Page 6 of Pieces of Perfect
“Rutledge is an experienced investigator. He should be able to get more.”
“I don’t think so.”
“Why not?”
“He doesn’t care as much as you do. He doesn’t have the emotional pull you might have.”
“I don’t think Greenstone cares enough about us to give us any ‘pull.’”
“You don’t know that. What if we all went together—you, me and Reagan?”
“You think Reagan will do it?”
“I think so, yeah.”
“But we don’t even know if he’ll see us.”
“He might be eager for visitors—or, if he’s found God again, anxious to unburden his conscience with an apology. Ask our forgiveness.”
Lorelei didn’t dare let herself hope he’d be that tractable. “I doubt it’ll go that way. Besides, the trip will cost money, and?—”
“It’ll cost more to send a PI,” Serenity broke in. “Since they charge per diem.”
Serenity had a point. She’d seen the rates in the contract she’d signed at Rutledge’s office. “Can you get away?” Lorelei asked. “Sawyer won’t mind?”
“You know Sawyer. He won’t begrudge me a weekend trip with my sisters.”
Although Serenity was expecting a baby in three months, she didn’t have any children yet, so she didn’t have to worry about childcare. Reagan, however, had a one-year-old. “Reagan won’t want to leave Summer, will she?”
“Rally will watch her. He’s so good to that little girl.”
Summer was the result of an affair Reagan had at the ad agency where she’d worked before going out on her own. She hadn’t been seeing Rally at the time, but you’d never guess that Summer wasn’t his. He treated her as though he loved her every bit as much as the older kids he had with his ex-wife. “You’re convinced we should go to Mississippi?” She’d be traveling from Florida. Reagan would be coming from New York, which was even farther. And Serenity would be coming the farthest—all the way from California. “I’d love to see the two of you. Greenstone I’m not so excited about.”
“I know, but it would be smart for both of us. Once he gets out, there’s no telling where he’ll go or whether we’ll be able to find him.”
“That’s true.” Lorelei rubbed her temples as she tried to decide. She’d just told Rutledge that the woman who’d adopted her deserved more care and concern than she’d ever gotten. This was one way Lorelei could possibly learn more about the circumstances surrounding Sarah Ryan’s death. And she’d have her sisters with her, which made the prospect of visiting the prison much more tolerable. “Okay,” she relented. “I’ll write to see if he’ll allow the visit.”
“I can do that, if you’d rather,” Serenity said. “I would’ve written him already, but I’ve been so darn sick.”
Morning sickness had hit her hard almost from the moment she got pregnant, although she’d been feeling better the closershe drew to her final trimester. “No, I’ll do it,” Lorelei said. “Lucy’s with Mark, so I have the time.”
“I wonder if he’ll agree to see us.”
“So do I.” Lorelei had started plenty of letters to him, but she’d thrown them all away.
Serenity covered the phone for a moment. When she came back on the line, she said, “I’d better go. I’ve got to force my poor swollen feet into some shoes. I promised Sawyer we’d go out to dinner tonight.”
“Okay. Have fun. And tell Sawyer I said hi.”
“Will do.”
Lorelei suddenly stopped Serenity from hanging up. She couldn’t keep herself from saying one last thing. “By the way, have you heard anything from Finn lately?”
“Not recently,” her sister replied. “Why?”
“I was just…wondering.”
There was a lengthy pause before Serenity said, “Lorelei, if Finn still means that much to you, you should reach out to him.”
