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CHAPTER FIFTY-SEVEN

COTTONWOOD, ARIZONA

FRIDAY, MARCH 31, 2023

6:00 P.M.

It was Friday evening, and B. and Ali were on their own for dinner, making do with meatloaf sandwiches. Alonzo and Gwen had taken off for Vegas right after breakfast that morning. In the days after their engagement dinner, the idea of waiting around until Cinco de Mayo had gone by the wayside. They had booked the Little Chapel by the Courthouse for an 8:00 p.m. wedding. Not wanting to make a fuss, they had assured relatives and friends on both sides, that, if need be, they’d grab someone off the street to serve as witnesses. Rather than helping plan the festivities, with one last bit of Edieing it, Ali had settled for booking a two-night stay in the bridal suite at the Bellagio.

Thanks to Frigg, B. and Ali were totally up to speed concerning what was going on in the Chuck Brewster homicide investigation. Adam Brewster’s husband and a close associate of his, Marc Atherton, had been arrested in the case and were both facing charges of first-degree murder. Atherton was now in the Snohomish County Jail in Everett, Washington, where he was being held without bail while awaiting trial. Joel was still in Huntington Beach with an extradition hearing scheduled for the following week. Charges against Clarice Brewster had been dropped. Ali assumed that meant Donna Jean Plummer was no longer under suspicion, either. Ali hadn’t mentioned to B. exactly how deeply she and Frigg had been involved in the case, and she had no intention of doing so.

As the two of them settled down at the kitchen table, Ali could tell that B. was brooding about something.

“What’s wrong?” she asked.

“I’ve spent all day thinking about Adam Brewster,” he said. “He was a good-natured, cute little kid, and he absolutely idolized his father, at least he seemed to. Whenever we were developing a new game, he loved being one of our beta testers. I always thought that when he grew up, he’d end up being a part of VGI. I had no idea that he and his father had been estranged for years, and now, instead of being a part of the company, Adam is an architect living in California. Not only has he lost his father forever, he did so at the hands of the person he thought was his life partner. I can’t imagine what he’s feeling right now.”

Because Ali had been privy to the police interviews, she knew far more than she should have about Chuck and Adam’s estrangement.

“Yes, you can imagine it,” Ali reminded B. gently. “He’s probably feeling almost the same way you did when you found out Chuck and Clarice were having an affair.”

B.’s troubled gaze met Ali’s. “Exactly,” he admitted.

“Why don’t you give him a call?” Ali suggested.

“Me?” B. asked in dismay. “Call him out of the blue after all these years? What would I say?”

“Think about it,” Ali said. “You’re a longtime friend of the family. Obviously, Adam is aware of what Chuck and Clarice did to you. That means you probably know more about his current situation than anyone else on the planet. I’m willing to bet that most of his friends are currently tiptoeing around the situation without any idea of what to say. I believe you’ll know exactly what to say because, not only are you genuinely sorry, you’re someone who really understands.”

“Maybe you’re right,” B. conceded, “but how can I call him? I don’t have his number.”

Ali smiled. “I’m pretty sure Frigg can rectify that situation in a matter of minutes.”

In actual fact, it was less than two. Once B. keyed the number into his phone, he switched the call to speaker.

“Hello,” a male voice said warily.

“Is this Adam Brewster?”

“Yes, it is. Who’s this?”

“Someone who knew you a long time ago—B. Simpson.”

“B.?” The tone of Adam Brewster’s voice instantly brightened. “Really? I thought I’d never hear from you again.”

“You were wrong,” B. replied. “I heard about what happened to your dad, and I wanted to say how sorry I am.”

Adam took a breath. “Thank you,” he said. “So am I. Do you know who they’ve arrested?”

“My understanding is that it’s someone with whom you were very close. That’s got to hurt.”

A lengthy pause followed before Adam spoke again. “You understand all about that kind of betrayal, don’t you?”

“Yes,” B. agreed, “I’m afraid I do. I can also tell you from personal experience that it takes a long time to get over it. I just wanted to let you know that I care. You have my number now. If you need to talk to someone who knows what you’re up against, feel free to call me any time.”

“Thanks, B.,” Adam Brewster said with his voice breaking. “That means a lot.”

With that, the call ended.

“Feel better?” Ali asked.

B. nodded. “Much,” he said. “Thank you.”