death. Personally, I never believed her wild conspiracy theory, but it was a shame what she did to Maria.”
“Why didn’t you believe her?”
“Jennifer always had a wild imagination. Too wild, if you ask me. And although I didn’t like Constance much, it was quite obvious to me that she loved Morey and he loved her. There was no way I could see her plotting his death the way Jennifer claimed.”
“So why did you invite Maria Tindal to the party?” Toni asked.
“Like I said, I ran into her at the mall and thought it might do her good to get out. Maria is a pretty girl, and she is also extremely friendly. I had invited a number of single men to the party that night and thought Maria might meet someone who’d help take her mind off of her troubles.”
“What about Fred Tatters? Why was he invited to your party?” Drew asked, wanting to see if what she said would be different from what Nettles had told them.
“Like Byron, Fred and my late husband attended college together. They were good friends. Fred and Byron are usually invited to most of my parties.”
A short while later, after they’d thanked Lucy Busch for her cooperation, Toni and Drew returned to their cruiser.
“I don’t blame Constance for putting her foot down about Morey ending his days as a swinger. Good for her,” Toni said.
Drew chuckled. “Not into sharing, are you?”
“You know I’m not.”
“I’m not into sharing either. And speaking of sharing, how about a Friday date night at the Virginia Barn. They are the best place in town for BBQ ribs. The meat practically falls off the bones.”
Toni smiled. “Sounds good. I’m looking forward to it.”
“YOU CERTAINLY SOUND LIKE you’ve adjusted to living in Virginia, Toni.”
Toni smiled into the phone. FaceTime was a wonderful thing. “Yes, Granddad, I have. Especially now that the days aren’t as cold. Still, there is a lot of rain.”
“Well, you know what they say—April showers bring May flowers. I know you’ve been busy, but do you think you’d be able to come home soon to visit? I’m planning my annual Memorial Day cookout, and you’ve never missed one.”
“I will check to see if I can get some time off.” She had agreed to go to a party with Drew that weekend in Charlottesville, which was less than a three-hour drive from Alexandria. If she could also get that Monday off, maybe they could pick up a rental car and drive to Charlottesville, then leave Charlottesville that Sunday and fly to Miami. She would talk to Drew about it tomorrow.
“And, Granddad?”
“Yes?”
“I’ve met someone.”
There was an extended pause, then Madison Bellamy asked, “Did I hear you right? You met someone?”
One day she would sit her grandparents down and tell them all about Drew, that he was someone she had fallen in love with nearly five years ago. But she needed to be in their presence when she had that conversation. Otherwise, they would be hurt that she’d dated Drew for ten months and they hadn’t known anything about it.
“Yes, sir. His name is Andrew Logan.”
“I’m glad to hear you met someone, but what do you know about him? And when can your grandmother and I meet him?”
Toni chuckled. “He’s a fellow detective.” No need to tell him Drew was her partner just yet. “A really nice guy. Hopefully, he will come home with me if I can swing getting Memorial Day off. I can’t wait for you and Nana to meet him.”
“We can’t wait either. I am so happy for you. I’ve been worried you would stay true to your word and be alone all your life…because of your mama and daddy. But it sounds like you’re getting past that.”
“I’m trying, Granddad. Like I said, Drew is a real nice guy.”
Moments later, Toni ended the call. She was glad she’d made her grandfather happy by telling him about Drew. Having him in her life again was taking some getting used to for her, too. But she was doing it, one day at a time.
She glanced around her apartment and sighed deeply, feeling content. It was hard to believe that three weeks had passed since the day Drew had come to help her with her boxes. Three weeks since they had become a couple again, with some limitations for now. But so far, things were working out in their favor.
March had turned into April. At work, they were consummate professionals, although she knew word was slowly getting out around the office that