Page 146 of Nash Falls

“You can call me Rosie, Dillon.”

She led him into the kitchen and made them both coffees.

“I heard Ty’s wife, Nikki, died years ago,” he said as she set the cup down in front of him.

She sat across from him, cradling her coffee. “Yes, she did. I met Ty when he came to the VA for treatment. We… well, we became friends and then more than friends. We were together for nearly two years before he died.”

“Well, I’m sure you were a real comfort to him. So, you here alone then?”

“Yes, my mother lived here with me, but she passed away not long after Ty did.”

“Sorry to hear that.”

“She had a good, long life. I guess it was just her time,” added Parker sadly.

“You keep in touch with Ty’s family then? My pop said he had a son—name ’a Walter, I believe. Thought Pop said he lived around here somewhere.”

Parker shot him a surprised look. “You… you haven’t heard?”

“Heard what?”

“About Walter Nash. It was all over the news.”

“I’ve been working outside the country the last couple years or so. I’m afraid I’m a little behind and such. What happened? Did he die, too?”

Parker shook her head and told him everything, including Nash’s being accused of molesting his daughter, the death of the security guard, and, finally, the discovery of Maggie’s remains.

Nash knew all this, of course, but when Parker had talked about Maggie, her accusations, and then her death, he had to glance away for a couple of moments as he felt himself being overcome with emotion.

Composing himself he said, “Jesus, his daughter. Do you believe he did all that?”

Parker gazed at him sternly over the rim of her cup. “Not for one minute. The man I knew, the man Irespected?” She shook her head. “I’ve run into molesters before. A man at the VA. Not a patient, one of the orderlies who worked there. He was a pedophile. I suspected right away. Some children in the apartment building where he lived…” She took a sip of coffee and said quickly, “Anyway, it’s ridiculous to anyone who knew him. And it made me so mad that people just accepted that he was a monster, including his own wife.”

“But you said there was the video with his daughter.”

“Videos can be manipulated. I’m no expert on it, but I at least know that. These days you can make anyone say anything andit’s not true at all. But with Walter they just believed it. It was… unforgivable.”

“You said he disappeared? I guess that didn’t help his case.”

“What else could he do?” She glanced out the window. “And when they found Maggie’s remains?” She shook her head sadly. “And they just blamed that on him, too, although there was no evidence. None at all.”

“So what do you think happened then?” asked Nash. He respected this woman greatly and really wanted to hear her opinion.

“I think somebody framed Walter, that’s what.”

“But who, and why?”

“He worked at this big, fancy company. Lots of money whirling around there. Then the man who owned it all ups and jumps off his balcony, or so the police said.”

“Good God!”

“And then that man’s son, Rhett Temple? Well, he’s now very cozy with Mrs. Nash. I saw them together at the funeral service for Maggie. And I saw them once when I was downtown. They were in his car driving into a parking garage at one of those big, expensive residential buildings. I bet he lives there.”

“Damn, you think they’re… you know?”

“I wouldn’t be surprised at all,” she said primly. “It’s just all so wrong.”

“I wonder what happened to Walter?”