But all she got was picture but no sound. And as she made to follow him, suddenly she thought better of it. Whatever Kevin was up to, it had nothing to do with what happened to Jeff, and so consequently nothing to do with her. If he wanted to act like a jerk, so be it. And if the police wanted to find him, sooner or later they would, and she got the impression from that big detective that when they did catch up with them, there would be hell to pay. And if he tried to pull a trick like this on Detective Kingsley, he had another thing coming.
Five minutes later she was rocking Zoe on her lap, and sitting with her in-laws on the patio. The weather was glorious, and she should have felt happy on a day like this. But without Jeff, the sun could give of its best all it wanted, but it didn’t make any difference.
“I just wish you’d come back to Paris with us,” said Pauline. “You and Zoe could move in with David and me for the time being—while your apartment is being renovated. It’s only around the corner, and you could pick your own furnishings, and select your kitchen, colors for the bathroom…” Pauline gave her a hopeful look. And Steph could understand where they were coming from. Of course she could. They’d just lost their only son, and now all they had were Steph and, more importantly, Zoe. The grandchild that would always remind them of their son. She would always carry a part of her father in her, and they wanted her close to them.
But she wasn’t sure what she wanted to do. It was too soon anyway. She was still mourning Jeff, and had no idea what the future would hold for her and Zoe now. And besides, here in Hampton Cove at least she had her family. Even though Pauline and David were almost like family to her, it wasn’t the same. And now, with Jeff gone, things were going to be different. A different dynamic, for one thing. No longer was she their son’s wife. Now they had to build a new rapport.
“I don’t know,” she said truthfully. “I’m still trying to come to terms with what happened. And I’m not sure if I’ll be ready to start making plans any time soon.”
“Just leave her be, Pauline,” said David, enveloping his wife’s hand in his, and giving it a tender squeeze. “We’re all in shock, and we’re all mourning. Now is not the time to think about the future. Now is the time to honor the past. Honor Jeff.”
“I know. But I’m worried,” said Pauline. She didn’t say what she was worried about, nor did she have to. If Steph decided to stay in the States, they might never see their granddaughter again. Or only on rare occasions. Perhaps once a year or so. And that possibility seemed very hard for Pauline to bear. She’d lost her son, she didn’t want to lose her granddaughter, too.
“It’s just that… I hardly know anyone in Paris,” said Steph, feathering a light kiss on top of Zoe’s head. She knew a few people, of course, but they were all fellow students, and many of them had returned to their home countries after graduation. A few people were French, but not all of them lived in Paris. And after the Sofie Fashion job had fallen through, her excitement to move back there and build a life had taken a big hit. And now with Jeff gone… It just wasn’t the same.
“You can easily find a job,” said Pauline, not giving up so quickly. “David knows a lot of people, don’t you, David? It won’t take long to find a wonderful job with wonderful colleagues. And once you start living and working in Paris, you’ll meet new people all the time, and you’ll have plenty of friends. And you have us, of course.” She gave Zoe such a longing look that Steph’s heart almost broke.
“Let’s just wait and see,” she said, not wanting to pin herself down on anything right now. It was simply too soon. First they needed to arrange the funeral—and to do that the police had to release the body, which was another source of great sorrow for herself and Jeff’s parents. They couldn’t even say goodbye, for Jeff had been murdered. It was still hard for her to wrap her head around. It was surreal.
“That police detective was very kind,” said David, who must have read her mind. “I told him all about Bill Cymbal and he’s going to look into that man.”
“Oh, please, David, you don’t really think Cymbal had anything to do with this, do you?” said Pauline. “You may not like his ideas, but he’s not a murderer, surely.”
“And I’m telling you he is,” said David. “The man will stop at nothing to get what he wants. Right now it’s the mayoralty, then cabinet minister, and after that the presidency. He’s got it all worked out, and anything or anyone standing in his way will simply be mowed down.” He slashed the air with a flat hand. “Chop chop. That’s the way he’s operated for as long as I’ve known him. He’s like a machine that way. A relentless, remorseless, cold and calculating machine. Very ruthless.”
“I find it hard to believe that he would be stupid enough to resort to murder. He’s not a stupid man, David. And only a stupid man would think he can get away with murder.”