Page 32 of The Summer Request
Why was it always a war on carbs?
The kitchen was a sight to behold, thirty feet across with an enormous cement island, muted gray cabinets, and a wine cellar the size of her bedroom. Michelle spent too much time browsing the bottles and admiring the organization of the pantry on the other side of the kitchen.
Perhaps she’d introduce some of the minimalism into her own home when she got back. This place was too empty, but her house was too full. Cluttered. A lot of it was her parents’ old stuff, things she didn’t want to throw away but never used. Maybe it was time to find them a new home.
She was tempted to grab a bottle of water from the fridge, but decided against it. Best not to leave their mark.
It looked so fancy, though, standing there in its tall glass bottle. Was that Lou’s doing? Or Justine’s? Justine wouldn’t have opted for such a fancy option, unless she was trying to cut plastic waste. Lou would’ve wanted it for a different reason – to show how rich he was.
One bottle wouldn’t hurt. She reopened the fridge and unscrewed the top, savoring her first sip.
It tasted like regular old water. A little grainy. Did they add minerals to it or something?
Gross.
She kept sipping it as she entered the next space, the game room. There were billiards, a poker table, and what looked like cigar-smoking chairs. An enormous TV took up most of the side wall, and there was a fully stocked bar that looked like it belonged in a boutique hotel. This wasn’t a game room. It was a man cave.
Also gross.
So much delicate glass, too. If Lou’s secret son got loose in this room, he could do a lot of damage.
Michelle smiled to herself. Oh yes, Lou’s son could bring this concrete palace to its knees. Obviously, Lou would never allow him, or any child, into this home.
He probably had never changed a diaper, either. That seemed like the kind of father Lou Emerald was, despite the humble and hardworking image he presented to his devout followers.
Lisa yelled something, but Michelle could barely hear her. The thick walls were at least good for muting sound. She abandoned the man cave and headed to the office. “What’s up?”
“We found something,” Lisa said, eyes wide. “Well, Chloe found something.”
“Oh yeah?”
Chloe looked at her, lips pressed into a thin line. “I’m not sure what to make of it. It’s an email about a payout, I think? An insurance payout.”
Michelle’s heart sunk. “What?”
Val ran in, almost prancing and breathless. “What did I miss?”
“Chloe found an insurance payout,” Lisa said quickly. “It looks like Tammy was right.”
“I knew it!” Val pointed a finger at them. “A life insurance policy. How much?”
Chloe scrolled down. “Looks like just under two million dollars. I don’t know why he’d do that, though. He has plenty of money. Two million is nothing to him.”
“Unless he ran into trouble!” Val said, nodding. “Can you print that off? I’d like a copy.”
Chloe shrugged. “Sure, if you’d like. I just don’t understand. Why would he have taken out a life insurance policy on his ex-wife?”
Oh boy. They were getting dangerously close to telling Chloe about Val’s crazy suspicions. Michelle needed to cut in. “Justine’s mom kept insisting he had an insurance policy on her. She’s struggling with her grief, you know? She suspects something malicious.”
Chloe nodded. “Oh. Okay.”
Michelle continued. “It’s not uncommon to get an insurance policy before a divorce, then forget to cancel it. I think when we show Tammy how small the amount was, relative to Lou’s net worth, it may calm some of her fears.”
Chloe grabbed the paper off of the printer and handed it to Val. “What fears, exactly?”
Val folded it and tucked it into her purse. “That he had her killed.”
“Valerie.” Michelle shut her eyes. “You can’t just go making accusations like that.”
