Page 63 of Panty Dropper

“No, I didn’t know him. But I saw him when I lived there.”

“Oh.” I nodded, still not clear on exactly what she meant.

“He visited my grandparents’ house a few times. When he was there, it stood out to me because they never introduced me to him, which is a mortal sin to my grandparents. They are really big on etiquette and decorum. If we had a guest, I was expected to greet them in the foyer and welcome them. But when he came, Sally the house manager would immediately usher him to the parlor, which was not a room where children were permitted.”

Where children were permitted?Sounded like a real fun place to grow up.

“My grandparents would join him and they’d all speak in hushed tones. Once I tried once to listen, but Sally caught me and shooed me away.”

“And you’re sure it was him?”

“Yes, I think so. His hair was a lot more pepper than salt then. But even if I’m misremembering him coming to the house, I’m certain he attended both my high school and college graduations.”

“Your graduations?”

“Yes. I know it was him because of the mole on his right cheek.”

It was a fairly distinctive birthmark. “So he knows your grandparents?”

“I guess so.” Cheyenne looked as puzzled as me. “When you talked to him, did he mention anything about them?”

“No. Do you want me to ask him about it?” I was hoping she’d say no. After my run in with him yesterday, I felt it was more necessary than ever to create clear boundaries between my personal and professional life. I didn’t think I’d be able to do that if I was inquiring about his personal life.

Cheyenne shook her head emphatically. “No. Don’t.”

I sighed in relief. “Are you going to talk to him about it?”

She continued her head shaking. “No. No, I don’t want to do that, either. I know he’s seen me. I caught him looking at me more than once, at the funeral and then at the bar afterwards, but he kept his distance. He hasn’t approached me and spoken about my grandparents, or even acknowledged that he knows them.”

“That’s strange.” This entire situation was getting more mysterious by the day.

“I thought so, too.” She picked up a glazed donut and finished it off in just a few bites. I wondered if she was an emotional eater, because of the way she’d woofed down that tasty treat.

“I’ll keep an ear out. He’s not really in the office that much, but I’ll definitely let you know if I hear anything.”

“Thanks.” She sucked down a large swig of her iced coffee and set it down. “Have you heard anything about my mother’s trust?”

“No. I haven’t.” I reported. “Things have been a little crazy this week and I’m trying to play catch up.”

I’d found out from Mrs. B that I was hired to replace Jennings’s oldest son, who’d been checked into a rehab facility after wrapping his car around a pole—with a blood alcohol level four times the legal limit.

I was doing my best to get up to speed on all the cases he’d been handling, but it was a lot. Mr. Abernathy was semi-retired and Sterling was being groomed to step into his father’s shoes. Also—not to judge someone I’d never met too harshly—but from what I’d been able to gather, his approach to record keeping was similar to his driving, in that he seemed to do both primarily while drunk off his ass.

“Right, of course. I’m sorry.”

“No, don’t be. Next week, things should be under much firmer control and I’m going to look into it further at that point.”

“Thanks.” She stood and brushed her hands off, the crumbs falling into her napkin. “Well, I better get going. I know you have plans.”

“Oh no, you don’t have to” I rose from the bed. “Why don’t you come with us? To look at places.”

“No thanks, I don’t want to be the third friend wheel.” Her blue eyes twinkled with mischief.

“Ha ha,” I chuckled. “Seriously, you should come. It will be fun.”

And with a chaperone along, I’ll be less likely to hoist and fly my freak flag.

“Oh, I’m sure you two will have fun.” She smiled airily and gave me a quick hug, then was out the door before I could protest further.

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