Shotgun, Wedding, Bells
Page 22
“You can say that again,” and he beckoned me closer for a kiss.
In response, our son started kicking me.
I ran my husband's hand over my belly, allowing him to feel his child's enthusiasm for life. “Oops,” I said, as my fingers hit a hard knot. “I forgot all about this.” I flipped up my shirt and revealed the jewel in my navel.
“To think,” he said, wonderingly, “I bought you a diamond for your finger. If only I had known.”
CHAPTER 78
The hospital paperwork took longer than I'd hoped. Finally, Detweiler was officially released. As the orderly rolled my husband along in his wheelchair, I took deep cleansing breaths. Freedom was just around the corner. The crisp outdoor air felt good on my skin, especially after that stuffy hospital room.
As she'd promised, Brawny was outside waiting for us in the Highlander. She hopped out to open the back passenger door. More than a few visitors paused to stare at the sturdy figure in a tartan skirt, white blouse, knee socks and black brogues.
“The kids are really excited about having you both home.” Brawny spoke to us over her shoulder. It felt weird to sit in the back rather than up front, but I wanted to be next to Detweiler. The hustle and bustle of getting him discharged had tired him out. All the way home, Brawny chattered like a tour guide. Remarking on traffic, the weather, and all sorts of stupid stuff.
“Brawny, we need to talk.” I sounded brusque, but frankly, I was tired of playing games.
Her eyes sought mine in the rearview mirror. “I know we do.”
“I'm still not sure that we're all safe.”
“I give you my word. You are safe. Each and every one of you. I know I've been less than forthcoming, but I have to respect Lorraine's wishes.”
“Respecting her wishes is one thing,” I grumbled. “The safety of our children is another.”
“Aye. I've planned for Detective Detweiler to take a wee nap. Then Lorraine and Leighton will come for dinner. When it's done, we'll all sit down together and chat.”
She sounded conciliatory, but I was still ticked off. “Look, I know she pays your salary, but this won't work if I don't have any say in your actions.”
“Aye.” Brawny sounded perfectly agreeable.
That made me even more angry. I briefly considered firing her on the spot. Detweiler must have read my mind. He said, “Brawny, you're asking a lot of us. Especially given what we've just been through. I don't believe that Kiki is acting unreasonably.”
“I totally agree, sir.”
That respectful title was a sop. But I was still fuming.
“I've asked Hadcho to come to dinner,” she said, almost as an afterthought. “I know he also has questions that are unanswered. I thought it best that we all put our cards on the table.”
“How kind of you.” The words came out so sharply that Detweiler squeezed my hand. I told myself that I needed to chill. Being mean to Brawny wasn't my style. Furthermore, she wasn't taking the bait. I decided to change the subject. “What about the kids? Are you planning for them to be there, too? I'm assuming I have no say in this matter.”
“It might be best for you to hear everything first. Then it's up to you what you tell them. Mrs. Moore has invited them both to spend the night at her house. Nicci and Anya haven't seen each other in a while, so they're over the moon with excitement. Stevie is home from college, and he's promised to build LEGOs® with Erik. I guess he has two tubs of them that Jennifer has saved from when he was younger. Erik is thrilled with the adventure, too.”
Okay, so she'd thought of everything.
I still wasn't happy.
CHAPTER 79
Anya and Erik squealed with excitement when Detweiler walked through the back door.
I walked Laurel and Joe to the foyer where they put on their coats.
“Thank you,” I said. “I don’t know how we can ever repay you.”
“No, thank you,” said Joe, as he helped Laurel adjust her scarf. “We had so much fun. We can't wait to have our own brood.”
To my surprise, he gave me a quick buss on the cheek. Laurel did the same and added a hug.
I locked the front door behind them.
Meanwhile, the children were prancing around like Santa's reindeer on steroids. “Careful! Your father is very fragile. Let's get him onto the sofa so he can have a nice nap.”
After we got Detweiler situated, they turned their attention on me. I accepted their affection gratefully. Next we were treated to “show and tell” as the kids dragged out one cool project after another.
Anya crowed, “Laurel and Joe are the best. Laurel says I can be a bridesmaid when they get married.”
“I'm going to be an altered-boy,” explained Erik solemnly. “If you say I can.”
“An altered-boy?” Detweiler raised his eyebrows. “Wow, dude. That's amazing.”
“I'm not sure you know what you're in for, little buddy.” I gathered Erik in my arms. His legs were getting longer every day.
I let the kids have another ten minutes with their father, and then Brawny hustled them into the car for their trip to Jennifer Moore's house. After kissing them soundly, I waved them down the driveway.
While Detweiler slept on our sofa, I climbed the stairs to our bedroom. The minute my head hit the pillow, I fell sound asleep. I woke to the sound of voices in the foyer. Leighton and Lorraine had arrived.
Both of them hugged me. I suggested we move into the dining room. To my surprise, Detweiler was already there. Brawny had carried in a wingback chair. She had him propped up with pillows. Hadcho arrived soon after.
The meal was strained. We had three casseroles to choose from, but the food tasted like cardboard in my mouth. I did my best to be pleasant, but I was fed up with waiting for answers.
“How about if we take a pass on dessert,” I said, folding my napkin politely.
That got everyone's attention. I never turn up my nose at dessert. But I was not in the mood, and my announcement put everyone on notice that I wasn't going to wait any longer for answers.
We moved into the living room.
“You also have every reason to be extremely angry with me,” said Lorraine, in a quiet voice, as she folded her hands in her lap. She was seated in the second wingback. Brawny had dragged its twin back to its usual place. Detweiler was sitting in it, looking uncomfortable. I wanted to get this over with, because he needed his rest.
Lorraine continued, “After you hear the whole story, I hope you'll be able to find it in your heart to forgive me for being so stupid. This really is all my fault.”
Detweiler reached down to take my hand, as I sat on the ottoman at his feet.
“This all goes back to a mistake I made as a young girl on a winter day in Waterville, Maine. I was supposed to be watching my younger brother Van, but there was this boy, a young man I had a crush on. His attentions distracted me. I quit watching Van as carefully as I should have. As a consequence, my brother fell through the ice. He was rescued by a boy named Roscoe Thornton. Thus began Van's lifelong friendship with Thornton, a man I've never liked.”
With a sigh, she continued, “I always assumed that I disliked Thornton because he reminded me of my guilt. Van very nearly drowned, and it was all my fault. But I should have trusted my instincts better. Now I realize that I disliked Thornton from the start because he is a terrible person. I should have given myself more credit.”
Detweiler frowned. “Is this the same Thornton who's Van's attorney? The one who sent me the paperwork when I brought Erik home?”
“Yes,” said Lorraine. “He became my brother's right hand man. Thornton was Van's exclusive legal counsel. He set up and handled all of Van's trusts and his will. I only began to put credence in my instincts after Gina refused to work with him. They had one meeting, and she put her foot down. She told Van that she never wanted to see Thornton again. In fact, she hired her own attorney over Van's protests. You see, Gina was very perceptive. And she was also more courageous than I.”
Okay, so this was interesting, but what did it have to do with our shooters?
I fought to hold my tongue. Maybe there was a connection, but I sure didn't see it. I shifted my weight and glared at Lorraine. She nodded. “Yes, I know I'm taking too long, but I want you to understand. I blame myself for what happened at your wedding. As you hear my story, you'll see why.”
Leighton was sitting next to Lorraine. Now he reached over to take her hand. She shot him a pained look, which he returned with a smile of encouragement.
“At Thornton's insistence, Van put him in charge of all his charitable giving. This occurred over my feeble protests. Gina's spunky decision was the push I needed to speak my mind. But Van wouldn't listen. After he and Gina were married for five years—during which she never asked him for a penny—Van changed his will. He took me into his confidence, but Gina never knew. Van left all his personal wealth, outside of the money already designated for the charities, to Gina, in the event that he preceded her in death. If they both died, or in the event of her death preceding his, Van's fortune was to go to Erik. It would stay in a trust until he reached the ages of eighteen, twenty-five, and thirty. At each milestone, a third of Van's fortune would be released to the boy.”
Lorraine paused. I tried to take all this in. I had no idea how much money she was talking about, but I figured we were talking millions of dollars.
“I totally agreed with my brother's decision. Oh, people called Gina a gold-digger, but she wasn't. Van's choices made perfect sense, except for one tiny detail. If Erik died before reaching the age of eighteen, all of Van's fortune was to go to a variety of designated projects, charities, and institutions,” and here Lorraine paused again. This time, she closed her eyes and shook her head. “Unfortunately, the person who would oversee all those gifts was Thornton.”
It came to me in a flash. “And that's why Thornton tried to have Erik killed!”
“Exactly.”
CHAPTER 80
Detweiler gave my hand a reassuring squeeze.
“Did you know all this?” I asked him. “About the money?”
“Some of it,” he said. “Not everything. I wanted to discuss it with you after Christmas, but with the wedding, it fell by the wayside.”
“I wasn't completely candid with your husband. I told him that some money had been set aside for Erik. He didn't know the source, and he's never been privy to the amount.” Lorraine smiled at both of us. “In fact, Thornton was convinced initially that Detweiler would only take the boy if he knew there was money involved.”
“No!” I said.
“Of course not. Your actions have made it perfectly clear that the boy was your priority.” She blushed. “I must admit that when you needed a larger house, I nearly told you everything. However, Thornton can be very persuasive. He kept insisting that you two were expecting to improve your standard of living vis-à-vis, Erik's fortune.”
Detweiler's face closed down. His amazing green eyes darkened with anger. “Lorraine, you know better.”
“Yes, I do. And I should have been more forthcoming, but I secretly relished seeing what lengths Thornton would go to. He's said the most outrageous things about both of you. Laughable.”
From across the room, I saw Brawny fighting a smile.
“That's one reason I sent Brawny along with Erik.”
I flushed with anger. “You were spying on us.”
Brawny quickly shook her head. “No. I was watching over my wee tyke. Lorraine and I had done our due diligence early on. We knew the child was a lucky boy to come live with you.”
“When I fell in love with Leighton, all the pieces clicked into place. I didn't want anything to change. Money changes everything. It's a poison.”
That last word blanketed us like an evil spirit. I could see that she was right.
Hadcho spoke up. “You're telling us that these two assassins were hired by Thornton?”
“Aye.” Brawny nodded.
“Again,” said Lorraine, “I have to take the blame for all of this. Kiki, your husband wanted us all to sit down and discuss the finances, at least what he knew of them, but I hesitated. You have to forgive me, Kiki. I've never been part of a family. It's always just been Van and me. Detweiler pushed me to tell you these details, but I was enjoying our time together over the holidays, and I didn't want to ruin it. I wasn't sure how you'd react. Quite frankly, this amount of money is a burden. If Van had talked to me about it, I would have suggested that Erik inherit a modest sum, and that the rest go irrevocably to charity. But my brother could be very hard-headed. Of course, Thornton wanted the money to be earmarked for charities, at a point in the future. I suspect he's been playing with the investments for some time now.”
“Lorraine has been worrying over this,” said Leighton, putting his arm around her. “We have our own news, too, and that distracted us as well. Lorraine and I have decided to get married.”
“Congratulations,” I said, but I didn't hop up to give them both a hug. I was still feeling too raw, too ill-used.
“That's terrific news,” said Detweiler.
“I understand now how love makes one fuzzy-headed. In my excitement, I quit thinking strategically,” said Lorraine. “I didn't worry about Thornton doing anything so quickly, because I had my own timetable. Again, I'm responsible for what happened, because I pushed Thornton into making a desperate move.”
“How do you figure that?” I asked.
“Right before the holidays, I made out checks to all my various charities. It's something I do every year at the same time. They've come to expect it. As usual, the heads of the groups called to thank me. Two of them mentioned that my money was particularly welcome because the funds from my brother's trust hadn't arrived yet.”
My stomach tensed. I could guess what was coming. Lorraine closed her eyes and shook her head. “I knew right then and there that something was wrong. I immediately hired a forensic accountant to look into Van's financial arrangements. Sure enough, stocks had been moved around, repeatedly, in a sort of Ponzi scheme to cover up withdrawals.”
“Tripwires,” said Hadcho.
“Yes.” Lorraine opened her eyes and blinked back tears. “Even though the forensic accountant was excellent, he spooked Thornton. I should have waited until after Christmas. We could have discussed all this and planned ahead. But I felt bad for those charities that had depended on Van's support. Especially with the holidays upon us.”
“This creep was so desperate that he hired not one but two assassins to kill a child?” Hadcho's mouth curled in disgust. “You're sure about that?”
“Absolutely. That's exactly what he did.”
“How could you be so sure?” I asked.
“Because he also hired a man to kill my brother and Gina.”
CHAPTER 81
“What?” I almost fell off the ottoman.
“You're sure?” Detweiler asked Lorraine. “Do you have hard evidence?”
“No,” said Lorraine, turning toward my husband. “I don't. After you shared your suspicions with me, I hired a private detective. He quickly discovered, just as you had, that the accident report on the car crash was incomplete. Tracking down the California Highway Patrol officers who'd written the report provided futile. When the investigator went to look at Van's Porsche, it wasn't at the shop. It had been released to a junk yard, and already crushed. This happened despite my specific instructions that the car was to remain intact. Also, when my investigator poked around into the report, he discovered that there were no recreations of the car's trajectory. In fact, the authorities did none of the normal investigative work that's supposed to be handled when there's a fatality.”
&
nbsp; “My heavens,” I said. Suddenly, I didn't feel so angry with Lorraine.
“As you can imagine, all of this has been overwhelming.” She paused to wipe her eyes.
We dispatched Brawny to bring tea and coffee. All of us kept silent until she returned with a heavy tray. Besides the hot drinks, she brought us lemon custard and shortbread cookies.
The tea seemed to fortify Lorraine. “The private investigator kept at it. Finally, he told me that the crash was suspicious not because of what he found but because of what was missing. Someone had meticulously removed or destroyed any telltale evidence. That's not normal. Especially under the circumstances. While he couldn't point to specifics that proved tampering, what he did say that in his thirty-plus years as an investigator, he'd never seen a vehicle fatality with so little left to review.”
“Lorraine,” I said, “I am so sorry.”
“So am I.” Her emotions swamped her, and she began to cry softly. Leighton pulled her to his chest, rocking and patting her. At last, she pushed free of him. “I have to go on. There's more. In the aftermath of the accident, I'd forgotten one important fact.”
“Forgotten what?” Detweiler asked.
“Erik was supposed to be in the car with them that day. It was a fluke that he wasn't.”
I felt sick. “Who kills an entire family? What sort of monster is this man?”
“A desperate one,” said Leighton. “He's been siphoning off money from Van's trusts for years. Thornton has a string of ex-wives, and he likes to live high on the hog. When the economy took its downturn a couple of years ago, he'd invested heavily in mortgage backed securities.”
Lorraine raised her head. “I let my brother down not once but twice. That day at the pond, and again by not speaking out more firmly against Thornton. As a result, I let that animal kill my brother and my darling sister-in-law. And he very nearly killed Erik, Detweiler, and Hadcho. In fact, if Kiki hadn't been so brave, that hired hit man might have wiped out all of you. Please, please forgive me.”