“Thank you for trusting me with it,” Casey said.
“I guess now everyone is going to know.” He looked around as though just seeing the little old building. “You found the ring in here?”
Casey reached across him to pull the red metal box out of its place.
He stared at the peacock picture on the lid. “Those kids were fascinated by that bird. When Uncle Freddy told them that somewhere in the attic was an old candy box with a peacock on it, they nearly tore the place apart searching for it.” Kit smiled at Casey. “You know, don’t you, that you’re a lot like your father. He missed his parents so much, but his father, Dr. Everett, was at the hospital around the clock with his dying wife. Like you, Ace was a good listener.”
“Thanks,” she said. She wanted to hear more about her father, but there were urgent matters to take care of. “Is your son in the FBI?”
“Yes. Rowan is the product of the marriage that I settled for. It was very unhappy—all my fault—and my children and their mother deserved better.” Kit looked back at her. “What happened after I so cowardly left the scene?”
“Only a few of us know about Lori and we’re keeping it to ourselves. We told the cast that you had a serious ailment and had to leave.”
“Food poisoning.”
“Over my dead body!” Casey snapped.
Leaning forward, Kit kissed her cheek. “Thanks. I needed a dose of laughter. How is Livie?”
“After you left, Olivia and Estelle went to the library in the Big House and shut the door. They have a lot to talk about.”
“An understatement. What about Haines?”
“Nina is very upset. She says she should have warned people, and Tate and I feel the same way. We should have told what we know about him.”
“Warned them of what? No, don’t tell me now. Let’s go back to the house. I want to hear every word about everything.”
It took a few minutes to untangle themselves from the briars. When she got out, Casey wasn’t surprised to see Tate sitting on the bench by the path, waiting for them.
“I need you to come with me,” Tate said to her. “We have to go to Haines’s house on the lake to see what we can find out.” He glanced at Kit. “Nina knows everything, so she can fill you in. Olivia went to Estelle’s house to look at photos and to talk.”
There was a flicker of pain across Kit’s eyes, but he recovered quickly. “I’ll call you when Rowan gets here. He’ll want to see you.”
“I’ve already talked to him and given him the facts. He said this is not to reach the press, or Haines might panic.”
“I agree,” Kit said. “Go on and I’ll take care of things here.”
Tate took Casey’s hand and they walked back to her house.
“What’s going on at the house?” Casey asked as soon as they got into her car.
Tate was backing out. “A lot of talk, a lot of tears. How’s Kit?”
“Hurt, angry, devastated, shocked. What a waste of years and a mix-up of two lives! I take it you haven’t heard anything from Devlin.”
“Nothing. Lori’s note said that she’d found a man who truly understands her and she wants to be with him forever. It seems that she and Estelle had an argument and…”
“I get it,” Casey said. “Teenage angst. No one understands her except a thirty-some-year-old divorced man.” She swallowed. “Poor kid. I didn’t know you knew Kit’s son.”
“I don’t, but it seems he’s some big-shot FBI guy, so he has access to all phone numbers. He wanted details about what had upset his father. I think it takes a lot to throw Kit Montgomery.”
“Did you tell Rowan that the missing girl is his niece?”
“Yes. I didn’t see any reason to sugarcoat things.”
“How’d he take it?” Casey asked.
“If he was shocked, he hid it well. He said, ‘Good,’ then he asked me about Haines.”