Low Pressure

Van Durbin looked closely and shrugged. “Just some guy.”

“You don’t recognize him?”

“No, should I? Who is he?”

“I was hoping you could tell me.”

Steven called out to her and when she looked around, she saw that Olivia was already inside the limo. William was standing in the open door, and Steven was wearing an expression of consternation. He tapped the face of his wristwatch.

“Your stepbrother got here quick,” Van Durbin said. “Having to come all the way from Atlanta. Who’s that with him?”

“His business partner.”

“Business partner?” He formed a lewd grin. “If you say so.”

She stuffed the envelope back into her bag, removed her sunglasses, and looked at the columnist with censure and disgust. “If you have a grain of decency, you’ll keep your distance from me and my family. At least until my father is laid to rest.”

He mulled it over. “I could do that. In exchange for—”

“Bellamy. Olivia’s getting anxious.”

She glanced back at Steven and held up her index finger, asking him to grant her one more moment. To Van Durbin, she said, “In exchange for what?”

“Leveling with me.”

“About what, specifically?”

“Dale Moody.”

She kept her expression impassive. “What about him?”

“Have you seen him lately?”

“I wanted to interview him when I was researching my book, but had no luck locating him.”

It wasn’t a lie, but it didn’t answer his question, and his grin told her he’d noticed. “The reason I’m asking, a little birdy told me that Moody might have bent some rules during his investigation.”

“There were subtle suggestions of that in my book.”

“Yeah, but my little birdy wasn’t so subtle. My little birdy practically accused Moody of knowing that he was sending the wrong guy to the pen.”

“Does this little birdy have a name?”

He frowned comically. “You know better than to ask me to identify a source, Ms. Price.”

Her money was on Rupe Collier, which seemed likely and in character.

“Bellamy.” This time Steven called to her with even more irritation.

To Van Durbin she said, “I swear to you, on my father’s casket, that I don’t know where Dale Moody is. If I did, I would be interviewing him myself. Now, I’ve leveled with you. Stay away from me and my family and let us mourn my father in peace. If you don’t, I’ll file a restraining order against you, then sue you and your cheesy newspaper.”

Chapter 26

Howard had specified that the visitation at the funeral home be kept private, limited to his company’s executives and close personal friends.

His funeral was more public. Bellamy didn’t realize just how public until the family limousine approached the church, where motorcycle policemen were needed to funnel the traffic into surrounding parking lots that were already overflowing. While the turnout was a moving and well-deserved tribute to her father, Bellamy dreaded having to endure the rite and all that it entailed.

She, Olivia, Steven, and William were ushered into the church through a side entrance and escorted into a parlor, where they waited until the church bell chimed two o’clock, then they filed into the sanctuary and took their seats in the front pew.