Page 39 of Sapphire Nights
“And it never occurred to you that Cass might be a fraud trying to con you out of your trustfund?”
She shrugged, and her loose shirt slid off one shoulder, revealing skin pale as moonlight. “I’m sheltered but not stupid. The trust fundwas well invested, and my parents didn’t draw on it often. It isn’t enormous, just enough so that I can survive if I don’t live luxuriously. I was trying to get up the nerve to travel on my own—I even got my TSA pre-check card—so I took care not to overspend. I never carry anything but my creditcard.”
“What did Cass tell you when you showed up?” He steered the SUV up a narrow road to thehilltopresort.
“She told me that she’d raised my father since he was an infant and gave him her husband’s name, so Zachary Tolliver was his legal name, and I could look at her as my grandmother.” In the moonlight, her pale features wrinkled with concern. “She said my real grandmother was part of the psychedelic drugs era, became a heroin addict, and my father was born with fetal drug addiction,which made him a difficult and sicklychild.”
“And Zachary’s real father?” Walker parked the Explorer in an obscure part of the luxury hotel’s lot, away from the Jags and BMWs. No sense in disturbing the clientele with an officialvehicle.
“My grandfather didn’t marry the heroin addict. According to Cass, my grandmother died of an overdose within a year, and my grandfather didn’twant anything to do with his sickly son. But he provided a trust fund for Zachary’ssupport.”
“This isn’t going to end well, is it?” He got out his case with the laptop and punched his reservation into his phone, gaining the code for their room. By the time they reached the front door, he had their e-key and steered her toward theelevators.
She halted at the elaborate bouquet inthe main lobby. “Some of those are from Australia,” she said in wonder, reaching out to touch what looked like a prickly purple thorn. “Do they grow themhere?”
“Clueless. The only plant I’ve ever grown is weed, and I don’t mean the garden variety. And it died.” Walker finally dragged her away, but now he realized she’d never been in a fancy hotel. He was dealing with a virtualnewborn.
“Were you experimenting in smoking or growing?” she asked as they entered theelevators.
Not totally a newborn then, if she knew what pot was. Of course she did, she took botany classes and lived with artists. “Both. That was back in college when I was young andstupid.”
“And now you’re thinking I’m just out of college and equally young and stupid.” She yanked her elbow fromhisgrip.
Shame that, he’d been enjoying the flesh-to-flesh contact. “No, a little naïve, perhaps, but not stupid by a longshot.”
She pondered that as the elevator opened directly into the suite. Even he was a little impressed by the grandeur. Sofia had warned him that this would suck his pocketdry.
Sam gawked insilence.
Walker removed his holster, then perused thesleeping situation. Two equally grandiose bedrooms joined by an enormous sitting/dining area. If he were really lucky, it had a well-stocked bar. He found the refrigerator and the bar and poured himself another beer. It was going to be a long night if he had to stay up and watch Sam sway around the room, caressing flower arrangements and tinkling the keys on the grand piano. He wanted to yank thecombs out of her hair and let it fall down herback.
“More wine?” he asked, offering up a full-size bottle. “Orchampagne?”
“Champagne? I’ve never had champagne.” She sauntered over to examine the bottle. “I can’t drink all that. Maybe some othertime.”
He unwrapped the cork and popped it. “It’s not every day you find long lost familyandyour memory. How much more did Casstell you?” He must be as insane as the Lucys to believe this crap, but it all fit with what he already knew. He found a glass in the bar and poured the bubbly under a bright light so she could admire the fizz. She was a cute drunk, and he needed her to continue the story to keep from pouncing onher.
Sam gave him another of those devastating smiles that went straight to his groin. Takingthe glass, she sipped cautiously. “Ittickles.”
“It’s really dry, so it may be an acquired taste. You don’t have to drink it if you don’t like it.” It was the hundred-dollar a bottle stuff, but as he’d said, it was worth celebrating this temporary reprieve from real life. Tomorrow, they’d head back up the mountain tolunacy.
One day at a time was all he was doing thesedays.
“I probably shouldn’t acquire the taste, but I’m willing to try anything once.” She sipped some more before returning to his question. “Cass kept things from me. I remember getting frustrated when I asked whomymother was and why she gave me up for adoption. She told me Zack died the same way his mother had, by overdose. But she didn’t say my mother was dead too. And she didn’t mention whathappened to Zach’s father, my realgrandfather.”
He seated her on the couch so she didn’t wobble—and so he could sit beside her and drink in her scent as he opened up his laptop. “Let’s see what Sofia turnedup.”
“Do you think any of this affects your father’s death?” she asked, watching over hisshoulder.
“We already know Cass is related to the Kennedys, who own half thetown. My father was researching some kind of fraud case when he went up there. I’m pretty sure he wouldn’t be looking into drug addicts. His business was more corporate than that.” He connected with his personal hotspot instead of the hotel Wi-Fi. “If you’re what... twenty-four?”
Shenodded.
“Then chances are good that if your birth father lived with Cass, he was connected to peoplewho were still living in Hillvale a few years after you were born—when my father arrived. If Cass is a Kennedy...” He scrolled through the family tree file Sofia had created on Cass. “Bingo.” He turned the screen around where she could seeit.
She studied all the crisscrossing lines. “Complicated family. My heroine-addict grandmother doesn’t seem to be related to Cass. She put no father’sname on Zach’s birth certificate. So why did Cass and her husband adopthim?”
Walker clicked a link so she could read the data easier. “Sofia has access to databases your genealogist doesn’t. Geoffrey Kennedy ran a DNA test on Zach before he set up the trustfund.”
She clicked back to trace the family line. “Geoffrey Kennedywas my grandfather? I went on a date with myuncle?”
