I squinted at him. “Are you leveling with me?”

“Why wouldn’t I? To me, the idea was ridiculous. There was never a shred of evidence Virginia Kinsey was anything other than a dyed-in-the-wool heterosexual. She preferred being single, but that’s not aberrant behavior. A lot of folks are like that. I’m one.”

“Me, too,” I said. “I don’t understand why Grand would even raise the question.”

“It must have been the worst thing she could think of, so naturally, she wanted it to be true.”

“As old-fashioned and proper as she seems, I can’t believe she even knew about such things.”

“Don’t kid yourself. Even Victorian women had their ‘special’ friends. When two ‘single’ women settled in together, eyebrows went up. The arrangement was referred to as ‘a Boston marriage.’ ”

“Did Aunt Gin know what Grand was up to?”

“I believe she did.”

“I don’t know what to do with this. For years, I’ve been feeling sorry for myself because I thought my grandmother didn’t give a shit. Now it looks like she cared so much, she’d have blackmailed her own daughter to achieve her ends.”

“That’s about the size of it. On the bright side, she failed.”

“Yeah, and on the dark side, look at what it cost. My poor Aunt Gin. I had no idea what she was going through. She made sure no whisper of it ever reached my ears. For years, I wasn’t aware I had family beyond her. I only learned about my relatives when she was gone.”

“A woman of contradictions. Forthright and secretive in the same breath.”

I studied him, wondering if I was missing something. “I don’t want you bending the truth. I’m truly fine with it either way.”

“Why so suspicious? You must have ‘trust issues,’ as they’re referred to in the common parlance.”

I laughed. “Maybe. And what about you?”

“You’d have to be a fool to trust most people. I credit myself with more intelligence.”

I glanced at my watch. “Oops. I have a meeting in Belicia, so I should hit the road. I appreciate your confidence. My lips are sealed.” I made a zipping motion across my mouth.

Hale wadded up the paper sack and tossed it in the trash. “If you have other questions, don’t hesitate to call.”

It wasn’t until I was on the road again that I realized he hadn’t actually answered my question about whether he’d lie.

Chapter 26

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