Page 36 of Dirty Liars

She was a thin, stern-looking woman with the kind of posture that reminded me of a piano teacher I’d had as a child. The woman had scared me to death, and I hadn’t taken very many lessons before deciding piano wasn’t my future. Mrs. Kelso had probably been very pretty when she’d been younger, but now her skin was tight with Botox, her lips looked like they’d been stung by a swarm of bees, and her cheeks were so sunken in I didn’t know how she chewed without biting them.

She was dressed in white linen pants and a flowing top the color of coral, and her blond hair was long and artfully highlighted and belonged on a much younger woman.

“We won’t take up much of your time,” Jack said, giving her a smile. “I’m sure they’ll make accommodations for you if you explain the situation. The staff here are exceptional.”

She huffed and pursed her lips. “It doesn’t seem like we have any choice in the matter.”

“It’s important to find out everything we can so we can find out who killed Theo and Chloe. The two of you were at the wedding.”

Jack didn’t ask it as a question, but let the Kelsos interpret it however they saw fit.

“And what is that supposed to imply?” Mrs. Kelso asked.

“Settle down, dear,” Mr. Kelso piped in, settling a meaty hand on her arm. “They’re just doing their job. They’ve got to ask questions.”

“All I heard was an accusation,” she said coldly.

“Not at all, ma’am,” Jack said easily.

We walked up the steps so we were level with them on the deck, and Mr. Kelso took the hint and guided his wife into a chair. She didn’t look like she liked being handled, but she sat in one of the four rockers. Jack and I stayed standing.

“How did you know Theo and Chloe?” Jack asked.

“Oh, we were at Theo’s first wedding,” Mr. Kelso said. “We’ve been friends of the family for decades.”

“Where are you from?” Jack asked. “I can’t place your accent.”

“Oh, my wife is American through and through. A New Yorker. I was born in Scotland, went to boarding school in London, and lived a decade in Dubai before I met Donna in New York while on a business trip.” He smiled genially. “So I’m sure my accent is quite hybrid by this point.”

“And Theo?”

“We’ve been friends with Nicholas and Cecelia for years,” he said. “So of course, we watched Theo grow up. We thought for a while that Theo and our daughter, Catherine, would end up together. I know Donna and Cecelia wanted it that way. But Theo and Cate are just good friends. She was at the wedding as well, but she’s already left to go back to London.”

“Were you surprised when Theo announced his engagement to Chloe?” Jack asked.

Donna snorted indelicately. “Theo was a fool, but men usually are when it comes to the wrong kind of woman.”

“And Chloe was the wrong kind?” Jack asked.

“She was trouble,” Donna said. “You know Theo hired the poor girl out of the goodness of his heart. She was down on her luck and needed the work, so he hired her to manage his restaurants. Theo’s always had his father’s knack for business. It wasn’t long until she was dressing well above her pay grade and being integrated with Theo’s circle of friends.”

Mrs. Kelso lowered her voice and leaned closer. “Chloe didn’t belong, and never would have been accepted. Cecelia told me in confidence that she’d seen Chloe with another man when she’d come to surprise Theo for lunch one afternoon. The man walked out the front door of their home just as bold as you please and right past Cecelia, and Chloe was standing there in the doorway with hardly a thing on. Chloe told Cecelia that Theo was out of town. Can you believe the gall? Bringing a strange man into Theo’s home like that?”

“Settle down, dear,” he said, patting her arm again. “You’re speaking of the dead now.”

“I can only assume she brought it upon herself,” Mrs. Kelso said testily. “Cecelia immediately went to Theo about the incident, of course, but Theo told her it was nothing of importance and to stay out of it. She was so upset. Theo was her pride and joy, and she hated that he would be throwing his life away on a whore. She wanted grandchildren so badly, and Theo wasn’t getting any younger.”

“What time did the two of you arrive back here on the night of the wedding?” Jack asked.

“Oh, I don’t know,” Edward said. “I’d say it was before ten o’clock. We’re not as young as we used to be, so we left after the dancing started.”

“This resort isn’t anywhere close to the wedding venue,” Jack said. “Why stay so far away?”

“We’ve been trying to take the time to stay at The Mad King since they opened,” Mr. Kelso said. “We had some friends stay here and they said it’s on par with resorts all over the world. It’s gotten quite the reputation across the globe. When we got the wedding invitation in January I had my assistant call and see if they had any openings. It was our lucky day because someone had made a cancelation.”

Mrs. Kelso cleared her throat and said, “Nicholas of course was able to pull some strings so Theo and Chloe could stay here for their wedding night. There are very few people who can say no to Nicholas.”

“Is that so?” Jack asked. “Did you see Theo and Chloe while you were here at the resort?”

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