Ezra had to admit that he had a point. They didn’t know Lyla, Richard, or Billy. They couldn’t judge who would be more likely to kill the children. But he had heard enough from Sam to have his suspicions. Plus, there was the family history.
“I’m not saying your father killed them,” Ezra explained. “I’m just saying I can’t write it off as impossible after hearing about that history. From the sounds of it, Richard and Lyla didn’t have reason to want their children dead. They didn’t gain anything from their murder.
“Your father on the other hand… Well, his parents built this bed and breakfast. He grew up here, he probably though his future was here. Then, his parents died here. This property had to have meant a whole lot to him, and with Richard and Lyla here, he was never going to be able to make it his own.”
“So, you think he killed them to buy the property?” Nathaniel shook his head. “And what does this even have to do with me? You want to turn me against my father? Are you trying to solve their murder or something? Why bring it up? Why keep questioning me about it? It’s offensive and I’m not sure how you expect me to respond. I don’t know what you want out of me.”
This was the hardest part. It was the part Ezra didn’t want to face. He couldn’t bring himself to explain why he had to ask these questions. It was awful to accuse someone of something like this. It was awful to question someone about something like this.
“You think I’m a danger,” Nathaniel whispered, coming to the conclusion on his own. “You mentioned that you have to keep your family safe. You think I’m a danger. You think…”
Nathaniel paused and looked at Ezra with a wounded look of disbelief that killed him. He looked beyond hurt by this man he considered a mentor, and Ezra regretted ever bringing it up.
“You think I’m so bitter about being unable to buy the property, that I’d sabotage you or hurt you. You think my father poisoned Oliva and Kyle, so you probably think I’ll poison you too. But you had me cook for you. So, if you really don’t trust me, why on earth would you have me cook for you and your wife? Why would you eat my food?”
“That’s the point,” Ezra said. “It’s not that I don’t trust you. If I thought you wanted to harm us, I wouldn’t have eaten your food and I certainly wouldn’t have allowed my wife to eat it. I’m not trying to accuse you of anything. I simply must ask you about it, is all.”
“This is insane,” Nathaniel retorted. “Just the fact that this crossed your mind. I… I don’t even know what to say. What are you trying to ask me? Am I here to kill you? Would my answer even suffice?
“I’ve given you my reasons for being here. I explained everything. If you can’t accept that, I don’t know what else to do. But I do know I won’t sit here and listen to you accuse my father of murder when you didn’t even know him. I won’t sit here and allow myself to be accused of something simply because of my family’s past.
“I liked you, Ezra. I admire your work and I enjoy working with you. I feel like I have a lot to learn from you. But it’s just not worth it. I’m out.”
He grabbed the rest of the cheesecake, including the pieces they hadn’t yet touched, then stormed out of the house. Ezra sat there and watched him leave, shocked.
What did this mean? Was Nathaniel storming off because he was guilty and didn’t want to be questioned about everything? Or was he innocent and hurt over being accused of something he didn’t do?
Ezra didn’t think he had taken an accusatory tone to the conversation, but it was difficult to know if he had done the right thing when he was this close to the situation. Regardless, Nathaniel was gone now. They wouldn’t have to worry about him threatening the family anymore, would they?
Perhaps not, but doubt remained in the back of Ezra’s mind. He couldn’t help but fear that this wasn’t over quite yet.
36
Directly following the heated conversation, Ezra put his headphones on and cleaned up the kitchen. He put away all the leftovers, tidied up every crumb. Then, he locked himself in his office and worked on the menu for hours, using the opinions and thoughts he gathered at the tasting as a guide.
Clara was dying to know how the conversation with Nathaniel had gone, but she could tell when Ezra needed space to defuse and knew it was best to give him that. He needed time to work through things on his own sometimes. Besides, she had heard the door slam and tires peel as Nathaniel left. She had some idea already of the outcome, even if her curiosity demanded she beg Ezra for the details.
She knew she would get them soon enough. Ezra would tell her everything, he always did. She just had to be patient. So, she busied herself with renovations and decorating as Ezra submerged himself in his work. They didn’t talk until their stomachs had recovered from the tasting and they congregated in the kitchen for a very late dinner.
There were so many leftovers that no one had to cook. They just piled their favorite foods onto their plates, warmed them up, and sat together in the dining room. Clara wanted to ask about what happened with Nathaniel, but she gave Ezra time to gather his thoughts. He knew she was there, waiting to listen.
“I don’t know what to think,” Ezra admitted
