Page 126 of Blind Prophet

“Did you learn anything useful?”

Her silence draws my attention. Her lips are scrunched together as if she’s struggling to keep from saying something.

“Caroline, just say it.”

“She had no choice when she left you. She didn’t stand a chance against your father’s wealth.”

That’s what Caroline has always believed. But for the moment, that’s not relevant.

“Did you find anything useful for the situation at hand? That’s why you went to her house, right?”

“Possibly. She said your father frequented gentlemen’s clubs.”

“That’s hardly news. Much of his generation did. And like we discussed last night, your boss’s brother does, too. As does Nick.”

Or he did. Maybe he won’t now that he has a new girlfriend. Last I saw him, he was into the redhead, so into her he was willing to throw away his membership in the syndicate to keep her in his protection when the mafia wanted her.

“But there was one your father frequented that was associated with the Kremlin.”

“In what way?”

“It was before Rory’s time. She said that he’d been remorseful. But he told her that there were photos of him and other friends of his. Used for blackmail.”

“Infamous Russian trick. It’s not surprising. It clearly didn’t harm him.”

“No, but her theory is that if he had any other children, they came from that period in his life.”

“So her theory is that Geoffrey Cromwell is Russian?”

“Raised by a Russian.”

“What would make her say that?”

“Because your father seemed protective of his past.”

“But nothing ever came of it? To her knowledge?”

“No. She walked in on him with the au pair, who was seventeen at the time.”

“She was a fool to marry my father. What I’ve never understood is why he didn’t opt for an open marriage.”

“She said your father always gets what he wants. He wanted her until he tired of her.”

She’s still looking out the window.

“You know I never tired of you, right?”

“I wasn’t trying to insinuate you did.”

“I never cheated on you, either.”

“I know.”

Her knee bounces up and down, and she resumes scrolling on her phone screen. “For the record, what happened between your parents has nothing to do with us.”

“I’m always compared to my father.”

“Yes, but I don’t compare you to him.”

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