“About what?”
“My life, I guess. He asks me what I like about it, what I don’t, what I feel about people, things, myself. And then at some point he takes over the talking.”
“What does he say?”
“He calls it ego building. You know, telling me I’m a bright, intelligent, attractive woman and that I have the power to be whatever I want. That kind of crap.”
“Crap?”
She shrugs. “In some ways it does make me feel better about myself when I leave there. But when I play it all back in my head it just seems so . . . I don’t know . . . fake. Like a cheap come-on or something, you know?”
I do, and I can’t help but think that Carla’s discomfort with Nelson somewhat mirrors my own, though apparently it hasn’t been enough to make her stop seeing him.
My cell phone rings, and after glancing at the caller ID and seeing that it’s Izzy, I apologize to Carla and explain that I need to take the call. She nods, and politely excuses herself from the room.
“Hey, Izzy, what’s up?”
“Can you get back here to the office?” he asks. “I just called Hurley and told him about Arnie’s find. He’s on his way here and plans to call the various family members in to give them the news. I thought you might want to be in on it.”
“Heck, yeah,” I say, relishing the thought. “I wouldn’t miss that for all the money in the world.”
I hang up and Carla’s timely reappearance makes me suspect she was eavesdropping despite her apparent attempt to give me some privacy.
“Do you have to go?” she asks.
“I do. But maybe we can get together again sometime and chat some more.”
“I’d like that,” she says, giving me a feeble smile.
I grab the last of my muffin and proffer it toward her. “These are phenomenal,” I tell her.
“Thanks. Why don’t you take a couple with you? I have more than enough,” She lets out a self-deprecating laugh. “I still bake as if I have a whole family living here.”
There is something painfully sad in the way she says this, and I almost walk over and hug her. But my gut tells me it would be the wrong thing to do, so I hold back and take the muffins instead. Carla shows me to the door and I thank her for letting me stop by. As I turn to step off the porch she calls me back.
“Mattie?”
“Yes?”
“What’s the real reason you’re so interested in Dr. Nelson?”
Busted.
“It’s part of a routine investigation,” I say vaguely, but Carla isn’t about to let me off that easily.
“What kind of investigation?”
“He used to date Shannon Tolliver. That makes him a person of interest in her case.” It’s the truth, though not the whole truth. Still, I’m hoping it will suffice.
Carla weighs what I’ve told her for a few seconds, scrutinizing my face. I try to keep my expression placid but Carla is savvier than I gave her credit for.
“There’s more to it than that,” she says. It’s not a question.
“Maybe.”
She leans against the door frame and looks up at the sky. “There’s something about him that bothers me.”
“What?”
“I don’t know exactly. I can’t put my finger on one specific thing. On the surface he seems professional, affable, and kind. But . . .” I want to grab her and shake her to make her spit it out. But I manage to restrain myself. “Something just feels wrong,” she says finally. “Every time I leave there I feel . . .” She hesitates and then shrugs. “I feel wrong. I can’t explain it any better than that.”
She doesn’t need to. “I think I understand what you’re trying to tell me, Carla. To be honest, there’s something about him that rings wrong with me, too.”
“I have another appointment with him tomorrow. Will you let me know if you turn up anything?”
“Sure.”
“Thanks, Mattie.”
“Thank you,” I say in return. “You’ve been a big help to me.”
With that, Carla turns and goes back inside. As I climb into the hearse and start it up, I have a strong feeling that she’s watching me leave. And oddly, I also have the feeling that neither of our lives will ever be the same again.
Chapter 36
I head back to the office, anticipating the upcoming meeting with the Heinrich and Conklin families. Even more exciting is the knowledge that Hurley will be there. As I pull into the parking lot, I see Aaron Heinrich pulling in at the same time. He hails me as I get out of my car.
“Hello, Aaron.”
He is positively beaming as he approaches. “I take it we’ve been called here because your office finally has some answers for us,” he says, falling into step beside me.
“Yes, we do.”
“That’s great news.”
“How can you be so sure? You don’t know the outcome yet.”
He smiles at me and dismisses my question with a wave of his hand. “I don’t really care about the money all that much.”
“Really?” I say, my skepticism obvious.
“Yes, really. Unlike my siblings, I’ve managed to put away most of my money rather than squander it. I’ll be okay no matter what happens.”
“Then why are you glad to hear we have an answer?”
“Well, for one thing, it will put an end to all this bickering.” He opens the door to the office and holds it for me, his smile broadening. “But even better,” he adds as I walk inside, “is the fact that once your investigation is done, you no longer have a reason to avoid having dinner with me.”
“I see,” I say, feeling myself start to blush. Cass is on duty; at least I assume the long-haired, hippy-looking girl behind the desk is her. Standing beside her is Hurley, who starts to smile but then quickly scowls when he sees Aaron and I walk in together.
“What about this coming Saturday?” Aaron says as we approach the desk. “Are you free? Because I’d love to take you to this fabulous restaurant I know in Green Bay.”
Hurley’s scowl deepens and my wicked side takes over. “Let me think on that, Aaron,” I say, smiling sweetly at him. “I’ll let you know before you leave today, okay?”
“Great!” He claps his hands like a little kid, a gesture I find somehow charming.
Cass walks over to us and says, “Mr. Heinrich, if you’ll follow me I’ll take you to the conference room. The rest of your family as well as your stepsiblings are already there.”
I hand my muffins over to Cass, and as she leads Aaron out of the reception area, Hurley walks over to me wearing an expression that looks like thunderclouds. “You aren’t seriously going to go out on a date with that yahoo, are you?” he grumbles.
I shrug and smile. “I don’t know yet. He’s handsome, charming, and seems to be the only member of his family with any brains or common sense. So why not?”
“Handsome?” Hurley scoffs. “You find that coiffed playboy look appealing?”
“I find many looks appealing,” I tell him. I turn to head for the conference room but before I can take a second step, Hurley grabs my arm and pulls me back.
“Don’t do it,” he says.
“Are you kidding? I wouldn’t miss this denouement for anything. I can’t wait to see those spoiled brats get their comeuppance.”
“I don’t mean that,” Hurley says, looking nervous. He still has a hold on one of my arms and he grabs the other one and turns me to face him. “I mean the other thing. You can’t . . . I mean, you shouldn’t . . . damn it!” He blows out a breath of exasperation. “I don’t want you going on a date with Aaron Heinrich,” he finally spits out.
His hold on me is firm but not tight and I briefly consider shaking his grip loose. But I like him touching me too much to do so. So I issue a verbal challenge instead. “Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t.”