn? Will you tell him?” Tate asked.

“I will, but I’m not sure that it changes things for him. As far as he and the coroner are concerned, this case is closed. I don’thave any hard evidence to give him, just a few hunches. My gut feelings aren’t admissible in court, unfortunately.”

A strange look crossed Tate’s face, and his brother nodded toward the door behind Cooper.

“Heads up. Your ex is here, and she’s heading this way with a very determined look on her face.”

Inwardly cringing, Cooper rubbed at his temple where a headache would surely bloom quite soon.

“I need to talk to you.”

For once, Fiona wasn’t bothering to pretend to be friendly or loving. Her tone was clipped and abrupt.

“What about?”

Fiona’s gaze drifted to where Jane was sitting next to him. Clearly, she wasn’t a fan of the woman Cooper was now with.

Tough shit.

“Does it matter?”

“Yes, what do you want to talk to me about?”

Fiona crossed her arms over her chest, giving a narrow-eyed stare to Jane who was wisely staying out of it. If only he could, too.

“Tom. Now can I talk to you?”

He didn’t really want to do this. Fiona was obviously in one of her moods, and he’d learned the hard way years ago that he needed to vacate the blast zone. Nothing good was going to come from this.

“Okay, fine. Let’s talk.”

Fiona looked at Jane and the others again.

“Can we do this in private? This is about my family, Cooper.”

Questioning many of his life choices when he was younger, he agreed, and they stepped outside of the tavern and into the alley beside the building where it was quiet.

“I need your help. Erica is holding Tom’s body hostage, claiming that her baby is the next of kin. It’s probably not evenhis. I need you to talk to her, get her to back down so I can take him back home to Miami.”

Whoa. This was not something that Cooper wanted to be involved in. His guilt was pushing him to investigate Tom’s death, but intervening in the disposition of his remains seemed a step too far.

“This needs to be decided by the courts, Fi. This situation is far too complicated, and I don’t know anything about the laws that apply here.”

He didn’t mention Cassie and her baby. Fiona would find out soon enough since the family attorney would be notified of the impending new heir.

“Mom and Dad are so upset about Tom. They can barely function. I have to take charge here,” Fiona said. “This is heartbreaking for them.”

“Then take charge. Talk to your attorney. If he can’t help with this sort of law, hire a different one. Get him to recommend someone.”

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