Page 32 of Lilly

The one man nods at me. "Pearce."

Shit, what's his name?

Ezra. And the other man is Halbert.

"Ezra. How is your family?"

"Good. Very good. My son couldn't make it today. He's in graduate school and studying abroad this summer."

So his son is a member. Ezra always struck me as someone who didn't want this for his children, but I guess I misjudged him. Or maybe he just didn't want to make waves. Even though our sons are no longer forced to join, it's expected they will, and frowned upon if they don't.

"How do you like California?" Halbert asks.

"I like it very much. The weather is certainly better than here, although today is quite nice."

This small talk is nearly killing me. What the hell is taking that parking attendant so long?

A Mercedes pulls up and Halbert approaches it. "See you at the next meeting," he says, then gets in the car and drives off.

Ezra and I remain. After several moments of silence, he says, "You should get on that committee." He said it in such a low voice, I'm not certain I heard him correctly.

"What was that?"

"The committee," he says, still in a hushed tone. "Get yourself on it."

"Why?" I ask, also in a hushed tone because you never know if someone is listening. "What do you know?"

Another Mercedes pulls up. It's Ezra's. Before he gets in, he turns to me and smiles and says in a regular voice, "Dorothy saw Katherine last week at lunch. They didn't get a chance to speak but she was sitting at the table next to my wife's." Then he gets in the car.

He was giving me a message. His wife must've overheard something Katherine said. But what would it be? And what does it have to do with the committee?

Chapter Eight

Pearce

Phillip. That has to be it. It's the only thing that makes sense. Whatever Ezra's wife overheard Katherine say has to do with Phillip and whatever his motive is for being on that committee. I'm surprised Phillip would tell her that. He doesn't like Katherine and doesn't trust her. So why would he tell her anything about that committee and what they're up to?

I need to talk to Ezra again and find out what he knows. But not yet. If someone saw him whispering to me just now, they'd suspect we were up to something. We need some distance, some time, before I contact him. And when I do, it needs to be in person, and in a social setting, or maybe on the golf course. Yes, that's it. I'll fly back out here in a couple weeks and take him golfing. That'll give us plenty of time to talk.

My car arrives and I get in it and start heading to my hotel, then notice that the same car has been behind me for miles. I knew there was a chance they'd follow me. Now I have to change course. Make it look like I'm not just here for the meeting.

I get my phone out and call my mother.

The maid answers. "Kensington residence."

"Yes, this is Pearce. I need to speak with my mother, please."

"One moment, Sir."

There's silence and then, "Pearce?"

"Mother, I'm glad you're home. I'm here in Connecticut and thought I'd stop over."

"Why didn't you tell me you were coming?"

"It was a last minute trip. I had a client who wanted to meet with me before he left for Europe on Monday."

"What time will you be arriving?"

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