Page 27 of Reading Between the Lines
Diem went on the defense in response to the man’s irritable tone, standing taller and puffing out his chest, so I stepped forward, hand extended. “Tallus Domingo from Shadowy Solutions. You must be…” I stalled, not snagging on a name. “Weston’s father?”
“Yeah, but you’ve been misguided by my wife. She’s grieving and not thinking straight. Thank you for offering your services, but they won’t be needed. Gentlemen, kindly see yourselves out. Have a nice day.”
But as the man was about to shut the door, Delaney appeared from a far hallway and raced toward him, grabbing his shoulder and tugging him out of the way. “Irvin, stop. I invited them over. You have no right.”
“Laney, we talked about this,” Irvin said through gritted teeth, his tone carefully controlled. “Please don’t do this.”
Delaney looked fresh from a shower, damp hair hanging freshly brushed over a clean white blouse. Wet spots bloomedon the fabric, leaving the material transparent enough her bra straps showed. She wore no makeup. Grief strained her eyes, making her features drawn and sad.
“You can believe what you want, butI’mnot giving up until I have answers.”
“We have answers. The police—” Irvin stopped and glanced in our direction before taking his wife roughly by the arm and steering her into an adjacent room. His hushed words traveled regardless. “The police investigated. They listened to you.”
“They didn’t.”
“Sweetheart, it was an accident. You have to accept that and move on. Please. For Weston’s sake.”
“I can’t. Something isn’t right, and you know it.”
“Laney—”
“No. These gentlemen are going to help me find out the truth.”
“Why does it matter? It won’t change anything.”
“Why does it matter? Are you serious? It matters because someone killed my son.”
“He’s not—”
“He is, and I can’t… I can’t properly let him go until whoever did this is put behind bars and justice is served.”
“Sweetie, it was an accident.”
“It wasn’t!”
“Shush. Good god, woman. Keep your voice down. You’re making it into something it isn’t. Can’t we—”
“I’m not making it into anything. Facts are facts. If you don’t want to see the truth, fine, but I’m… Ouch! Let go of me.”
“Honey—”
“Let go of me, Irvin.” The hysterical tone of Delaney’s voice spiked my adrenaline.
Silence bloomed in the other room, and I glanced at Diem, whose nostrils flared. At some point, he’d clenched his fists.
“What do we do?” I whispered.
Diem moved to enter the house as Delaney reappeared in the hallway, cheeks flushed as she rubbed her wrist.
Irvin followed a few steps behind, looking as angry as before, arms crossed and jaw set. “This is ridiculous. A waste of time and money.”
“Ignore my husband. We have differing opinions where our son is concerned. Please, come in. I’ll show you to Weston’s bedroom.”
“They are not stepping foot in my son’s room.” I feared the hostility in Irvin’s tone might trigger Diem’s defensiveness. I’d seen him reactive when it came to unhinged husbands. I didn’t know if Irvin fit that category, but I didn’t get a good vibe.
Delaney, however, wasn’t fazed by her husband’s ire. “Theyaregoing upstairs, Irvin. If you don’t like it, find something to do with yourself. If you want to accept that our son had an accident, so be it, but you aren’t stopping me or this investigation. It’s my money paying for their services, not yours.”
Irvin held Delaney’s gaze a long moment before shifting it to me and then to Diem. I didn’t know what kind of face my surly boyfriend wore since he stood behind me, but it seemed to subdue Irvin’s temper. Six and a half feet of solid muscle tended to have an effect.
