Fatal Deduction (13 page)

“Hey, there’s Aunt Tori.” Chloe waved at Tori, who had just stepped onto the roof. “She’s got some guy with her.”

I took one look at the man at her side and felt all the blood leave my face.

D
REW LOOKED AT
L
IBBY
with astonishment as she spun, turning her back to her sister and the man with her. He studied the man, because certainly Tori wasn’t the one Libby was giving the old cut direct. The question was, why did she want to ignore—avoid?—him.

“Do you think that’s her boyfriend?” Chloe watched her aunt and the man with her walk toward them.

Jenna frowned. “Nah. She’s too pretty for somebody like him.”

That was true, Drew thought. Tori was a knockout, if you liked the over-the-top type. The man was average in height and stature and had lots of black, carefully moussed ringlets around his head, one falling strategically over his left eye. The better for some woman to brush it back for him, no doubt.

Tori waved to the girls and started toward them, the man following right along as they wove their way through the crowd awaiting the fireworks.

“Are they coming?” Libby asked, her voice strangely constricted. “Did he see me?”

“Given the girls’ waving like semaphores, I don’t think he could possibly miss you.”

“That’s what I was afraid of.” She shook her head. “I can’t believe it. Eddie Mancini. Here.”

Drew stared down at her. Her shoulders were hunched, and she was gazing at the bottom of the placket on his polo. “Are you okay?”

“No.” She put a hand to her forehead. “No.”

“An old boyfriend?” Drew looked at Eddie again. He definitely had his eyes fixed on Libby. So did Tori.

“Worse.”

Suddenly the sky was alight with spectacular bursts of color. Red chrysanthemums blossomed, blue novas exploded, and white starbursts erupted into a shower of iridescent sparks that rained down to burn themselves out in the night.

Chloe and Jenna forgot all about Tori and Eddie. They stared at the sky with rapt delight, the rainbow colors washing across their faces.

Drew ignored the fireworks. “Worse?” Then it clicked. “Chloe’s father?”

“Shh!” Libby gave a quick, panicky look at Chloe, saw her gazing skyward, and went back to staring at his placket. “He’s the last person in the world I want to see, and Tori knows it. I can’t believe she’d do this to me!”

Neither could Drew. “‘Tricks and treachery are the practice of fools that don’t have brains enough to be honest.’”

Libby gulped what sounded like a strangled laugh. “Don’t let Tori hear you call her a fool even in a Ben quote.”

“I am not that foolish.” He watched Tori and Eddie thread their
way ever closer. He wished he knew some way to protect Libby from—what? a devious sister? an unwanted visitor? unhappy memories? “I take it you don’t see him often?”

“I haven’t seen him for years. More to the point, Chloe’s never seen him.”

Yikes!
“You’ve never told her about him.” It was a statement.

She shook her head. “I know. Colossal error. Madge always tells me that. ‘She needs to know, Libby, and from you.’”

Drew didn’t know who Madge was, but her advice sounded right to him.

“But I was trying to protect her.” Libby glanced up at him with eyes that pleaded for him to understand. “He’s a total sleaze! Who wants to know her father is that kind of a jerk?”

“Hey, Libby, look who I found,” Tori called, all surprised astonishment as she and Eddie drew near, only to get waylaid by Tinksie and James. James probably wanted proof of food brought before he let Eddie stay.

“He works at the SeaSide Casino like Tori.” Libby shoved at her shiny curls with shaking fingers. “She sees him frequently.”

“So if he works and presumably lives in Atlantic City, what’s he doing on our lane in Philadelphia?”

She didn’t answer, just looked at Drew, her face shadowed in the poor light. A great white incandescence lit the sky, which clearly illuminated the pain and fear in her eyes. It smote him in the heart. He took her hand in his. It was cold and trembling. “You can do this, Libby. If you can face a dead man, you can face this guy.”

She gave a wry half smile. “The dead man didn’t threaten my baby.”

Drew smiled back. “Mama bear on duty.”

She growled, a very unscary bear, and he laughed, then sobered. “You’re going to have to turn around, you know.”

“I know.” She sighed and glanced over her shoulder at the advancing pair. “I can’t believe I used to think he was my hero. How could I have been so dumb?”

“You were what? Sixteen? Don’t be so hard on yourself.”
I was twenty-two
, he thought,
and I still made a royal mess of things
.

Drew studied the approaching man in the blue and green wash of light. Though he was slim, he had a slight paunch and a swagger that told quite clearly what he thought of himself. “‘A man wrapped up in himself makes a very small bundle.’”

Libby slapped her hand over her mouth. “You are terrible.”

Maybe, but he’d made her relax a bit. Her shoulders weren’t hunched as much, and the panic had receded. “Not me. Ben.”

“How does Jenna stand it?”

“Not well. You’re sure Tori knows who he is?” He wanted to be certain about the purposefulness of the woman’s actions.

“Oh yes. She knows.”

There was a story to be told here, and he wanted to hear it, though this wasn’t the moment. “Can you trust her to keep quiet? About Chloe, I mean.”

“I don’t know. She’s got something up her sleeve, or she wouldn’t have brought him this evening.”

“He’s he—”

“Libby!”

Before Drew got the warning out, Eddie snaked his arms around Libby’s waist and lifted her off her feet. Her back to his chest, he swung her in a circle. Drew frowned as he saw Libby’s horrified face and Tori’s satisfied smile.

“Put me down, Eddie.” Libby’s voice was low but firm. “Now. Before you make a bigger fool of yourself.”

Instead he leaned around and kissed her cheek. Libby flinched.

All Drew’s protective instincts sprang into action. He liked Libby, and he didn’t like Eddie. He reached out and rubbed the wetness of the kiss away with the back of his hand. Libby looked at him with such gratitude that he felt his chest size expand about four sizes. Then he reached for her and gently pulled her out of Eddie’s arms.

He turned her so she faced Eddie and Tori, and though he dropped his hands to his sides, he stood very close to her, offering her whatever of his strength she needed. For a brief moment she actually allowed herself to lean on him, but she straightened quickly. It was just enough to let him know she knew what he was doing and, he thought, appreciated it.

He stuck out his hand. “Drew Canfield.” After he shook Eddie’s hand, he turned to Libby’s twin. “Tori.” The nod he gave her may have looked polite, but the chill in his voice made Tori blink. Good. No one had the right to upset another as she had her very own twin.

There was a brief moment of quiet in the sky, and Chloe turned to Libby. “Wow, Mom, aren’t these great?” She grabbed Libby around the neck and squeezed. “Thanks for coming to Philadelphia!”

Libby hugged her daughter—Eddie’s daughter—and nodded. “They are absolutely spectacular and you’re welcome.” Then, arm around Chloe, she turned all her attention to the sky and the brilliant, beautiful pyrotechnics, ignoring Eddie completely.

Drew had to admire her stiff spine. He moved and stood behind her, again offering his support if she felt the need of it. He turned his eyes skyward, but all his attention was on Tori and Eddie just off to his left.

“I thought you said she’d be glad to see me,” a disgruntled Eddie said in a whisper that was as audible as a shout. Why did people think whispers didn’t carry?

Tori was staring at her sister’s back, her expression stony. “I’ve never known her to be so rude. You know her. She’s everybody’s patsy.”

“Who’s her watchdog?” Eddie shot Drew a hard look.

“Just some guy who lives on the block. That’s his kid hanging out with Chloe.”

Just some guy?
Drew liked that. He continued to strain his ears and eyes as he listened and watched Eddie watch Libby and Chloe.

“The kid’s cute,” Eddie said.

“She is,” Tori agreed.

“Sort of looks like me, don’ cha think?”

Drew rolled his eyes. The black-haired minihood thought that blond pixie looked like him? It was the worst case of wishful thinking he’d ever encountered, and he knew all about wishful thinking from personal experience.

“Maybe I should introduce myself.” Eddie took a step forward. Drew braced himself, ready to step between Eddie and Chloe if need be.

Tori grabbed Eddie’s arm. “What? Say, ‘Hi, kid, I’m your dad’?” She looked at him like he was crazy.

“Why not? I am.”

“I didn’t bring you here to scare Chloe but to see Lib.”

Eddie gave her a sardonic glance. “Upset Lib, you mean. I don’t know why, but I know you, Tori. I know how you think, and you never do anything without it benefiting yourself.” Then he turned back to watching Chloe. “And you really think I’d scare the kid? I’m her old man.”

“You’re a stranger, you idiot.”

“Yeah, well, maybe it’s time to change that.”

“It was time to do something like that thirteen years ago.”

“Right. Like I’da done that. I was a punk back then.”

“Your loss.”

Eddie stared at Tori speculatively. A look of amazement washed across his face. “You’re trying to win the kid away from Lib.”

“Go home, Eddie.” Tori sounded hard and angry.

He held up his hand as he dipped his head. “Sure. I know when I’m not wanted. But first I got something for you. When I said I was coming to see you, I was told to deliver this.” He reached in his pocket, drew out a piece of paper, and held it out to her. Printed on it in black caps so big that Drew could read it was the name T
ORI
.

Tori pulled her hand back as if the paper could burn. “I don’t want it.”

Eddie grabbed her hand and slapped it in her palm, closing her fingers over it. “I gotta be able to say I delivered it.”

He turned, walked to the stairs, and disappeared from view. Tori stood staring at the paper. Then with a gagging noise and a shaking of her hand like she was ridding herself of something foul, she flung the paper to the ground. As diamonds, rubies, emeralds, and sapphires exploded across the black velvet sky, Tori ran down the steps and into the night.

What could possibly cause her such revulsion? Curious, Drew picked up the paper she’d dropped and opened it. He stared in surprise at a crossword puzzle.

When the final shimmer of incandescence burned itself out and the sky fell black and still, I wasn’t certain I dared move. What if Eddie
was still here? The thought of having to face him, talk with him, introduce him to Chloe, even if only as Eddie Mancini, old friend, was making me practically hyperventilate.

“He’s gone,” a deep voice said quietly in my ear.

The relief was so great my knees went weak.
Thank You, Lord
.

“That was so super!” Chloe squealed.

“Now the fireworks at home will seem rinky, Dad,” Jenna said.

“Cozy,” Drew corrected. “Think cozy.”

Jenna snorted.

“I want some dessert,” Chloe announced as if her life depended on it. “I must have some dessert.”

“Come on, then,” Jenna said. “We’ve got to beat all these old guys down there if we’re going to get the best stuff.”

“Don’t forget to thank Tim and Mark,” I called as they took off running for the stairs, cutting in front of one of the professional couples whose name I couldn’t recall. Thankfully the couple had the grace to smile at the fleeing girls.

Drew stared after them with a bemused smile. “Old guys? Now that hurts.” Then he looked at me. “Are you all right?”

I gave a shrug. “I’ll survive.” I ran a hand over my hair, feeling suddenly awkward. It was embarrassing to remember how upset I’d been, and all because I’d kept my secret all these years. I felt my cheeks flame and was glad for the darkness. I found myself staring at the placket on his polo shirt once again rather than look at him. “Thanks for your moral support. It meant a lot.”