The Starry Night of Death
Page 14
“And so, here we are. Miss Robbins came here triumphantly, sure I would accuse Mr. Nelson, who didn’t even understand how he’d been manipulated.
“But, Miss Robbins, I’m not going to accuse Mr. Nelson. You killed Mrs. Spring. You killed Mr. Young.”
Natalie Robbins stood up and pulled a revolver out of her purse.
“Everyone stand back. You know I can use this. I’ve done it twice. I’m ready to do it again.”
One of the police reached for his weapon.
She shot him in the arm.
And then the strangest thing happened.
Joni Burns leaped toward her. I didn’t think a paralegal could work up such a fury. She grabbed Natalie’s revolver and pulled it away. By then the cops were there, yanked Natalie away from Joni, and arrested the worst ex-girlfriend I’ve ever had. I figured Joni was so angry because she thought Natalie had stolen Jesse Spring from her.
Someday I’d like to meet the person who invented love and ask if it was all worth it.
There was chaos for a few minutes and then quiet.
Flanagan came over to me.
“You’re not the stupidest person in the world. Maybe third, but not the stupidest.”
“I don’t get it, Flanagan. She had everything in front of her. She would have married someone wealthy.”
“I’ve seen it a thousand times, Danny. She wanted everything and she ends up with nothing.”
I nodded.
“I take it you’ll work now to get my father out of jail?”
“How about just one year so I can have some peace and quiet.”
“Not even one minute.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
It took a week for my father to be released. I called almost on the hour with increasing anger.
While I waited, I called Marlene. She was doing well. The lawyer I got her made sure there were no charges against her.
Mary Jo was not going to do so well. I gave Marlene the name of another attorney, one I knew in Suffolk County. He would try self-defense or some kind of emotional pressure defense. It wouldn’t work and Mary Jo would go to jail. I didn’t say that to Marlene though.
Natalie’s trial would be a sensation. Some nationally famous lawyer would take over. He’d get paid in publicity and a book deal.
It took me a long time to accept that I had been unable to see what Natalie was really like. That I couldn’t see how she manipulated me. That I couldn’t see how Lou Nelson played me for a fool. I felt guilty, angry at her and him and even more furious at myself.
I ended up getting in the newspapers a lot. People called and I hung up. They can’t misquote me if I don’t say anything.
When my father arrived home, he and I waited until it was night and we went to a beach in Southampton. The place was mostly empty and the people there wanted to be by themselves.
“I never owed anybody so much,” my father said as he put his arm around my shoulder. “I’m sorry, Danny, for what I put you and your brother and sister through. And of course for what I put your Mom through.”
I nodded. We’d had this conversation before.
“You helped with the song, Dad.”
“We make a good team.”
I didn’t say it, but I thought we were a good team because we were both on the right side of the law.
“Maybe I should move to Florida,” he said.
“Don’t go, Dad. I’d miss you.”
He just nodded.
But there, lonely in its journey, was a single tear floating down the left side of his face.
THE END
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Lawrence J. Epstein served as an Advisor for two members of the United States Congress and two additional Congressional candidates. He is also a former English professor and the author of more than twenty books.
Please sign up for his mailing list to be among the first to know when his next Danny Ryle novel will be published: http://www.lawrencejepstein.com/list.
The Dead Don’t Talk is the first book in The Danny Ryle Mysteries series: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B07LF13Y3G
A Darker Shade of Blood is the second book in the series.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B07PBHCD6G
See his list of books on his Amazon Author Central Page:
https://authorcentral.amazon.com/gp/books
You can contact the author at: lawrencejepstein@gmail.com.
Please consider leaving a review of this book on Amazon.com and Goodreads.com.
Thank you.