Page 74 of To Die For

“Thanks,” she replied, looking both embarrassed and pleased.

“Nate and Korey told me about a couple of guys in suits who visited you in your old apartment. You remember them?”

“Yeah. We went out for ice cream while my dad talked to them.”

“And then sometime after that you all moved to your house. And your parents bought that car, which alone cost around fifty grand by the way.”

She shot him a nervous glance while she sipped on her drink. “You think they gave my dad some money, you mean?”

“No, our records show that the money was sent directly to the vendors for the car and the land and home. Didn’t you wonder where he got the funds to buy all that?”

“He said he won the lottery.”

“Same thing he told Korey and Nate. You believe him?”

She said, “No. I always knew when he was lying. He had a tell.”

“What sort of tell?” asked Devine.

“He giggled right after he said something that wasn’t true. I don’t even think he knew he was doing it. He couldn’t help it. And he did it after telling me he won the lottery.”

“So the men who met with your dad probably paid for the car and home. The questions are why and who did they work for. And as far as I know, the only person with money like that was your uncle.”

“But he might have just wanted to help them. Theywererelated. And them dying could have nothing to do with that. And he’s the only family I have left so it’s pretty natural that he would want to adopt me.”

“Is that you talking, or him?”

“What?”

“That sounded scripted. Is that what Glass told you when you two met?”

“A little bit, I guess,” she admitted.

“What else did he tell you?” asked Devine.

“I asked him about the legal stuff.”

Devine tensed. “Really? And what did he say?”

“That the government had just made up their minds to go after him. But he thought it might just go away, or, bedismissed, that was the word he used.”

“He actually said that?”

“Yeah, why? What’s the big deal?”

“If it gets dismissed, it will be because the government witnesses keep on getting murdered. Three and counting so far have been killed.”

She slowly put down the piece of scone she was about to bite into. “Murdered?”

“Yes. He didn’t mention that?”

She shook her head.

Devine just sat there and said nothing.

“Aren’t you going to ask me about what I wrote in my journal? About whether my uncle was good or bad?”

He shook his head.

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