I whispered into her ear again. “Can’t we sneak out of here already?”
She giggled. “Not yet. Be patient.”
“That’s never been my strong suit.”
“We have the entire honeymoon, babe.”
“Well, while I know we’ll be in beautiful Kauai, I’m not planning on us ever leaving our hotel suite, if you know what I mean.”
She shook her head. “You’re incorrigible.”
“True. And now you’re stuck with me.”
Taylor’s uncle asked if he could step in and dance with the bride. So I gave up my spot in my wife’s arms and stole a brief moment for myself off to the side of the banquet room, trying to soak in whatever I could from our big day. The celebration was nothing short of amazing. The best food, the best band, the best venue, the best of everything. My in-laws had clearly spared no expense for their only daughter’s special day. All the hard work Taylor and Carol had put in had really paid off. I knew I’d never forget how I felt in this moment. And to think I’d almost blown the whole thing with Taylor six months ago—if not for Joe, my father-in-law. It felt strange but comforting to use that familial term about him now. Joe had certainly been a father figure to me for the past several years. Now we were actual family.
As if on cue, Joe crossed the banquet hall and settled in next to me. He held a glass of red wine in his hand and was smiling ear to ear.
“Look at her,” he said, also staring across the floor at Taylor.
“Believe me, I can’t stop.”
He laughed. “What a party, huh?”
“I can’t thank you enough,” I told him.
“It’s just money, son. I’m fortunate to have it.”
“No, I mean for everything you’ve done for me, Joe. I wouldn’t be standing here today if you hadn’t given me the little kick I needed.”
“You’re welcome, son. The joy on my daughter’s face right now tells me my gut has been right about you all along.”
“I appreciate that.”
“So don’t blow it,” he kidded.
“I don’t plan on it.”
Then he turned to me, put his hand on my shoulder, pressed his lips together. I could tell Joe was a bit tipsy. “I’m serious, Alex. You’re a blessed man. Don’t ever forget it. And I’m not just saying this because it’s my daughter. I’m saying it because you two are meant to be together. I know the term ‘soul mates’ gets thrown around casually these days, but I honestly believe in it. That’s you and my Taylor. Cherish it. Not everyone gets to end up with their soul mate. Sometimes it tragically slips away. Sometimes one or the other makes a big mistake and lets it go. And, sometimes, it gets brutally stolen from you through very cruel circumstances. That’s probably the worst one of all.” He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “C’est la vie.”
For a second, my father-in-law’s face soured, like someone had pinched two wet fingers around the lit candlewick to his big smile. Momentarily sullen, he stared off, as if thinking about something else. Or someone? I wasn’t sure.
“You all right, Joe?”
My father-in-law turned back to me, the smile gradually returning. “You bet. Hey, let’s go grab our girls and show everyone here how to properly cut up this dance floor. I didn’t get all dressed up for nothing.”
I figured that Joe must have been talking about Greta. Had they reconnected recently? Was Greta why Joe was in DC two weeks ago? I again wondered about a possible affair between the two of them. I think we’ve been found out. Could that have somehow played a part in Joe’s death?
I put my car into drive, punched the gas, and sped over to the SMU campus.
EIGHTEEN
I paid for parking in a garage and then found my way over to the impressive DeGolyer Library. After roaming for a few minutes among the college students and various sections, I found a helpful library clerk who informed me that most of the university’s archives were online and pointed me to a computer station. She suggested I could simply search for what I was looking for rather than starting the tedious task of pulling out old yearbooks and such.
I sat down and typed Daniel Gibson into a search box on the computer screen. Forty-nine different results appeared, dating all the way back to 1947. Most were from the Rotunda, SMU’s student yearbook. I carefully scrolled through them and focused only on the years associated with the dates from the golf-team photo. The first thing that popped up on my screen was the same photo I’d found on Ethan Tucker’s shelf. The names on this photo matched Ethan’s. The next two listings were for golf-team photos from the two years prior. In each of them, Joe stood among his teammates wearing the official golf-team attire but was again listed as Daniel Gibson. I shook my head and couldn’t believe my eyes. What did this all mean? Did my father-in-law change his name after college? If so, why?