we can read it together. And if it makes you feel better, Blake’s digging into every possibility. She’s on his radar because of her meeting with the mob. He’s going to look deeper into her activity.”
“Hasn’t he already looked into her finances?”
“He has, but she wasn’t on the radar at all before now.”
“But she is now,” I say, my throat suddenly tight.
His hand comes down on my leg. “Your mother has nothing to win by involving herself in any of this.”
“Then why attack you? Why blame you?”
“Maybe she really thinks I’m the one who poisoned my father. They hate me, Harper. I assure you, she’s heard nothing but another form of poison where I’m concerned. Don’t assume the worst.”
“How can you be this calm? She’s threatening you.”
“Because not only am I innocent, there’s no way I’ll be charged for a heart attack.”
“She inherits if he dies.” My throat goes dry. “What if she’s blaming you to keep the attention off of her?”
“There’s no attention to be had. It’s a heart attack.”
“That was really poison,” I amend.
“That won’t show up in his tests. An assassin, a professional assassin, doesn’t get caught.”
I tap the computer. “Read it. See if you find a loophole that gives her added motivation.”
“I’ll read it if you drink that wine.”
I sip from my glass. “Deal.”
Thirty minutes later, we know that my mother inherits twenty-five percent of everything, which is millions, while the eldest child inherits seventy-five percent. Isaac is named, which we knew, but the exact terminology reads: Isaac Kingston or the eldest living child. Also something we knew, but reading the actual language strikes me as odd.
“It just feels off,” I murmur.
“As Blake said,” Eric reminds me. “It’s probably terminology placed by an attorney. It may mean nothing.”
“And yet Isaac’s birth certificate is missing,” I point out. “And that message pointed us to another birth certificate. Maybe another sibling. Are you sure that birth certificate doesn’t somehow disinherit my mother?”
“Positive. Your mother inherits upon my father’s death unless she’s had an affair that can be proven in court.”
“An affair? That’s where my mind went earlier. I said—was he cheating and my mother found out? What if she was having an affair instead?”
“There’s no indication of an affair. Blake would have told us that.”
“Are you sure?” I press.
“Blake would have told us,” he repeats.
“Call him. Have him look for one. Have him dig.”
“He’s already looking, baby. I promise.”
“Please call him. Just make sure he’s actually looking at my mother as a villain, not a damsel in distress.”
“Harper—”
I lean in and kiss him. “Don’t protect her to protect me. I need to know what’s real.”