The Darkest Secrets

by Heather Wynter

  “I found something alarming.” Gabe motioned her over, and she sat facing him, close. She wouldn’t want anyone to be listening, especially not since that robbery.

  What if Gabe was the one who sold her out, though? She was taking a risk, a necessary risk. She quickly debated how much she would tell him and what she’d keep to herself.

  “I got a tip from an anonymous source. Files that hold disturbing information on Brett, Emma’s father.”

  Gabe nodded as he leaned in, clearly interested in what she had to say, which made sense. Yet something about this, something about him, made her feel off. Probably jealousy. She was jealous of his success in the FBI, doing the job she dreamed about since she was young. There was no way around that, but she couldn’t let it get in the way. She shook it away. Anna. This was about Anna.

  “There were pictures, figures, names. I’ve been poring through them all, and it’s awful. He’s clearly mixed up with some awful stuff. He’s done terrible things and paid people off to keep this a secret. I think his money has kept him out of trouble so far, and I want to nail him. Teach him that he can’t just do whatever he wants and get away with it. I’m hoping that with the FBI behind us, we can get him once and for all. They already have an open investigation on him, don’t they?”

  “They do…” Gabe said slowly. “Though what they have on him is minuscule. Financial crimes mainly. They haven’t yet been able to pin anything important on him. That doesn’t sound like what you’re talking about, though. If the case against him is this large and encompassing, then the FBI should be the ones to handle it and take over any evidence you have against him.”

  Amelia flinched at that. She didn’t want to just hand the case over. It should be her! She should be the FBI agent investigating it. Gabe wouldn’t care about it as much as she did. He couldn’t. But this was about Anna, not her. About all those other women who had been victimized and suffered in silence. She had to do what was right for the case, without letting her pride get in the way.

  “However,” he continued. “I’m going to need more than that. What exactly tipped you onto this behavior? What evidence do you have? I need some specifics before I let them know what you’ve found.”

  “Well, like I said, there are the pictures.” Gabe looked at her and waited patiently, expecting she’d say more. There was so much to say, but she just wasn’t sure how much she should share. Not knowing who to trust complicated an already impossible situation. “There’s a picture of Anna.”

  “Our victim Anna?” His eyes widened in the first real hint of surprise she’d seen so far. In an odd way, it soothed her just a little. She had his full attention.

  “Yes, and in the picture she’s in,” Amelia paused, trying to decide on a delicate way to tell him. “Well, she’s in a compromising position. She’s being sexually assaulted, and since the picture is tied to Brett, I know it’s him. He assaulted her, and she was a minor when the assault took place.”

  “Back it up. You said that since the picture is tied to Brett, you know it’s him. You didn’t say the picture was of him. Is his face not clear in the picture?”

  “I mean…not exactly, but a man is clearly on top of her in the picture. Assaulting her. And like I said, it’s tied to other documents I have on him, so I know it’s him. Plus, there’s a spreadsheet of numbers and names. Bank accounts. A paper trail of blackmail. I have proof that he paid off Anna and her parents. Though he didn’t give her specifically any money until shortly before her death. Which is even more proof that he probably murdered her.

  “I suspect that Anna came to him. Threatened to expose him maybe, maybe threatened to tell his daughter. Emma and Anna were best friends at one point in time. If she shared her truth, Emma would probably hate her father for life, and he knew that. He paid her off, but maybe it wasn’t enough. Maybe she wouldn’t back down or maybe he just wanted to silence her for good, so he killed her and tried to frame his daughter.”

  “Why would he try to frame his daughter?”

  “I’m still puzzling that one out, as I don’t have a lot of solid answers yet. But I think maybe he just wanted to save himself. He had access to Emma’s fingerprints, and he knew the two were once best friends. Maybe she was just the easiest target. Or maybe he thought that we would assume that she was framed, as she was a victim herself, and it would mess up the whole investigation so neither of them would be punished.”

  The way Gabe looked at her when she was done talking made her regret ever coming to him in the first place. She felt small under his gaze, silly. Furious because she knew she was better than him at her job, and as a person, for that matter. Yet his look was so condescending, like she was beneath him.

  “That’s a lot,” Gabe said. “A huge risk for Brett to take. And I just worry that it’d be a hard sell to the jury. They tend to like simple stories; things they can understand. They like a clear chain of evidence, an easy conviction. And this…this sounds like a mess right now. Emma’s fingerprint does ultimately complicate the investigation, and regardless, the ties to Brett are blurry. If his face isn’t in the photos, then it’ll be difficult to say for certain that he’s the man assaulting Anna, especially since she’s no longer able to testify about that for herself. The figures might be useful if they have Brett’s name attached to them, but though I can see why it appears you hit the jackpot here, it’s all a little shaky. Where did you get this information from? Is the source reliable? Credible?”

  As Gabe talked, Amelia doubted herself. But she thought of Anna, of how she looked in those photos. She knew Brett was a bad guy, and she was determined to prove it, with or without Gabe’s help.

  Instead of doubting herself, she doubted Gabe and was even more reluctant to share anything further with him. Maybe Trent wasn’t the issue. Maybe Gabe was.

  “She is,” Amelia replied, pulling up that stone wall.

  “That’s a good start, but I’ll need you to disclose the name to me. Share all the evidence she gave you before I can determine if this is a solid case. I’ll need to do my own investigation and hopefully find more concrete evidence, as so far it’s…not looking great, unfortunately.”

  “You’re right,” she said. “It is a bit of a shaky foundation. I won’t bother you with the details until the theories are better developed with more evidence to back them.”

  “If you’re working on it, I want to work with you. I just want to make sure we have concrete evidence.”

  “It’s a lot,” Amelia laughed. “I guess I’m just so anxious to solve this case that I jumped on the first thing I found. It’s probably not even worth our time investigating it if you think about it. Better move onto more substantial leads.”

  “Makes sense,” Gabe smiled a real smile. “I have some disturbing information about Anna’s last boyfriend. Her friends have claimed that he was abusive, furious when she broke up with him. Everyone I talked to who knew her is convinced that he’s the one who killed her.”

  “Women are often killed by the men in their life,” Amelia replied. “Oftentimes those they’re closest to. I guess sometimes, most times, the answers are more typical. Simple.”

  “Very true.”

  “I’ll let you get to it then.”

  “Wonderful! I’ll send you what I have so far and maybe you can find something I missed.”

  “Maybe.”

  She tried to act normal as she walked to her desk, but inside she was fuming and suspicious. She opened the files Gabe sent her so they’d be available on her desktop in case he walked by. Then she opened the files on the flash drive and searched down the list of names, hoping she wouldn’t find what she feared.

  But there it was. Gabe’s name among the names of people Amelia suspected Brett had paid off.

  Amelia stared at the screen, confused and a little nervous. Who could she trust? It was becoming more difficult to tell by the day. She didn’t dare go to any of the other detectives or FBI agents. How could she know who else might be in on this? It seemed
Brett had everyone under his control. Maybe she should call Trent? Brenda? But what if he had sunk his claws into them, too? At least they weren’t on the—

  She heard footsteps and quickly pulled up the info Gabe sent her about Anna’s ex. Moments later, he was right behind her.

  “I’m heading out,” he said. “I’m going to try to catch up with Anna’s ex. At least verify where he’s at, even if I can’t bring him in until tomorrow. Do you want to come with me? I know you’re great at talking to people. I’d love to have you along.”

  “I would, but it’s probably best if you go,” she said, forcing a smile. “I’m still looking into everything, and he seems like the kind of guy who might open up more to a man.”

  “True. Some guys are jerks like that. See you tomorrow?”

  “See you tomorrow.”

  Her smile fell the second he was out of sight, as did her energy. She used up too much trying to fake it to avoid Gabe’s suspicion, and now she was just exhausted and overwhelmed. Not only was she trying to take on a powerful, prominent man in the music industry, but now she had to deal with a corrupt agent.

  Should she speak out about him? Perhaps. But she had made her dislike of Gabe clear. Anyone she told might think she was saying this just to get back at him because she was jealous. She did not need to be further discredited.

  So instead, she shut down her computer and headed out for the day. Halfway to her car, she got a text from Everett. Without reading it, she texted him back.

  You home?

  Yeah, why?

  Can I come over?

  It felt like she waited for ages for him to reply, but it wasn’t even a full minute.

  Yeah, of course.

  Even she knew it was odd how quickly she’d grown to rely on this stranger. But she couldn’t seem to help it. He drew her in, and she thought she just might be able to trust him. He wasn’t wrapped up in all of this. He wasn’t a corrupt agent. Out of all of them, he was the only one who was pure and innocent.

  A million thoughts kept Amelia company as she drove to his house. Worries about Emma, heartbreak over Anna. Fear that Gabe was working right beside her every single day, selling her out to Brett and ensuring their case would never be solved.

  Why had her mother done this to her? Why hadn’t she told her earlier? Why couldn’t she have dealt with this while she was still alive? Did she know how complicated this would get? Maybe she did. Maybe that was the answer to all the other whys.

  It was all a bit too much to handle. A bit too long to wait as she knocked on Everett’s door. Finally, he answered and looked alarmed when he saw her.

  “Amelia?” he said slowly. “Is something wrong?”

  “Just about everything.” She shook her head and tried to smile. “But it will be okay. I’m going to figure this out.”

  “Wonderful!” He stepped back away from the doorway. “Come on in. Maybe I can help you with that.”

  Two glasses of red wine waited in front of Everett’s gorgeous stone fireplace. Flames warmed the living room as Amelia gazed out the wall of windows that looked down upon a dark blue lake with trees cozied up against it.

  “Your place is…beautiful,” she said. “I’m in awe.”

  “It’s my oasis.” He sat on the black couch and motioned for her to join him. Her eyes dragged over the titles of the books on the mantle. “I’ve worked hard to get to where I am now in life, and this property is proof of that. From homeless to a small chunk of paradise, I’ve evolved. This is my place to unwind when the world gets a little too crazy.”

  “I can see that. It’s far more than a small chunk, though.” As Amelia sipped the wine, it touched her how odd this was. His house was stunning, huge, nicely furnished, with breathtaking views. To afford this, he’d have to be wealthy, or at least close to it. “How did you make it here at your age? How can you afford all this?”

  That seemed to catch him off guard. He paused, showing her a slight frown.

  “I’m sorry,” she rushed in. “That was rude of me to ask.”

  “No, no. It is pretty crazy to think of how far I’ve come in a relatively short period of time. It even amazes me when I think of it. I just don’t think about it that often, which is why your question caught me off guard. But I owe all of this to good saving skills, lucky investments, and a few wealthy clients. Because of my stellar grades, I was able to land a fantastic internship and my boss helped me gain the trust of some great people. Hard work, luck, and connections can go far.”

  “Clearly. You’re the epitome of the American dream.”

  “I try to be,” he chuckled as he moved a little closer to her. “But you didn’t come here just to check out my house, did you?”

  “No,” she admitted and stared down at her drink. Now that she was here, she wasn’t sure what to say, wasn’t sure if she should trust him with this. But who else could she trust? “I’ve had one hell of a day and I just don’t know who to trust anymore.”

  “How so? You can talk to me. I think I have proved I am trustworthy, and I’m a lawyer. I know how to keep things confidential.”

  “True.” That was why she’d turned to him in the first place. Legally, she had to be able to trust her lawyer. Of course, legally, she should be able to trust Gabe, too. “I’m having this issue with a coworker.”

  “Oh?” His posture relaxed as he settled in for the type of issue everyone struggles with.

  “Well, not exactly a coworker. Just someone I’m working with right now. An FBI agent. I think our suspect is paying him off. I think he’s paying a lot of people off to get out of being caught for doing some terrible things. Blackmail, sexual assault of a minor, murder.”

  “Wow.” His eyes widened as he leaned forward again. “That’s a lot. Why don’t you start at the beginning? Tell me how you came to this conclusion.”

  Amelia meant to filter like she had when she talked to Gabe. She couldn’t be sure that he could be trusted, she hadn’t known him nearly long enough for that. She had to be careful.

  But she needed someone to vent to. Needed to hear her thoughts out loud so she could sort through them herself. So, though she held back at first, it didn’t take long before she just told him everything. Everything except for the details in that letter, because that still felt a little too personal to her.

  Everett listened intently, asking questions here and there to show he was engaged. Yet he was also patient. He was quiet as he absorbed all the information. He let her talk it out, even though it came out like a jumbled mess at first.

  Finally, once it was all out of her system, she laid back with a deep breath and sipped her wine. A moment later, she felt warmth as his hand covered hers.

  “Well, that is a lot to take in, but I believe you.” He could’ve stopped there. Amelia realized that’s what she wanted most of all—for someone to believe her. Someone to see the crazy, assure her that she was right in all of this, that she wasn’t letting her past color her vision now.

  “I can see where it would be overwhelming for anyone. Enemies at every turn. Secrets and snakes. You must be exhausted.”

  “I am,” she admitted. “But I have to keep on this or else another young woman will be killed. I can’t let that happen if I have some way to stop it, and, after all this time, Anna deserves justice. All the victims deserve justice. I haven’t found a link to the others yet, but I’m sure I will. I refuse to let them be silenced.”

  “And we will give them a voice, together. We’ll figure out everything on that flash drive. We’ll root out Brett if he really is the monster. We’ll answer all the questions. But we can’t do that all right now, can we?”

  She wanted to scream yes. There had to be a way to get it all done now. She couldn’t possibly rest when such a monster was at large. It would be immoral to stop now.

  “I mean we could…”

  He laughed and shook his head. “We can’t. I promise you that we will get to the bottom of this, but it’s going to take time. That’s why Brett has
remained in power. Because those who spoke up did so without proper preparation and the rest are too scared. We’ll be different. But we can’t tackle this on exhaustion and starvation. I’m going to make up some dinner, okay? You’re going to relax. We’re going to watch a movie. You’ve done so much already, and you look worn out. You sound worn out. We’ll tackle this with all our power tomorrow. Once we’ve had time to process, think about the next steps, refresh. We’ll focus on it once we’re useful to the world, so we don’t make careless mistakes in the meantime.”

  Amelia wanted to protest. Rage against him. But his words were hypnotic and made her realize just how tired she was, how much she longed for that break.

  “Fine,” she relented. “But tomorrow we’re doing everything.”

  “As you wish.”

  He kissed her hand and made her brain feel a little better. He put on some soft music as he cooked and, as much as she wanted to go stand and talk to him, she didn’t. She stayed on the couch, watched the flames, let the case boil on the back burner, basted it with all the new facts.

  Her eyelids grew heavy as the sleepless, stressful nights hit her. Yet she was still awake enough to worry.

  She was letting Everett get so close to her. Was she starting to care about him? It seemed so. He’d quickly become her confidant, and that was terrifying but also rewarding.

  As they ate dinner together, they indulged in deep conversation before relaxing into a movie. He put his arm around her shoulders, and she let herself fall back against him for just a moment.

  A moment turned into minutes as she slowly drifted off, consumed by her exhaustion.

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Emma

  Even the most carefully orchestrated symphony couldn’t drown out the harsh tone of his voice. It frightened her, even now that she was a grown woman. Perhaps frightened her even more than it had when she was a child, because before, she only guessed that her father was a bad man. She only had some sort of hazy idea about things. Now she knew exactly what kinds of things her father was capable of. He wasn’t just a bad man, he was a monster.