Page 60 of The New Year's Party
Then, from just inside the sliding door, Ted gallantly spread an arm to usher Bunny out of the cold and into the kitchen.
Will’s mind was finally clearing, but it wasn’t Bunny’s inheritance he was interested in. Not anymore.
How would Jenn have pulled it off? Theoretically? Arson wasn’t something one did casually. Would she have found someone else to do her dirty work after Ted refused? Or done it herself? But who would believe a woman with a newborn would drive all night long to burn down a restaurant she’d invested in?
“You coming, man?” said Ted, hand on the sliding door, ready to pull it closed.
Will was the only one left outside. Ted stood in the threshold, waiting, but Will didn’t move. A woman with a newborn.... Yes, hadn’t he just had a conversation about Tessa being a newborn? Who was he talking to? He scratched his chin and willed his brain to ping. He could almost hear Tessa speaking—upset—
No fair, I want to watch movies too!
Yes, yes—in his office this morning—the best night of Mackenzie’s life—
“You go ahead,” Will said as his heart pounded with sudden,sick hope. He had her. He might just finally have her. “I need to call my kid.”
Ted shrugged and closed the sliding door. Will could see Jenn through the glass, pulling champagne bottles out of the fridge.
Will turned his back to the house and dialed his home phone. He hadn’t prayed for a while, it was too confusing, but he prayed now.Please, God, don’t let Jenn come out to find me... I just need five minutes...
“Hello? William?” His mother-in-law Doreen’s voice was raspy. Tense.
“Hi, Doreen,” he said. “I hope I didn’t wake you up—”
“What happened? Are you okay?”
“Fine, fine, sorry to alarm you. It’s just... I promised Mackenzie I’d call her at midnight.” The lie would have to do.
“She’s fast asleep!” Doreen reproved. She was a strong woman, Jenn’s mother. A strong woman with a weak, alcoholic husband.My role model, Jenn always said about her mother. “How about tomorrow morning I tell her you called—”
“No,” said Will firmly. “Wake her up.”
His mother-in-law grumbled all the way, but soon the sleepy voice of his ten-year-old daughter was on the line.
“Daddy?”
“Hi, sweet pea!” he said warmly. “Sorry to wake you up, but I have a really important question. And hey, go into your room and close the door so Granny can’t hear you.”
“Okay,” said Mackenzie. He heard the door shutting and took a deep breath.
“Remember when you were talking about Mommy leaving you in charge?”
“Yeah!” she said, instantly sounding 100 percent awake. “It was amazing, I watched movies all night long!”
“Yes, you watchedFrozen, right? And you said you were five. Are you sure about that?”
“Of course I’m sure,” she said, indignant. “Tessa was just born!”
“Do you remember what night that was? Maybe... what month? Or what day?”
“It was winter,” she said slowly. “And the Christmas tree was up...”
“Was it before or after Christmas Day, honey?”
“Before.” She sounded certain. “I didn’t have my new tent yet with the glow-in-the-dark stars. Remember my tent?”
“Yes, I remember, it was a great tent. So, what day of the week was it, do you think? Like, a Monday? A Tuesday? Oh, hey—we did that Advent calendar. Remember, with the chocolates? Do you know what number day it was?”
The restaurant had burned down in the middle of the night, between the fifteenth and sixteenth. If he could get her to remember specifically...
