Lethal Deception

by Lynette Eason

  Gabe mentally smacked his head. He should have thought to ask about that. He’d come back to the security issue in a minute. “Yeah, I meant to ask. How did the reading go?” Silence from the other end. “Cass?”

  A deep sigh whispered across the line. “It went. Let’s put it that way.”

  Gabe wondered what she wasn’t saying. “Tell me, Cass.”

  “Alexis inherited some money and her aunt and uncle were not happy about not getting custody. It’s not over yet. They’ll sue. To be honest, I think Susan really does want Alexis. But Kara was adamant that she didn’t want Brian around the child. Kara loved her sister, but hated the way Brian came between them.”

  “Ah, man, I’m sorry. Not only could you have a fight on your hands to keep Alexis, you might still be fighting to stay out of a killer’s way. We need to figure out how to keep you safe.”

  “Well, why don’t you join me for dinner tonight and we’ll see if we can do some brainstorming about who could possibly benefit with me out of the picture—and how to avoid that happening.”

  Gabe thought that an excellent idea. Before supper, he’d do a little research of his own. After they said their goodbyes, he ran up the stairs to turn on his computer. He still had friends in high places. One of them was Craig Monahan, a detective with the local police force who had a lot of pull with the higher-ups in law enforcement.

  TWELVE

  Cassidy hung up the phone feeling better than she had in weeks. Amy had been a good listener over the past couple of days, and Cassidy appreciated her friend’s attentive ear, but settling things with Gabe definitely helped ease her mind.

  Marguerite stepped into the room as Cassidy powered down her laptop. She said, “Your parents went out with Amy’s parents, so I just cooked up a casserole. One of your favorites. Chicken potpie.”

  Cassidy smiled at the cook. “What a great idea. I invited Gabe to join us.”

  Marguerite laughed. “That’s fine. There’s always plenty.”

  “I know. Thanks, Marguerite.”

  Three hours later the doorbell rang and Cassidy two-stepped her way to the door and then paused to get her breath and calm her racing pulse. When she pulled the door open, Gabe stood on the front porch wearing jeans and a black T-shirt that did wonderful things for him. She drank in the sight then remembered her manners. “Come on in, we’re in the kitchen going casual tonight.”

  “Hi, Cass, you look great.”

  Cassidy felt herself flush at the admiration in his eyes and smiled. “Thanks. Feeling safe agrees with me, I guess.”

  He frowned. “Don’t remind me. We’ll talk about that later.”

  Cassidy led the way into the kitchen. The enticing aroma made her stomach growl.

  Alexis grinned when Cassidy stopped by the high chair to drop a kiss on the tot’s head. “Hi, my Cass-ty.”

  “Hi, my Lexi.” She turned to Gabe. “It’s a game now.”

  Alexis banged her spoon on the high chair and said, “Hi, Gabe. Kiss!”

  Cassidy snickered and Gabe walked over to bow in front of the little girl. “Your wish is my command, little princess.” Then he leaned over and placed a kiss on her upturned nose. That sent her into peels of giggles and Gabe’s face softened to mush. He smiled and buried his face against her neck and blew raspberries until Alexis was breathless from laughing. At that moment, Cassidy knew what a great dad he’d be one day.

  Gabe smiled a sad smile and said, “She sure does look like Kara with those blond ringlets and blue eyes, doesn’t she?”

  Cassidy nodded. “Yeah, she does. She’s going to be beautiful, just like her mama.”

  Alexis perked up. “Mama? Where? My mama?” She held up her little cracker-covered hands, palms up, as she asked the question.

  Tears surfaced and Cassidy quickly blinked them back, but said softly, “She’ll forget her soon.”

  Gabe lay a hand on her shoulder. “You’ll remind her.”

  Cassidy nodded. “You bet. Okay, let’s lighten things up a bit. Marguerite, that smells wonderful.”

  Cassidy noticed Marguerite take a sneaky swipe of her eyes with a paper towel before turning around. She’d known Kara as long as Cassidy had, but the cook put on a smile and said, “Thank you, darling. Here we go.”

  Finally, everyone was settled around the kitchen table that seated twelve comfortably. Marguerite joined them for supper and Cassidy enjoyed catching up with her. Gabe seemed to enjoy the atmosphere also. Conversation flowed from topic to topic then Gabe finally said, “I did some research before coming over. We need to talk when you have a chance.”

  Marguerite stood, her dinner finished. “All right, I can take a hint. I’ll get the little one ready for bed while you two chat.”

  “Oh, but you don’t have to do that,” Cassidy protested.

  Marguerite waved her off. “Please. I love doing it.”

  Cassidy acquiesced. “All right then, thanks. Gabe, you want to move into the den?”

  “Sure.” Gabe pushed his chair back and followed Cassidy into the plush, comfortable living area. Polished hardwood floor gleamed and the Oriental rug had Gabe wondering if he should take off his shoes. The plasma television that hung on the wall played the March Madness tournaments.

  He gestured toward the screen as he took a seat on the couch. “You like basketball?”

  Cassidy grinned. “Love it.”

  “No way!” He leaned back, relaxed. Cassidy dropped beside him on the couch. Amusement gleamed in his dark eyes. “The princess is into sports?”

  “Ah, Gabe, there’s a lot you don’t know about me.”

  Sadness flickered briefly. “Yeah, I know. Maybe once we figure all this out, we can do something about that, huh?”

  What did he mean by that? He was interested in possibly pursuing something between them? Romantically? Or just as friends? Fingers of hope danced along her nerves as butterflies took flight in her stomach. Somehow she managed to nod once and say, “Maybe.”

  Gabe shifted and opened the folder he had brought with him. “So, here we’ve got some information on Brian and Susan Cooper, Alexis’s aunt and uncle.”

  Cassidy frowned at him. “What kind of information?”

  “Financial stuff.”

  “Why would you need that?” Surely he didn’t think Brian and Susan had anything to do with her being kidnapped.

  “Cass, someone is out to get you. I simply tried to think about who would benefit the most with you out of the picture. I came up with two names. Brian and Susan Cooper. If they got custody, they not only get the kid, but the money that comes with her.”

  Cassidy sucked in a deep breath as she thought about that. “Yes, I suppose if something were to happen to me, a judge would most likely award custody to them. I don’t think the will ever actually stated that they weren’t to get custody. What else did you find out?”

  “They’re swimming in debt.”

  Cassidy felt her eyes go wide. “Really? Wow. How much? I know they just got twenty-five thousand. Surely that’ll take care of most of it.”

  Gabe shook his head. “Not even close. We’re talking well over a quarter of a million.”

  Cassidy felt as though someone had sucked all the air from the room. “But how?”

  “Living way beyond their means…and gambling. Mostly gambling. And I bet Brian is in pretty deep with some not-so-nice characters. Which is probably why he needs the money that comes with Alexis.”

  “Oh, no. Gambling?”

  Gabe pulled out more papers. “Craig was able to get a court order and got copies of everything, from phone records to airline info. Tickets to Reno, Las Vegas, etcetera. Receipts for drafts on credit cards. Loans from the bank. They’re going to lose their home if something isn’t done fast.”

  Cassidy felt sick to her stomach. It certainly sounded like a motive for a kidnapping to her. With Cassidy gone, the Coopers would no doubt gain custody of Alexis—along with her money.

  “So, what do we do?” she asked.

/>   “Keep digging. See if I can find some proof that the Coopers are behind your abduction. It’s a good theory, but without proof that’s all it is…a good theory. But—” he held up a finger and pointed to a stack of papers beside him “—Craig also got ahold of Brian’s and Susan’s cell-phone logs. Being a suspect in a kidnapping investigation opens all kinds of legal doors.”

  “What does that tell us?”

  “Not much at the moment, but there were an awful lot of calls made to the lawyer from Brian’s cell. Nothing much showed up on Susan’s.”

  Cassidy shrugged. “So? He’s their lawyer. There’s nothing illegal about calling your lawyer a dozen times a day.”

  “True, but the calls started up in earnest about a week after Kara and Jacob were killed.”

  Cassidy rubbed her eyes. “So you think when Brian and Susan learned that Kara and Jacob were killed, they started making plans to get custody of Alexis—no matter the cost?”

  Gabe nodded. “Yeah, I do, and I think they came to the conclusion that if you weren’t a factor, they’d get Alexis. Plus, they knew you’d be in contact with Oliver Morgan about the will. So, my guess is, they were all working together. Maybe bribing Morgan to give them information on your travel agenda.”

  “And arranged to have me disappear into the jungle. But what’s in it for Oliver Morgan?”

  Gabe rubbed his thumb and fingers together for the universal sign for money. “I bet he got a nice little bonus added to his legal fees if all went well. Craig’s still looking into his activities. But it looks like the two men have known each other for a long time.”

  “So that’s why the lawyer tried to say he never received the codicil?”

  “He probably figured it was worth a shot. If you didn’t have a copy, there’d be nothing you could do. Of course, I’m sure they didn’t plan on you coming back to provide the copy. But since you did, he didn’t have a choice but to follow it. However, I bet they’re still trying to hatch a plan to get custody—and the money. Craig’s also going to request the guy’s computer hard drive and do a little investigating on that.”

  Cassidy narrowed her eyes. “They can plan all they want, but Kara and Jacob entrusted Alexis to me. And nothing short of death will keep me from fulfilling my promise. Nothing.”

  THIRTEEN

  April 7

  The next morning, Cassidy decided that she would move home to her gated community. She and Alexis needed the time alone together, and she needed to be in her own space. The tension between her parents ran high and they didn’t need her in the midst of it. She’d decided against bringing her bodyguard for now.

  Within a few hours, she’d e-mailed Amy, fed herself and Alexis and had her car delivered. Anxious to get home, she moved quickly to pack the vehicle and say her goodbyes with promises to bring Alexis to visit often.

  Cassidy breathed a sigh as the entrance to her subdivision came into sight. She was so fortunate to live in a beautiful neighborhood with manicured grounds, a clubhouse, pool and tennis courts. Her home was on the back side of the subdivision with a flat green yard that was the perfect host for the brand-new wooden play set complete with swings, a sliding board and sandbox.

  Thank goodness Amy had been willing to come decorate the room for Alexis while Cassidy had been in Brazil. Everything should be just perfect. She pulled up to the gate, rolled down the window and waved to the guard. Frederick had been working the gate for as long as Cassidy had been living here. He was in his late sixties, and with his bald head, gold-rimmed glasses and snow-white beard, he reminded her of Santa Claus. She had a feeling he did that on purpose. Frederick returned her wave and opened the bar to let her through. She wove through the streets until she came to her house.

  When she pulled into the driveway, she paused. The attic window above her garage was slightly open. She’d have to tell Amy to be more careful next time. She had probably been looking for something during her decorating frenzy and opened it to let out the heat and then forgotten to close it before leaving.

  Cassidy pressed the button on the garage opener and pulled into the space. She shut off the engine, pushed the button to close the garage door behind her. She turned to Alexis in the backseat and said, “We’re home, kiddo.”

  Alexis looked puzzled. “Home?”

  Poor kid, she probably was really confused being jerked from one unfamiliar place to another; being stuck with people she didn’t know. Cassidy was immensely grateful that she’d taken the time to get to know Alexis in the child’s environment before whisking her off to the United States.

  Cassidy climbed out of the car and opened the back door to unbuckle the child’s car seat.

  “Phone.” Alexis proudly waved the device at Cassidy.

  “Yes, that’s my phone. I’m glad it kept you occupied for a while. Just hold on to it while I get you out of this contraption.”

  A scraping sound directly above her raised the hair on the back of her neck. Goose bumps pebbled her flesh. She pulled back and looked around the garage, up at the ceiling.

  Nothing.

  “Out?”

  Cassidy focused back on the little girl, yet uneasiness quivered through her and made her pulse pick up a bit of speed. Was someone there? How could there be? She wanted to laugh and convince herself she was just being paranoid. Still…

  She clicked the child’s belt back into place so she couldn’t get out. Alexis would be safer in a locked car…just until Cassidy made sure everything was okay.

  God, please let me be just hearing things.

  Another scrape.

  Cassidy jumped, heart thumping. That was not her imagination. What was up there? Had a squirrel found entrance through the open window or was something more sinister afoot? She clicked the lock on the car door. She had to keep Alexis safe.

  Another scrape and this time some of the popcorn coating fell from the ceiling of her garage.

  Granted, Amy had been over several times to take care of plants and fix up the nursery, but a stray rodent could have made himself at home without too much trouble. She kept telling herself that.

  But in the meantime, she needed to climb back in her car and get out of here. Call the cops just to be safe. No one would question her skittishness. Not after the way her life had been going lately.

  The garage-door button was located beside the door. She reached for it then stopped, her finger hovering.

  Shock skittered up her spine. The light was out.

  Usually, it glowed a steady orange.

  And it had been on when she’d pulled in because she’d noticed it.

  She pressed it anyway.

  Nothing.

  Had someone been able to cut the wire since she’d pulled in and shut the door?

  Blood thundered in her ears as realization crashed. She was stuck in her garage—with a baby to protect. And someone was in her attic—her unfinished attic with scattered pieces of plywood laid for walking and storing small items. The rest of the flooring was covered with insulation. The wires to her garage door ran up into that attic.

  The attic where someone hovered.

  The phone rang from inside the house.

  Panic made her gasp as she tried to decide what to do. Did she jump back in the car and try to call the police on her cell? But she didn’t get good cell reception in her garage. The call might not even go through. Did she take a chance and grab Alexis from the car and run inside to snatch the phone? Or back up and smash through the garage door? Or was she just being crazy as a result of her life lately? However…

  If someone hadcut the wire that powered the door, then that meant someone had deliberately waited until she pulled into the garage…and that meant someone was still here…waiting.

  That spot between his shoulders itched. Gabe reached back awkwardly to scratch it as best he could. Pacing wasn’t helping. The basketball game on television couldn’t hold his interest.

  He couldn’t help feeling that enough wasn’t being done to protect Cassidy and Alexis
.

  Worry chewed in his gut. What in the world was wrong with him? They were fine. They were protected better than the gold in Fort Knox behind the walls of her parents’ estate.

  He tried to distract himself by considering taking the boat out for a spin. The water and the wind always had a calming effect on him. Or he could continue his research into the Coopers and see what he could find, but doing that stirred up thoughts of Cassidy, which, in turn, made that spot between his shoulders itch.

  Exasperated with himself, he muted the game on TV and picked up the phone. He dialed her number and listened to it ring. He hung up before her voice mail picked up. Just as he was about to dial her mobile number, his cell phone rang. Relief made him sigh. Cassidy’s cell.

  “Hello?”

  “Gabe! Gabe, are…there?” Her voice came out in a whisper. “It’s me. I…paranoid, but I think…someone’s in my house. I called 9-1-1…bad…signal.”

  “Get out of there, Cass.” Gabe clenched his fist around the phone and grabbed his keys.

  “Gabe? I can’t…you. I’m waiting…police.”

  He bolted for his car, yelling into the phone, “Cassidy, don’t hang up. Are you there?”

  Dead silence answered him.

  He hung up then punched in her cell number.

  No answer.

  Wait, she’d said “my house.” She must have gone home. On the way out to his car, he called her parents’ house, hoping to get someone to give him directions to Cassidy’s place.

  Cassidy heard her cell phone ring. She flipped it open and it promptly displayed Call Ended. Then switched to No Signal.

  She ground her teeth in frustration and shoved the useless thing into her pocket.

  Was someone waiting?

  Shivers of fear chased each other up and down her spine.

  Think, Cass, think.

  Thud. Scrape.

  The intruder had somehow managed to climb up into the area above her. The open window above the garage. But how? He’d have to be Spider-Man to scale the brick wall. And why hadn’t her alarm gone off? Amy had forgotten to reset it, obviously.

  Another sound; another scrape. Cassidy swallowed hard and shivered. He would have to be careful where he stepped or he’d fall right through the unfinished flimsy flooring.