by Karr, Kim
I ignored that comment. “If I tell you what I know, will you let me out of here?”
Doubt was written all over her face. She didn’t think I knew what I was talking about. “Depends if the info is good or not, McPherson.”
I had to trust it was, and also trust that she was going to let me out of there. I decided to keep the name “the Priest” to myself for now. It could be leverage for later. “Ever hear of Mickey O’Shea?”
She nodded.
“Then you know there was a time years ago that he operated his own gang.”
She looked bored. “I know the story. Small gang. Gang wars. It folded. Patrick branched out on his own after that.”
“Did you also know that he’s a florist?”
She tapped her pen on the table as if excited. “Go on.”
“This is just a theory. Other than the compound you mentioned, I have no proof. But what if he’s been trying to resurrect Patrick’s old gang . . . and what if he’s the source?”
That got her attention and she slowly nodded her head. “Why not his own gang?”
“Some kind of payback?”
“Very plausible lead, McPherson.”
That might have been a pat on the back. “Good. Now are you ready to drop the bullshit trumped-up murder charges?”
Her huff of laugher had to be admired. “You’re pushing it. I never said that.”
“Come on. You know it’s bullshit. It will take me all of two minutes out of this room to convince anyone I didn’t do it. Yeah, I was in Elizabeth’s O’Shea’s vehicle and I moved some things around; the rattle must have been one of them. And you know Elle Sterling was driving her sister’s vehicle. She was the woman with me that night. I didn’t lie. I never met Elizabeth O’Shea.”
She shrugged. “Then why worry about it?”
I narrowed my eyes and came clean. “I don’t want Elle involved.”
“Very admirable of you, Logan, but I’m afraid the law doesn’t work that way.”
My ability to remain calm was surprising even myself. “Look, there’s a much bigger picture here. You have Patrick Flannigan in custody for a long stretch, but that isn’t going to put an end to the mayhem in the streets. You need the source of the drugs. What I’m giving you, what I can give you if you let me out of here, will help you do that as well as bring down a possible gang that you weren’t even aware existed.”
Her lip twisted and I could tell she was hungry to dig into the information. “Okay, I admit the murder charges are bullshit.” She took a piece of paper from the folder and tore it in half. “And I’ll even let the small detail of similar compound traces on the drugs and in your car get buried.” She took another sheet of paper and stuck it in the middle of all the others in the folder. “For now.”
I leaned back in my chair and crossed my arms. “This is what I can do . . .” I told her how I planned to get to the source. It was sketchy. I had to lay the whole thing out, but if it was Mickey O’Shea, and on the surface it looked like it was, how hard could it be? I knew Blanchet wasn’t going to be able to uncover the truth alone, and so did she. She didn’t have enough. Not yet. And she needed me. I had connections she would never have.
The clock on the wall read eight thirty when she slid the keys to the Rover my way. “You’re free to go.”
“Just like that?”
She shrugged. “You were never formally booked or charged. In fact, there is no record of you ever having been here. I’ve also already let the FBI know the terrorist charges couldn’t be validated.”
I shook my head in disgust.
“It’s a task force, Logan, that I’m in charge of. I have certain leeway not everyone has. And letting you go is one of the things I can do.”
I got to my feet.
“But, Logan,” her voice was stern, “don’t screw with me, because I may be new to Boston but I’m not new to the streets. I know what you did. The thing is, I can see the bigger picture, and in it, what you did is irrelevant. But that doesn’t mean I can’t and won’t bring you in and book your ass if the need arises.”
As I stood beside the door, all I could think about was Elle. I didn’t care about anything that had happened in here, and I didn’t care what the fuck the bigger picture was. There was time for that later.
All I needed right now was to get to Elle, so I calmly answered, “I understand,” and walked out the door.
Just like she said I could.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
ELLE
Mary Poppins didn’t have anything on Mrs. R.
Rebecca Reeves was Clementine’s new nanny and I couldn’t be more pleased. Michael had broken the mold and hired an older, more experienced woman. She seemed completely competent in childcare and took charge right away.
Finally confident that Clementine was in good hands, I was packing my things to return home. My nerves over her care had gotten the best of me. She’d gone through three caregivers since I’d arrived in Boston and with the death of my sister, I wanted her to have some stability during her days.
Knowing that besides Michael, I might be the only anchor in her life, I’d spent Saturday and Sunday night here. Logan was never far from my thoughts, but with Clementine to occupy my time, my heartache didn’t seem so catastrophic.
Aside from the incident where Michael had put his hand on my back, nothing in his behavior the rest of the weekend had pushed me to feel the need to say anything to him about it.
Just as I was zipping up my bag, the house phone rang. “Hello,” I answered.
Michael had to leave unusually early for work and I had agreed to stay until the new nanny arrived so I could introduce her to Clementine. Things had gotten off to a great start and they were busy getting acquainted in the nursery.
“Elle, is that you?” The familiar voice shouted my name.
“Yes, is this Heidi?” I knew by the German accent that it was.
“Is Michael home?”
Michael? Not Mr. O’Shea. Interesting. “No, he left for work early.”
With a huff, she said, “I’m at his office and his secretary has informed me he won’t be in until later today.”
I set my bag down. “Can I help you with anything?”
She sighed. “I need my paycheck. I’ve been staying at a hostel, but I have to be out in a few days. Could you tell him to please leave it for me at his office and I’ll come by again in the morning?”
Curiosity took control of me. “I’ll let him know. Do you mind if I ask why you left so hastily?”
She laughed. “I didn’t leave. He ordered me out.”
Stunned, I didn’t hold back. “Why?”
“You must know what he’s looking for.”
My skin bristled. “I know he wants someone competent to look after Clementine.”
“Right, that’s what he wants.”
I flinched at the tone of her voice. “Did your departure have to do with a disagreement over Clementine?”
Her laugh was dry. “Not at all.”
“Then what?” I was pushing it and I knew it.
“I didn’t want—” She stopped. “I said no, and he ordered me to leave—Never mind, I’m not looking for any trouble, just please tell him I’ll come by his office in the morning.”
Once she hung up, I stood there at the night table near the bed, reeling. What was going on with him? I didn’t like what I was thinking. Why had he lied to me about Heidi quitting and also about having to go into work early?
The website I saw on the piece of paper in Heidi’s former room came to mind and I found myself back in there. Traci hadn’t arrived yet, so everything was the way it had been left. First thing I did was look at the crumpled paper again. It had been cut to about a quarter of the size of a normal piece and I could tell it had been folded down the middle. I’d seen one like this before in Michael’s secretary’s desk. The secretary he fired over a month ago.
Tossing it back in the wastebasket, I glanced in the open drawers and then u
nder the bed. Nothing. I went into the bathroom. Nothing. I hurried to the nightstand and when I pulled it open, I found nothing there either.
What the hell was going on?
What was Heidi alluding to?
I had to know. Before I knew it, I was in Michael’s office and at his computer before I could stop myself. My phone battery had died and I couldn’t wait until I got home. I had to know what this meant now.
The screen saver vanished and I was prompted to enter a password.
Crap.
The first word that came to mind was Clementine and I entered it. That didn’t work. I was no hacker, but I kept going, this time entering her birthdate, and what did you know? It worked.
In the address bar, I typed www.evanmarks.com. The site loaded immediately. What came up were pictures of professional-looking men, as if Michael were searching for a law partner. The site was very nondescript. Its name was across the top, with the images scrolling down.
Pick one, the piece of paper had instructed. Was it possible Michael had wanted Heidi to pick a man? What on earth for? I clicked on one of the images to see if the profile would load beneath it.
“Did you need something?” The question was asked in a cool and strong tone, like that of steel.
My hand moved quickly and the shaking caused me to click in the wrong place. A list of files filled the screen and my eyes landed on a video clip labeled Elizabeth. With no time to look at it or even blink, I somehow managed to close the window and then glance up within a reasonable amount of time. “I hope you don’t mind that I was using your computer, but I needed to check my inventory and get my orders placed before nine.” My own tone was calm, but I was anything but.
Michael stood in the doorway with a bouquet of beautiful mixed flowers in his hand. “Not at all, but you’ve been keeping something from me.”
My hands began to shake and I had to dig my nails into my palms to tame their quivering.
“You’re a hacker,” he said with a grin.
I snatched air into my lungs. I realized that I’d been holding my breath. “No, not really. After Clementine’s name didn’t work I tried her birthday. Sorry about that, but I was desperate to catch an auction before it ended.”
He gave me a casual shrug. “It’s fine. In fact, I came home hoping you’d still be here.”
I pushed the chair back and felt the sweat on my palms as my hands slid down the wooden arms. “You just caught me. I was getting ready to leave.”
Michael strode into the room looking effortlessly powerful and set the flowers on his desk.
I stood, my heart fluttering like a bird in a cage. “Here, take your seat.”
His grin seemed to widen as he approached me.
Willing my nervous trembling to stop, I circled the desk in the opposite direction. “What did you need?” My tone was eerily calm considering he’d just caught me at his computer and could very easily discover what I said I had been doing was a lie.
“Sit,” he commanded.
I bristled at the command but did as he said and sat in one of the two chairs facing his desk.
The flowers were spilling out over his legal pad and he pulled out a rose. “I’ve been thinking about something and it makes complete sense.”
My nerves were getting the better of me, and I had to clear my throat to make certain I didn’t squeak when I spoke. “What would that be?”
Michael’s suit was perfectly pressed, his dark hair expertly combed, and his eyes were an icy, icy blue. “I want you to move in with Clementine and me.”
“What?” I couldn’t contain my shock.
Those eyes seemed colder and more calculating than I’d ever noticed. “Elle, I think we need to give up this pretense.”
I sat up straighter, not liking the tone he was using with me. “I’m sorry, Michael, but I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
His grin was almost wolfish. “You want to be a part of my daughter’s life. I think we can even go as far as to say you want her to call you Mommy. You made quite an impression at the political fundraiser. I need a confident woman in my life to help me rise up within the social circles I’ve been trying to break into for years. As you know, I hope to be elected district attorney and then possibly move up to judge or even mayor. In order to do so, I need a more stable home life.” With the rose in his hand, he fingered the thorns. “And Elle, you are the perfect woman to help me build that.”
My body was screaming “No,” but Heidi’s words, I said no and he ordered me to leave, were echoing through me at the very same time. If I flat-out said no right now, would he cut me out of Clementine’s life just like that? I couldn’t risk it. “Your wife was my sister, Michael. What would people think?”
He brought the rose to his nose and sniffed it. “They’d think a grief-stricken man found solace in a beautiful woman. Of course, we’d wait a respectable amount of time before going public, but I don’t think anyone would think badly about the situation. After all, I was a man burdened by his wife, left to raise our child, and you were there for me.”
My eyes were anywhere but on him. Sparkling crystals in the early morning light drew my attention to the floor. It was salt, like what I had seen that night I opened the bags with the cocaine in them.
Odd.
I knew half of the missing drugs were in the possession of the DEA.
My gaze wandered, and it was then I noticed a missing tile in the façade of the fireplace that I always thought was just a decorative listello. The three others were in place, but this one displayed a keypad. It had to be for the panic room. I knew the entrance was in his office but had never really paid attention to where.
I wondered why there was a trail into it or from it. Did he have the missing drugs in his possession? Here? And if so, what was he going to do with them? I didn’t like where my mind was headed. Had he left everyone in danger, including his daughter, for a profit? No, he wouldn’t. I pushed those dark thoughts away and wondered what the room looked like inside. I wondered about anything except what he was proposing, because what he was proposing to me—it didn’t sound so crazy right now, especially if he was involved with something illegal. Clementine would need me.
We both wanted something and his proposal was a way for both of us to get it. Most importantly, if I lived here, I could assure Clementine’s environment was safe. Of course, there were many other issues and I threw one out there. “I just bought a place of my own. What would I do with it?”
He set the rose down and fiddled with his mouse. “It was mostly my money. The rest of it was mortgaged. It’s not like you have money in it.”
“That doesn’t mean I want to let it go.”
“Well, you live in an area of high demand. We could rent it out in no time.”
My heart was racing. Was he going to catch me right now? Know what site I’d been on? I stood up. “I don’t know, Michael. I need some time to think about it.”
Michael lifted himself from the chair and circled the desk. He stopped directly in front of me and reached behind himself for the rose. With the stem in his hand, he offered it to me. “For you,” he said with a satisfied smile.
I took it and brought it to my nose. It smelled of his coercion and my discomfort, but that was okay, because what else did I have in my life? Did it really matter what price I had to pay to have Clementine a part of it? My initial thought was—no, it didn’t. Yet still, I couldn’t answer. The words were stuck in my throat.
“Take the week and consider my offer. We can discuss you being involved in Clementine’s life by moving in with me further next weekend. There’s no rush.”
I swallowed. “Okay.”
His grin felt more genuine as it softened. “Okay,” he agreed.
I turned to leave but twisted back. “Oh, Michael, Heidi called.”
His face froze on that grin.
“She asked if you could leave her final paycheck at your office and she’d pick it up in the morning.”
; He nodded. “Of course, I should have thought of that.”
My nails were biting into my palms. “I have to run. I have a lot to accomplish today. But thank you for this weekend.”
“I enjoyed it too,” he responded, and went back to his computer.
I was breathing so hard my entire body was shaking as I started what had once been my sister’s car. As soon as I got out of the garage, I opened the window. The air was crisp and cool. I breathed in. I pushed the air out. My panic was mounting. I knew how to defend myself physically, but emotional warfare was nothing I was prepared for. Michael was using that precious little girl to get what he wanted, and what he wanted was me.
Michael just suggesting it sounded crazy enough, but me considering it was insane.
I plugged my phone in to charge and started driving. A few minutes later, the sound of my cell ringing broke my concentration. I looked down and saw blocked call. Fear seized me. I shoved it away. For the next five minutes it just kept ringing, but I refused to look at it again.
I feared who it was. Was it the same blocked caller again with some scary message, or was it Michael with more ways to make “us” work? I refused to look and hit ignore.
When I was far enough away from the house, I opened the window wider and tossed the rose out of it. With that anchor away from me, I let my mind go free. I’d held it tightly captive over the last two days and couldn’t stand it any longer.
Logan was gone from my life.
Sadness suddenly washed over me. I’d been alone for many years, but I’d never felt more alone than right now. I missed him desperately. I wanted to call him. Hear his voice. Feel his body against mine. Talk to him. Ask him what I should do.
Over the past two days I had saved my tears for late at night when I was in bed and wished I could feel his arms around me. The great loss of him in my life came barreling at me as I drove home. This time I didn’t try to push the tears away or keep my sobs at bay; the minute I let go, the memories of our time together flashed before me.
Sitting across from him eating a hamburger, walking through the park with him, sitting beside him as he drove us through Boston talking about nothing and everything—our favorite foods, places we’d been, running, the Boston Marathon that we’d missed this year but vowed to train for together and run next year. Even in the midst of the craziness, being with him over the past month was the happiest I could ever remember being.