by D. R. Grady
“What happened to him?” Trace bit out.
“He disappeared at the same time as Savannah’s father. Probably the same time as the other two men.” He nodded in respect to DuBois.
Silence blanketed the room for a span of time and Keith wondered if this might be too much information to digest.
Harlow stirred. “We will continue to verify as many of these facts as we possibly can.” Her fierceness resonated with him. Her strength and the utter determination all felt comfortable and familiar. And it straightened the slight slump in Savannah’s shoulders and brought a little color into her far too pale cheeks.
“Thank you. I’m grateful for all the news on my father. In the back of my mind I wondered if he’d been involved with Horgate and now I know.” She shook her head and sniffed again. “This secret project was his idea. That both makes me proud and sad.”
Harlow reached across the space between them to touch her hand. “I feel the same way. This project has so much potential and it’s wrong that these men who were the forces behind it were murdered because of their brilliance. However, their children and grandchildren will benefit from their ideas once we bring this to fruition.”
Keith had to physically resist the overwhelming urge to pluck her out of that chair and kiss her senseless.
Savannah and DuBois both started. “What?”
“This was the brainchild of Matias Wilson. Emmett Dubrinsky and Brian Bentwater lost their lives as well, but contributed their own skills and knowledge to this project. All of you will benefit from this and we will make certain they’re honored as the brilliant talents behind the project. This deserves to go to market, because again, it’s advanced work.”
Keith held up a hand. “It might take some time. I still have some unraveling to do and we obviously need to keep this quiet.”
No one argued. Which made sense. Too many deaths already and not enough answers, but they were closer than they’d ever been and he counted that as a win. Still, Keith had no doubts Harlow would make it right for these people who had lost their parents unnecessarily.
They couldn’t bring back those they’d lost but Harlow could make things right. It’s what she did.
Her need for justice for others impressed him, shocked him, and made him fall even harder for her.
Chapter 27
Thursday, Harlow gave into the notion of a snack. Her stomach protested just as Keith’s phone rang. Since they currently shared an office, it might be a great idea to give him space and head for the kitchen. On the way she thought about the bit of conversation she’d overheard between Keith and some manufacturer in the states.
He’d been on the lookout for certain components for the battery. If they couldn’t source the parts they needed there didn’t seem much point in pursuing the project. Unless Keith could dream up a method to make the battery work.
However, it had sounded as though this particular manufacturer could supply the most tricky component. That made her happy, but she didn’t get her hopes up. He had reassured her that none of the parts were expensive or hard to come by. Now she paced to the pantry and located the bar she’d been thinking about.
This would do the job. But on her way out of the kitchen she spotted a bowl of fruit. Oh, yes. She returned the processed bar for fresh fruit. So it might be a little messier but if she could have fruit she always went for that.
Selecting one at random because she had no preference, she ate it in the kitchen so she could wash her hands afterward. While consuming her snack Chad drifted into the kitchen area. He headed for her.
A faint air of excitement hitched a ride. She eyed him in both disbelief and joy. “What’s made you so happy?”
“We got her.” He clapped his hands then flapped them before catching himself.
Harlow patted the chair beside her. “Tell me more.” This should help him not give into temptation to flap his hands. An issue since childhood that he’d mostly conquered in adulthood.
Chad slid into the chair and then stumbled at how to phrase the explanation. A frown formed.
“You found her.”
This recirculated his thoughts and his excitement returned. “We found mean Nesla’s way into the system. I documented the entire process and have plenty of proof. Cian said we needed to do that. There’s enough to get her on that alone. But then Verity and I sent a trap for her, too.” Intelligence and cunning beamed from him in a manner that made her proud of her brother.
“Did she take the bait?”
“Yeah. And we caught her, so more evidence. We’ve sent it all to the proper department at the police station.” As Chad animated more than normal the Rembrandt twins joined them.
“We heard that and we’ve got news of our own.” Gage waved a sheaf of papers.
“Hold on, Keith should probably be part of this.” She wondered about Savannah and Molly as well, but the two of them had disappeared into the music room and Trace had muttered something about them composing Savannah’s next hit. She hated to disturb them if they were working.
Still, she sent a text to Keith. He should have concluded his call by now. It didn’t take him long to join them and Chad brought him up to speed on catching Nesla. And their sending the evidence to the police.
“What’s going on from your end?” She inquired of Gage. He had listened to Chad’s explanation with plenty of satisfaction. As had Finn.
“We also have combed through this contract between her grandfather and yours.” Gage indicated the paperwork that had looked familiar.
“There’s a clause there that your business savvy great-grandfather, despite the drug-induced dementia, must have locked down.” Finn exuded triumph.
“What did he include?” Her mind roved through the possibilities.
“He placed in there that they had to give at least two hundred days notice of foreclosure. Which is how they stole the house. They foreclosed on the property. But in this documentation that they all signed it says the bank had to give your family two hundred days warning.”
“That would have been plenty of time for them to rearrange the finances. They only gave us two weeks.” New respect for her great-grandfather rose in her mind.
“Exactly. The Nunes family stole your ancestral home.” Finn’s eyes gleamed. “We’ve already sent all this to the bank.”
“And we’ve sent a federal investigator team into the bank because this looks super shady.” Gage indicated the paperwork with his chin. “Chances are good this bank is done.”
“That’s not a bad thing. They’ve cheated this island for years. But no one could prove it.” Keith’s voice hardened.
“And they’ve stomped any attempts to open a decent bank.” Harlow made a mental note to check into a credit union. That might work well here and she’d been thinking of doing so anyway.
“Our guess is they’re done. The feds are going to find plenty and from what we’ve found alone they won’t be able to recover. The top people are facing jail time,” Gage said.
“With the new judges in place these should be fair trials.” The Rembrandts and her family had worked hard the last few years to annihilate the judicial corruption. And the fruits of their labors were already blooming.
Instead of one judge, they’d appointed several. All of whom were long time residents on the island. Known by everyone and good people as well as judges, Toliliel had seen the morale of its people rise. Harlow would continue to see to these issues.
Then the ramifications of what the twins had stated finally coalesced in her brain. “Wait, are you saying that we own our ancestral home?”
“That’s what we’re saying. They defaulted on the terms of the loan, which means you own that home free and clear.” Finn would know. This was certainly his forte.
“We never received all of the money. My grandfather is still fighting that, even now.”
“That right there should have been enough for you to get the house back.” Gage pointed out.
“Right. Granddad has
been fighting hard on this issue. That might be why they decided to poison him.” Harlow’s jaw started to ache. She eased up on clenching her teeth. “They would have been left with me.”
The twins snorted. “I don’t think Nesla has any idea what you can do.”
“Even if she does, she has a lot more to lose these days.” Harlow made a few more mental notes. A quick fantasy played in her mind. An enjoyable one that included pushing the nasty woman off a high cliff but then they’d never get the answers they deserved. She gave up on that daydream.
Still, the woman had caused a lot of grief and pain to the people of this island and beyond. Nesla and her family’s greed had taken a toll on them. Once they caught her, the time would finally arrive for healing.
A new plan unfolded in her mind.
One that involved the physical capture of a woman who had long ago crossed the line from right into very, very wrong.
§
It didn’t take a genius to determine that whatever crossed Harlow’s mind wouldn’t sit well with him. Keith might not have known her for long, but this woman had been made to fight for the others. She would right wrongs until her dying breath.
The issue here is he wanted her dying breath to come way later in her life. He selfishly wanted a lot more time with her. Not that he didn’t love her crusader-for-the-cause attitude. He certainly did. But through sheer laws of probability she was going to land into trouble.
“What’s the next step?” Chad looked to the twins. “Can Harlow move back to our ancestral home? She’s been obsessed with it since we were kids.”
Harlow darted a sisterly look at her little brother. Chad didn’t notice. Probably because his focus remained on the twins.
“Yes. She’ll need to get a good locksmith out there to change all the locks,” Finn answered.
“And maybe a moving company to clear out the Nunes family belongings,” Gage added.
Just then their phones both rang. They excused themselves to take the calls. This left the rest of them staring at each other.
“So we can move into our home.” Harlow sounded shocked.
“I’m not moving. I like my condo. But I think you should live there.” Chad noticed the fruit bowl. He slid off his stool to obtain a snack.
“I have no idea how this is going to work.” Harlow shook her head.
“We just learned that Nesla has cleared out of the house. It’s completely empty. She snuck out sometime in the last two days.” Gage reentered the kitchen. He selected a banana from the bowl.
“I just spoke with a good locksmith. He’s heading out now to change all the locks with high quality versions. And our security team are going to rip out the old security system and install a new, state-of-the-art one. It should be ready by next week.” Finn slid his phone back into a pocket.
“I…” But then Harlow trailed off.
Keith had to hug her. Removing her from the stool was simple and he loved how easily she slid into his arms and drew from the comfort he offered. “We’ve got a house, honey.”
A burble of laughter reassured her. “Yes.”
“We hope there will be a marriage before you both move in?” Finn tried for stern. Gage mimicked him perfectly.
“Of course there will be a marriage but don’t ruin the proposal.” Keith barreled headlong into stern.
“Right.” The twins let it go.
“You’re getting married?” Chad didn’t. But Keith gave him a pass.
“Again, Chad, I haven’t proposed yet, but Harlow and I do intend to spend our lives together.” Yeah, this isn’t how he had envisioned this moment.
Her laughing eyes and happy face reassured him that she didn’t mind. They had already settled this. They belonged together and therefore would be together. That they now had an awesome house to live in and her job was secure while he busily secured his own made for exciting times.
Gage cracked a joke. “Does it bother you that you’re moving into her ancestral home?”
But Keith took it seriously. “Not in the least. I came home without plans but I like how my life is going. Besides, I don’t have an ancestral home.” He didn’t care in the least about moving into Harlow’s house. The place meant something to her and he wanted her to have it.
“It’ll probably take both of our incomes to keep up the place anyway.” Harlow smiled at him.
She kept her arms locked around him and he approved.
As Chad and the twins drifted off he studied Harlow’s face. “You have something churning in your brain.”
She nodded slightly. “My plan is still half baked.”
All of his senses hit full throttle. “I already hate this plan and I haven’t heard any part of it.”
“We know Nesla is on the run. She’s vacated my house. That’s good. But what isn’t good is she’s still at large.”
A glimmer of where her thoughts headed made his spine stiffen. “This isn’t a good plan.”
“You haven’t even heard it yet.”
“You intend to use yourself as bait.” His sigh emanated from the deepest part of his soul.
“I don’t think it matters what I intend, Keith. She’s going to be angry that she’s now on the run and ‘forced’ out of her home. We know a lot about her deeds and we’ve already sent them to the authorities. She can’t kill all of us. Well, she can try, but it will very, very difficult. You tell me who she’s going to target.” Harlow looked him straight in the eyes and he hated every part of this conversation.
But he also caught her train of thought. “She now wants revenge.” This baffled him. “This monster is the one who has committed how many crimes and now that she’s been caught, she wants revenge?”
“No one said she was mentally stable. But think about it.” Harlow gave him a minute before she continued. “She’s the classic definition of a sociopath.”
He thought about that classification. No sense of right or wrong. No empathy for others. No conscience. And impulsive to a fault.
“This is bad.”
“It is. She’s the epitome of a monster but I remember her playing the victim in the past.”
“What did you do?”
“Remember how my mom insisted Chad and I attend her prestigious alma mater so we missed out on the local school system? Which I still regret today.”
“You wanted to attend the local high school.” He remembered that early conversation.
“With every part of myself. I hated the private school. Again, I’m not made for that type of atmosphere. I would have excelled at the local school I think, but anyway...”
Where she went with this coalesced in his brain. “Not attending school here made it harder for you get to know the local kids.”
“Yes. I sat on the sidelines a lot. But this enabled me to detect Nesla’s charms but also her nefarious actions behind-the-scenes so to speak. I witnessed her dubious decisions and alerted some of the friendlier kids.”
“And they appreciated that?”
“They did. All of them had been stung by her but hadn’t necessarily caught on that she was the perpetrator.”
“You were crusading even back then.” This didn’t shock him. Always on the course to do right and good in the world.
“I suppose. I have to right wrongs, it’s in my blood.” She snuggled closer. “You must be like that since you’re retired from the military.”
“I joined the military so I could work and receive my degree at the same time. It seemed like a win-win situation to me.”
“Are you happy with that choice?”
“I am. I’d do it all over again. I learned a lot while in the military, got my degree, supported myself, and could help my family in the meantime.”
“I love you.”
“Good. Remember that when the sociopath comes after you.”
Chapter 28
Friday morning brought a restlessness Harlow had anticipated. The hope had been that it’d hold off a little longer. She and Verity finished their mor
ning workout and headed to the showers in their bathroom. The police were actively looking for Nesla van den Roos and her husband’s family had all given statements.
The van den Roos missing member must weigh heavily on their minds. Harlow and company understood that. The van den Roos had no idea what had happened to Nesla’s husband. He remained a missing person.
Harlow guessed they knew his fate deep down. If he had chosen a better spouse he’d likely still be alive. He could still be alive but the odds weren’t in his favor.
Verity, Savannah, and Molly headed into the kitchen with her. Keith’s mother, Talia, had left right after Harlow and Verity headed to the fitness center so breakfast was definitely under way. Keith, Cian, Beau, and Trace had already been present in the gym. She and Verity heckled the men right back so it’d been a fun workout day.
Entering the kitchen now offered amazing smells and embedded within those was what she most wanted. She headed for the coffee maker and helped herself then leaned against a far counter out of the way of the cooks.
As she hoped, Keith soon joined her. She mentioned her morning plans. “I’d like to go to the house this morning.”
His eyebrows rose. “Have the locks been changed? It’s only been a day.”
“The twins know a locksmith who changed them almost as soon as they called. The keys are waiting at the locksmith’s shop. We just have to go pick them up.”
“What about the security system?”
“It’s not been updated yet. That’s happening next week. But I have to go.”
His eyebrows rose. “As in there’s a plaguing feeling telling you there’s something important there?”
“It’s that restless feeling you get when there are untied ends.” She sipped coffee as she further processed the info she had. “This is stemming from the house.”
“Did you send a bomb squad out to the place?”
“She didn’t have time to set bombs and move, but yes. We’ve already had some experts check the house. I want to delve deeper into it.”