The Devil's Due

by Ali Vali

Finley cued the footage to the beginning again and played the clip in slow motion in her office at home. The explosion had rocked her since she’d been in the building a few minutes before it went off, so it was important to find out who had done it. If it had been a cleaning crew or one of Cain’s people, no one deserved to die like that.

  The two people who’d come in had cut through the glass and walked slowly through the office out front and rifled through the two desks. Once they found nothing, they moved to the almost-empty warehouse space and headed to the security closet. The shorter of the two ripped out the recording devices and the feed ended. Watching it again, she saw the other person squatting by the door.

  “That has to be them setting the bomb,” she said softly to herself.

  “What are you doing?” Abigail said as she put her arms around her from behind. Abigail hadn’t been thrilled to hear what had happened the day before but had agreed to wait to talk about it.

  “The system Cain put in had a backup, so this is who broke in. It’s a shame they wore a mask, and since the place is totally destroyed, there’s no way to find prints or DNA.” She stopped the frame as one person took out the equipment and concentrated on the one by the door. “See how they’re doing something here?” She pointed to the screen.

  “Is that the bomb?” Abigail asked, coming around to sit next to her.

  “It was a little more than that. It’s a bomb as well as an electronic trigger. If someone came looking for them, the closet would’ve been the first place to look, so they basically booby-trapped it.”

  “Can I talk to you about that?” Abigail reached for her hand and sandwiched it between her own. “I have children to worry about,” she said, and Finley nodded.

  “That’s something I never forget, no matter what I’m doing. Whatever future I want with you means I’ll share it with the kids as well.” She didn’t want to lose Abigail, but she wanted to stay close to Cain as well, if only to keep them safe. “You have to admit that our meeting wasn’t your typical coffee date followed by a family dinner.”

  “Yes, I realize that. It’s just that…don’t take this the wrong way,” Abigail said and stopped to fidget with her fingers. “I’ve already gone through a relationship with someone who had no regard for the laws or rules of society. I don’t think I could survive one like that again.”

  “So it’s my working for Cain that bothers you?”

  “That’s part of it, yes. You might’ve grown up considering someone like Cain normal, but that’s not who I am, and I don’t want my children exposed to that way of life.”

  “You do remember that we found Yury and what Nicola was doing because of Cain?” She wasn’t upset by the conversation, but she wasn’t giving up the chance to stay here and get closer to her family. “How about you and me meet with her, and if you’re still dead-set against me working for her, I’ll try to find a job with the Geek Squad or something?”

  “I don’t think I’d be comfortable going over there and calling Cain out on who she is.”

  “She’s got thicker skin than that, and I really want you to talk to her before you make up your mind. It’ll be okay.”

  “All right,” Abigail said, but sounded extremely hesitant. “Mom and Dad are here to take care of the kids, so can we go now?”

  “I’ve got to tell her about this anyway, so let’s go.” She called and told Katlin they were coming, so Katlin told her to wait for a ride. “They’ll be here in thirty minutes or so.”

  Abigail walked toward her slowly and pressed herself tightly to her. “You’re not going to hate me, are you?”

  “I really don’t think that’ll ever happen, but I need you to keep an open mind. There’s no chance of history repeating itself because I’m no Nicola, and more importantly, neither is my cousin.”

  When Katlin dropped them off, the maid showed them to the sunroom, and they found Cain on the floor talking to the baby while Emma watched, laughing at the faces and noises her wife was making. Emma stood and hugged them both and accepted the baby when Cain got up.

  “Do you mind if I hold him?” Abigail asked, remembering those first days with her three.

  “Sure. I can’t tell for sure, but I’m sure he loves the attention.”

  Abigail took him and gave him a bit of a checkup. “He’s beautiful,” she said and looked over at Finley. Would a baby they had look something like this?

  “I’m going to catch Cain up, so will you be okay?”

  She nodded and went back to admiring the baby.

  Emma sat close to her and called for some coffee. “I hope you don’t mind decaffeinated.”

  “No problem. I already gassed up this morning, so any more and I might regret it.” She moved her attention to this petite woman who seemed to revel in the partnership she had with the reputed mob boss Finley had walked out with. “You seem really happy.”

  “Life isn’t always peach cobbler, but lately it’s been as perfect as it gets,” Emma said and reached over to squeeze her shoulder. “I wanted to let you know how sorry I am that you’ve had to go through what you did. Cain told me a little about it, and I’d have been terrified.”

  “Has anything like that happened to you? I hate to ask, and I mean no disrespect, but when you live this life, it’s like inviting it in, isn’t it?”

  “When I met Cain, she was the most exciting and fascinating person I’d ever come across. She was this womanizing, charming, bad girl that was like a beautiful flower and I was a helpless bee. I not only couldn’t stay away, but I didn’t want to.” Emma smiled when the baby stretched and made a small sound. “Once I got to know her, though, I found out she’s loyal, charming, and a bit rough around the edges but basically good. Cain is someone the world sees a certain way, but who she is truly is the woman you just saw who lives to sit on the floor and idolize her children.”

  “I thought I had that before, but it was such a lie. Finley wants to be with us, that I’m sure about, but she also wants to change her spots and go to work for Cain. Like I said, I don’t want to insult you, but I have my children to think about.”

  “Abigail,” Finley said, and she glanced up at the ceiling, hoping like hell that Cain wasn’t with her, but when she turned her head that way her luck ran out.

  “Finley, she’s got a right to question. It makes her a good parent,” Cain said. “Would you mind taking a walk with me outside? You can help me cut some flowers for my wife.”

  They walked out, and she noticed the similarities between Cain and Finley that went beyond physical attributes. Both of them seemed to have an inherent self-confidence that came out in their movements, and it was attractive, like Emma had said. “I’m sure Finley’s having a fit inside,” she said to break the silence.

  “Fin’s a special person that I happen to love. Believe it or not, but I’m so proud of her for the job she’s done. Exploitation of people weaker and more desperate than you deserves what agents like my cousin can mete out.” Cain did in fact take some clippers from a small box next to the rose garden and start cutting.

  “Doesn’t that slice into your business?”

  “No one in my family in this generation, past or future, will ever make their living off unfortunate people submitting to unimaginable things.” She handed over a bouquet of pink roses and kept cutting. “I told your father-in-law the night we got together on the pretense of finding you that I’d met Nicola Eaton at my club. The woman with her, from what I remember, wasn’t you.”

  “Yep. I was an idiot.”

  “I’m not telling you that to rub it in. When Finley talked about you when she came to see me, I thought what an idiot Nicola was.”

  “You didn’t know me, so how could you think that? I could be a bitch she couldn’t wait to get away from, which, after this, is probably what you think,” she said, and Cain laughed.

  “I knew because I thought even then that my cousin had fallen in love with you. That’ll be a first for her so you had to be special. What you should take aw
ay from this morning, though, is that I also love her, and I’ll do whatever I have to within my power to keep her whole and her family safe.”

  “She didn’t exactly tell me what happened, but I’m free of the Eatons, and I know you had a lot to do with that, so thank you. Even before I learned the whole truth about these people, I didn’t want my children to spend much time with them. It was a gut-reaction kind of thing.”

  “The Antakovs won’t be a problem for you any longer, so that’s not the issue this morning.”

  “This morning? Should I be afraid?”

  “No, not from me, and I know Finley wants you more than she does anything else, so I’ll watch over you no matter what you think is right for your future. Hopefully you’ll eventually see that we want the same things for Finley.”

  “Can I ask you one more thing?”

  “I’ll answer anything you like,” Cain said as she put her clippers away.

  “That explosion in the warehouse—it had to do with me, didn’t it?”

  “It’s more of a message to whoever these people blame for what happened,” Cain said, sounding sincere. “I guess the best answer is, from what Finley found combined with what I knew, killing the head of the snake hasn’t killed the body yet. What comes next isn’t exactly a surprise, so try not to let it worry you too much.”

  “That’s a tall order,” she said and could find nothing in this to blame Cain for.

  Cain stopped walking and took her free hand. “Family, in my experience, comes in so many forms and from so many places. You picked someone you love to make a life with and gave her children like Emma did for me. What she did had nothing to do with you and everything to do with her upbringing.”

  “So what’s your advice, Dr. Casey?” she asked, and Cain smiled in a way that made her think of Finley.

  “That you started a family with Nicola, but Finley’s the better fit. She’ll be loyal to you and your children, and she’ll instill in them the lessons we all got growing up. Emma is my wife and, more importantly, my partner, so give Finley the opportunity to provide you with that. I swear you’ll never have reason to regret that decision, and you’ll never have any reason to question my place in Finley’s life, just like you’ll never question her loyalty to you.”

  “She was right about you.”

  “About me being the better-looking one? I’m glad she’s big enough to admit it.”

  Abigail smiled and thought about fighting the upcoming battle alone, but it held no appeal for her. “I’ll hold you to the rest.”

  “My word means everything to me, so welcome to the family.”

  “Thanks for understanding, and I haven’t admitted it to her yet, but you have to know I feel the same way about her. If I didn’t, none of this would’ve mattered to me.”

  “There’s no time like the present, Abigail. Love isn’t something you should put off.”

  Chapter Twenty-nine

  The hallway on the floor where Carol’s room was located was crowded with police, and Fiona and Teddie walked under the crime-scene tape to talk to Sebastian. “What’s all this?” Fiona asked as the CSI unit worked the room collecting evidence.

  “Mrs. Verde made a statement before she was taken to the hospital to be checked out.”

  “About what, the kidnapping?”

  “Sort of. She claims Cain kidnapped her, handcuffed her in the bathroom, and was planning to kill her. I doubt that’s true, but we’re going to have to investigate her claim so she can’t try to get out of anything involved with Hannah. This doesn’t seem like something Cain would do. Also, the handcuffs she was held with were police issue.”

  “So Newsome, you think?” Fiona asked, and he nodded. “Do you mind if I interview her and then consult with Shelby? Casey might not be my favorite person, but I agree with you that she didn’t do it. And in this case she has the perfect alibi, the kind that comes with video and FBI reports.” They followed him into the room and looked in the bathroom where Carol had been kept. “Anything as far as fingerprints?” Fiona asked when she noticed the black powder on every surface.

  “Plenty. We’ll sort through them as soon as the room is cleared. Anything on the paperwork she showed the teacher to take Hannah Casey?”

  “The attorney representing her said he had no idea where she got that, so we asked the judge overseeing the divorce case. Turns out one of the clerks for the other judge in their courthouse is related to Verde somehow so she drew them up and stamped them. They’re as legal as toilet paper and worth about that much.” Teddie opened some of the drawers in the room and went through Carol’s bag with the tip of her pen. “The sheriff in Haywood has taken her into custody.”

  “Let’s head over to the hospital and have a talk with Verde. We’ll report back,” Fiona said.

  The uniformed officer at Carol’s door nodded when they showed their badges before going in. “Mrs. Verde,” Fiona said to get Carol to open her eyes and acknowledge her. “I don’t know if you remember me, but I’m Detective Fiona O’Brannigan. This is my partner Detective Anderbrock. We have some questions for you.”

  “Did you arrest her?” Carol asked, sounding extremely feeble.

  “Who’s that, ma’am?” Teddie looked at her and winked.

  “Cain Casey. I’m lucky to be alive after what that monster had planned.”

  “So you’re saying Cain Casey handcuffed you in your room and left you to die?” Fiona said as she wrote in her notebook.

  “It was her. I know who she is, and she hates me because I know the truth about her.” Carol seemed to regain her strength as she dumped on Casey.

  “Are you sure this has nothing to do with what happened with Hannah Casey? You did take her without permission from her school and, according to the little girl, held her against her will.” She delivered the accusation in a nonthreatening way but was interested in Carol’s response. “Wasn’t Elton Newsome helping you with that?”

  “I have a right to see her. I don’t care what Cain says.”

  Not a denial, but this woman obviously would fight until the end thinking she had right on her side, even if the court system didn’t. “We’re looking through your room now for evidence of what happened, but for now I’m going to read you your rights and take you into custody for parental interference. You have the right to remain silent,” she said, and Carol glared at her through the rest. “You’ll stay here until you’re discharged, but then you’ll be moved to the women’s section of central lockup.”

  “You have no right to do that. I haven’t done anything wrong.” Carol pointed her finger at them, and her back came up as if she wanted to hit her. “You came that night because you know like I do what Casey is.”

  “I suggest you try to retain an attorney,” she said and followed Teddie out. They had to stop to let in a man with the same pinched expression as Carol. “I’m sorry. You’re going to have to wait until Mrs. Verde is moved to visit.”

  “She’s my sister,” the man said, putting his hand on Fiona and pushing her backward. “I have a right to see her.”

  Teddie removed her cuffs and slapped one side on the hand the man had put on Fiona. He screamed, echoed by Carol when Teddie then shoved him against the wall and yanked his arm up to make him stop fighting. “Keep it up and I’ll rip it out of the socket,” Teddie said, and he stopped moving. “Let anyone in here and I’ll have your badge,” she told the guy outside as they led the guy out.

  “And make sure the ray of sunshine in there doesn’t go anywhere.”

  *

  “Where’s the wee babe?” Father Andrew Goodman said as he stepped through the door, handing the maid his hat and coat. Cain waited until he was done to place Billy in his arms. The only other man aside from her da that loved children and babies this much was Andy. He’d have been a great father had he chosen a life outside the church.

  “Give him to me and no one gets hurt,” he said, but stopped to kiss Emma. “You are a saint for putting up with this one, but the Lord loves y
ou for all these beautiful children.”

  “You think you might have room for us after Thanksgiving?” Emma asked, smiling when Andy wrapped her in a bear hug. “That’ll give me time to plan a little family get-together following the baptism.”

  “You know you’re my family, so I’ll make time whenever you’re ready, sweetheart.” He accepted the baby from Cain and walked to the den to sit down. It was the room he usually sat in to entertain the children, and Cain was glad he was that familiar with their home. “Look at this little boy,” he said, holding the baby so he could see his face. “He’s another one for your clan, Derby.”

  “Not quite.” She tickled Billy’s cheek so he would open his eyes. “This one will be the first in a while with green eyes like his mama.”

  “Look at that,” he said as he placed his hand over his chest and closed his eyes as his lips moved in prayer. “May God bless you, William, and keep you in His heart,” he said before finishing with an amen.

  “Thank you, Father, and if you don’t mind sitting with Emma for a little while, I have to go out for a meeting.”

  “You’re behaving, aren’t you?” he asked.

  “If I told you where I was going you wouldn’t believe me,” she said and placed her finger to her lips as Emma showed him the bugged picture on the mantel. “Just be happy that I’m doing God’s work.”

  He laughed and went back to looking at the baby. “And Emma says you can’t learn.”

  Cain headed to the Piquant and walked up to the lobby with Lou. They followed their usual route of two floors past where they needed to be and took the stairs down. Lou knocked on the door, and the woman who answered seemed smaller than the last time Cain had seen her. But then she wasn’t really paying attention to much except what was coming out of Judice’s mouth that night. Everything that had happened since that visit must’ve taken a heavy toll.

  “Thank you for seeing me, Judice,” she said, shaking the woman’s hand.

  “I think it’s me who should be thanking you.” Judice let them in so they could sit in the suite’s small living room. “And no matter what you may think of me, I had nothing to do with the theft. I’ve worked for Colin and Salvatore for years, and I’ve done my best and been grateful for making more than a decent living.”