eat? Where’s the margaritas?”
Congeniality returned to Linda’s tone with the speed of a flipped switch. “Oh, you know how we girls can be. We get to talking and forget what we were doing. Rachel, where’s the tequila?”
Rachel answered, “I’ve got the tequila right—”
Click.
The recording ended with the tape running out.
“Obviously, Rachel hurt her arm while doing something she wasn’t supposed to be doing with Ronald,” Joshua said.
“Who’s Charley?” Cameron asked.
“I don’t know,” Joshua said, “but I have a good idea of who to start asking.”
With its sprawling homes and landscaped lawns along quiet streets, Bethel Park was a Pittsburgh suburb reserved for those in the upper income brackets
Joshua climbed out of his sports car to observe the house with the in-ground pool in back on his way to the front door. The garage door was open. A Range Rover filled one of the stalls of the two-car garage. A Mustang convertible filled the other. Tyler was loading two suitcases in the back of the SUV.
“Going on vacation?” Joshua asked.
When he saw that it was Joshua, Tyler smiled. “Kind of. I’m going to spend a couple of weeks with my grandparents. They live in Arizona.”
Susan came rushing out of the house. When she saw Joshua, her sunglasses fell off her face. “What’s going on?”
“I had some more questions.”
“I wish you had called first.” She glanced in the direction of her son. “Tyler, get the rest of your bags, please while I talk to Mr. Thornton.”
Seeing his mother’s displeasure, Tyler’s cordial nature dissolved. Assuring his mother that he would be right back, he went inside.
“What’s this about?” she demanded to know once her son was out of earshot. “I told you everything that I know about Rachel.”
“You didn’t tell me that Linda Pryor, now Senator Pryor, threatened Rachel the night before she was murdered because she discovered she was having an affair with her husband while she was campaigning for senator.”
After a glance over her shoulder toward the living room window where they saw her son peering out, Susan led him into the garage out of eyesight.
When she crossed her arms over her chest, her full breasts bulged up to spill over them. “I’ve known Linda Pryor for forty years. I wouldn’t be surprised if she did kill Rachel. She’s ruthless about getting what she wants. Do I know for a fact that she did kill Rachel? No. I made it a point to stay as far away from her as possible, especially since my sister’s murder.” She sighed. “It’s too painful.”
Not wanting to give away his possession of the recording, he said, “We have a witness who overheard an argument between you, Rachel, and Linda. Rachel brought up someone named Charley and Linda ordered her to never mention that name again.”
Her mouth dropped open. She fell back against the Mustang.
“Who’s Charley?” Joshua asked.
He waited while Susan blinked the tears from her eyes. She opened and closed her mouth several times before responding. “I don’t know.”
“You don’t know?” Joshua replied. “You were there while Linda Pryor threatened your sister, your twin sister’s life about breathing his name only one day before she ends up dead and you don’t know who he is?”
“That was the first I ever heard about any of it. I’d never heard anything about it until that night.” Susan looked over at Joshua for help. “I didn’t want to know what all that was about. It was like you said. Linda told Rachel that if she ever mentioned Charley’s name that—then less than twenty-four hours later, Rachel’s dead. Like you think I’m going to be asking questions after that? I got the hell away from Linda and never breathed one word about it ever again.”
Joshua stared at her. “Why don’t I believe you?”
She pointed at the open garage door. “I think you should leave.”
He allowed her to usher him out to the driveway. “By the way,