Page 125 of Positively Pricked

Chapter 42

"So basically," Teddy concluded, "he stole everything."

I sat in stunned silence. According to what Teddy had just told me, this included the company, the houses, the cars, and everything else associated with the estate.

We were tucked deep into a little pizzeria joint a few blocks away from the hotel. Teddy had suggested eating someplace a lot nicer than this, but I'd had more than enough fanciness for one night.

It didn't matter, anyway. After everything I'd just heard, even the small slice of cheese pizza wasn't sitting quite right.

When I finally found my voice, I said, "You can't know that for sure."

"The hell I can't," Teddy said. "There were signs. I just regret I didn't see them sooner."

"What kind of signs?"

"Like with the company," he said. "A couple of years ago, there were problems with creditors.Bigproblems. With suppliers, too."

I knew what he was referring to. During that timeframe, there'd been talk of bankruptcy, but nothing had ever come of it.

I said, "But it all got worked out, right?"

"Sure," Teddy said, "but we don't know how. That whole time, the old man – meaning Zane's grandfather – was acting like a different person."

"How so?" I asked.

"Normally, he was the nicest guy you'd ever meet." A sad smile crossed Teddy's features. "He never had a bad thing to say to anyone."

Listening, I couldn’t help but compare the grandfather to his only grandson. Unlike the "old man," Zane was a holy terror.

Teddy continued. "And he got reclusive, stopped taking our calls. Every time we tried to reach out, he gave us the brush-off."

"When you say 'we,' who do you mean?"

"Well, you heard about Cedric and Randall, right?"

I shook my head. "Sorry, but–"

"Zane's uncles."

"Ohhhh…right." I tried to recall what I knew. The grandfather had three sons total. There was Zane's dad plus two older brothers, the ones who'd died late last year. I gave Teddy a sympathetic look. "That must've been rough, losing both of them so suddenly."

"Yeah, it was." He gave a sad chuckle. "Those guys were real characters."

Now,thisI believed. Both brothers had been notorious playboys. Between the two of them, they had nearly a dozen ex-wives, a slew of scandals, and no kids whatsoever. "I bet you miss them, huh?"

"You want the truth?" Teddy said. "I didn't see them a lot, because they were always traveling. But Idoknow they were worried. Weallwere. My stepdad in particular."

I tried to think. "You mean Bob?"

Teddy looked surprised. "You know him?"

Belatedly, I recalled that Teddy had no idea I'd been eavesdropping from inside the van. Out of sheer embarrassment, I wanted to keep it that way. Trying to be vague, I said, "I know that he used to work for Zane's grandfather, right?"

Teddy nodded. "Right. Until maybe a year ago."

"What happened then?" I asked.

"All of a sudden, he's forced into early retirement."