“Eva.” Kevin glared at her. “Did you set me up?”
She looked to the door, shaking her head, avoiding the truth.
“You did, didn’t you?!” He read his wife’s expression. “Eva! You tried to send me to prison!”
“You wanted to do it!” she snapped. “But you didn’t have the balls to do it! You weren’t brave enough to kill her! I did what you couldn’t! For our family’s honor!”
“Eva.” Shock overcame him.
“But that’s not the whole story, is it, Eva?” Harvey pressed for more. “I spoke to Terrance last night. He told me everything.”
“No.” Her mouth dropped open.
“Everything, Eva.” Harvey was firm. “Tiffany died because of what she overheard.”
“She shouldn’t have been there. Tiffany was too nosy.” She shook her head. “She shouldn’t have heard what I was talking about.”
“Terrance told me everything.” Harvey gritted his teeth. “He told me about your night with Amy.”
“No.” She was startled. “That’s not true. I didn’t touch Amy. I didn’t…”
She fought to get the words out, but she struggled to lie under the glare of everyone in the room.
“Eva?” Kevin stood. “What’s he saying?”
“I didn’t…” She turned away from her husband. “I…”
In one small moment, with the eyes of the room burning on her, the weight of her years of guilt broke her resolve.
“It wasn’t me.” She turned around. “Terrance killed Amy. I was there that night. He killed her. He told me.”
“You were there that night?” Kevin’s world stopped spinning. “You kidnapped her? You kidnapped my daughter?”
“I wanted her out of our lives, but I didn’t kill her. It wasn’t me; it was Terrance. It was all Terrance. He killed her. He did it. I didn’t kill Amy. I’ll testify that Terrance did it.”
“What?” Kevin’s expression softened. “I can’t believe what I’m hearing.”
“I didn’t kill her. I wanted her gone, but I didn’t touch her. It was Terrance Marshall. You have to believe me. I’ll testify against Terrance. I’ll let the world know what he did.”
“No, you won’t,” Harvey stated. “Because nobody killed Amy. And she can tell everyone what really happened that night.”
All the heads in the room turned to look at the defense lawyer.
“What are you talking about?” Taylor questioned.
“Amy Wu is alive.”
The room went quiet.
Dead quiet.
Chapter 39
The nerves in her stomach masked all her pain. Her chest still hurt, and her head was still confused, but nothing could distract her right now.
Family.
The moment she had dreamt about for so long, the moment she was not sure that she would see again.
Her family.
Her constant dream, her constant hope—to feel what it was like to be part of something again. The thought of her family was what got her through the really hard times, the lonely nights, the painful and deserted reality.
But drenched in fear, she questioned whether she would even remember them, or worse, would they even remember her? Have they moved on with their lives? Do they even want her back?
The avalanche of thoughts threatened to freeze her with anxiety. She wanted this so bad, but she wasn’t sure she could take the possible rejection.
As she stepped into the private room at the hospital, worries filled her every movement. She could barely function, barely step forward. She felt like she was going to vomit.
As she walked through the door, she saw her father first.
The moment that they stared at each other seemed to last forever. Was this really happening to her?
The first embrace was almost a tackle. Her father came at his daughter in frantic confusion, lost in a sea of emotion.
Gripping her tight, her father started to cry uncontrollably, only pulling out of the hug to grip her face; staring at his lost daughter, looking at how much she had grown.
She let her guard down. Over the past five years, she had built a solid emotional wall, trying to suppress all her feelings, but now, in the arms of her protective father, she could let it all out.
The tears came out like a river.
Wetting the shoulder of her father’s shirt, she never wanted to leave this place. Her fingernails dug into his back as her head pushed into his chest.
Here, she felt safe.
Even with his sobbing.
“Amy?”
The voice from behind her sent a shiver through her body, shocking her eyes wide open.
“Grandmother?” Amy turned, the first words she had spoken since she entered the room.
“Amy! My Amy!” The embrace from her grandmother, now shorter than her, was almost a tackle worthy of a linebacker. A frantic squeeze. Frenzied kisses. “Amy!”
The embrace was warm, comforting, and for the first time in a long time, Amy smiled. It was her grandmother, full of love, full of affection. The one with the deepest hugs. The one with the most love. The one that got her through the hardest times of her life.
“You’re so big!” her grandmother cried. “You’re so tall! My Amy! You’re really alive! My Amy!”
This was all Yin Sun wanted. Her Amy, safe and well. Her Amy, alive. For years, she had prayed for her granddaughter’s safe return, but she never truly believed her prayers would be answered, so she prayed that her Amy was safe. It was all she wanted in life.
Cradling her grandmother, arms wrapped around her, Amy couldn’t be happier. For the first time in so long, she felt a part of something.
This was her place in the world.
Her family.
Her home.
Chapter 40
The day was blanketed in gray, drops sprinkling from the threatening clouds.
Holding an umbrella, Bill Harvey led Kate Spencer over the grass, stopping at the back of the small crowd. The solemn feeling drenching the surrounds was matched by the dark clothes of the people huddled around the coffin.
For Monty Lee and his family, this day had been five years in the making. Five years of hope, five years of uncertainty.
Monty Lee stood at the front of the crowd, next to his wife and child, his hand resting on the edge of the smooth mahogany wood coffin. There was no tension in his hands, no pain in his face.
After years of anguish, he could bury his lost daughter.
Standing near the side of the crowd, still wary of strangers, Amy Wu stared at the coffin of her former friend. Her cheeks look fuller, her skin looked cleaner, and her hair had been brushed and cut.
Amy had gotten in the way of Eva’s perfect life—after the accidental death of his friend’s daughter, Kevin was trying to withdraw from his business ventures to protect Amy, but Eva wasn’t ready to end her time as a high-flying socialite. She had to get Amy out of the way.
After Amy disappeared, Kevin went straight back into the drug game, and Eva’s world was perfect.
But when Terrance and Eva were arguing about Amy’s fate in an almost empty parking lot, poor Tiffany had been standing only yards away. Terrance had lied to Eva and said that, despite refusing to touch the girl at the time, he had changed his mind and killed Amy. He told her that he had no other choice. Tiffany had tried to run once she heard the news, but Eva was quicker, chasing her down and dragging her into the car. The girl never stood a chance.
When Terrance tried to protest, Eva threatened to tell Kevin what had happened to his daughter. To keep Amy safe, Terrance felt he had no other choice but to do as Eva demanded, and drive them to the entrance of the reserve.
Eva informed the police of the location where she buried the body of young Tiffany Lee. She was just a girl in the wrong place at the wrong time—overhearing a conversation that she shouldn’t have heard.
As the first shovel of dirt was tossed onto Tiffany Lee’s coffin, Kevin Wu lowered his head.
A simple bow between the warring fathers at the start of the funeral had ended half a decade of fighting.
Kevin never wanted Tiffany to die. He wanted his revenge on Monty for what he thought was the kidnapping of his daughter, but the person that had committed the crime was lying next to him in bed each night. He knew Eva and Amy didn’t always get along, but he never thought Eva would try to remove her from his life altogether.
Lying low, Kevin had avoided the wrath of those implicated in the black book and had made plans to disappear from L.A. completely, taking Amy and his mother with him.
“Do you think they’ll be ok?” Kate asked as the crowd started to disperse after the end of the funeral.
“Amy and Kevin? Yes. I really do.”
“How’s she doing now?”
“Surprisingly, she’s doing quite well.” He held the umbrella to cover Kate as the rain became heavier. “Terrance looked after her. Through the books, she learned a lot, just as much as any twelve-year-old, and her drawings are amazing. She said that she learned from drawing in the dust. She’s doing really well, even after she found out that her stepmother is being locked up for murder, and her kidnapping.”
“What do you think the future holds for Amy?”
“A lot of counseling.” Harvey sighed. “She has a lot of emotions to deal with, including the loss of Terrance. It’s going to be a hard road, but she’ll do well.”
“You really think she’ll be ok?”
“I do. Her grandmother will do everything for that young lady. She had some money set aside, and she’ll do anything for her.” He looked to the sky. “And it’s surprised everyone how positive Amy’s outlook is. Despite the terrors that she suffered, despite growing up underground, she has a great mind, a great heart, and a positive view of the world. I watched her eat a ham sandwich, and she couldn’t have looked happier. She was almost crying with joy about something as simple as a sandwich.”
“It makes you wonder what’s the best thing for her. If bringing her into the city really is the best idea, after what she’s been through. You wouldn’t keep her in the basement, that’s horrible, but there’s something to be said for a slower pace of life. Hopefully, the Wu family recognizes that.”
“Just because you can play a melody faster, doesn’t mean you should.” He flattened out his black tie. “She’ll be ok.”
“You’re not going to go after Kevin? Get revenge for what he tried to do to you?”
“No, Kate.” Harvey walked tall. “Our justice system worked. I should be proud of that.”
“And the Lee family?”
“They’ve buried the hatchet with the Wu family, but they’ve decided to stay in their commune. That’s their world now.” He shrugged. “They want to protect their daughter, and they think that’s the best way to do it.”
They both braved a moment of solitude; Harvey walking with his head down.
“Life is about family.” Kate moved closer to him. “Despite everything that these people have been through, it’s still all about family. That’s what really matters.”
“Family is the world’s greatest masterpiece.” Harvey’s thoughts drifted back to his brother and sister, and his deceased wife. “It’s what makes it all worth it.”
“I do feel sad for Terrance Marshall though. He died without ever having a family.”
“Despite all the pain he caused, despite all the terrors he created, he tried to change his life in the end. He tried to protect Amy, and he tried to do something great. Hopefully, someone listened to his prayers, and he’s gone to a better place.” Harvey began to smile. “And if he hasn’t, then I’ll shake his hand in the afterlife.”
THE END
ALSO BY PETER O’MAHONEY:
In the Bill Harvey Legal Thrillers
Truth and Justice
In the Tex Hunter Legal Thrillers
Power and Justice
Faith and Justice
In the Jack Valentine Private Investigator series:
Gates of Power
Bill Harvey Collection Page 61