Chapter 41

Charli

Signature crimson flowed upward from the starched white collar of his shirt as Alton Fitzgerald stopped midstep and turned my direction. "It appears as though the prodigal daughter has returned."

I didn't stop walking until I was right before him. "I want to see her."

"You'll have to understand that I have no intentions of slaying a fatted calf on this occasion simply because you've decided to grace us with your presence."

"What happened?" I asked.

He looked over my shoulder toward the SUV as a limousine pulled past it and up to the edge of the walkway.

I turned back to see both Clayton and Deloris standing beside the SUV looking as though they were both ready to run in my direction.

"Come home and we'll discuss this. Alone," he emphasized the last word.

"Discuss it now. I don't want to go back to the manor. I want to see my mother."