He reached out and gave her arm a squeeze. 'Thanks. You're sweet.'
She waited until he rejoined his brothers before grabbing Rafe's business card out of her purse. Rafe would know what to do. He probably knew hundreds of good lawyers. And a few contractors who could get the job done in a few days rather than weeks. And a guy like Rafe didn't get to where he was without knowing a few people in the building inspector's office. He probably even knew the mayor. Keely put the card back in her purse. It would be better to talk to him about this in person. If there was any convincing to be done she'd be in a better… position.
She walked over to the sink beneath the bar and grabbed a towel, then washed a glass and wiped it dry. She was family and she was going to make a contribution to solving this problem. As soon as she finished a few tasks, she'd ask to leave, then go directly to Rafe's office to solicit his help. Until then, she'd pick up as much as she could about why her father had been taken into custody.
'None of us knows what happened on that boat,' she overheard Brendan say. 'And Da doesn't seem to be talking. Conor, you need to take care of the legal end of this. This is probably going to be a federal investigation, but they should be able to tell you something. I'll take care of what's going on with the pub. I've got plenty of cash to cover the mortgage and the contractor costs so we don't have to worry about that.'
'You can count on me to help there,' Dylan said.
'Me, too,' Conor added.
'Brian, you've got some friends down at city hall, why don't you see if we can move that building inspector along. I don't think we can afford to be shut down for more than a few weeks.'
'What about Da?' Sean asked. 'What if he ends up being charged with murder?'
Keely's heart froze and a tiny cry slipped from her lips. She tried to keep her expression bland as she worked harder at washing the glasses, determined to cover her distress. Murder? Her father was being questioned about a murder?
'Did he say anything about this Kendrick guy?' Conor asked. 'I got a look at the statement. This witness claims that Kendrick died on the
For a long moment, Keely didn't breathe. She must have misheard. They didn't really say the name Kendrick, did they?
Brian leaned forward. 'Do we know anything about this guy's family?'
'Sam Kendrick had a wife and a kid. His widow was Lila and I don't know about the kid. I guess after he died there was some insurance settlement. But as far as I can tell, there was no investigation. I'm wondering if the family knows anything about this witness coming forward. Maybe we should contact them?'
Keely felt her body go numb all the way to the tips of her fingers. The glass she was holding slipped from her hand and smashed on the floor at her feet. Her brothers all turned to look at her and, with trembling hands, she hurried to pick up the pieces. But in her haste, she cut her palm with a shard of glass.
In an instant, Dylan had hopped over the bar and grabbed her hand. 'Here,' he said, pulling her toward the sink.
'I-I'm sorry. It just slipped. I didn't mean to-'
'Never mind,' Dylan said as he rinsed the blood from her hand. He grabbed a clean towel and then pressed it to the cut. 'There. It doesn't look deep. It should stop bleeding soon.' He pulled a first aid kit from a nearby drawer and handed her a bandage.
The pain was dulled by the echo of the name in her head. Kendrick. Seamus was in jail because the police thought he murdered Sam Kendrick. And Sam Kendrick had been married to Lila Kendrick, the very woman she met on Christmas Eve. That meant that her father was suspected of killing Rafe's father.
A wave of nausea washed over her. 'I-I'll just go take care of this in the ladies' room,' she murmured as she rushed past him and through the bar.
When she reached the privacy of the bathroom, she leaned back against the door and swallowed hard, fighting the urge to throw up. What was she supposed to do with this news? And how could she tell Rafe?
A sudden realization struck her like a slap to the face. Maybe Rafe already knew. But if he suspected her father of murder, then why hadn't he said something that night when she'd told him her reasons for coming to Boston? Her mind spun back to that moment and Keely tried to remember his reaction. Rafe had been a bit distant at times since then, but she'd written that off as a bad mood.
For all she knew, Rafe had no idea of the connection between his father's death and the Quinn family. She drew a ragged breath. But what if he did know? Another realization hit her. Keely groaned softly and covered her mouth with her hand. Had Rafe known who she was all along? Even from that very first night on the street in front of the pub? Was their meeting a part of some plan?
'No,' she murmured. She was reading way too much into the situation. She pressed the heels of her hands to her temples. The only way she'd know the truth was to confront Rafe.
Keely turned on the tap and splashed cold water on her face, then dabbed it dry with a paper towel. Before she walked out the door, she ran her fingers through her hair and pasted a smile on her face.
Her brothers were still in the same spot, still involved in their discussion, when she walked back behind the bar. Sean joined her and opened the cash register. 'Liam explained to you what is going on, right? Rather than wait for your paycheck, I'll just pay you in cash. I'm sorry we can't keep you on, Keely. You were a good waitress.'
'That's all right. I understand. You all seem so worried-I wish there was something I could do.'
'It'll be fine,' he replied. 'It's just a family thing.'
Tears of frustration pressed at the corners of her eyes and she fought them back. She was tired of hearing it was a family thing!
Maybe she didn't deserve to be a part of the Quinn family. After all, she'd been sleeping with Rafe Kendrick. But was Rafe the enemy? Did he have anything to do with this whole thing? God, she couldn't think! Her mind was a mess of doubt and speculation. 'I think I'm going to go home, if that's all right with you.'
'No problem,' Sean replied. 'Not much to do around here.' He handed her the cash and she tucked it in her pocket. 'Good luck with everything, Keely.'
'Thanks. Good luck to you. And give Seamus my best wishes.' Her voiced trembled slightly and when she turned to grab her purse and jacket, she had to bite her lip to keep from crying.
'Bye, Keely,' Liam shouted. The rest of her brothers added their farewells, and she turned and gave them a wave, then opened the door. When she reached the street, Keely yanked her jacket more tightly around her to still the tremors that racked her body.
The cold winter air cleared her head and she tried to sort out all she'd heard. But her initial suspicion kept coming back to plague her. Rafe had to be involved. Why had he been hanging out at the pub? And why, during all of their discussions, hadn't he told her about his father? Why was that such a big secret?
Keely glanced up and down the street, wondering how to get back to the bed-and-breakfast. There had to be a bus stop or a subway stop close by. She'd just have to walk around until she found one. And while she searched, she'd decide exactly how to handle her next encounter with Rafe.
One thing she did know-Keely Quinn wouldn't be falling into bed with Rafe Kendrick anytime soon.
CHAPTER SEVEN
KEELY SAT in the dark living room of Rafe's apartment, staring at an elaborate flower arrangement on the cherry coffee table in front of her. The doorman had happily let her in as he'd done a number of times since Christmas Eve. She shivered, then rubbed her arms through the sleeves of her jacket, trying to conquer the apprehension she felt.
The moment he walked in the door, Keely knew she had to confront him, so determined was she to have an explanation for his deceit. As she waited, she had thought about opening a bottle of wine, but then decided against it, certain that she'd need all her wits about her. Besides, with the level of her anger, the wine bottle could be used as a weapon.
The words were difficult to plan. She only knew how she felt-betrayed, confused, hurt. Funny, she'd thought
