“Yes,” Jesse agreed. “She would have gotten away with murder and the funds to keep her in luxury for the rest of her life.”

“And we stopped her.”

“So, what do we do now?”

“We let Jonathan Finch be remembered as the fine agent and loving husband and father that he was.”

“And the pacemaker?”

Ethel grimaced. “If I must. It’s not that I’m afraid of dying.”

“Why then?”

“Because they might revoke my damn pilot’s license, that’s why. Now go tell the nurse to let Rudy, Cory, and Frank back here. Maybe they’ll go easy on me if I look like I’m on death’s doorstep.”

Jesse bent over and kissed her on the forehead. “They won’t. But you can handle them, Cousin.”

“You’d better believe it. Then we go for the secret Jonathan really wanted to tell me.”

Chapter 37

Four weeks later, Ethel and Jesse made a return trip to Richmond and treated Davie and Susan Finch to lunch at IHOP, Davie’s favorite restaurant. They hadn’t seen one another since Jonathan’s memorial service where both Rudy Hauser and Cory Bradshaw spoke glowingly of Jonathan’s career. The two directors especially emphasized his bravery in taking on corruption and his invaluable contributions to the internal investigation conducted jointly by the Secret Service and FBI that led to the final confrontation with his killers.

After lunch, Susan invited them to stay at the house for coffee.

As she and Ethel headed for the front door, Jesse asked, “Is it okay if Davie helps me get something from the trunk?”

Susan looked puzzled. “Yes.”

“Jesse wanted to get a present for Davie,” Ethel whispered. “Can they open it in his room?”

Susan smiled. “Of course. How sweet. Davie,” she called to her son trailing behind on his walker, “help Jesse. He has something he wants to show you.”

Davie watched with excitement as Jesse lifted a large package wrapped in brown paper from the trunk.

“For me?” the boy exclaimed.

“We’ll have to see. Lead the way to your room.”

Jesse set the box on the solar system bedspread. Everything was neatly in place. The SUV LEGO replica was back on the shelf along with the model of the house. A few Tinkertoy water molecules lay on his desk.

“Can I open it now?” Davie asked.

“You can, and then I have some questions for you.”

The boy meticulously searched for a taped seam in the wrapping and then worked it loose without tearing the paper. When he’d finished, he clapped his hands and beamed at the LEGO City Space Port—Deep Space Rocket and Launch Control with over 837 pieces.

“Build it now?” Davie asked.

“First my questions.”

Davie sat on the bed, never taking his eyes off the prized gift. “Okay.”

Jesse went to the shelf and got the model of the house. He sat on the bed beside the boy. “Can I see inside?”