Cam Derringer Box Set

by Mac Fortner

  It was getting late. We decided to call it a night.

  “I’ll pick you up at seven a.m.,” Chad said.

  “Alright,” I said. “That’s going to come early.”

  “Do you need a ride tomorrow Robin,” Alexis said.

  “No thanks, the feds are picking me up,” she said and laughed.

  We said our goodbyes and took the company limo back to my place.

  I’m going to miss this place,” I said. “We’ve had a lot of good times here.”

  “Yes we have,” she said.

  “I wonder what the future holds for us?” I said.

  “No way to tell,” she said. “But I think we should take it one day at a time. If there is someone you would like to go out with, then I think you should, and me likewise.”

  “You’re right I guess. Our visits will be far between no matter what we say we’re going to do.”

  “For now, though, I think I have a good idea,” she said.

  We went into the bedroom for the last time, here.

  Chapter 72

  I landed at the Fort Sill Regional Airport in Lawton Oklahoma, at ten-twenty A.M.

  The airport was small but charming. I picked up my luggage and rented a car. The drive to the McBride house took me through a picturesque landscape and into the city. I passed the Cameron A&M College, County Hospital and to the edge of the Fort Sills Military Reservation. It was marked as a National Historic Landmark. I thought about how it would be to grow up in a town like this. It would definitely have its advantages.

  I found Dennis McBride’s house. It was a modest brick house with an American Flag flying in the front yard.

  An attractive lady in her mid-fifties answered the door.

  “Hello,” I said, “My name is Cam Derringer. Are you Sharon McBride?”

  “Hello, mister Derringer. We were expecting you,” she said.

  “You were?” I said.

  “Yes, won’t you come in?”

  “Thank you,” I said and entered a small but immaculate living room.

  The house had a faint smell of baked cookies.

  “Have a seat,” she said motioning to a chair, “I’ll get Dennis.”

  I sat. Sharon returned with a plate of cookies and three glasses of tea.

  She handed me one glass and sat the cookies on the coffee table in front of me.

  “Thank you,” I said.

  “I hope these will satisfy your sweet tooth for a while,” she said.

  Dennis McBride entered the room. He was a tall man and well built. I could tell he worked out.

  I stood and shook hands.

  “How was your trip?” he said.

  “Great,” I said, wondering why they acted as if they knew me.

  “Do you know why I’m here?” I said.

  “Yes, mister Derringer we do. You killed those sons of bitches who murdered my brother,” Sharon said.

  “Well….” I said. “They died in the process of our investigation.”

  “Without you, they would still be alive,” Dennis said.

  “Maybe so,” I said, “I’m not sure.”

  I ate a cookie and took a drink of the tea.

  “Very good,” I said, and they were.

  “Is your niece here?” I said. “I would like to meet her.”

  “You just missed her Cam,” Sharon said. “She was here yesterday. She was thrilled that the men paid for killing her father.”

  “So she knows?” I said.

  “Yes, she knows. I’ll tell you a little about her life since that day,” Sharon said.

  “I’d like to hear it,” I said.

  “She saw Brady Osborn and William Arlington kill her father. When they came to the door, Brian told her to hide in the closet. From there she saw Brady hold Brian while William cut his throat with a knife. She was in shock when some friends found her the next day, still in the closet.”

  “That had to be very hard,” I said.

  “The police interviewed her at the hospital,” she continued. “She told them what she saw, but they didn’t follow up on the investigation. We later realized that William had the police in his pocket.”

  “That was it?” I said. “No one filed charges?”

  “None. They questioned both men, but never charged them,” Dennis said.

  “I’m sorry to hear that Mrs. McBride,” I said.

  “It’s Sharon,” she said. “Lizzy came to live with us, and we raised her as our own. She was withdrawn for a couple of years, but one day she said she was ready to live her life to the fullest, and she did. After graduating high school with honors, she went to the University of Oklahoma on a golf scholarship of all things. There she made law her major and graduated top of her class at the University law school. She passed the bar three months later.”

  “That’s a great story,” I said. “I’m happy for her.

  “So are we,” Sharon said.

  “Where does she work now?” I said.

  “She was here for a year, then she went to New York. She would send us money every month. She said it was for raising and loving her. We told her she didn’t need to pay us for the honor, but the money kept coming.”

  “Do you know what law firm she worked for there? I might have run across her,” I said. “I have been practicing law there the last year.”

  “No,” Sharon said. “I think she told us once, but it was a strange name, and I forgot it over the years.”

  “That doesn't matter,” I said. “I’m just glad she is doing well.”

  I stood. “I won’t take up any more of your time,” I said. “I just wanted to tell you personally that the men who killed your brother were dead.”

  “Thank you for coming and for all you’ve done,” Sharon said.

  “You’re welcome,” I said. “How did you know William and Brady were dead? Was it in the paper here?”

  “No Lizzy told us yesterday when she visited. She was ecstatic,” Sharon said.

  “I’m sorry I missed her. She sounds like a fascinating young lady.”

  “You didn’t miss her Cam,” Sharon said. “You just didn’t see her.”

  “What do you mean by that?”

  Sharon went to the fireplace, removed a picture, and handed it to me.

  “Here’s her graduation picture,” she said.

  I took the picture and stared for what seemed an eternity.

  “This is Lizzy?” I finally said.

  “Yes,” Sharon said. “Elizabeth Kailey Wessel.”

  Chapter 73

  I was looking at a slightly younger version of Kailey. She hired Bloodshot to revenge her father. She even married William just to get close enough to make him pay. She had all of us shot and even herself. She embezzled money and put the blame on Alexis. She worked me as well. I thought she was just a loving little girl. Now Bill is dead and she has three-hundred million dollars. Now the golf made more sense also. No wonder she clobbered us. It’s genius.

  “She told me her name was Kailey Parker from Biloxi Mississippi,” I said.

  “That’s her mother’s maiden name. She was from Biloxi.”

  “Where did Kailey go?” I said.

  “I don’t know,” Sharon said. “She said it would be better if we didn’t know. When she came yesterday, she deposited five million dollars into our account. She said she earned that money.”

  I thought for a moment. That was the money promised to her when she married Bill.

  “Yes,” I said, “She did earn that.”

  I replaced the picture on the mantel. I saw a few more pictures of her there. In one she was standing holding a trophy that read–marksmanship, Department of Health and Physical Education, Lawton, Oklahoma.

  “She was a marksman?” I said.

  “Yes, she started that when she was fifteen. It was a passion and a stress release for her. She was quite active in the NRA.”

  “She was a very busy young lady,” I said.

  “We don’t know what all she did in Ne
w York, and we don’t want to know. She seems quite happy now, and we’re happy for her. She said she would contact us from time to time, but she had to go away for a while.”

  I was in shock. I stood there staring at her picture again and then a big smile came over me. I couldn’t help it.

  “She’ll be fine,” I told them. “Kailey will be just fine.”

  “Thank you for coming by Cam. Kailey spoke very highly of you. I think she has a crush on you,” she said smiling.

  “And I her,” I said.

  I walked to the door.

  “Oh. Wait a minute,” Sharon said. “I almost forgot.”

  She went to the kitchen and returned with a white sack.

  “Kailey said this was for you.”

  It would be a good flight home.

  My cell phone rang on the way back to the airport. It was Robin.

  “Did you have a good flight?” she said.

  “It was good,” I said.

  “Well, I wanted to call you before you got to the McBride’s. Did I get you in time?”

  “No, I just left them,” I said.

  I guess her theory was right. Somehow she must have figured out that Kailey was Elizabeth.

  “We know who hired Bloodshot,” Robin said.

  “We think it was Kailey. She’s gone.”

  “That doesn’t prove anything. Does it?” I said.

  “When I started to connect the dots, I called the hospital and asked for Doctor Bishop.”

  I remembered him from the ER. He was the one who treated Kailey after Bill was killed. He told me she was pregnant.

  “They don’t have a doctor on staff by that name,” she said.

  “I talked to him myself,” I said.

  “You talked to someone,” she said, “but it wasn’t a doctor.”

  Now that was starting to make sense too. She faked her pregnancy to gain the three-hundred million dollars. An amount that could be transferred to her immediately.

  “I guess we were duped,” I said.

  “Kailey signed the papers transferring the cash to her yesterday morning. The living trust was closed before the transfer, and the money went to an offshore account,” Robin said. “She left town right after your golf game.”

  Kailey was a genius. She got revenge and money and got away with it.

  “We’ll probably never see her again,” I said.

  “No, we probably won’t,” she said. “I’ll fill you in on the rest when you get to Key West. I’m leaving for LA in about an hour.”

  “Have a good trip,” I said. “I love you.”

  “I love you too,” she said. “Oh, how was your visit with the McBride’s?”

  “Fascinating. They are nice people. I didn’t get to meet the niece, though. She was away,” I said.

  “Too bad,” she said. “I hope they can live in peace now.”

  “I think they can,” I said.

  I stopped at the restaurant in the airport and bought a glass of milk. I sat at a table where I could watch the few people pass by and opened the white sack.

  I kissed the chocolate honey bun before taking a bite.

  “Are you in love with that doughnut?” a voice from behind me said.

  I would recognize that voice anywhere.

  “Hello Kailey,” I said without turning. “Or should I say, Lizzy?”

  “Kailey will do. I won’t be either one for long,” she said walking around to the front to face me.

  “Why are you here?” I said, “It could be dangerous?”

  “I knew if anyone would understand it would be you,” she said. “You went to great lengths to bring down the man who killed your wife.”

  I thought back. Yes, I did. I wouldn’t stop until I had my revenge.

  “How did you know about that?”

  “I do my homework,” she said.

  “May I?” she said pointing at an empty chair.

  “Please do. Sorry I don’t have a doughnut for you, but I only have one,” I said.

  “That’s fine,” she said, “I’m watching my figure.”

  “Yeah, me too. My doctor says I need to give these up,” I said.

  “What doesn’t kill you, makes you stronger.”

  “True, but I think these might kill me.”

  “Chose your battles wisely.”

  “Speaking of which, one thing bothers me,” I said.

  “What’s that?”

  “Who shot me?”

  “It was Emanuel Barona,” she said. “I saw him do it.”

  “I should warn Chad then,” I said. “He might be after him too.”

  “I don’t think so,” Kailey said, “I heard Emanuel was killed shortly after he shot you.”

  “I didn’t hear anything about that,” I said.

  “Maybe they haven’t found the body yet,” she said. “Anyway, Chad’s safe.”

  “That reminds me,” I said, “I saw your trophy for marksmanship.”

  “I use it as an escape,” she said.

  “Yeah, I bet you do.”

  “Only when necessary,” she said.

  “Why did you have everyone shot?” I said. “Why didn’t you just kill Bill?”

  “It was supposed to look like the game in Ontario, but Eric told you about the arrangement I had with him. After that, I did my best to make people think it was still a game, but I guess it didn’t work.”

  “Someone could have gotten killed,” I said.

  “Andrei was an expert marksman. He promised that no one would die,” she said.

  “Robin called me a while ago. They know it was you,” I said.

  “They think it was me,” she said. “I wish I could tell them why, but then my aunt and uncle would be investigated. They might even lose their five million. I guess you and I knowing why I did it, is good enough for me.”

  “You’re not pregnant, are you?” I said.

  “The doctor said I was.”

  “That wasn’t a real doctor,” I said.

  “Really? I feel violated,” she said in her little girl accent.

  “But you told Bill you were pregnant just before he was killed,” I said.

  “No. What I really told him was the truth. I told him who I was and that I watched him kill my father and that he had only about five seconds left to live,” she said. “That’s why I was laughing.”

  “And when he stepped forward and reached for you then….”

  “Yes, he wanted to kill me,” she said.

  I pondered that for a while. This girl wasn’t only a genius, but she was dangerous.

  “What will you do now? I said.

  “That depends.”

  “On what?”

  “On you,” she said.

  “Why me?”

  “I want you to go away with me. I honestly love you, Cam,” she said sincerely.

  “Kailey, like I told you before, I love you too. Just not that way. Besides, you’ll have a better chance of staying free without me.”

  “I already have our new identities set up. All you have to do is say, yes,” she said.

  “I have family and friends. Diane for one, I can’t leave her,” I said.

  “That’s too bad,” she said. “It won’t be the same without you.”

  “I’ll miss you too,” I said.

  “I guess you don’t need me now that Robin walks around naked,” she said.

  “How did you know we walk around naked?” I said.

  She took a recorder out of her purse and handed it to me.

  “When I put the bug in for Bloodshot I tuned it into two recorders. That’s how I knew you would be here.”

  “Listening to me huh.”

  “Are you going to turn me in?”

  I stared at her for a few seconds. I thought I could see the little girl hiding in the closet in her eyes. I wanted to hold her and tell her everything was going to be okay.

  “No, I’m not,” I said.

  “Good, then I’ll see you from time to time in Key We
st,” she said.

  “If you think it’s safe, I’ll be glad to show you the town, but no shooting,” I said.

  “Okay, I promise,” she said.

  I took another bite of my doughnut and a swig of milk.

  “I guess this is it for a while then,” she said. “I owe you a lot. I have a present for you, but I won’t give it to you just yet.”

  “That’s not necessary.”

  “Yes it is,” she said. “Besides, I can afford presents now.”

  “Be safe Kailey,” I said standing.

  “Practice your golf game,” she said.

  I laughed. She put her arms around me and kissed me. It was a long soft kiss that made my knees weak. When we broke it off, she turned and walked away. “Toodles,” she said over her shoulder.

  Chapter 74

  I landed in Key West at five forty-six p.m. As soon as I stepped off the plane I could feel the salt air.

  Diane was there to greet me. She jumped into my arms and kissed me.

  “Are you really home for good?” she said.

  “You better believe it,” I said.

  “Are you going to miss being a lawyer?”

  “It really wasn’t that much fun,” I said.

  We laughed.

  “Before I take you home we’re going to have a Piña colada,” she said.

  “Fine by me,” I said.

  She pulled into a parking spot beside Sloppy Joes. We took a table in the front by the street.

  “This is the life,” I said. “I missed all these quirky people.”

  “They missed you too.”

  Tanya was our waitress. We had a history. Not sexual, but legal. I helped her out of a marijuana bust one time.

  “CAM,” she said and threw her arms around me.

  “Tanya, great to see you again.”

  “Are you back for good?” she said.

  “Yep.”

  “Wanna go out tonight?” she said.

  “Not tonight. It’s been a long day, and I haven’t even been home yet. We just stopped in to have a Piña colada and to see you.”

  “Comin’ right up,” she said.

  When she left Diane giggled, “You haven’t changed a bit.”

  “Don’t want to.”