Chapter Thirty-One
Jamie worked the next two days at the school, which Harley seemed to handle without comment, but maybe it was because she was angling to take her driver’s permit test. Vicky and her husband, Deon Stillwell, and the Douglases were still lobbying for their sons to play in Friday’s game, but that didn’t look like it was going to happen. Alicia was intent on moving away with Troy and didn’t care one iota about River Glen’s chances. Cathy Timbolt had already taken Katie out of school and enrolled her in a private school in Portland. The scuttlebutt was that Cathy was moving out of River Glen entirely.
Cooper had called a few times, but he was working on all fronts related to the recent home invasions and also Gwen’s death. Gwen’s parents were preparing to come to River Glen, but from their village at the tip of South America to the Portland airport was a journey of over twenty-four hours, not counting prep time. They were expected anytime.
Jamie hadn’t really had a chance to tell Cooper what Emma had said about the night she was attacked and her boyfriend at the time. She’d hoped to get more information out of her, and Cooper was inundated with current crimes and problems. Every time she got on the phone with him, she realized he was dealing with more pressing issues than a twenty-year-old cold case.
On Thursday, Jamie was called in to the school again, for a different teacher who was out with the flu. This one was for the seniors again. Chemistry. Once again, she was just a warm body handing out assignments. She really would like to have her own class one day, maybe at River Glen. The future felt so uncertain, it was hard to say.
Teddy Ryerson called on Thursday afternoon as Jamie was packing up her belongings and getting ready to leave the school. She had things to discuss with him, so she answered with, “Hi, Teddy.”
“Hi, Jamie. Hey, um, I’m going to have to find someone else for Saturday, if I can, because you don’t want to sit the kids at my house. All the babysitters are already taken, so Serena and I may not be going to the party. Anika wants to stay at the house. She’s scared to leave. She feels safe in her bedroom, where Marissa holed up with them. I thought she’d like going to your house, but she feels safest at home. Oliver says he doesn’t care, but I think he wants to stay home, too.”
“Oh.”
“So, I just wanted to let you know, you’re off the hook. Thank you.”
“I’m sorry . . .”
“Don’t be. It’s been a harrowing few weeks, hasn’t it?”
“It sure has.”
“How are you doing?” he asked.
“I’m okay. . . . Hey, Teddy, you mentioned that I should be careful with my mother’s finances, and I got the feeling you were specifically meaning Mr. DeGuerre’s law firm.”
“Well, yes.” He thought for a moment, then chose his words carefully, “DeGuerre has a law firm, not an investment firm, but there’s been some crossover, some blending of clients’ money with the firm’s. That’s what I’ve been told by some of my clients. It’s why they moved their funds to my company. If it’s true, it’s either illegal, or just skirting the law. This is not about me being a jealous competitor. DeGuerre’s old and I think he truly believes he’s taken care of his clients, but he’s handed over the reins to others, and I don’t know what financial instruments they’ve got their clients invested in.”
Jamie thought of David Musgrave. Marissa’s words floated across her mind. She said he doesn’t have the money. Something happened and he lost his job.
Teddy said, “I don’t want to see you lose money. That’s all.”
“I think I’ll call Mr. DeGuerre.”
“Do that,” Teddy urged.
“Thank you.”
“No problem. Take care, Jamie.”
“Teddy?”
“Hmm?
“I’ll babysit your kids at your house,” Jamie said before she could change her mind. She wasn’t scared for herself, just for Harley.
“Are you sure?”
“Yes.”
“Well, great. If you really don’t mind? See you Saturday. Thanks,” he said, getting off the phone quickly as if he expected her to change her mind.
Jamie immediately called the DeGuerre Law Firm, but the line just rang on and on and on. No voice mail or receptionist. Not a good sign. Concerned, Jamie clicked off, wondering if she should run over to the law firm office. But she had her mother’s assets in her possession already . . . unless there were more that had been hidden from her.
“Harley, I’ll be right back,” she called up the stairs, grabbing her coat and heading for the back door.
“Get some pumpkins! It’s almost Halloween and we don’t have any.”
“I’m not . . .” She cut herself off. So she wasn’t going to the store. So what? “Okay!” she called back.
At the building that housed DeGuerre’s offices, she held up a moment at the bottom of the steps, glancing toward Gwen’s office. Today, everything was dark. Cooper had said that her computer and files had been locked up. He’d also said she’d made out a will, surprisingly not with the law firm upstairs, although maybe Jamie now knew why, and that they were just waiting for her parents to arrive to read it.
When Jamie headed up the steps to the DeGuerre Law Firm’s door she was somewhat dismayed to see a notice taped on the panels with a number to call for further information. In just the couple of weeks’ time since she’d been there, it appeared they’d closed up shop, at least temporarily.
Jamie stopped at the store and bought two pumpkins, a large one and a smaller one. When she got home, she set them on the counter and called Camryn, who knew all and more about the River Glen School District. Maybe she knew about the law firm, too.
“I haven’t heard about the law firm,” she said, dashing Jamie’s hopes. “I wonder why they’re closed.”
Almost the moment Jamie was off the phone, it
