Call It Business ( Book 3 of 'Call It' Series )

Chapter 80 | The Real Torture

"We have seen Clermont back there," Gerard said slowly, the tiniest curl teasing the corner of his mouth and deepening her glare. "That was planned."

"Your mom, Yves and he definitely did threaten people together before if that's what you are implying," Macy grumbled, thinking back on how bored Matthias Clermont looked when Judith had extended the cane to him as if he'd expected that. "And that was definitely not your mom's first time casually announcing someone's secret mother."

His smirk faded into a solemn lie, and he murmured, "Probably."

No, in fact, thanks to Mark, she knew Judith had told Evangeline about her father, and the evil sorceress herself admitted that 'It isn't really a party if there weren't a few secret children running around.' The thought of that made her uncomfortably stir on her spot, altering a few scenarios in her mind that included Judith finding out about Diane before Eric did. Hah, the evil sorceress definitely wouldn't wait for that revelation.

She also cared so little about the consequences, firmly believing that she did the right thing by announcing that crucial secret. She hadn't looked at Annabelle's or Aiden's confused, betrayed faces when she'd walked out of the room, and Yves and Matthias had to linger back to explain further. Annabelle had protested, naturally. Aiden hadn't believed it at all, calling it a low attempt to frame their father. Yet Kaitlyn had already given a strain of her hair for the DNA test, and soon, the truth would come out.

Barbara Cohen, on the other hand, probably didn't even know why they were questioning her because they weren't questioning her at all!

"Long story short, Barbara," Jeff wrapped up their celebration plans at Sicily and craned his neck to Barbara. "We want you to stop wasting our time here and come clean with everything you and Kurt did."

Beverly batted her eyelashes in faux innocence, staring at Barbara's worn-out face. "Start from your first meet, tell a bit about the candy-bouquet period because I love that period, and then give many details about how he got you involved in his life of crime."

"By any chance did Samantha ever call you Audrey?" Jeff inquired, lowering his glasses on the bridge of his nose.

"Audrey?" Beverly made a face. "No, I told you. That can't be her, Jeff. No one did, but I knew Barbs. I read a few pages of that diary. During that period, Barbs lived in Florida. She moved here a few years after marrying Kurt. Isn't that right, Barbs?"

Barbara opened her mouth to answer, but Jeff was faster:

"Your memory has always astonished me. Have I ever told you that?" Jeff complimented her, definitely exaggerating it with that low note in his voice. "Thinking those times, I can't really recall who was doing what."

Beverly shrugged a playful shoulder, the smug gleam in her eyes reminding Macy a bit too much of her red-head high school rival. "Oh, I remember everyone," she emphasized in menacing delight. "You know, we all thought Kurt married Barbs for an unwanted pregnancy—"

"This is the fourth time I'm reminding two of you that you are supposed to question Barbara, not each other," Stephen Blanchard finally interfered, throwing both of them an exhausted, stern look, and earning a glare from Beverly. "If you don't want me to interrupt and let you handle this, then I urge you to do it right."

Yes, it turned out they had eliminated Stephen Blanchard with their nosiness as soon as they stepped into the interrogation, and from that very moment, they were just gossiping in front of Barbara and hoping that she would join the conversation.

"This might take a couple of days," Macy muttered, feeling eager to leave a mystery early for the first time as her fingers laced with his, "Let's go and find another trouble."