When the walk ended where it had started, Joanne announced that the concert would begin in thirty minutes, and she hoped everyone would attend.

"Ms. Landry, may I speak to you?" a female reporter asked, sticking a microphone in my face, her cameraman right behind her. "Can you tell us what your mother's condition is?"

"She's fighting for her life," I said.

"Do the police know who shot her?"

"No."

"We've heard rumors that your mother may have been involved in a love triangle."

My jaw dropped. "What?"

"When did your mother divorce your father?" the reporter continued. "We haven't found any records about your mother being married."

As she called out more questions, each one more personal and distressing than the last, I backed away.

Kade stepped in front of me. "That's all she has to say." He grabbed my arm and walked me toward the school.

We were almost at the front door to the auditorium when a man approached me. "Are you all right?" he asked, concern on his face.

I looked into his blue eyes, recognizing the man who'd dropped off the flowers—Tom Wells. "I'm okay."

"I heard what that reporter said to you, and it's not true."

"It's not? Because someone mentioned that your ex-wife had a confrontation with my mother."

"It was a conversation, not a confrontation," he said. "Renee was confused. She's had a difficult time since we separated, but I made it clear to her that your mother had nothing to do with our marital problems, which she did not. We didn't go out until after Renee and I had split up."

"Did my mother break up with you after this conversation?" I asked.

Tom nodded. "Yes. She didn't want to have any part in whatever was going on between Renee and myself. It was very sad. I really cared about her, but I understood why she felt we needed time and space for things to settle down." He paused. "I thought they had quieted down, but I suspect Renee is the one who told that reporter that we were in a love triangle. She used to be a news producer, and she still has contacts in the industry."

"Well, that's great," I said with a sigh.

Tom gave me an apologetic look. "I'm sorry."

"You need to do more than be sorry," I told him. "You need to talk to the police. And so does your ex-wife."

"Renee had nothing to do with what happened to your mother."

Despite his words, I could see a cloud of uncertainty in his gaze. "You're not sure, are you?"

"I am sure. She's a loose cannon, but she's not violent."

"Then you don't have to worry about talking to the police, do you?"

He squared his shoulders. "No, I don't have a problem. I will clear this up."

"Good."