Course of Fate/part 6
PART 6
Tom placed a cool rag on her forehead. She shivered slightly and moved the rag closer to her eyes. "I'm fine Tom. You can go now."
"Fine? Cass, you puked in my car. The vintage floor mats of my beautiful Mustang are now ruined. Two hundred dollars down the drain, or should I say in the garbage."
"Geez, Tom, it's not like I did it on purpose and besides you got jipped on those mats." She removed the rag and handed it to Tom but he placed it back on her forehead. "I don't need you to baby sit me, I'll be fine."
"Did you ever think that maybe I want to stay? Maybe I want to take care of you when you're sick. Isn't that what expectant fathers do? Take care of their families?"
Cassy sat up but the movement made her nauseous so she laid back down. "Tom, we are not a family. We are just two people who drank too much one night and conceived a child." Cassy could see the hurt in his face. "I'm sorry. That was cruel and uncalled for. I didn't mean it. I'm sorry."
Tom kissed her on the cheek. "It's all right."
Cassy still felt bad. "Would you like to stay the night? I'll let you clean up after me."
Tom smiled. "No, I'm going to be going now. Call me if you need me." He kissed her forehead and left.
"Me and my big mouth." Cassy muttered as she heard his car start.
Tom arrived home and found a message on his machine from Cassy. "Tom, it's me. I really am sorry for what I said. I know I hurt you and that's the one thing I never wanted to do. The truth is that a part of me sees this as my problem, my baby. I guess I'm still in shock and scared about this and I'm not doing and saying the right things. As you know, I'm not very good at asking for help. And I know that you want to help me with this but I'm not ready for it. I need to do this alone for right now. Please be patient with me."
Tom played the message several times. In all the years he'd known Cassy, he'd only seen her scared a few times. Regardless of what she said, he could see the fear in her eyes. She didn't have to tell him she was scared, he could see it. He would give her the space but he intended to be a real father to his child.
"Mr. Brooks will see you now." The secretary escorted Tom and Cassy into a huge office.
Tom stepped forward. "Mr. Brooks, I appreciate you taking the time to see us."
"I had some time available. You're lucky you got me in Miami, Sergeants. I'm scheduled to leave for LA
tomorrow for a board meeting. Now what can I do for you?"
Cassy took out her notebook. "We need to talk to you about Greer Garnett."
"Don't you mean Greer Richards?"
Tom was shocked. "You knew about Greer and Zach?"
"I know everything, Sergeant Ryan. Especially when it comes to the Garnett family."
"Did her parents know that she married Zach?"
"Yes. It's my job to keep them informed."
"That must have made you angry."
"That she left me for that no class construction worker? Of course I was. But, with time, I got over it. It won't
last. Eventually Greer will come to her senses. I can wait."
Tom and Cassy looked at each other. They realized the importance of what he just said. Tom also hated this part of the job. "Mr. Brooks, I don't think you understand why we're here. Greer Garnett was murdered two days ago."
Silence swept through the office. "She's dead?" he whispered.
"I'm afraid so. She was found washed up on shore in Palm Beach." "She's dead?" Winston sat down on his sofa. "I can't believe it. How?"
"She was suffocated and then dumped into the ocean."
Cassy was a little concerned about his mood swings. Just a minute ago, she was just another client and now it was as though he'd just lost his best friend.
"I figured her parents would have told you."
"As I said, I've been here in Miami for a few days. I'm sure they would have informed me when I returned to LA."
"When was the last time you saw Miss Garnett?" Tom asked.
"Not since she left me, that's been about three years now."
"If you haven't seen her in three years, how did you know she was married?"
"I told you, it's my job to know these things. Every few months I hire a PI, on her parents behalf, to check up on her. The last report was two weeks ago."
"May I see it?"
"Of course." Winston pulled the file from his filing cabinet and handed it to Tom. He read through it and handed it to Cassy. There was nothing in the file that they didn't already know.
"Where were you two days ago, Mr. Brooks?" Cassy asked.
"Me? You suspect me?"
"You said you were in town during that time and you mentioned how angry you were when she broke of your engagement with that 'no class construction worker' as you called him."
Winston sat down on his sofa. "I loved Greer, I still do. I could never hurt her, much less kill her."
He jumped up so quickly that he startled the two sergeants. "Zach Richards, he did this. I always said he was no good for her. Have you checked him out?"
Cassy tried to calm him down. "Mr. Winston, we are investigating all leads and that includes Mr. Richards."
"I'm sorry. I want to help. What ever I can do, please let me know." He handed a business card to Tom. "Those are all my numbers in LA. I have to be back in the morning. Call me if you need anything."
Cassy took the card from Tom. "We will."
The End
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