All Fall Down by Erica Spindler Read Free Book Online Page A

go, then turned her attention back to the phone. “What can I do for you, Stan?”
    â€œWhich one of your sisters is there?” Stan asked, ignoring her question. “Wimpy or bitchy?”
    Melanie dismissed his barb. “Ashley was. She just left. She asked me to tell you hello.”
    â€œI’ll bet. More like, to burn in hell.”
    Melanie choked on a laugh. “What do you want, Stan?”
    â€œThat thing today, the murder, were you involved?”
    â€œInvolved?” she repeated, purposely playing dumb.
    He made a sound of annoyance. “With the investigation. Are you involved?”
    â€œThe crime occurred in Whistlestop. Yes, I’m involved in the investigation.” She smiled to herself, aware of his ire. “But as I’m sure you can understand, I’m not at liberty to discuss the details.”
    He swore. “I couldn’t care less about the details. I don’t want my wife having anything to do with—”
    â€œEx-wife,” she corrected. “You’re Shelley’s problem now, thank God. You haven’t forgotten about her, have you?”
    â€œCut the crap, Melanie. Of course I haven’t forgotten about Shelley.”
    â€œAnd as your ex,” she went on, “you have absolutely no say in my life. None. What I do is my business. Only mine. Got that?”
    â€œExcept when what you do is potentially harmful to my son.”
    â€œ Our son is fine. Happy, healthy and loved. My involvement in a murder investigation is no more harmful to him than your legal wranglings are.”
    â€œThat’s where our opinions differ.”
    She laughed without humor. “Our opinions differ on everything, Stan. If there’s nothing else, it’s late and I’m hungry and tired.”
    â€œOh, but there is. We need to talk about the future, Melanie. Casey’s future.” He paused for a moment, then went on. “He’s starting real school next year.”
    She glanced at her watch, then longingly at her salad. “I’m aware of that, Stan.”
    â€œThen you’re also aware that I live in the city’s best school district?”
    It took a second for his words to sink in. As they did, a flicker of fear burst to life inside her. She tamped it down. He couldn’t mean what she thought he did—she was jumping to conclusions, overreacting. After all, they had been divorced three years, and in that time Stan had seemed more than satisfied to be an every-other-weekend father.
    â€œThe best?” she countered. “By whose standards? The schools in my district are highly rated. Not as fancy, maybe, but—”
    â€œCome on, Melanie,” he said softly and patiently, as if he were speaking to a willful child, “don’t you think it’s time for us to set our personal needs aside and ask ourselves what’s best for Casey.”
    â€œYou mean who’s best for him, don’t you?”
    â€œMaybe I do.”
    She squeezed her eyes shut and counted to ten. She was living the nightmare that had dogged her the entire first year of her divorce—that Stan was going to try to take custody away from her.
    She gripped the receiver so tightly her fingers went numb. “I already know who’s best for him. Me. I’m his mother, Stan.”
    â€œAnd I’m his father. I can offer him a stable, two-parent home in one of Charlotte’s finest communities. Which, by the way, is gated for security.”
    â€œLet’s not forget a swimming pool, tennis lessons and lunches at the club,” she said sarcastically. “And maybe while you’re at it, you should sweeten the pot with a yearly trip to Europe?”
    â€œThose things are important.”
    â€œWhat’s more important than love, Stan? Than constancy? He’s been with me since the beginning, a change now would confuse him. Besides, all his friends from preschool—”
    â€œKids