itâs considered to be one of the definitive books on the Spanish Inquisition, and itâs been out of print for years. Josh was doing a history report and ended up being fascinated by the subject. Thatâs why I bought it for him.â
âYouâve seen his drawings, then?â I asked.
Gerry gave me a hollow look and nodded. âUntil today I honestly thought they were just drawings,â he said.
âThe girl in the video,â Mel said. âDid you recognize her?â
âNo.â
âIs there a chance that sheâs a friend of your grandsonâs?â
âI doubt it,â Gerry said. âAs far as Marsha and I can tell, Josh doesnât have many friends, at least none who ever come here to visit.â
I surmised that the rope-ladder routine meant Josh did have friends somewhere, just ones he couldnât or didnât want to bring back to the house.
The governor chose that moment to return from what must have been a fairly distant kitchen. When Marsha walked into the living room she was carrying a tray stacked with sandwiches. A slim blond girl wearing short shorts and an even shorter tank top followed her. The girl carried a second tray loaded with glasses, spoons, various sweeteners, and a pitcher of iced tea. The hair, the skin, the vivid blue eyes indelibly marked this sweet young thing as her motherâs daughter.
âZoe, this is Mr. Beaumont and Ms. Soames,â Marsha said. âThese are the people I was telling you about. This is Zoe, my younger daughter. Would you please go get Gerryâs prescription bottle off the counter in his bathroom? Itâs the one heâs supposed to take every four hours.â
Zoe gave us a quick smile, then dashed off to do as bidden while Marsha handed out paper napkins. Mel took the tray of sandwiches and passed it around while Marsha poured the iced tea. Then she settled on a straight-backed chair and pulled it close to Gerryâs.
âI suppose youâve told them the whole sordid mess?â
Gerry nodded. âYes,â he said. âI have.â
Zoe returned to the room with a pill bottle. She handed that to her stepfather, grabbed two sandwiches from the stack, and then raced off in the direction of the stairs.
âZoe,â Marsha commanded. âRemember your manners.â
Zoe slid to a stop on the hardwood floor on the landing. âNice meeting you,â she said over her shoulder. âBye.â Then she disappeared up the stairs.
The truth is, Governor Longmire wasnât much of a cook. The iced tea was okay, but the tuna sandwiches were just thatâtuna. There was butter on the bread, but that was it. No mayo. No seasoning of any kind. If this was Marshaâs idea of feeding folks, the whole family must have dreaded the cookâs day off.
Once Zoe was gone, Marsha reached out and gave Gerryâs knee a comforting pat.
âIâm sorry I didnât tell you,â she said. âWhen I found out heâd been sneaking in and out of the house, I just went ballistic. I couldnât believe heâd pull a stunt like that with you so sick. I thought that taking away his electronic equipment was the only punishment that would have any kind of impact, but then when I saw the video . . .â
âI know,â her husband said. âIâm sure you did the right thing. That goes for calling in Garvin as well. But if Josh really did do this terrible thingââGerry paused for a moment, gathering himselfââthen I should pack up and move the two of us out of here right now. None of this has leaked into the public yet, has it?â
That question was directed at Mel and me. We both shook our heads.
âThatâs a blessing,â Gerry said. âBut itâs a reprieve that wonât last long. Even if these folks donât do it, someone will leak word to the press. Once that happens, the opposition will be calling for your