Page 31 of Hell Hath No Fury
In this case, it would be worth an upset CPA,Matthias thought. “Someone at the registration desk must have seen you. I bet they’ll remember, if for no other reason than that you did pay in cash. That rarely happens these days.” Matthias added half the mushrooms he’d sliced and sauteed to the eggs, saving the rest for another batch once Emma and Nell came downstairs.
“Maybe.”
“Did you stop for gas along the way?” Stations had security cameras that could verify Eric’s story.
“No.”
“No?”
“I drive a Prius Prime. A hybrid plug-in. And the hotel had a charging station. I didn’t need gas.”
“What about the Turnpike? They’d have a record.”
Eric shook his head. “I took the scenic route. It’s not much longer, and it’s a lot more relaxing.”
But much less helpful when trying to prove you were somewhere—anywhere—other than with Sonny Jones. “That leaves the hotel registration desk as your best bet. What’s the name of the place?”
“Pine Gables Inn.”
Matthias eyed him.
“I know what you’re thinking. Yes, it was a crappy little place, but there was a Cleveland Browns pre-season home game. Everyplace else was either booked or charging ungodly rates.”
Matthias made a mental note to call the Pine Gables Inn and decided to change the subject. For now. He fixed Eric with a scowl. “I have to ask. Why the hell did you lead Jones to believe Emma was on board with selling her farm?”
Eric shrank even more. “It wasn’t my intention. When Nell first showed up, she was talking about her and Zeke building a house on the property, but he didn’t want to. Then she started asking me about how much she could get for it. When Sonny threw out those big numbers, Nell couldn’t talk about anything else.”
“You didn’t question her about wanting the money to feed her habit?”
“No. I never got the impression that was her plan.”
“She and Zeke were both using again, right?”
“I realize now that they had me conned. They were going through a rough patch, she told me. They were going to get back into rehab as soon as they got settled.”
“And you believed them.”
“I did. Stupid, I know.”
Matthias wasn’t going to argue that one. He divided the omelet between two plates and slid one across the island to Eric. “You’re supposed to be looking out for Emma’s and Nell’s interests, but you let Nell sign those papers. Let Jones believe Emma would sign them as well.”
“When I took Nell to Sonny’s office, we were only supposed to listen to his pitch. Find out exactly what he was offering. Then Sonny raised his offer to three quarters of a million, and Nell all but climbed over the conference table to grab the sales agreement out of his hand. I told her we needed to wait for Emma, but it was like I wasn’t even in the room.” Eric picked up a fork but held it hovering over his plate. “I intended to talk to Emma before she met with Sonny, but Nell…”
Matthias was getting a clearer picture. Nell pulled Eric’s strings. He’d seen it dozens of times. Families turned themselves inside out to accommodate an addict when in fact they weren’t doing anyone—especially the addict—any favors. “Nell decided she had to attend Zeke’s funeral despite his family insisting she not. She demanded that you not contact Emma, and that you leave your phone behind so we couldn’t track you.”
In a small voice, Eric said, “That about sums it up.”
For a few minutes, the only sound was the clinking of flatware on the plates. Whatever was going on upstairs, no raised voices carried down to them.
Eric lowered his fork. “To be perfectly honest, I sincerely believed Emma would agree to sell. She’s seemed so happy with you in Erie.” He met Matthias’s gaze, and from his expression, clearly realized he may have overstepped.
Which raised a question in Matthias’s mind. How happywasEmma with him in Erie? Could he compete with her memories—her heritage here in Washington County?
* * *
Emma sat on the floor beside Nell, their backs against the tub, Emma’s arm around her sister, who had finally stopped sobbing.
“We need to talk about the farm,” Emma said, keeping her voice soft.
