Page 98 of Pretty Poison
Helen shrugged. “Guilt.”
“Because their father didn’t leave her any money?”
“Or were they grateful she didn’t get more? There’s a far cry between a seven-thousand-dollar cruise and a hundred-thousand-dollar beneficiary payout.”
“What if they worried Tess would contest the will?” Rocky asked. Then a thought occurred to him. “Or they had reason to believe the insurance forms weren’t falsified. Maybe they wanted to stop Tess from looking into it further.”
“Arnie’s kids are jerks but sending Tess to jail just so she doesn’t get that money?” Helen shook her head. “I don’t think so.”
“People have done a lot less for a hundred grand.”
“True,” Helen agreed. “But that’s like a hundred bucks to them.”
Rocky tilted his head to the side. “Do you know what rich people like?”
“I honestly wouldn’t know.”
“Getting richer,” Rocky told her. “Arnie’s children might not have wanted to share a dime with a woman their father had only known for four or five years. If they believed the allegations they made against you, they probably even felt justified in keeping the money from Tess.”
Helen sat back and considered what he said. For the first time since he’d arrived, Rocky realized how exhausted the woman looked. “The cruise might’ve been an attempt to distract her.” Helen’s shoulders slumped for a second before she stiffened her spine. “How are you going to find the truth?”
“That’s the million-dollar question.”
Helen nodded and wrote down her phone number on a piece of paper. “Call me anytime.”
Rocky pocketed the number, thanked her for her time, and then retrieved his man and beast.
“Welcome back to the show, guys,” Mad Dog Mulroney said. “I see you’ve brought your mascot with you.” He gestured to the sleeping dog at Rocky’s feet. “What’s her name?”
“Fiona,” Rocky said. The dog jerked her head up and looked at him. He reached down and scratched her ears. “She’s the best girl ever.” Adopting her was the second-best decision he’d ever made. Marrying Asher was the first.
“She’s beautiful,” Mad Dog said.
“Thank you.”
“So, we have a huge treat for fans of the show. We set up a live question and answer session, and my producer told me the lines are jammed with callers. Are you ready?”
“Go easy. It’s our first time,” Jonah quipped.
While Felix had been over the moon with the live caller aspect, Rocky and Jonah were more hesitant. It wasn’t like they’d avoided the nut jobs on social media. There’d been all kinds of false information shared about them on various sites like Reddit, and some gung-ho keyboard jockeys had even infiltrated their fan group on Facebook. Those things were easy to ignore or resolve, but a live caller during a popular radio show was different. Mad Dog made it clear they weren’t screening the questions first, which meant they could face anything from furious accusations to marriage proposals and everything in between.
“Our first caller is Jane. Are you still with us?” Mad Dog asked.
“Yes, I’m here,” she said. “Hi, guys. I absolutely love your podcast.”
“Hi, Jane. Thanks so much for listening,” Felix said.
Rocky and Jonah also said hello and thanked her for tuning in. Then Mad Dog spurred Jane onto her question.
“How do you separate fact from rumors when interviewing people for your investigation?” Jane asked.
“That’s a great question,” Felix said. “You have to take what people say with a grain of salt until you can find the hard evidence to back it up. There are many things that can influence a person’s memory, and it’s irresponsible for us to report supposition and rumor as facts.”
“Sometimes that means we walk away from a case without getting answers,” Jonah said. “Not all investigations will lead to a resolution, and we don’t manufacture things just to get good ratings. It’s another reason why we don’t discuss cases until we’ve thoroughly investigated them.”
“I think that’s what sets your podcast apart from some of the others that are only looking to share salacious gossip,” Mad Dog said. “Jane, thank you so much for your question. Our next caller is Miles. What question would you like to pose to the fellas?”
“Are any of you single?” he asked.