Page 30 of Call Back

Chapter 7

Belinda was already sittingat a table when I arrived at the restaurant, and she greeted me with a weary smile. She looked like she hadn’t gotten much sleep the night before, but then again, neither had I. Despite her obvious fatigue, she still looked better put together than most women I knew. She wore a pale aqua dress, and her hair was held back from her face with pearl-encrusted pins.

She rose when she saw me and pulled me into a hug.

The waitress stopped at our table, took our drink and breakfast orders, and then headed back to the kitchen.

“Have you seen your momma in the last few days?” she asked.

“No,” I said, surprised it was the first thing she brought up. “I’ve talked to her a few times, but haven’t seen her since I went to Brady’s.”

Belinda frowned. “She’s not looking that great, Magnolia. I’m really worried about her.”

I was sure the stress of my recent attack hadn’t helped with her health issues. “Has she been to the doctor?”

“No, Tilly says she refuses to go.”

Did she think the end was coming sooner rather than later? Was that why she wanted to meet for lunch? A knot formed in the pit of my stomach.

Guilt flashed in Belinda’s eyes. Then she leaned forward and asked in a quiet voice, “How are you doing? I know it has to hurt that there are rumors floating around about your father again.”

I wasn’t surprised she’d asked. Only a week ago, she’d heard me tell Colt I was sure my father hadn’t run off with Shannon Morrissey and her husband’s money, like everyone had believed—that he had been murdered instead. “I’m not content to leave things where they are,” I said. “I’m still digging.”

She looked startled. “Digging into what?”

“I found out that Daddy had a connection to Max Goodwin and Neil Fulton.”

“Your father was a financial planner who dealt with very wealthy clients. It’s not surprising he knew them.”

Her comment gave me pause. Belinda and Amy had been friends, so I’d expected her to react differently to this piece of news. I’d thought she would be eager for the chance to clear her friend’s name. “Don’t you think it’s the slightest bit weird? Maybe this means Amy didn’t kill them.”

Belinda fingered the handle of her fork. “Of course she killed them. She wrote a note.”

“But don’t you think there could be a link between—”

Her gaze jerked up, and I was surprised by the cold look in her eyes. “Amy killed them.”

We stared at each other for a couple of seconds before her expression softened and tears filled her eyes. “Trust me, it’s hard for me to believe she did it, but there’s no point in chasing windmills, Magnolia. Besides, delving into your father’s disappearance nearly got you killed. You need to trust the police on this.”

“I’m sorry.”

She offered me a wavering smile. “No, I’m sorry. I understand your need to find answers, but you have to accept that Amy killed them.”

This did not bode well for my plan to ask her for a copy of the guest list to Luke Powell’s party, not to mention asking her again about the man hiding in the shadows who looked like my brother.

“But there’s more,” I said. “I also found out that he had a bunch of clients who invested in a failed land development project in north Nashville. There were lawsuits filed against him.”

“That’s why he had liability insurance,” she said, her gaze holding mine, as though she was trying to hypnotize me into letting this go.

“How do you know so much about it?” I asked.

“Roy. He’s practically taken over your father’s job.”

Yes, he had, which meant . . .

“Is Roy into something crooked too?”

The color washed out of her face. “Magnolia, you need to leave this alone.”

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