Back in Black (McGinnis Investigations #1) - Rhys Ford Page 0,55
head. “I was almost twelve when I ran away the first time, and after the police brought me back, they said they would stop. That’s when we moved to Los Angeles and when I decided I was going to be a lawyer. I needed to… balance things out, I think. I don’t know. They told me they were done with that life, but it looks like all they did was create a lie for me to live in. I just don’t know what to think anymore.”
As much as I hated sifting through the shattered remains of Marlena’s life, there really wasn’t much choice. Unless Bobby cornered our imposter and she confessed everything, I had nothing to go on. I needed to find out what Adele was doing out in that neighborhood on that night. From the sounds of it, it’d been decades since the Brinkerhoffs pulled a caper in front of Marlena, but I had a slim hope she paid attention to their friends. Adele went out to meet someone she knew. My gut told me that. The fake diamonds told me she was either trying to scam someone or she’d been double-crossed.
“How much were you told about your grandmother’s murder?” I asked as gently as I could.
“I know that she was found in Brentwood and she’d been shot. I haven’t contacted the police yet. Silly me, I thought maybe someone would contact me, but I didn’t realize that woman stepped in to take my place.” Marlena set her cup down on the bench, and I was partially surprised it didn’t burn through the Styrofoam and into the stone, considering she drank it black. “I suppose I will have to get ahold of that detective you told me about. This is all just such a mess. There was no reason for her to be out there. But then, I guess I really didn’t know them at all, did I?”
“I hate to be the one to tell you these things, but I have to.” Turning on the bench, I went over as briefly as I could the events of that night, leaving out the gory details but verifying how Adele met her demise and informing Marlena of the fake gems found on her body. The only time I got a reaction was when I told her I’d been the one to find her grandmother’s body. She blinked, then looked away. “Your grandfather reached out to me because he didn’t have any faith in the cops. I didn’t understand that at the time, but if what you say is true, I can see why he wouldn’t want the police to dig into his life.”
“If what I say is true?” Marlena snorted, her nostrils flaring in anger and her eyes narrowed, fixing on some point off in the distance. “I can give you the keys and codes to their townhouse. Maybe there’s something there, but other than that, I can’t help you. I’m as in the dark as you are.”
“Detective O’Byrne probably will want access to the townhouse,” I replied, putting my own cup down because my stomach had had enough. “I’m a consultant on this case. Any evidence gathering needs to be done by the police. Are you okay with that?”
“I’m okay with anything that leads to my grandmother’s murderer,” Marlena said flatly, glancing up at the hospital towering above us. “And whoever attacked Poppa. They may have been lying to me all of my life, but they’re all I had. It’s just knowing I worked hard to become a lawyer—I graduated at the top of my class, for God’s sake—and all of it was paid for by criminal activity. It feels like my diploma, my career, hell, my entire life is dirty. Like I won’t ever be clean again. I’m going to need time to deal with that.”
“I just have one last thing to ask you,” I told her, brushing her arm lightly to prevent her from standing when she leaned forward on the bench. “You said your grandparents had friends who helped you relocate. Are these people still around? Do you have any names or addresses of people they’re close to? They may be people connected to your grandparents through that kind of activity and you just weren’t aware of it.”
“Do you want to know what’s funny? My grandfather’s best friend is an ex-cop. His name is George Watson. He and his wife, Marie, live in the townhouse kitty-corner from my grandparents’ place. There’s four apartments on each floor of