Violet shook her head. “The injustice of it! It’s just…it’s just unacceptable.”
“Do you know my Tessa’s marriage fell apart because of that fiend? He doesn’t want to commit, but he doesn’t want anyone else to have her either.”
“Oh,” Vi nearly snarled. “No. That’s not fair. She can’t spend her life on hold for him.”
“She can’t, you’re right. What little money she had, he’s slithered away from her. He doesn’t love her. If he did, he would have married her, but she’s avoided him.”
“I wonder,” Vi started but the woman shook her head.
“I don’t have to talk to you. You can’t do anything for Tessa, who’s ruined her life, or Ted, who is a good but blindly loyal friend. They’re not here, and they don’t have to talk to you.”
Violet glanced at Jack, who said, “You’re right. They don’t. You don’t either, but Mrs. Tapper, if we can find Jason and prove that he’s been scamming your children, you might have a recourse.”
“And then what? I’ll alienate my children, and you’ll be unable to get the money back for them. That only makes things worse for me.”
Violet met the woman’s gaze and nodded. “You’re right.”
Mrs. Tapper started to close the door to her home, but Violet cleared her throat, placing a hand on the door. “Unless of course, we can help you prove to your children that Jason Meyers doesn’t care about them and isn’t their friend.”
Mrs. Tapper paused long enough that Vi was certain she wanted Jason Tapper to pay. Violet pinned the woman with a pointed look. “You could help with that. If you could make him suffer consequences…real ones…I’d help you.”
Violet took Jack’s hand and squeezed it, hoping he’d understand that she didn’t want him to speak. Mrs. Tapper glanced between them and then finally relented. “If I were looking for my son, I’d be inclined to visit the Golden Unicorn near the docks.”
Jack squeezed Vi’s hand in return and nodded once at Mrs. Tapper.
“He took my son’s savings account,” she told them. “The money he got from his grandmother. It wasn’t a lot, but it would have given him a good start. It was for an investment, but he never even invested. Jason did nothing but lie and then take it and use it for his own ends.”
When they were walking to the auto, Jack said, “Our job is just to find Meyers. Not to bring him to justice.”
“That’s all right,” Vi said giving him a wicked grin. “I’ll be the one who turns over any evidence we find to Ham’s favorite constable.”
Jack scoffed, but she knew he wouldn’t stop her. He opened the door to the auto and she slid inside, knowing that she could ruin his fledgling career with what she intended to do, and she’d probably do it anyway. The key, she told herself, was not to get caught so it couldn’t be tied to Jack.
Chapter 8
Victor threw himself on the bed in Violet’s bedroom, ignoring Jack shaving his face in the bath.
“Sister.” Victor crossed his ankles, carefully keeping his shoes off her bed since she’d trained him to never let his shoes on her bed long, long ago.
“Brother,” Vi countered, flopping down next to him. She elbowed him lightly and then laughed when her dogs leapt onto the bed to lick his face frantically.
Around the wagging tails and cold noses, he met her gaze. “I need you.”
Violet examined him, noting the worry behind the light manner. She didn’t ask him if he was all right, she could see that he both was and wasn’t, and she wasn’t sure how much he wanted to share with Jack.
“What did you do?”
“Me?” he gasped, placing his hand over his heart, fluttering his lashes. “Me?”
Jack exited the bath, his towel around his neck, and he eyed the twins.
“He’s definitely trying to pull you into trouble,” Jack said.
“I pull him into trouble,” Violet announced. “Go be productive. Victor and I are going to adventure.”
“Engage in hijinks,” Victor suggested, waggling his brows.
“Delve into shenanigans,” Violet said and then laughed when Jack tossed his shaving towel at both of them.
“Stay out of jail,” he proclaimed.
“We cannot make promises we’ll be unable to keep.” Violet pushed up on her elbows and eyed her husband. She glanced at Victor. “He’s rather handsome.”
Jack rolled his eyes while Victor said, “He’s a thundering oaf.”
“Oaf?” Jack asked silkily. “You’re the oaf.”
“I’m the bumbling fool,” Victor said.
There was something in his tone that had the edge of truth.
“Uh oh,” Vi cooed. She patted her twin on the head. “It’ll be all right, little love. Vi will take care of everything.”
Victor groaned and dropped his head back.
“I don’t know.” Jack laughed as he put his hat on his head and then looked at the two of them. “This feels like more trouble than Vi going off with Smith.”
“Careful now,” Victor said, his arm over his eyes. “I took care of Vi for at least three days of our early life before she took over.”
“Ha!” Vi mocked. “It was me. Me! I ran things from the earliest. In the womb even, the front was the best location. Everyone knows the spine half of the womb is second place, barely worth mentioning.”
Victor laughed and Vi gave him a pleased grin. She needed him to be all right. Jack leaned down and pressed a kiss on her cheek before he said, “Stay out of the worst of the trouble.”
Vi scrunched her nose and shook her head. Jack laughed again and left and then Vi sat up for real. Her humor faded as she faced her twin and she asked, “Well?”
“It’s Kate,” Victor said. “I’ve upset her.”
“How?”
He paused, struggling for the words and then said, “I told her I didn’t want more children. I told her that you managed to not get pregnant
