Page 75 of Deadly Little Scandals

“What…why are you in a hole? And where’s Sadie-Grace?”

“I told her to run. She ran.”

“From what?”

“Not from what, Campbell. Fromwhom.”

till no word from the almighty Victoria?” Campbell readjusted her position on our dock, stretching out in the sun. “Or the White Gloves?”

Campbell had invited herself over and brought Sadie-Grace along. Lily still had enough hostess in her that she hadn’t turned either of them away. She wasn’t saying much, though. Her birthday had passed the week before with only minimal—by Taft family standards, at least—fanfare. Lily hadn’t wanted a party. Now she sat at the end of the dock, facing the lake, silent. Despite the heat, she wore a long-sleeved shirt.

“Victoria’s daddydied, Campbell,” Sadie-Grace said emphatically.

“Not entirely unreasonable that some things would be put on hold,” I added.Like White Glove initiations—or our search for Ana’s baby.

Campbell caught my gaze—and my drift. Sadie-Grace, who was standing between the two of us and Lily, gave a little twirl.

“You’re going to pirouette right off this dock,” Campbell told her.

“No, she’s not,” Lily said, without even looking back.

Campbell glanced at Lily. “Will Lily freak out if I ask if y’all have heard the news about Ana?” she asked me.

“Lily doesn’t freak out,” Sadie-Grace said loyally.

“The bob says otherwise,” Campbell replied.

Sadie-Grace put her hands on her hips. “If the bob could speak, it would speak French.”

“What about Ana?” Lily interjected, still facing the water.

“She was in Mr. Gutierrez’s will,” Campbell reported. “In a big way. There’s a trust for the other grandchildren, but he left Ana half of her father’s share of the inheritance. Directly.”

I thought back to the night on King’s Island when we’d buried and burned and shared our secrets. “Victoria said she wasn’t in her father’s will.”

“From what I’ve heard,” Campbell replied lightly, “she wasn’t. And neither was her mother. Mr. Gutierrez’s sons are supposedly charged with taking care of them both, but…”

But we’ll see how that goes.

“So Ana is set for life now.” Lily stood, her hands disappearing inside the long sleeves. She had to be burning up out here but didn’t show it. “Maybe she can pay back all of that money my father gave to her.”

I searched for some hint of emotion in her tone and came up blank.

“I talked to my grandfather,” Campbell said suddenly. “About Ana’s baby.”

“We don’t have to talk about this,” I told Lily, unsure if she was in a place to handle any more talk about Ana.

Lily turned back to look at me. “I don’t mind.”

Part of me was glad that she had gotten to the point where the mention of Ana’s name didn’t hurt her. The other part couldn’t help thinking that pain was the body’s warning system. Things hurt because they were supposed to.

That’s how you know you’re too involved.

“What did your grandfather say?” I asked Campbell, keeping an eye on Lily and my mind in the moment—and not on Nick, who’d never told me why he’d stood me up at the Gutierrez party that night.

“The great Davis Ames told me the same story he told you,” Campbell replied. “He paid Ana. She disappeared. He has no idea what happened to the baby.”

“Maybe he or she was adopted by a very nice family,” Sadie-Grace suggested, stretching one leg up until it nearly touched her ear. “With a very flexible older sister!”