Page 68 of Family Affair

Cade’s outrage rose to the surface. He had killed in combat, and even though he never talked about it, figuring that fact out didn’t require special deductive powers if you knew, like his family had known, how much time he spent in war zones. But did it make him a true expert?

“Thanks for the vote of confidence. Alex. Mother. Everybody. You ever need an old man’s face made into ground meat? I’m your guy.”

Maureen’s loud sobs made it difficult to talk.

“Maureen, sweetheart, everything will be alright.” Rick went to her. “This will pass. I will deal with it. I need you to be strong for me. Can you do that? Yes? Go lay down. Watch TV, read a book. We’ll talk later.”

She nodded repeatedly, like an obedient girl, and left the room wiping her face with her wad of tissues.

“So what did you find out at the morgue?” Ross asked without looking up from his renewed typing.

“Not much. The autopsy will be carried out tomorrow, but the cause of death is fairly obvious.”

“Anyone could’ve told you that,” Ross quipped.

“I know. I wanted to see the body.”

It was the truth. He desperately wanted to say goodbye. He needed a minute alone with Ward, to pray.

Rick sat down and rubbed his forehead, looking preoccupied. “Let’s get our ducks in a row. When the cops unearth the history between Ward and I, you can bet your asses they will come knocking on our door with some tough questions.”

Dan dawned another shot. “Why would they? The fallout with Ward happened nearly twenty years ago. You’d think there have been other people since then who disliked Ward. Ours is an ancient history.”

Cade observed Dan drink. So easy, a glass or two, and the looming problems eased up, and everything got simpler. Yeah, right.

He cast a hostile glance at the bottle. He’d rounded that corner once, and making the return trip had been a real bitch.

Rick speared Dan with a look. “Not so ancient if the police find the drawing.”

“The fake Pollock drawing Ward threatened to leak?” Ross asked.

Alex and Dan were also giving Rick identical questioning looks, waiting for him to answer. Cade remained silent.

“Yes.” Rick said slowly. “Ward told me he was going to leak it to create another scandal. Make it look like I’m selling fake art.”

Cade turned his back to the room, instead concentrating on the ornately carved mantel of the massive fireplace. He was suffocating on hot rage and his own helplessness.

“Where is it now?” Alex asked.

“I don’t know,” Rick admitted with reluctance.

Alex pinched the bridge of his nose. “Okay, alright. Clearly, we need to find it. We’ll find it, Father, don’t worry.”

Rick reached into a desk drawer and pulled out a cigar box.

“Better get to it before the police.” He selected a cigar and stuck it in between his lips to slightly moisten the tip before cutting it off. He lit it up, puffing out smoke, obviously enjoying his ritual. He used to smoke like this often, Cade recalled. That was why, of all the vices he had indulged in in his youth, smoking had never stuck. Too reminiscent of his father.

Ross chimed in, looking at the screen of his laptop. “I need a lead, people. Give me something. What’s the drawing called?”

“Untitled,” Cade said, still facing the mantel.

“You’re funny.”

“It’s true. It was untitled.”

“You know what drawing Father’s talking about?”

“Yes.”