Page 34 of 4th Silence
For kicks, I stand and march to the board, where I add Eloise to the list of names.
Charlie shoots me one of her focused, mean-girl looks. Yes, I’m being a brat. She knows it. I know it.
Everyone in this room knows it.
Ask me if I care.
I reclaim my seat just as Matt leans forward. “What can you tell us about your father?”
I’ve always adored Matt. No bullshit. No stalling. Just a straight-on inquiry.
Still with the mask of nothingness, Alex meets his eye. “My father. He was a mean bastard who drank too much and took it out on everyone around him.”
Alrighty then.
I make a mental note to call my dad and tell him how much I love him.
Charlie flips to a fresh page on her notepad. “Why?”
“My guess,” Alex says, “is he didn’t want to be carrying the weight of the Hartman legacy.”
“We’ve spoken to Mallory. She indicated there may have been tension between your father and Gerald?”
Alex barks out a laugh. “That’s one way to put it. They were cordial, but my uncle was a major part of the problem. When they were younger, my father assumed they’d run the company together. Gerry wound up being a liability on many fronts.”
“The party boy,” Matt says.
“The party boy who cost us a lot of hush money.” Alex waves a hand. “Prostitutes. Drug dealers. Bookies.”
“He owed money?” Charlie asks.
“Plenty of it. My father always paid it. But, who knows, there could have been more Gerry didn’t tell Dad about.”
“Who do you think killed Tiffany?”
This from Charlie. Also no slouch in the directness department.
Alex lets out a low whistle. “No wonder JJ loves you.”
My sister averts her gaze, pretending to stare at the murder board. I know her, and underneath that calm facade, she’s crumbling.
Clearly, Alex is uninformed about JJ punting their relationship.
“Here’s the thing,” Alex says, his gaze following Charlie’s. “Something happened during that party. My father and Gerry weren’t at odds. I was young, but kids understand tension, and it was thick that night.” He absently waves a hand. “It’s in the reports somewhere.”
This is news to me, but I haven’t reviewed all the files. Perhaps Mom knows this, but I think she’d have mentioned it.
“I’m not sure,” Alex says, “but I’ve always thought Gerry was in another mess. My father was tired of cleaning up his disasters, and I think Dad may have told him he was done shelling out money.”
I swivel my chair to face him. “You’re saying Tiffany may have been killed because of Gerry’s debts?”
Alex shrugs. “It’s not out of the question. Think about it. Why, if Gerry owed some nasty people money, would they kill him? He was their golden goose who would always be back for more action. If he’s dead, they definitely don’t get their money, and they lose an income stream.”
The room falls silent for a moment, and that sickness in my stomach returns.
Yes, there are people who are evil in the world. Those who would murder an innocent child simply to send a message to the degenerate parent.
God, this world is too much for me.
