by Erin Wade
Brandy looked up from her computer. She could always feel Regan’s presence before she saw her. It only took her a second to locate the gorgeous professor as she made her way toward their table. Brandy stood and took Regan’s books, touching her hands as she slipped the things from the brunette’s grasp. She really wanted to kiss her but taking her books let Regan know how she felt.
“I know, darling,” Regan whispered as she sat down.
“How’s the first day back?” Brandy asked.
“Good. It’s amazing how quickly everyone gets back into the swing of things. How was your morning?”
“Nice.” Brandy looked away. She couldn’t hide the desire she felt for the professor. “I picked up the last of my things from my dorm and let Kiki know I wouldn’t be back.”
A slight tremor shook Regan’s body. “We’re actually doing this, aren’t we? Moving in together.”
“Are you having second thoughts?”
“None at all, baby.” Regan caught her hands and held them across the table. “None at all.”
“On another note, your book is still number one,” Brandy said. “If it follows the trajectory of your other books, you’ll net over a million this year.”
“You mean gross?” Regan laughed. “By the time I pay the commissions, advertising fees, promotion fees, and everyone involved, I’ll be lucky to see a hundred thousand.”
Brandy frowned. “No, there’s no one else involved. Amazon takes their cut for posting it online, but the sales figures we see are the net profit. There is no one else to pay.
“I’ve handled all the advertising through social media, so the sales amount is all yours.”
Regan tilted her pretty head to one side. “Seriously? You may be the best agent I’ve ever had. We need to discuss this when I get home tonight. Right after I properly thank you.”
“Uh-huh.” Brandy giggled. “I will work for sex!”
Chapter 45
As students returned to campus, Leslie tried in vain to catch up with Agent King or Chief Sawyer. She tried to make an appointment with the Austin police chief, but he was still on vacation too. After a dozen phone calls and flirting with as many policemen, she was put through to Lt. Eldon Wilde. Wilde had handled the Jamie Wright case and was more than willing to help her. He informed her that the case had never felt right to him, and he suspected that Pat Sawyer had manipulated the evidence to get a conviction against a mentally deficient homeless man named Manuel Vargas.
Wilde arranged for her to visit the Beauford H. Jester Psychiatric Unit in Richmond, Texas, where Jamie Wright’s killer was housed. The trip took three hours one way, but Leslie figured she had nothing better to do.
Compared to the northern states, Texas was flat and barren. Leslie thought she’d never seen more desolate country.
##
Leslie was surprised by the size of Vargas. As the guard led him in, she noticed that he was less than five feet tall. He had thick black hair and dark eyes. From the looks of his teeth and the scars on his face, he hadn’t fared well in prison.
“Mr. Vargas, I’m Leslie Winters. I’d like to talk to you about Jamie Wright.”
The man shook his head.
“You don’t want to talk about Jamie Wright?” Leslie used her smoothest voice.
Vargas shrugged. “I don’t know Jamie Wright. I can’t talk about somebody I don’t know.”
“Do you know why you’re in prison?”
“I did something bad,”—Vargas furrowed his brow—“but I can’t remember what.”
After talking to Vargas for thirty minutes, Leslie was certain he could be of no help to her. She was also certain he was not strong enough to overpower Jamie Wright, who had been five-eight and on the swim team. She had to be strong, Leslie thought. If nothing else, I’ll turn this trip into a crusade to release Manuel Vargas, who is serving time for a crime he didn’t commit.
On her way back to Austin, she decided the key to her investigation was Chief Pat Sawyer. I’ll talk to her as soon as she returns to campus.
##
After lunch, Leslie got Regan’s schedule from the registrar’s office and decided to visit one of her classes. She knew Regan wouldn’t cause a scene in front of her students. She’s too prim and proper for that, Leslie thought.
She sat on the back row, as far away from the front of the classroom as possible, hoping Regan wouldn’t notice her. About midway through class, the professor locked eyes with the reporter.
Regan stumbled over a few words but quickly regained her composure. “Everyone read the first fifty pages of Hamlet, and we’ll discuss it in class Friday. Be prepared to tell the class what you think of the main characters and their motivations. Since this is our first day back, I’m going to dismiss you early. You may use the time to read Hamlet.”
Regan waited until her classroom was empty before turning her attention to Leslie. “Miss Winters, are you enrolled in my class?”
“No.” Leslie chuckled as she walked down the aisle toward Regan. “I had to see you alone. This was the only way I could spend time with you without your lovesick puppy.”
“You may talk to me,” Regan said, “but keep your nasty comments about Brandy to yourself.”
“How old is she? Ten, fifteen years younger than you?”
“What do you want, Leslie?”
“I want you to give me a second chance. Come back to New York with me. Surely you don’t see a future with Bambi.”
Regan ignored Leslie’s intended slur at Brandy’s name.
“I have a contract with the university,” Regan said. “I’m not like you. I honor my commitments.”
“Ouch.” Leslie flinched as if Regan had struck her. “I deserved that, but it still hurt.”
Regan exhaled hard and pressed her fingers to her temple. “I don’t know how long Brandy and I will last,” she said, “but I will stay with her as long as she wants me.
“Every day with her is new and exciting, and I know I’ve only scratched the surface. Right now, she is enthralled with me and that’s enough. I love her.”
“That’s all that matters.” Brandy’s voice echoed in the empty classroom as she walked toward Regan, followed by the handsome young man Leslie had met in Agent King’s office.
“You left your lesson plans on the nightstand,” Brandy said, a sly smirk on her face. “I thought you might need them. You were pretty adamant about finishing them last night before we . . . um—”
Regan blushed slightly. “Thank you, darling. Do you and Joey have time for a cup of coffee?”
“And a cheeseburger,” Joey chimed in.
“I’ll always make time for you.” Brandy’s eyes twinkled as she picked up Regan’s laptop and books. “Good day, Miss Winters.”
Leslie stood alone in the empty classroom. She had never felt so desolate. She knew she’d never be a part of Regan Shaw’s life again unless she did something drastic to force the brunette to come to her.
Chapter 46
Peyton and Chief Sawyer watched as the coaches and athletes who had been arrested over the Christmas holidays were brought before the judge for arraignment. They all pleaded not guilty, but the mountain of evidence compiled by Joey and Brandy was irrefutable.
“When this hits the fan, all hell will break loose for the chancellor,” Sawyer grumped. “And me too.”
“Just keep your mouth shut and don’t talk to anyone,” Peyton reminded her. “Especially that Leslie Winters. If our carefully laid plans come unraveled, you’ll find yourself behind bars with your buddies.”
“When will I go into witness protection?” Sawyer asked.
“Tomorrow or the next day,” Peyton said. “I’ve got it all arranged. I’m just waiting for a call from the federal marshals who will be handling you. With your testimony and the way these rats are already squealing on each other, this will be a slam dunk.”
“Do you know who killed Tucker, Chase, and Radford?” Sawyer asked, glancing at Peyton’s face.
&nbs
p; “Yes, I do. The person in the Batman suit.”
Sawyer laughed as Peyton left the observation room.
##
Pat Sawyer seriously thought about throwing one last monkey wrench into Chancellor Katherine O’Brien’s perfect life. If she could only figure out a way to tell Leslie Winters that O’Brien and Agent King were lovers without getting herself involved, she would do it. But every plan she concocted always incriminated her.
I’ll just behave and let King get me out of here, she thought. I wonder where they’ll relocate me.
She watched through the one-way glass as attorneys and parents showed up to get the criminals out of jail. She smiled when federal agents sent them packing.
Slipping on her jacket and pulling the hood over her head, she snuck out the back door of the police station. I’m going to give our uppity chancellor a piece of my mind before I ride off into the sunset.
##
Katherine was surprised when Chief Sawyer pushed her way past her secretary and entered the chancellor’s office.
“Chancellor, I told her—”
“It’s okay, Debbie. Please close the door behind you and hold my calls.
“Chief Sawyer, what can I do for you?”
“It’s more like what I can do for you,” Pat said.
Katherine frowned. “I don’t understand. What are you talking about?”
“You and Peyton King.” Sawyer’s twisted grin made Katherine think the woman was unhinged.
“Again, what are you talking about?”
“You’re lovers,” Sawyer blurted.
Katherine laughed out loud. “Have you completely lost your grip on reality?”
Sawyer took a step backward. Katherine seemed astounded by the idea that she was having an affair. Maybe I’m wrong. I haven’t actually seen them together, only Peyton coming and going from the chancellor’s mansion at all hours of the night.
“You need to leave my office.” The cold disgust in Katherine’s voice would make hell freeze over. “Don’t ever enter my office again without an appointment.”
Sawyer fled the office, wishing she had kept her suspicions to herself. If Peyton finds out I pulled this stunt, she’ll have me sent to Barrow, Alaska, she thought.
##
Peyton waited until she was certain Sawyer was gone before coming out of the restroom in the chancellor’s office. “Did you hear her?” Katherine gasped.
“Don’t worry, honey. I’ve made arrangements for her. She’ll be out of your life in a couple of days.” Peyton locked the office door and returned to hold Katherine. “I’ll never let anything hurt you.”
##
By the time Sawyer returned to her office she had worked herself into a panic. The sight of Leslie Winters sitting in her waiting room almost made her vomit. She pulled herself together and tried not to scream at the pushy newswoman.
“I’m sorry,” she said. “I don’t have time. I have a meeting in a few minutes. If you’ll leave a number with my secretary, I’ll call you tomorrow.”
“This won’t take long, Chief,” Leslie said. “I just need to ask—”
“What part of ‘I don’t have time’ do you not understand?” Sawyer snapped. “I’ll call you tomorrow. Please leave my office.”
Leslie stood in shocked silence as Sawyer slammed the door to her office and locked it.
She handed her business card to the secretary. “My cell number is on it.” She almost ran to her car. She had never been treated so rudely.
What the hell is going on in this town? She seethed as she fastened her seatbelt and put the car in gear.
##
“Is she in?” Peyton asked Sawyer’s secretary, Margaret Lews.
“Yes, but she has the door locked.” Margaret knocked on Sawyer’s door. “Chief, I’m leaving for the day, and Agent King is here to see you.”
The door unlocked, and Sawyer pulled it open. “Drive carefully,” she cautioned her secretary. “Come on in, Peyton.”
Peyton eyed the prescription bottles on Sawyer’s desk. “What are those?”
“New refills,” Sawyer snorted. “This one is for depression. This is for insomnia, and the big one is for high blood pressure. I swear, Peyton, this job is killing me.” She opened her bottom drawer and tossed the medications into it.
Peyton heard Margaret lock the entry door as she left. She joined Sawyer at her desk and pulled a fifth of expensive scotch from her coat pocket. “I need a drink. How about you? Although I’m not sure you should ingest liquor after taking those pills.”
“That’s the best suggestion I’ve heard all day.” Sawyer grimaced as she pulled two glasses from her desk drawer. “It’s a myth that drugs and alcohol will kill you.”
Peyton poured two glasses of scotch and held hers high. “A toast to the new life you’re about to begin,” she said, grinning. She sipped her drink as Sawyer gulped down the golden liquid.
Peyton refilled her glass. “I’m going to leave this with you.” Peyton pulled the legal pad that contained Sawyer’s confession from her briefcase. “A federal agent from the marshal’s office will come by in the morning and go over everything with you. He’ll need your recorded information too.”
“It’s right here on a thumb drive.” Sawyer placed the drive on top of Peyton’s legal pad and poured another drink. “I can’t believe I’ve come to this,” she slurred. “I had such a stellar career until I got involved with that woman.” She chugalugged her drink and refilled the glass. “I’m going to get stinking drunk tonight, Peyton. But before I do, I want to thank you for all you’ve done for me.”
“I only wish I had met you sooner. We could have stopped all this from happening,” Peyton said.
“You’re a good friend, Agent King. I admire you.”
Peyton filled Sawyer’s glass to the brim and watched as she drank it like water. “How can you do that? It would take away my breath.”
“Practice,” Sawyer mumbled. “How do you think I’ve lived with myself all these years?”
Peyton got to her feet. “I’m going to leave you to it. I’ll lock the door on my way out.”
“Leave my door open. Just lock the main entrance.” Sawyer spilled the scotch as she sloshed more into her glass. “Good night, Peyton.”
Peyton’s thoughts had already gone to Katherine as she closed the entry door to the offices. She fought the urge to go to the chancellor’s mansion and headed her car toward her apartment instead.
Chapter 47
It was after three a.m. when the darkly clad figure slithered through the shadows to Chief Pat Sawyer’s office. A gloved hand turned the doorknob and prayed it was unlocked. It was.
The lamp on Sawyer’s desk cast a light on the Batman figure that moved with the precision of a well-oiled machine.
Sawyer was almost comatose. Batman gagged at the stench of alcohol that was on Sawyer’s desk and her clothes.
Batman quickly pulled the syringe with a tiny needle from a hidden pocket. The masked figure felt Sawyer’s neck, smiling when the blood pulsed beneath searching fingertips. The needle slipped easily into the carotid artery, making a soft sound as purified distilled water was injected into Sawyer’s bloodstream, causing her red blood cells to rupture.
Rummaging through Sawyer’s desk drawer, Batman found the prescription drugs. Within seconds the bottles were emptied and tossed on the desk and floor after their contents were flushed down the commode.
After pushing the button that would lock Sawyer’s office door, the figure sprinted to the front door and peeked out to make certain no one was in sight. With the coast clear, the intruder pushed the button that would secure the door, slipped outside, and disappeared into the shadows.
##
“Are you certain?” Peyton gasped into her phone. “I’ll be right there.”
The agent threw on her clothes and broke speed limits getting to the UT sheriff’s office. A coroner’s van was already on the scene, and Peyton recognized Lt. Eldon Wilde from the Aust
in Police Department.
“What’s going on?” Peyton flashed her badge to the patrolman securing the scene.
“Chief Sawyer, ma’am. I think she’s dead.”
Peyton pushed her way past the officer guarding the door. Margaret was sobbing uncontrollably. Peyton dropped to one knee in front of Margaret and consoled her.
“She’s dead,” the woman cried. “I found her this morning when I came to work. She killed herself.”
“No! No way. Why would she do that?” Peyton patted Margaret’s arm. “Why would you say that?”
“Because she left a signed confession and copious notes,” Lt. Wilde said as he motioned for Peyton to enter Sawyer’s office. He closed the door behind him.
“The doors were locked when Mrs. Lews came to work this morning. She unlocked the entry door and went to work. When she heard Sawyer’s cell phone ringing, she unlocked her office door and discovered the body.”
Wilde picked up the yellow legal pad and held it up so Peyton could see as he read it. “It is with a heavy heart that I must put on paper the evil deeds I’ve been a party to . . .”
Peyton stopped listening as she realized that Wilde mistook the information Sawyer had written for her as a confession Sawyer had written before committing suicide.
“I won’t go on,” Wilde said, pulling Peyton’s attention back to him. “It is obviously a suicide epistle she had to get off her chest before taking her own life. There is also a thumb drive with copious recordings of the crap she was mixed up in.
“She probably knew you were closing in on her and decided she’d rather die than face the music.”
Peyton nodded. “I had tracked enough back to her that I considered her my prime suspect. She was probably trying to eliminate anyone that might point the finger at her.”
“The biggest thing she admits is that she did frame Manuel Vargas for the murder of Jamie Wright.” Wilde flipped to the page where Sawyer had given detailed descriptions of several illegal activities.
“Eldon, we may be able to clean up several trash heaps with this suicide letter,” Peyton suggested. “How would you feel about giving this story to Leslie Winters? It would provide the coup she is looking for and let her go back to New York as the crusader who helped free an innocent man from prison.”