The Wedding Guest (Alex Delaware #34) - Jonathan Kellerman Page 0,98
of them did. But they hung their heads as they shuffled in, gripping each other’s hands, waiting passively as Milo arranged four chairs on four sides.
“Sit wherever, Mr. and Mrs. B. Make yourselves comfortable.”
The look that passed between the couple said that was impossible, but they cater-cornered from each other and held hands atop the table.
“Coffee? Tea? Coke?”
“No, thanks,” said Brearely Burdette. Hoarse voice, low volume. Slight redness around the sclera of her eyes suggested a tough morning. As she stroked the top of her husband’s jumpy hand, his Adam’s apple took an upward elevator ride before plummeting downward.
“Okay, then.” Milo shut the door. As he sat near Garrett, Garrett sucked in his breath and looked at Brearely.
She said, “It’s okay, honey. You know what to do.”
As if she’d coached him. She probably had.
He blew out enough air to flutter his lips and turn them rubbery. Scratching his stubbly chin, he said, “All right…this is something I’ve been thinking about. I wasn’t sure what to do so I waited to see if it would stay on my mind. It did. I told my wife. She convinced me.”
“Sweetie-doll,” said Brearely, “you would’ve done it anyway. You know what’s right.”
She gave his cheek a quick, light peck.
He said, “Thanks, babe—Lieutenant, I probably should’ve come forward earlier. I guess I just—all the stress, who goes through something like what we did?”
Brearely nodded.
Milo said, “Unbelievable.”
Garrett said, “So we needed to get away. Like I told you, a honeymoon now wasn’t our original plan, we really were going to wait. But then things…piled up. My firm said okay. So.”
Shrug.
Milo said, “Italy was good?”
Brearely said, “Amazing.” To Garrett: “You chilled, you had time to think, you figured it out, here we are.”
“More like you figured it out, babe. You gave me moral clarity.”
“No, doll.” She squeezed his hand. “I just listened. You knew. You know.”
Her smile swung around, encompassing three sides of the table. Every man in the room graced with a share.
“I suppose,” said Garrett. He pressed his wife’s palm to his cheek.
She said, “You opened yourself up.” The smile expanded. “And you also found out you’ve got a great beard. Look at my man’s macho pelt, guys. Just a few days.”
Milo said, “Impressive.”
Garrett gave a mournful look. “Yeah, that’s me, Mr. Macho. Sorry, Lieutenant, no sense delaying. We’re here because we might know something. I might. About what happened. Or maybe not, you be the judge.”
Milo sat back and crossed his legs.
Garrett said, “What we said initially was true. We don’t know her…the victim.”
“We even went over the invite list,” said Brearely. “Even though we knew she definitely wasn’t on. Then we remembered. Someone who almost was going to be there. And when you said Poland.” Heaving chest. “Wow.”
Garrett said, “We’re talking about a friend of my sister. Amanda, not Marilee. She asked us to add him to the list. Last minute. It was annoying, a hassle, we didn’t want to do it but Amanda persisted and got all…”
“Obnoxious,” said Brearely.
Garrett bit his lip. “Amanda can get like that.”
Milo said, “Persistent.”
Brearely said, “Obnoxious and pushy. Who does that at the last minute? The table plans took forever to figure out, we used two separate computer programs. Then five days before, she comes up with that?”
Milo said, “A friend of hers.”
“Some kind of genius,” said Garrett. “She called him The Brain.”
Brearely said, “You’re obnoxious, who cares what your IQ is?”
Milo said, “A friend.”
“Or maybe more like a mentor,” said Garrett. “An academic type.”
I said, “Type?”
“She said she met him at the U., he was brilliant, had done endowed research”—deep inhalation—“in Poland. I said sounds like he’s way older than you and she gave me one of her looks.”
“The death-ray stink-eye,” said Brearely. “We’ve all been on the receiving end. Especially Garrett, he’s so nice to her, she thinks he’s a sucker. But he’s learning. It’s like a learning curve.”
Kissing Garrett’s cheek again. She turned to us. “She’s got anger issues, which she showed when we said no way, it’s five days. Then his mom said couldn’t we do one thing for Amanda, she has no friends.” Sigh. “So we said okay and I had to go at the table charts again thinking OMG what the F am I going to do?”
Garrett said, “Amanda’s different. Always has been. So when she said there was someone she wanted to invite, a guy, even though it was…a little late—I figured maybe she’s turned a corner.”
“Crazy late,” said Brearely, eyes flashing. “A humong-o hassle. But you explained,