Page 52 of Murder in the Lighthouse

“No, you know where it’s located. I’ll stay here and guard the bodies. But I’m not staying insidewiththe bodies. I already need some fresh air.”

“Okay. I’ll head toward the science lab and text you if I find anything. Try not to get the willies out here alone.”

“You sound like Brogan. I’m not ten. I’ll be fine. Just let me know when you’re back in the area so I don’t accidentally shoot you.”

Birk grinned. “If you do that, Jade will kill you next.”

Lucien chuckled. “Just get back here as soon as you can. I’ll text Brogan to let her know what’s happening.”

On his ownnow, Birk backtracked toward the bottling line and the science lab. He passed the wine fields and spotted the Quonset hut almost immediately. It was an arch-type prefabricated building made of corrugated galvanized iron measuring sixteen feet wide by thirty-six feet long. It had a bifold door that allowed large equipment to pass through it, two sets of double windows in front, and five single windows along the sides.

He circled the structure first, making sure no one was around. On his second pass, he checked for an alarm system. For all the illegal activity, the winery seemed lax in security. But he took that opportunity in stride as he accessed the back door. Shining his flashlight into the interior, he spotted several vehicles. One was an SUV, a Ford Escape with Nevada plates, and another SUV, an Acura RDX, pearl white in color with California plates. Birk moved among the cars until he spotted the gray sedan, a Mazda, pulled in close to the wall.

He took out his phone and snapped photos of each vehicle and the license plates, sending them to Lucien and Theo. Hearing what he thought were footsteps coming from the concrete footpath, he hightailed it out the back door and sprinted for the pump house.

17

Brogan felt nervous about calling her grandmother. But Delia deserved an apology. She rehearsed her speech before dialing the number. Delia answered on the second ring.

Prepared to make peace, she went into details she’d never dreamed of discussing with the dignified society matron Cordelia Gregson. But she could tell how much she’d hurt her grandmother after accusing her of knowing and hiding the truth all those years ago.

“You know how much I’ve always loved you,” Brogan professed. “I’ve always tried to do everything I could to make you proud of me. I even went to NYU because it’s whatyouwanted. I’ve been trying to make you happy my entire life. I didn’t mean to hurt you.”

“I know,” Delia acknowledged, her voice breaking. “You were upset at learning something you least expected to hear. Ihad no idea Rachel lied to me. You may not completely believe that, but it’s true. I always accepted you as my own. I’ve probably been too hard on you. That’s what your father used to say to me. I suppose I was hard on Rachel, too.”

“I don’t ever want to hurt you in any way, but I need to know the truth about what happened when I was born. I already hired a genealogist to follow the trail if there is one. I’ve talked to members of Indigo who told me about a Swedish model named Britta. I don’t even know her last name. But I do know this woman spent months with my dad on his European tour the year I was born until Rachel showed up. That’s when Britta left to go back to Sweden with Rachel.”

“Do you know how difficult it is to believe these things about my own daughter, that she lied to me all those years ago from the beginning, your beginning? Why would she do that, Brogan? Why did she bring a baby back home from Europe and claim it was hers if it wasn’t true? Who does that sort of thing? I trusted Rachel. And look where that’s gotten me.”

“I’m so sorry. I don’t know if she lied to both of us. I only know what the DNA shows. Plus, I have a lot more questions going on in my head. For starters, do you remember how long Rachel vacationed in Europe that year? Was it weeks? Months? How long was she overseas?”

“Oh, my God, I don’t know. Probably most of the year. She told me she needed a break from everything. What was I to do? She was an adult, a grown woman past thirty. I demanded that she come home several times. It didn’t do me any good. Rachel was a headstrong woman.”

“You taught her that much. How upset were you when you saw she had a baby and hadn’t bothered to get married?”

“I took one look at you and fell in love with my only grandchild. I know you want to believe I was in on this entirehoax, but I wasn’t. Rachel kept me in the dark just as she did you. She and Rory were the only ones who knew the truth.”

“But if Rachel wasn’t my mother, how did she end up with me? That’s the question. What happened to this woman named Britta? Why did Rory allow Rachel to bring me back to the States in the first place? Why didn’t he intervene sooner and take custody of me? Why did he wait until she died for me to go live with him? See, this is why I thought you were hiding the truth. I thought maybe you held the answers. And I wondered, if you knew I wasn’t a Brinell, would it change your opinion of me?”

“Of course not,” Delia declared. “You are a Brinell because Rachel and I raised you.”

“Hmm,” Brogan muttered. It was the same thing Scott had said to her. “You’ve been an integral part of my life. You know that. You were always there for me in everything I did. But then I wondered why you didn’t fight harder for custody after Rachel died.”

“That’s an easy one to answer. Your father swooped in and demanded custody days after the plane crash. He told me he’d fight for you tooth and nail. I’d just lost my only child. I was in no shape emotionally to contest anything. My lawyer told me Rory had legal rights as your father. At the time, what was I to do? We were both thinking of what was best for you. I agreed to give you up and had the housekeeper pack your bags. Within hours, a car pulled up in the driveway to collect you and take you to the airport. Rory had arranged for his lawyer to personally escort you out of the house and see that you got on the next flight to Los Angeles. But I made Rory promise that I could see you whenever I wanted. And, for some reason, he agreed. Your father wasn’t a complete jackass. He could be downright charming to get his way. Although I often worried about how you were being raised.”

“I remember those heated discussions.”

“Maeve Calico became my go-to communication liaison. She was integral in convincing me that you were settling in just fine.”

“She met the plane at LAX.”

“I know. She told me several months later when I came for my first visit. I always thought that was sweet of her. I always wondered how long it took you to settle in.”

“Months, even with help from Maeve. I want you to know that I’ll still love you no matter what I find out. You’re my grandmother, and nothing will ever change that.”

The call ended with both women wiping away tears. Brogan looked across the room and caught Jade staring.

“I find that conversation fascinating. Not only was your grandmother unaware you didn’t belong to Rachel, but she supported her at a time when being an unwed mother was seen as a societal no-no. I’ve always wanted to look into the glamorous life of celebrities living their fabulous lives. But now I know their backstories are as messy as the common folk.”

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