by J. S. Cooper
“Yeah, I know what you mean.”
“If he hadn’t given you the boxes and your dad’s letter, you never would have been suspicious of your mother’s death. You would have continued on with your life and gone about your business. You never would have wanted to meet Mattias or David Bradley. You never would have wanted to go to the shareholders’ meeting. You never would have wanted to investigate your mother’s death or your dad’s claims.”
“Yeah, so what’s your point?”
“So there was a reason you were given the boxes. Just like there was a reason I was told to go to the coffee shop.” He nodded his head in excitement. “We’ve all been set up from the beginning to play a part in some grander scheme.”
“What grander scheme, though?”
“I don’t know.” He sighed. “We have to talk to Larry.”
“I told you, I don’t know how to find him.”
“Let’s go and see his wife then. Maybe she’s heard from him.”
“I doubt she’s going to want to see me.”
“Then I’ll talk to her.” He jumped off the couch and walked toward his bedroom. I got up and followed him and watched as he walked to his closet, pulling out a shirt and pants. “You need to borrow anything?” He looked back at me.
“No, thanks. I have my own clothes, remember?” I shook my head and opened my bag.
“Oh, darn.” He grinned. “It would be nice to see you in one of my shirts again.”
“Maybe tonight.” I winked at him.
He walked over to me with a devilish look. “Promise?”
“Sure.” I giggled, feeling lighthearted as I flirted.
“I can’t wait to peel it off of you.”
“Pervert.” I shook my head at him, my heart racing.
He laughed. “Only for you, Bianca. Only for you.”
“I’m sure you say that to all the girls,” I teased as he kissed me lightly on the nose. My stomach flipped as he held me close to him. His body pressed into mine, and if I closed my eyes, I could pretend we were back on the island. Just the two of us.
“All the girls don’t matter.” He stroked my hair and I could feel his heart beating in his chest. We stood there for a few minutes, both of us knowing that this was our safe haven.
“Why did you let me just leave the island?” I looked up at him curiously. “I haven’t been able to figure it out.”
His eyes were dark. “I knew there was no point trying to keep you there against your will if you didn’t trust me. So I let you go.”
“Why did you let me go before the merger went through?” I asked him softly. “How did you know I wouldn’t try to stop it?”
“I didn’t know it hadn’t gone through as yet.” He looked away from me. “I was taken aback when I found that out.” He turned back to me and grabbed my hands. “Bianca, I want you to know that I don’t care what you do about the merger. This was never about money for me.” He stepped back and gazed into my eyes.
“But it was for David, wasn’t it? That’s what was in the kidnapping for him? Me being gone for the merger to go through?” I stared at Jakob, just thinking. The whole dynamic between David and Jakob still didn’t add up, not completely. They distrusted each other so much. And David had kept asking me about Jakob as if he wasn’t sure of Jakob’s moves. How could they have planned this together if they couldn’t stand each other?
“David is greedy, he always has been,” Jakob said. “Ever since he was a little boy, all he thinks about is money and the company. That’s what Jeremiah Bradley stood for at the end of the day, money and power—and it’s what David inherited.”
“I still can’t believe he made up another person to pretend that he had nothing to do with the company.” I shook my head. “I can’t believe he fooled me so well. I had no idea that he had any business acumen.”
“You had no idea at all?”
“No.” I bit my lower lip. “But only because that’s what he kept telling me. I should have realized he was trying to throw me off the scent.” I sighed. “I should have realized that there was no Mattias Bradley.” I looked at Jakob keenly to see how he reacted to my statement. I wanted to be 100 percent positive that there was no Mattias Bradley.
“He was nothing but a figment of the imagination.” Jakob looked into my eyes. “A name made up by my father to protect my brother and his interests.”
“Why the name Mattias?”
“Have you ever heard of Saint Matthias?”
“No.” I shook my head.
“He was the apostle chosen after Judas betrayed Jesus and he was crucified.”
“Okay.” I looked at Jakob blankly. “What does that mean?”
“He became the twelfth apostle, chosen by God after the apostles prayed to him for guidance. There were two men for them to choose from. It was between Matthias and a guy called Joseph, also know as Barsabbas. Both men had been with Jesus through his whole ministry, and ultimately Matthias was chosen. Such an important role he played, but he was only mentioned in the Bible once. But the most important part of the story is that Matthias was with them every step of the way, even before he was chosen. He witnessed the ministry of John the Baptist and he witnessed Christ’s ascension.”
“So?”
“So my dad liked his story. And he wanted to choose a name that represented something powerful. Mattias was created to protect my brother and his assets. Mattias was created and entrusted by God, that’s what my father liked to think.” Jakob shrugged and gave me a smile. “I take it you’re not a religious person?”
“I never went to church growing up and I’ve never read the Bible.” I made a face. “Are you religious?”
“I never talk religion or politics with friends.” He winked at me. “I don’t like to lose them.”
“I didn’t ask you to talk religion or politics. I asked you if you were religious.”
“I believe in God, let’s leave it at that.” He took a step back. “And with that we should get going. Hopefully, Larry’s wife can help us.”
“Yeah.” I frowned. Why was Jakob being so evasive? I thought we were finally past that. I was about to ask him more about the creation of Mattias when his phone rang.
“Jakob Bradley,” he barked. “What?” His voice was cold and his eyes narrowed as he gazed at me. “Are you sure?”
“What’s going on?”
He held a finger up to me. “Shit!” he exclaimed angrily, and hung up.
“What’s going on, Jakob?” I frowned
He grabbed my hand and pulled me into the living room. He grabbed his remote control and turned the TV to CNN. My jaw dropped as I gazed at the breaking news headline on the screen: Top New York Lawyer Busted for Tax Fraud and Evasion Expected to Blow the Whistle on Several Billionaires.
“Oh my God,” I whispered as I stared at the screen. Larry Renee was in handcuffs, being walked to some cars surrounded by police. “What’s going on?” I looked at Jakob, who was standing there with his fists clenched and his jaw tight.
“What’s going on here?” He turned to me with a frown. “We just lost access to the man who could put all the pieces of the puzzle together.” He stared at me for a few seconds. “This puts all of our theories into jeopardy. Larry Renee is looking less and less like the kingpin here. And that also means he’s not likely to lead us to Steve.”
“Can’t we go and visit him in jail?”
“He’s not going to county jail, Bianca.” Jakob pulled his phone out again. “He’s been taken in by the Feds. He has big-name clients. They’re going to want him to spill. They’re not going to give him access to anyone but an attorney.” Jakob banged his fist against his thigh. “Shit.”
“What are we going to do?” I could feel that my whole body had gone cold. “How did they even find him?”
“That’s what I want to know.” Jakob glanced at me. “I think we need to go see David.”
“Are you going to call him?” I looked at the phone in his hands.
; “No.” He shook his head. “This visit needs to be a surprise.”
We drove in silence to David’s apartment, both of our heads spinning. I held the notepad in my hand and reread the clues over and over as we drove. Then I pulled my father’s letter out of my bag and reread it. I stared at the lines in my father’s letter that had affected me the most: I don’t think your mother’s car crash was an accident . . . there may have been people who wanted to see me incapacitated. People who knew that your mother’s death would change everything.
He had said people, so that meant that more than one person was involved in my mother’s death. I sighed—that obviously meant that it was more than just Jeremiah Bradley, something that hadn’t occurred to me before. Then I thought of the last line: People who knew that your mother’s death would change everything. What people and what did it change? What did my mother’s death change? I’d assumed that he’d been talking about himself stepping away from the company due to grief, but that seemed too simple now. Yes, everyone mourns in his or her own way, but most people wouldn’t withdraw from society and their stake in a major corporation. How was someone to know that my father would do that?
“Do you think my father knew my mother cheated on him?” I spoke out loud as I thought. “And why would my mother cheat? Didn’t she know about the other women as well? She couldn’t possibly have thought Jeremiah was going to stay with her. We already know he was hooking up with your mom, and then the lady in the photograph, and then David’s mom. That’s three other women, and those are just the ones we know about. Why would my mom add herself to the mix?”
“Why do women do what they do?” Jakob shrugged as he pulled up outside David’s building.
“I’m going to ignore that comment for now.” I shook my head as I got out of the car. “Your dad was the man-whore.”
“Is this our first argument, Bianca?” Jakob grinned as he walked up next to me on the pavement.
“I think this is our fiftieth.” I laughed.
“But first official one as a couple.”
“There will be a second official one in a minute if you don’t shut up.” I glanced at his laughing eyes and leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. “I must be crazy,” I whispered as I reached out and grabbed his hand.
“Let’s go inside and see David.” Jakob walked me into the building and the doorman nodded at him.
“Good morning, Mr. Bradley.”
“Good morning, Joseph. We’re just going up to see my brother.”
“Certainly, Mr. Bradley.” Joseph paused. “He has a guest right now.”
“A guest?”
“His girlfriend, Roma.” Joseph gave me a look. “I only tell you, sir, because Mr. Bradley had me make a trip to CVS.”
“Oh.” Jakob paused and then grinned. “I see.”
“I just got back ten minutes ago,” Joseph continued. “So maybe come back in fifteen minutes?”
“I’ll come back in thirty.” Jakob laughed and grabbed my hand. “That should be enough time. Come on, Bianca. Let’s go get a doughnut.”
“Speaking of condoms . . . ,” Jakob said once we were walking down the street to the doughnut shop.
“Yes?” I could feel my face growing red as he stared at me.
“You and me.” He nodded. “You might need to get tested.”
“Tested?” I said stupidly, knowing exactly what he was talking about. It had been weighing in the back of my mind as well, but I hadn’t wanted to think about it.
“You might be pregnant, Bianca.”
“I’m sure I’m not.”
“We need to check though, just in case.” He squeezed my hand.
“I’ll get a pregnancy test, but I’m sure I’m not.”
“I don’t think this is something you can be sure of.” He looked at me as we entered the shop. “We’ve had sex without protection more than once, Bianca. It’s a possibility.”
“Shhh.” I glared at him as I saw two men staring at us with interest. “Keep your voice down.”
“I’m just saying.”
“Well, don’t just say.” I turned away and stared at the doughnuts. “Who is Roma, by the way?”
“I’ve only met her once.” Jakob shrugged. “But she’s some girl he’s been seeing on and off for a few years.”
“You know her name, and you know they’ve been seeing each other for a few years, but you’ve only met her once?”
“We’re not exactly close.” Jakob shrugged. “He never offered for us to hang out more than that and I never cared. She’s a pretty girl, but there’s something a bit off about her.”
“So he was dating her when he was seeing me?” I asked quietly.
“I guess so. Like I said, I don’t put my nose in his business.”
“So how did you guys work out the kidnapping, then?” I looked at Jakob with intense eyes. “Who figured all of that stuff out? You must have talked.”
“At the time we had a mutually beneficial reason to want you gone.”
“There’s something that doesn’t make sense to me.” I gazed at him for a few seconds. “I get the box from Larry. Larry warns David that I’m investigating. David knows what I’m doing as soon as we meet at the shareholders’ meeting. He knows my dad created several of the inventions. He believes I’m trying find a way to bring down his family company or take my share or whatever.”
“Uh-huh.”
“So that adds up fine. Even the fact that he contacts you and says he wants you to take care of this problem, to protect your money.” I stopped and looked at Jakob carefully. “What I don’t get is, who told you to go to the coffee shop? And why? You weren’t enticed with money. You were enticed with information. Information about your mother. You were enticed with the truth.”
“Yes, so what?”
“So isn’t that a huge coincidence? Larry warning David, David warning you, and another party also warning you about the same person, but for totally different reasons?”
“Unless Larry was the one sending the notes.” Jakob shook his head. “Though I doubt it. Whoever was sending the notes also had access to Steve. And at this point, I’m not so sure that Larry and Steve are working together.”
“Couldn’t Larry have had access to Steve? Didn’t they both work for Bradley? Maybe Larry and Steve came up with this plan together because . . .” My voice trailed off, as I had nothing to add. What could they possibly hope to gain?
“Yes, but I don’t think they ever had much contact.” Jakob sighed. “And now that Larry’s in jail, it indicates that someone bigger is involved in all of this.”
“He was scared of someone, at least he and his wife acted like they were scared of someone.” I paused and thought. “Though after we spoke with Blake, I started to think that maybe that was an act and maybe he was the mastermind.”
“If Larry was the mastermind, he wouldn’t be on his way to jail now, would he?”
“No, I guess not.”
“So that means there’s someone else pulling the strings.”
“Someone like who?” I frowned. “The lady in the photo?”
“I don’t think so.” Jakob paid for two doughnuts and coffees and we took a seat. “Not if she was begging in the street outside your apartment for so many months.”
“Yeah.” I sighed. “Then who?”
“It has to be someone important. Someone who has a lot to lose. Someone who enjoys playing games . . . someone like my dad.” Jakob watched me over the rim of his coffee cup. “It can’t be my dad because he’s dead, so it has to be—”
“Maxwell!” I rushed out. “It has to be the third partner, Maxwell.”
“Yes.” Jakob nodded slowly. “I’m starting to think you’re right. He’s the only one left.”
“What do we know about him?”
“Well, we know that he left right before Larry started working there.” Jakob frowned. “Though I could have sworn Larry was with them all from the beginning.” He sighed.
“Maybe Maxwel
l is mad that he had to leave and blames Larry and me?” I sipped on my coffee and nearly choked as I remembered something else. “Larry’s wife told me that Maxwell’s wife had contacted them.” My eyes widened as I remembered. “She said that Maxwell’s wife threatened them!”
“How?” Jakob leaned forward. “What did she do?”
“I don’t know.” I shook my head. “I was more concerned with getting to talk to Larry, so I didn’t really follow up with that. Man, I suck.”
“It’s fine, Bianca. We’re new to this. We can’t expect to be CIA operatives in ten minutes.”
“Yeah, I guess. I wish I knew more.” I closed my eyes for a few seconds and tried to take deep breaths.
“I don’t know anything either, but I know a man who does.” I heard Jakob’s chair scrape along the floor as he jumped up. “Come on, we’re going back to David’s.”
“But I thought he was having sex with Roma.” I opened my eyes and made a face, not wanting to walk in on David fornicating again.
“I don’t give a shit.” Jakob hurried me out of the restaurant. “I think my dear brother has more information than he let on before. I think this is about more than money to him. I think this is a game as well.”
“Why do you say that?”
“What he tried to do to you earlier.” Jakob’s voice was angry. “He was trying to rile me up.”
“What do you mean?”
“He chose George to pick you up that night. George was my driver for many years. He’s loyal to me. David knows that. He wanted George to call me and tell me what was going on that night. He wanted me to drive over to his house that night. He wanted me to see the two of you together.” Jakob started walking faster. “I think we’ve both been played, Bianca.”
“But why?”
“That’s what we’re going to find out.”
thirteen
“How did he leave so fast?” I frowned as Jakob and I left the building and headed for his car.
“Almost as if he were tipped off.” Jakob drove off.