Page 51 of Little Buried Secrets

“Jenny called him once and put Angela on the phone. I believe he said she was around seven years old at the time. Angela stayed on the phone just long enough to tell Grant she hated him.”

“Did she say why?”

Rae nodded. “Jenny had told Angela that Grant had abandoned them when she became pregnant because he didn’t want a child. During the call, Angela told Grant she had a new daddy, one who was much better than him.”

Harsh, and if true, a despicable thing for a mother to do to her child.

“Angela would be eighteen now,” I said.

“They haven’t spoken since the phone call all those years ago, but thanks to social media, Grant keeps up with Angela and what she’s been doing. Six months ago, Grant learned Jenny’s father died. With him gone, I believe it’s time for him to make an effort to be in Angela’s life again.”

“Do you think he will?”

“I do. We’ve had several conversations about it.”

Rae stretched her arms out to the side and yawned.

“I can go, if you’re tired,” I said.

“It wouldn’t matter if you did. I don’t sleep much anymore. Have you finished talking about Grant, or is there more?”

There was more.

Plenty more.

“As Grant has aged, he has continued dating women much younger than himself.”

“What are you getting at?”

“As far as I know, you’re the only older woman he’s dated. I guess I’m trying to figure out what made him change his pattern.”

“After Grant’s most recent divorce, he realized there were things about himself that he wanted to work on. He’s been seeing a therapist for about eight months. He’s immersed himself in it, which I find impressive. I believe it’s changed his life.”

I was starting to see another side of Grant, a side that made me question whether I’d been wrong to think he could have been involved in Margot’s murder. Then again, Rae hadn’t even been with Grant for six months. Everything was still fresh and new, and I suspected her rose-colored glasses had yet to come off. She was close to him, perhaps too close to see what she didn’t want to see—the fog instead of the clearing behind it.

“Why do I get the feeling Grant’s failed marriages are not the reason you wanted to talk about him?” Rae asked.

“They’re part of the reason.”

“You consider him a suspect, don’t you?”

“Among others we’ve discussed.”

“What has he done to make you think him capable of harming my daughter, let alone killing her?”

Nothing.

Aside from a tiff with Bronte, he’d done nothing.

And if I was being honest with myself, the fact Bronte wasn’t too keen on him shouldn’t have sounded the alarm. She had issues with most people.

“You’re right,” I said. “It’s easy for me to suspect those closest to the family. I question anyone and everyone. It doesn’t mean they’re guilty.”

Grant would remain on my suspect list for now. Even with Rae’s attempt to paint him as a decent person, I couldn’t rule him out.

“Aside from Grant, Isaac, and Coach Warren, is there anyone else you suspect?” Rae asked.

“I’m still considering Sebastian.”

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