Faye about fifteen minutes later
in the Whole Foods parking lot. She climbed into his truck. Despite
everything in his life being a mess, Dewey was a clean guy, and
this included the inside of his truck. They shook hands, exchanged
pleasantries, and she commented on his cleanliness. He told her it
was from his OCD military grandfather having raised him.
Wasting no more time, Dewey handed Faye the
newspaper clipping of her husband and the potential Hippo. “I’m
assuming you know Rowe Tinsley pretty well?”
“ Sure, I know Rowe. What
does he have to do with this?”
“ Potentially everything.”
He explained what led him to Beaufort and what happened there. Then
he dropped the bomb. “Rowe was there in the park. He was one of the
men I took a picture of.”
“ You’re sure?”
“ Positive. Is this a
possibility?”
She stared off through the windshield. A
painful minute later, she said, “I hate him. I hate Rowe. He’s a
playboy. Yes, it’s a possibility. Hammond will kill him,
literally.”
“ We can’t make
assumptions. It could very well be a coincidence.”
“ Well, I doubt it. This is
exactly the kind of thing that that predator would do.”
“ Let me find out more
before you get ahead of yourself. Please, Faye.”
She nodded, still staring out. Dewey felt
the phone in his pocket vibrate. Someone had texted; he’d check it
later.
“ Tell me about
him.”
She finally looked at Dewey. “He’s a
first-rate scumbag. His wife has caught him cheating before. Maybe
more than once. He told Hammond all about it one day during a round
of golf. I never liked him since the moment Hammond hired him, but
of course Hammond cares more about drive and intelligence than
plain old common sense and moral stature. I can’t believe this. I
just can’t believe it.” She spoke with deep pain.
“ Gina and Rowe knew each
other?” he asked.
“ Of course. He’s been
working with Hammond for more than ten years now. He’s been to our
house many times. And vice versa. We’ve eaten Thanksgiving dinner
with them, for God’s sake.”
“ Where does he
live?”
“ In the Old Village in Mt.
Pleasant. On the water, near the Pitt Street Bridge.” Dewey knew
that area well. He asked her several more questions. Rowe’s second
and current wife was a stay-at-home mom to their twins. He had
another son with his first wife; the boy was sixteen and a junior
at Philips Exeter Academy in New Hampshire, one of the toughest
preparatory schools in the nation to get into. (It wasn’t just
grades that got you in. This guy clearly had some friends in high
places.) He was forty years old, about the same age as Dewey, so
Rowe had had his first child much younger than Dewey.
“ There’s something else,
Faye.” Dewey wasn’t sure if sharing more was a good idea or not,
but she was his employer. “Gina was pregnant.”
“ What?” Faye sat up and
put her hands on her thighs. “What? How do you know?” He told her,
and her kind face quickly melted into a ball of tears and sadness.
Dewey let her work through it, suppressing a sadness of his own,
and then said, “Faye, I have to say this—though I expect more from
the two of you. If this does prove to be true, it’s not a situation
for you to deal with on your own. I told you I would find the
truth, and I will, but I will not let the two of you do anything
illegal. Especially your husband. You might want to think long and
hard about even telling him.”
Dewey offered Faye the handkerchief from his
back pocket. She wiped away her tears and smiled in a deeply sad
way. “Do I look like the kind of woman who would go break someone’s
legs for sleeping with my daughter? I’m sure he’s not the first
older man that she’d slept with. Or married one. But I can promise
you that, if this is true, Rowe will certainly be looking for a new
job within a week, and most likely a new wife. I’ll make sure she
finds out. That bastard.”
Dewey was suddenly seeing the darker side
in the Whole Foods parking lot. She climbed into his truck. Despite
everything in his life being a mess, Dewey was a clean guy, and
this included the inside of his truck. They shook hands, exchanged
pleasantries, and she commented on his cleanliness. He told her it
was from his OCD military grandfather having raised him.
Wasting no more time, Dewey handed Faye the
newspaper clipping of her husband and the potential Hippo. “I’m
assuming you know Rowe Tinsley pretty well?”
“ Sure, I know Rowe. What
does he have to do with this?”
“ Potentially everything.”
He explained what led him to Beaufort and what happened there. Then
he dropped the bomb. “Rowe was there in the park. He was one of the
men I took a picture of.”
“ You’re sure?”
“ Positive. Is this a
possibility?”
She stared off through the windshield. A
painful minute later, she said, “I hate him. I hate Rowe. He’s a
playboy. Yes, it’s a possibility. Hammond will kill him,
literally.”
“ We can’t make
assumptions. It could very well be a coincidence.”
“ Well, I doubt it. This is
exactly the kind of thing that that predator would do.”
“ Let me find out more
before you get ahead of yourself. Please, Faye.”
She nodded, still staring out. Dewey felt
the phone in his pocket vibrate. Someone had texted; he’d check it
later.
“ Tell me about
him.”
She finally looked at Dewey. “He’s a
first-rate scumbag. His wife has caught him cheating before. Maybe
more than once. He told Hammond all about it one day during a round
of golf. I never liked him since the moment Hammond hired him, but
of course Hammond cares more about drive and intelligence than
plain old common sense and moral stature. I can’t believe this. I
just can’t believe it.” She spoke with deep pain.
“ Gina and Rowe knew each
other?” he asked.
“ Of course. He’s been
working with Hammond for more than ten years now. He’s been to our
house many times. And vice versa. We’ve eaten Thanksgiving dinner
with them, for God’s sake.”
“ Where does he
live?”
“ In the Old Village in Mt.
Pleasant. On the water, near the Pitt Street Bridge.” Dewey knew
that area well. He asked her several more questions. Rowe’s second
and current wife was a stay-at-home mom to their twins. He had
another son with his first wife; the boy was sixteen and a junior
at Philips Exeter Academy in New Hampshire, one of the toughest
preparatory schools in the nation to get into. (It wasn’t just
grades that got you in. This guy clearly had some friends in high
places.) He was forty years old, about the same age as Dewey, so
Rowe had had his first child much younger than Dewey.
“ There’s something else,
Faye.” Dewey wasn’t sure if sharing more was a good idea or not,
but she was his employer. “Gina was pregnant.”
“ What?” Faye sat up and
put her hands on her thighs. “What? How do you know?” He told her,
and her kind face quickly melted into a ball of tears and sadness.
Dewey let her work through it, suppressing a sadness of his own,
and then said, “Faye, I have to say this—though I expect more from
the two of you. If this does prove to be true, it’s not a situation
for you to deal with on your own. I told you I would find the
truth, and I will, but I will not let the two of you do anything
illegal. Especially your husband. You might want to think long and
hard about even telling him.”
Dewey offered Faye the handkerchief from his
back pocket. She wiped away her tears and smiled in a deeply sad
way. “Do I look like the kind of woman who would go break someone’s
legs for sleeping with my daughter? I’m sure he’s not the first
older man that she’d slept with. Or married one. But I can promise
you that, if this is true, Rowe will certainly be looking for a new
job within a week, and most likely a new wife. I’ll make sure she
finds out. That bastard.”
Dewey was suddenly seeing the darker side
Similar Books
