Page 65 of Little Last Words
“Even though Dean survived, the charges against Angelica are serious,” I said. “Hard to say how everything will go in court. There’s a good chance she could be convicted of attempted murder. Then again, she has a good lawyer.”
He took a sip of Coke, set the glass down on the table, and stared into it. “Of all the knucklehead things she’s done, this is by far the worst. I should have seen it coming, should have kept an eye on her. She was so rattled after the funeral, after all the crap Dean pulled in front of our friends and loved ones that day. She wanted payback.”
“Seems to me she wanted him dead.”
“Oh, I don’t know if I’d go so far as to say she would have killed him.”
“She lured him to the funeral. Then she shot him in the chest in his hotel room at point-blank range.”
He shrugged. “Dean humiliated her, you see. She was infuriated. She was sure he killed our daughter.”
“People are humiliated all the time,” I said. “It doesn’t give them a hall pass to shoot people.”
“Suppose you’re right.”
Another sip, and then he went quiet.
“What did you think of Penelope’s relationship with Dean?” I asked.
“He’s not the man I would have picked for her, but I have no doubt she loved him … in the beginning, anyway. Her marriage to him took a toll on us. But as a parent, what are you supposed to do when your child marries someone no one wants in the family?”
“Whatdidyou do?”
“I supported her as best I could, and I kept my feelings about him to myself.”
“If you would have told her what you thought of him, do you think it would have made a difference?”
“I … I don’t know. Maybe. Last thing I wanted to do was to hurt her. Thinking back on it now, I can’t help but wonder if I made an error in judgment. I suppose if I’d said something, if I’d spoken my truth, it may have been better than not saying anything at all.”
“Were you and Penelope close?”
“Before she met Dean we were. She’d confide in me, ask for my advice. Once she married him, though, she became a lot more tightlipped. It was hard to accept. I felt like I’d lost her, and I had no idea how to get her back.”
He took a few more sips of Coke and sighed, wiping a tear from his eye.
“I’m sorry for all you’re going through right now,” I said.
“Aww, we’ll be all right. We must.” He lifted a shaky finger and pointed down the hallway. “What matters most is that little girl and her happiness. She doesn’t deserve this—she doesn’t deserve any of it.”
“I’ve been thinking a lot about her, wondering if she’s okay.”
“I’m not sure she’ll ever be the same again. All we can do is shower her with love and hope she gets past it somehow.”
Outside, an acorn woodpecker pecked away at a branch on a tree. It was a unique species of bird—medium-size with a red crown and a pale-yellow forehead and throat. It had a dark, sleeky back and a streaky belly. Sergio stood up, approaching the window to get a closer look. But it wasn’t to be. The bird looked right at him and then flew away.
“Acorn woodpeckers are gorgeous, aren’t they?” I asked.
“They are. Do you know much about the different bird species around here?”
“I’d say I know more than most. It’s a hobby of mine.”
“It’s become a hobby of mine too. Anyway, how’s your case going?”
“We’re making progress.”
“What you mean to say is you still don’t know what happened to my daughter or why.”
“I don’t, but I learned some new information today.”