THE TIRES ON RICHMOND’S RANGE Rover screeched as he came to an abrupt stop in front of Don’s private investigative office. Throwing the gear in park, he wondered what could be so urgent that Don had wanted him to stop everything and run straight to his office this late in the evening. He’d just gotten the best blow job ever, and it’d been hard as hell for him to leave Kayla on the beach alone the way he had.
Wondering if Don finally knew who’d murdered Salina, Richmond shoved the door open with his shoulder and clambered out of the truck. Entering Don’s building, he couldn’t wait to hear what he had to say. Bypassing the receptionist desk, Richmond’s mind traveled to his father. The dumb fool had left the hospital without the doctor’s permission. Seeking attention, Russell had left a note saying he was leaving town for good and was never coming back. He’ll be back.
Reaching the end of the hallway, Richmond entered Don’s office. Sitting in the chair behind his desk, Don stood. “Richmond. Come on in.” He stalked up to Don’s desk, and the two men shook hands.
“So what was so urgent you needed to see me right away?”
Don looked fatigued. “You need to sit down for this.”
“No, thanks. I’ll stand.”
Crinkles appeared on Don’s forehead. “No, trust me. You want to sit for what I’m about to tell you.”
Don finally knows who killed Salina. “I’m not sitting, Don. Now tell me what’s going on.”
Don’s shoulders rocked as he blew out a deep breath. “There’s no easy way to tell you this.”
“Skip the intro, please, and get to it.”
Animation jumped on Don’s face. “I’m not sure if you know this, but your father and Kayla’s grandfather were the best of friends before he died. Kayla’s grandfather’s name was Leroy Van Buren. Leroy provided medical care to your parents. Even after they divorced, he continued seeing them. But he didn’t have a medical license. He practiced medicine using natural herbs, etc.”
Richmond was stunned. “I knew someone came by the house to take care of their medical needs from time to time, but I never bothered asking the person’s name. Are you sure it was Kayla’s grandfather?”
“I’m very sure. After I found out your father had given Jason a check, I researched the last five years of Russell’s banking. Russell had written tons of checks to Leroy. Knowing Leroy made house calls to sick people got me to wondering if Russell may have introduced Leroy to Salina.” Richmond’s knees threatened to unbuckle. Don continued. “I got hold of the camera at the traffic light right off Spaulding drive, and sure enough, Leroy Van Buren had been near Spaulding Drive around the same time Salina was murdered.”
Startled by Don’s findings, pain engulfed Richmond like an old wound on a rainy day. “So are you saying Kayla’s grandfather killed my wife?”
Don nodded. “Yes, Richmond. I believed that Kayla’s grandfather murdered Salina.” Feeling like the wind was knocked out of him, Richmond closed his eyes. “There’s more.”
More? Richmond’s eyes sprang open. He didn’t think he could take any more. “Damn.”
“I don’t know if Kayla told you this or not, but she was the last person to see your father before he had his heart attack, which leads me to believe she went to see Russell, searching for the truth about her grandfather. Or maybe she visited Russell to beg him not to tell you that her grandfather killed Salina.”
Feeling deeply betrayed, Richmond’s head throbbed. Pain roiled his tight chest. He’d been a fucking fool! “Kayla made a fool of me. For all I know…she may have known her grandfather was going to kill Salina. Maybe she moved here after Salina died with the sole intent to seduce me.”
“Why do think Kayla would do something as foul as that?”
“For money, Don! For my fucking money!” Enraged, Richmond stormed out of Don’s office.