“Listen, no one is looking favorably at me right now, but I’d like us to move away from the Kaitlyn discussion and talk about David. I don’t want the two of you to see him again,” my father turns to me. “I can pass the money along and take care of this; it will be safer that way. When are you supposed to meet him?”

“Don’t know. Soph still has a check, so we need to figure things out at the bank first, and then one would assume it will take some days to clear.”

“All you have to do is sign it over, just make sure that’s what he wants. Do it the way he tells you, and I’ll deliver it,” he says.

My mother nods in agreement. “Sophia needs to stay out of this, especially for the baby’s sake. No stress,” she points a finger toward my wife’s stomach. “And Cove, you too. I’m not going to argue with your father on this one. He’s the only person in this family who should be meeting with David face-to-face. You have a child to think about now.” She stands and walks to the master bedroom and returns with a medical kit.

“Mom, I’m fine.”

“No, I still have my own child to take care of at times, and you have popsicle sticks taped to your fingers. And don’t think I can’t see the mark on your cheek that’s so poorly covered with makeup. That was a sad attempt at hiding something from me. You’re not fine,” she scolds as she takes a package of frog finger splints from the box.

“I remember those.”

“I still have them from when you were a teenager and got your fingers caught in a car door.”

“Same ones.”

“Well, I never had any reason to throw them away.”

“No, I meant same fingers. Ah!” I cry out as she peels the tape off and sets the splints. My balls disappear as I swear and scream like a wussy ass fuck. It’s a pain that makes your head spin, and at the same time, my mother’s touch and care feel like a safe haven. “Fuckin’ hell! Stop!” I scream. She sits back and I pant with clenched teeth. “Thank you,” I whisper, as she closes the box and pushes it to the side of the table.

“Now, everyone finish your chicken so we can eat some Mississippi mud pie,” she says. My plan was to have an enjoyable dinner with my family, and I’m not about to sit here and allow this conversation to be about David and Kaitlyn, when it should be about Sophia and the baby.”

“Bring on the weight gain,” Sophia shoots a smile toward my mother in an effort to help her steer the discussion in a better direction. “I get two pieces of that mud pie, right?”

“You can have as many pieces as your belly can handle,” my mother laughs.

“Queasy over juice, but not over mud pie? Someone explain how that’s possible.” I shake my head.

“Get used to it. Soon you’ll be sent out in the middle of the night for the oddest food requests.” My father raises his wine glass and we follow. “Let’s start the evening over, and do it right this time.”

I take Sophia’s hand and give it a kiss, then turn to my father and nod.

“A toast to my son, his remarkable wife, and our soon-to-be grandchild. A new generation of Everton, and a little one we can’t wait to meet. You’re going to be cherished and loved by everyone in this family.”

“And spoiled rotten by grandmamma,” my mother chimes in as we clink glasses and enjoy the rest of the evening. There’s no further talk of Kaitlyn, Ivy, or David. The focus is on Sophia and my new son or daughter, as it should be.

CHAPTER NINE

Blood runs down the pavement to the curb. It’s the color of our wine, a dark scarlet red. My first thought is that someone passed out drunk behind our bar and maybe broke a bottle of wine when they hit the ground. But then I see the dark trail starts at the person’s head, and the area is taped off. What the fuck happened?

I park and step out of the car as an officer rushes toward me with a raised hand.

“Step back.”

“This is my business establishment. Jesus, what’s going on?” I see Haverty off to the side making a statement while he holds the leashes of his two bulldogs. They’re barking up a storm as officers are marking the ground and photographing the body. Now I know why I couldn’t get a hold of him when I called. “Fuck,” I whisper. I can’t get close enough to see a face, but I know it’s a guy by the fact that he’s wearing a suit, although, that’s very stereotypical of me.

“Are you Cove Everton?” the officer asks.

“Yes.”

“Come with me, a detective would like to speak with you.” Haverty nods toward the body as I walk to the side of the building. Shit... I can see him now, it’s fucking David Rosen.

“Mr. Everton, I’m Detective Ferguson from the city homicide unit.”

“Detective.” My voice ebbs in distress as I shake the hand of the tall salt-and-pepper haired man. He’s middle aged and is wearing clothing that’s been carefully attended to, with an ironed shirt and pants that have a perfect crease down the front. I’d say he’s married. No man stays so put together without a woman in the house.

“Are you opening soon?” he asks.

“No, not today. Wednesday through Saturday we’re open for business.”

“What are you doing down here on a Tuesday evening?”

“I check on the place once a day.” My phone rings as we’re speaking. Damn, bad timing, Sophia.

“Important?”

“My wife.” I press the ignore button and turn off the ringer... she’s gonna have a shit fit.

“Mr. Everton, a passerby called to report a person lying behind your building. We thought it was just a homeless man who had passed out, then considered it was a possible homicide, but now we believe this may actually be a suicide. Did you know the deceased? David Rosen?”

I try and act surprised, even though I already saw his face. “Yes. I know David. He’s my mother’s uncle.”

“A family member? Did he work for you?”

“No,” I shake my head in total disbelief that David committed suicide. No fucking way, but I won’t mention my feelings to the cops.

“Have any idea what he was doing behind your business today?”

“No.”

Haverty approaches with Prudence and Max in tow, still barking like little shits. He hushes them and they finally calm down. The cops aren’t going to put up with these dogs for much longer.

“Crazy ass shit, buddy. I’m calling our security company to have a camera installed back here. I can’t believe the cops have been here three times in a week.” Haverty looks up as if he’s scouting a place to install a surveillance system.

“Sophia’s not a big fan of security cameras,” I respond.

“Three times?” the detective cuts in.

“One of our employees was attacked back here last week by her ex-boyfriend, and we had our front window smashed by the same guy.”

“So, nothing with Mr. Rosen?”

“No.” God, I’m afraid I’ll look shady if I stop answering his questions. Damn it.

“Cove, your parents just pulled in,” Haverty motions toward the edge of the lot as his dogs begin another bark fest. I look down at the two bulldogs and back at him. He nods and moves them away from the detective and myself, walking toward my parents at the edge of the lot. My mother raises a hand to her mouth and turns away when she recognizes the body while my father’s face turns white. He takes my mother in his arms and tries to comfort her. I don’t believe her tears are for her uncle, but rather the thought that one of us may be blamed for his death. Haverty starts to fill them in on the details as the detective finishes taking a few notes.

“Mr. Everton, we’ll probably be here for at least another hour. Will you be around the next couple of days if we have further questions for you?”

“Yes, I’m available whenever you need me.”

He shakes my hand with a thank you. Too easy. Way too fucking easy. Something’s wrong. I turn back to my father who now has a half-grin on his face after speaking with Haverty. He was supposed to meet with David this afternoon to give him the check, but not here, at the St. Louis Arch. Fuck, that check with Sophia’s name better not be in David’s pocket. And where’s his car?