Everyone left, Shane promising to let her know how the visit went when he returned from Porter the following afternoon. Ron headed out to Vernon’s old neighborhood to do a canvas, and she tried to work.

At five she called Royal and left him a voicemail that she was going to her grandparents’ house to talk with Shep and also see if her grandparents knew Vernon Hicks.

He called her back as she was riding over there in Shep’s car.

She saw it was him and answered with an apology. “I know. I wanted to see if they have any info about Vernon Hicks, but Garrett might be there and I didn’t want anyone to get punched.”

“Too bad. I’m waiting in front of your grandparents’ right now, and I will be coming in with you. And if you ever pull this sort of thing again, we’re going to have a big problem, Caroline.”

He was right to be mad. She’d have been in his place too. “Okay. I’m sorry, I should have let you know and included you from the start. I’m glad you’re here, and I’ll see you in a minute or two.”

Shep looked at her briefly. “Told you.”

“Yes, yes you did. The thing is, I sort of want him to punch Garrett and that’s really bad of me. I’m trying to protect him. Not that I think he’d get beaten up. But from all this drama and emotion.”

“If the situations were reversed, how you would you feel? He loves you and he wants to be there with you when you face something difficult. Wouldn’t you want the same in his place?”

“Gah. I hate it when everyone but me is right.”

They pulled up the driveway, and Royal got out of his truck and met them.

“I’m sorry. I should have waited and included you. I just want to protect you from all this gross stuff. But I know you want to be with me and I value that so I’m sorry.”

“I didn’t even have an hour to be mad.” He kissed her.

“The night is young.”

Shep went up the steps and unlocked the door, bringing them inside. “Hey, everyone, I’ve got Caroline and Royal with me,” he called out as they went into the family room.

“Why?” Garrett asked as he looked up.

Caroline sneered at him, and Royal gave him a look that promised blood.

Garrett paled and winced. Message received.

“I need to talk with you all about the case.”

Abigail shook her head. “No. I told you long ago not to bring that into my house.”

“You did. I was twenty years old, and Mindy asked me about the Mendozas. It was a silly question, but the end of it was about where our dad had been born. And you shoved me into the den, slapped my face and said if I ever spoke about any of my father’s family in front of Mindy or Shep, you’d make sure I never saw them again. Good times.”

Heavy silence fell as her grandfather looked over at her grandmother, anger on his features.

“Moving right along. As you know, though we pretend you don’t, I’ve been working for years and years to free our father from prison because he’d been falsely convicted of our mom’s murder.”

Her grandmother stood, back ramrod straight. “I told you never to mention his name.”

“I didn’t mention his name. In any case, as you’re also aware, my father, Enrique, died in prison. There was no more chance to get him freed but that still meant the real killer was out and needed to be found and apprehended.”

“Enrique Mendoza killed your mother!” Abigail reached out to slap Caroline, but it was Royal who halted her hand halfway there.

“No.” Royal shook his head. “I will not allow that.”

“Abigail, let’s settle down and hear what Caroline has to say,” James said to his wife.

Garrett stood and Royal stepped between him and Caroline. “You and I have business. Don’t think I’ve forgotten that.”

“Are you threatening me?”

“I told you there’d be consequences. You stirred that fight at the Pumphouse. A man twice Caroline’s size nearly sucker punched her and you were part of that. And now I hear you’re spreading your special knowledge all over town that Caroline, who got shot at, had her car vandalized, her apartment broken into and her belongings destroyed and received a death threat is somehow faking that. You put her in more danger and that makes me very unhappy.”

“What are you talking about?” Mindy asked.

Royal faced Mindy. “He’s been spreading rumors.”

“I have not.”

Caroline pulled a phone out of her pocket. “Shall I call Polly Chase and let her know you’re calling her a liar? Or maybe we can just ask Grandmother since she was there when he said it.”

“I don’t recall that.” Her grandmother’s lie wasn’t very convincing.

“You’re going to say that to a defense attorney?” Caroline looked at her sister. “Garrett has been stirring trouble for me for two months now. But back to what I was saying.”

“No! You leave Shep and Mindy alone! I forbid this whole thing.”

Shep shook his head. “I’m so bummed you’re acting this way, Grandma. I’ve read the files. I’ve read articles and essays and the trial briefs and motions, all that stuff. I know what was missing, what was never followed up on.”

“That’s lies! She has an agenda. Defense attorneys hate the police. All his people do.”

Caroline pretended it didn’t hurt and sort of succeeded. “His people? You mean my people? Mindy’s people? Shep’s people? Or they get a pass because they look whiter? Grandma, I really don’t know how my mother turned out the way she did hearing this sort of dog-whistle racism all the time. In any case, Shane Chase, the chief of police here is working the case. The chief of police back when our mother was killed wasn’t so very attentive to details when he had an easy target instead. Of course I’ve tried to tell you about all the missing things going into the trial, and you refused to listen.”