Angelica closed her eyes and touched the center of her forehead with her index finger. “I am reconstructing his last moments, but if you’ll bear with me and not...raise your voice unduly, I will tell you.”

Sofia narrowed her eyes and in a forced modulated voice, said, “Please do.”

Elle exchanged glances with Adam. Obviously, years ago these women had been fatally different. They hadn’t gotten along then, and even now they still strained to find a common ground.

But with the news of his death, Bradley Lindholm had united them, and they writhed in anguish at the memory of their fateful, angry ignorance. They had failed Bradley, and they had failed Elle, and neither woman was accustomed to failure.

Angelica said, “Bradley’s friend drove you and him to the airport—”

“That’s right,” Sofia affirmed.

“Where Bradley was to bid you farewell. He was supposed to come back here so we could talk while you took a plane back to your home in San Antonio and college.”

“Also right.”

“I never saw him again. I thought he had changed his mind and left on the plane with you. I thought he had never returned home.” When Sofia went to interrupt, Angelica raised a hand. “In fact, he had returned home. He bypassed finding and speaking directly to me and went to the Tower. Probably to think.” She turned to Adam and Elle. “That was where he always went when he was uncertain of his next move.”

Okay, Elle had to admit Angelica’s instructional tone made her want to claw the story out of her, and she could see her mother vibrating with frustration. She prompted, “The Tower was always unsafe.”

“Not really. Not in the beginning. But time went by, property taxes rose, money got tight and the Lindholm family concentrated on keeping up the part of the house that was livable. Even that was difficult. Carpets got shabby, paintings were sold... It was almost ninety years before someone started earning enough to provide both upkeep and improvements.” In a display of ostensible modesty, Angelica veiled her eyes.

“Yes. We’ve got it. You saved the family estate. What about Brad? What about...” Sofia took a fortifying breath, but she was wringing her hands. “What about Brad?”

Angelica observed her coldly.

No. No. Angelica was not going to play with her mother’s emotions. Elle said, “She loved him. And I, too, want to know. What happened to my father?”