As I told him about Wendell pushing me through the wall, his fingers tightened on mine. “Just a sprain,” I said. “It feels better already. I might have a few broken fingers if you don’t relax.” I tried to wiggle loose.
“Sorry,” he muttered. Relaxing his grip, he didn’t let go of my hand.
Bill was with his dad at the police station when we finally got back to town. Drake hadn’t placed Jane under arrest yet, and she rushed at Jim with her arms out. “Darling, I was so afraid. They won’t let me hold Hannah. Tell Drake that I’m a victim, too. He won’t even let me see a doctor.”
He gripped her shoulders, pushing her away, and moved to take Hannah who had started fussing again when she saw her daddy. Without a word to Jane, he headed for the door. Bill followed him out, but not before Drake clasped his shoulder. He couldn’t form the words thanking him for his help. Giving a nod of understanding, Bill followed Jim outside.
“Damn it, Jim,” Jane cursed, stomping her foot in frustration. She whirled around on Drake. “Why won’t you let me go home? I haven’t done anything wrong.” She was still trying to bluff her way through this.
“No?” Drake relaxed casually on the corner of the desk. “What do you call embezzlement, murder and kidnapping?”
Her face blanched, and she sat down before she collapsed when her legs wouldn’t hold her up any longer.
“He made me do those things. He was obsessed with me. He’s been stalking me for years. I haven’t done anything wrong,” she said weakly. There was no conviction in her voice.
“You didn’t take Holly out there?” His tone was mild, but there was ice in his eyes now.
“I had to, he had my baby.” She buried her face in her hands, crying like her heart was broken. She deserved the academy award for this performance. “He made me bring her out there. You don’t understand what it’s like to see your baby in the hands of someone like him.”
“Aren’t you forgetting something, Jane?” I interrupted her little scene.
“What’s that?” I would have believed the innocence in her beautifully made up eyes if I hadn’t been in that cabin with them.
“I was there, Jane. I heard everything the three of you said.”
“You believed that?” She gave a small laugh. “I had to play along or he would have hurt Hannah. She’s such a sweet baby. I couldn’t let anything happen to her.” Tears shimmered in her eyes.
For a half second I almost believed her. I shook my head. “You’re good, but not that good. You wanted that money as much as Wendell and Beth Ann did. It was your ticket out of here.”
“No, I just said all that so he wouldn’t hurt Hannah. You have to believe me.”
“That’s enough, Jane.” Taking her arm in a rough grip, Drake lifted her out of the chair. Placing her in a small room, he left her there to consider what his next move might be.
Once we were alone, he sat down, pulling me onto his lap, burying his face in my hair. He took several unsteady breaths before allowing me to sit in the chair beside him.
“Without Bill’s help, we’d still be searching for you. I couldn’t even remember where that stupid cabin was.” He drew a shaky breath. “There’s no telling what they would have done. Why did you go with her?”
“She said Hannah had been kidnapped.”
“So why didn’t she call me?”
“Supposedly the kidnapper called her and said I was the only one she could tell.”
“Why? What were you supposed to do?” A frown drew his brows into a straight line over troubled eyes.
“They wanted the money Wendell had embezzled. Somehow Max had managed to stop them from taking it. He hid it somewhere. That must be what’s on that file he put on my laptop.”
He nodded his head. “The techs found it along with another file Max placed in with your documents. It explains a whole lot.” He shook his head. “He fell for Beth Ann, but she was using him the same way Jane used Dad. He didn’t realize what she was doing until it was almost too late.”
Drawing a shaky breath, he shook his head. “Max was smarter than they expected. They also thought because of his past they could manipulate him. I don’t understand everything he did, but once he caught on to their game, he turned the tables on them. That saying ‘Never kid a kidder,’ goes double for a con man.” He sighed. “Even after Kramer killed him, Max managed to win the con. The money is back in the town’s accounts.”
“Thank God,” I sighed, snuggling as close as our two chairs allowed. I could stay there forever. “Max said this was his last con,” I said sadly. “I guess it really was.” For several minutes we were silent. Max died because they felt they were entitled to take what they wanted.
“I know who was behind the deal with the store,” I finally broke the silence.
When he nodded his head that stray lock of hair fell over his eyes. I reached up, running my fingers through the silly strands. He placed a kiss in my palm, like he had in the past. “Jack Johnston is already out of a job,” he stated.
My mouth dropped open. “You knew about that? How?”
“I kept telling you to let me handle it. You gave me the evidence that I needed to keep looking. Our tech guys found the emails. They were all on that file Max left you. It was supposed to look like they came from Max’s computer when they really came from Johnston’s.” He leaned back in the chair, drawing a deep breath. “He wanted to get back at Dad for giving Max the job he wanted. He had a job lined up with Dynamic Corporation once the store opened here.”
“So he’s out of his job here and doesn’t have one with Dynamic either.” I shook my head.
“I don’t know what Dynamic will do,” Drake admitted. “They just might welcome him with open arms. They seem to like things a little on the shady side. Did Wendell say why he killed Fred?” He got us back on track.
Giving my account of all that happened in the few hours I’d been in that small shack took almost as long as I’d been there. I still couldn’t believe Wendell would kill his own brother.
Wendell was smart, but he wasn’t willing to work for what he wanted. It was easier to steal. Or so he thought. He paid the ultimate price for his greed.
“Now that we have all this taken care of, maybe we can get on with this getting to know the adult us,” I teased.
“Hmmm, that sounds like a good idea. Or,” he paused. “What would you think if we skipped that part, and got right to the formal proposal?” He pulled a small velvet box out of his pocket. “I’ve been carrying this around for more than a week. I almost waited too long.” A shudder shook him before he pulled me close, his lips claiming mine. It took several minutes to convince him I was fine. Lifting his head, he rested his forehead against mine. “This isn’t the way I’d planned it, but I don’t want to waste any more time. Holly Foster, will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?” He didn’t get down on one knee, but I didn’t mind. Sitting in his lap worked for me. The ring was perfect, just like the man. I gave him my answer with a kiss.
~~~
“I made a lot of mistakes as a mayor and as a man,” Jim admitted. We were all gathered at the ranch later that day. He looked down as his daughter sleeping peacefully in his arms. He was afraid to put her in her crib for fear she would disappear again. “I will always be grateful to Jane for this one, but I let her youth and beauty blind me to her true nature. Unfortunately, when she realized they wouldn’t be able to get my money, they went looking for another way to get some.”
He drew a deep breath letting it out slowly. “I’m going to resign as mayor and concentrate on what’s most important.” Again he looked down at Hannah.
“Max made a lot of mistakes in his life, but in the end he was a good man. It’s too bad he had to pay with his life for the mistake of trusting the wrong woman. I can’t believe how Beth Ann had everyone fooled all these years.”
“Max proved one thing,” Drake said, a sad smile tilting the corners of his mouth.
“What’s that?”
“You should never con a con man. Even after he was gone, Max managed to win the con.”
“I still don’t understand why Max came to me. We weren’t very close.”
“Because of that fact, he was counting on them not expecting you to have the evidence he’d collected. Those last few days he was under a lot of stress. He’d been betrayed by the woman he loved, and by his friend. He knew what this was going to do to Dad when he found out about Jane and Wendell.” Drake looked over at Jim with sorrow in his eyes.
“Don’t worry about me, son. I’m going to be fine.”
When Drake formally arrested Jane, her shrieks could be heard throughout the courthouse. She continued to claim she was innocent of any wrongdoing. Although she hadn’t taken part in the murder of Max or Fred, she was a part of the crime that led up to their murders. That made her an accessory. She had been part of the embezzlement and kidnapping. I wasn’t sure if her claim that I had gone with her of my own freewill would hold up with a jury.
Whatever happened, she wouldn’t see Hannah for a long time. Jim made sure of that. Unbeknownst to anyone, he had filed for divorce the day after Thanksgiving. Divorce was hard on children, but Hannah was young enough she wouldn’t remember any of this.
“With Jane going to prison, do you think your folks will get back together?” I asked. Drake and I were in my living room later that week.
He chuckled. “Can you really see Mom being happy in Pine Mountain after all these years living in Phoenix?” He shook his head. “No, they’re better off as friends. Maybe Dad will eventually find someone to spend the rest of his life with, but it won’t be Mom.”
Maybe he’d finally notice how much Linda loves him, I thought. But for now, there was a lot of healing to be done. “Does that upset you?” I finally asked.
“Most kids of divorce want their parents to get back together, and I was no different when I was little. But God had other plans. If Mom and Dad had stayed married, Dad never would have met your mom, and I wouldn’t have met you. God’s plans for us are always better than our plans.”
He pulled me into his arms, his lips claiming mine. I said a prayer of thanks that God had been watching over us all this time, and His plans are perfect.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I thank God for the many wonderful gifts He has given me in this life. Among them are my wonderful family. He has answered my prayers, allowing me to tell my stories and publish my books. I am so blessed.
My thanks and gratitude also goes to Gerry Beamon, Sandy Roedl, and KaTie Jackson for their suggestions, editing and encouragement. I can’t forget about all the information retired Phoenix Police Detective Ken Shriner has given me on police procedure. Thanks for your patience, Ken, and for answering my many questions about law enforcement. I apologize for taking literary license with police procedure in an effort to move the story forward.
OTHER BOOKS BY SUZANNE FLOYD
Revenge Served Cold
Rosie’s Revenge
A Game of Cat and Mouse
Man on the Run
Trapped in a Whirlwind
Smoke & Mirrors
Plenty of Guilt
Lost Memories
Something Shady
Rosie’s Secret
Killer Instincts
Dear Reader:
Thank you for reading my book. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. If you enjoyed Never Con a Con Man, I would appreciate it if you would tell your friends and relatives and/or write a review on Amazon.
Follow me on Facebook at Suzanne Floyd Author, or check out my website at SuzanneFloyd.com.
Thank you,
Suzanne Floyd
P.S. If you find any errors, please let me know at: [email protected]. Before publishing, many people have read this book, but our minds can play tricks on us by supplying words that aren’t there and correcting typos.
Thanks again for reading my book.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Suzanne is an internationally known author. She was born in Iowa, and moved to Arizona with her family when she was nine years old. She still lives in Phoenix with her husband, Paul. They have two wonderful daughters, two great sons-in-law and five of the best grandchildren around. Of course, she is just a little prejudiced.
Growing up and traveling with her parents, she entertained herself by making up stories. As an adult she tried writing, but family came first. After retiring in 2008, she decided it was her time. She still enjoys making up stories, and thanks to the internet she’s able to put them online for others to enjoy.
When Suzanne isn’t writing, she and her husband enjoy traveling around on their 2010 Honda Goldwing trike. She’s always looking for new places to write about. There’s always a new mystery and a romance lurking out there to capture her attention.
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