by Eugene, Lisa
“Harry was actually asleep.”
I chuckled, not doubting Mrs. Roger’s words. I looked down at the box. I hadn’t been expecting anything.
“I’ll see you in the morning.” Mrs. Rogers waved and headed down the hall.
I pushed the door shut with my hip and placed the package on a nearby table. Livy wiggled in my arms, her gaze zooming to the table.
“Dada! Open present! Open!” With an excited squeal, and now surprisingly wide awake, she jumped from my arms and grabbed the package. “Can I open? Maybe Santa came early! Let’s see! Let’s see!”
I laughed and nodded, happy to see Livy’s exuberance as she zealously ripped open the brown paper wrapping.
“Dada! It’s a shirt!” she exclaimed, pulling the garment out of the box.
My throat went dry as my daughter held the now partially unfolded shirt up for my inspection. She pouted as she regarded it.
“Too big for me. I think Santa brought it for you, Dada.”
I nodded, my thoughts racing wildly then coming to a full stop. I scanned the packaging for postal markings and found none. The fact that Katie had dropped off the shirt and not delivered it personally was telling. She’d made a decision. At the courtroom, I’d wanted to avoid contact for fear of her getting recognized, but she’d been here in my building and had chosen to keep her distance. Did the pressure she’d alluded to, or the trouble that I’d found myself in, influence her decision? Had I been a fool to think I’d have a chance with her? Had she taken Josh back?
“I think she did,” I mumbled absently.
Livy giggled. “Santa’s a boy, silly Dada!”
I managed a smile and plucked my daughter from the floor, bundling her under one arm like a football.
My daughter was right.
“Yes. Dada is silly. To bed, princess!”
Although dead tired, I slept fitfully. Shadows of the past invaded my dreams. I was lost in a maze of mystery, uncertainty, and doubt. Darkness descended rapidly and I struggled through the confusion only to find more questions than answers…more pain than solace…more anger and despair. Just when I was about to give in to the suffocation, before my last breath could leave me, Katie’s voice pierced the gloom and found me. Blindly I followed it through thick tangles and confusing webs of deception, hoping to break free. But at the end before I could emerge into the light, it was Josh who met me with straining fists and a deep, dark, thunderous laugh.
The next morning, I couldn’t find coffee strong enough to battle my fatigue or help me chase away the aura of my bad night. Determined to put out some of the fires at work, I spent the morning calling my most important clients and offering assurances that all was well. I’d been surprised to see the state of my office. Everything was out of place. I could tell that it’d been combed through. Maria informed me that the police had spent hours cloistered in the space and had turned the entire office upside down, questioning employees and looking through my most recent accounts.
Marie brought in another steaming mug of coffee and set it in front of me. I looked up from my laptop and smiled.
“You look like you could use it,” she said.
“You know that will make number four.”
“Who’s counting?”
“When I’m bouncing off the walls and yelling at everyone, you’ll wish you’d stopped two cups ago.”
Maria leaned a hip against my desk and raised her eyebrows. “You? I’ve never seen anyone better able to control his temper. I know how tough it is running things around here and you’re always even keeled. That’s how I know what they’re saying is ridiculous. You’re not the type of man to fly into a rage. You’re always calm and professional.”
“Thank you for that,” I said, taking a sip of my coffee. I always strove to be, but I had to admit there were times my emotions did rule me. “Just forgive me if I’m a little punchy today.”
“You have every right to be.” She stared at the pile of files on my desk. “You gonna tackle all that today?”
I shook my head and followed her gaze. I’d received the expenditure reports for ACE’s last quarter. Tom had dropped them off before my arrest and my accountant had made some notes for me to review. I didn’t know what was going to happen with ACE, but I would still do due diligence.
“I think I’ll take them home and go through them over the weekend. Are we set for Monday’s meeting?”
“Yes. Bruce arranged it. Nine o’clock sharp.”
“I should get through everything in time.” I cocked my head and regarded my secretary. “Maria, in the past few weeks, have you seen anyone come into my office when I wasn’t here? Or even seen anyone loitering outside in the hall without good reason?”
Maria pursed her lips and tapped long, fire-engine red nails on the top of my desk. “No. No one. The police asked me the same question.”
I approached my next question cautiously. “You seem pretty friendly with Josh Wilkinson. Besides my last interaction with him, has he been in my office at all?”
I noticed Maria’s cheeks redden, but besides appearing embarrassed, her face displayed no guile when she answered again in the negative.
Taking a deep breath, I thanked and dismissed her with a nod. She’d been my secretary since I started the company. She’d always been loyal and efficient. I had no reason to doubt her veracity. I’d heard that she’d dated several of my employees, but I never got involved in her personal business. If there was something going on between her and Josh, I’d usually look the other way. Now that I knew the situation with Katie, it sickened my stomach. I figured it was best, though, to keep my mouth shut. If I was going to speak to anyone, it would be Katie, but number one, I wasn’t sure, and number two, I didn’t want to hurt Katie. Plus I had a vested interest in her breaking up with Josh. She may not even believe me. I’d hoped she’d figure out what a rat Josh was on her own with the evidence she already had.
If I knew for sure that Wilkinson was sleeping with Maria, I’d tell Katie. I’d take the risk. I briefly considered asking my secretary outright, but the praise she’d just ladled on me about being professional rang loud in my ears. Besides, I knew she wouldn’t tell me the truth for fear of repercussions. I straightened my tie and sat quietly for a moment. No matter, Josh would soon be history. My desire to sever all ties with the man was buzzing urgently.
As if on cue, my cell phone rang and Matt Wilkinson was on the other end.
“Some nasty business you’ve gotten into, Davenport. It’s all over the news. Even here in Texas.”
I squared my shoulders as if the man was in the same room. My jaw clenched so tight I thought a bone would crack. “Everything is under control.”
The scratchy voice rolled into a deep sarcastic laugh, surprising me. “It’s bullshit! Those charges are bullshit! Did New York’s finest run out of real criminals to chase? I know the police commissioner and I’m fixing to give him a call. You got a good lawyer? Cuz I know someone. Top notch.”
I exhaled a breath I hadn’t known I was holding, wondering how such a good man could have fathered such a delinquent son. The only regret I had about firing Josh was that it would be a blow to his father. I knew that Matt had been hoping his son had finally found his way. Matt had once confessed to me that Josh had a juvie record that had been sealed. Apparently he’d been a problem from a young age.
“I’m good, thanks. I’ve got Jack Mason.”
The voice cackled again. “Good old Jack! You’re in good hands. But you tell him if he fucks this one up, he’ll have to answer to me. How’s Livy doing?”
I couldn’t help my smile. “She’s doing okay.”
“You tell her that she’s got something special coming for Christmas from me.”
“Not Santa this time?” I remembered that last year he’d sent a barrel full of toys from Santa with a return address of the North Pole. Livy had been thrilled.
“No. Fuck that. I’m tired of that fat bastard taking all the credit. Let her know it’s f
rom me. So, about my boy. Listen, I was hoping to meet up with you before this holiday party tonight, but my flight won’t get in until late and I plan on taking an early flight back to Texas in the morning. You’re more than welcome to come to the party as my guest. We can talk there a bit.”
I tapped my pen on my desk and scratched my jaw. I was definitely not in the mood to attend a holiday party, and Livy was still spooked about me being out of the house.
“It’s not a good idea right now.”
“It’s the Vandercamp’s annual shindig! I wish I could pass on it this year, but you’ve probably heard that Josh is engaged to their daughter. They’re supposed to be married some time in March. That’s if he doesn’t fuck this one up.”
My stomach churned the bitter coffee and the taste rose up to scald my tongue.
Holiday party? Shit. Here I was facing murder charges and Katie was planning a holiday party. Life uninterrupted. I wondered if the police had questioned her. She’d been at Sensations the night of the murder. If they had, she’d probably not revealed much. Her activities that night had to be kept from public scrutiny. Definitely not a good idea for me to show up at the party, especially feeling as explosive as I was. I was barely keeping my shit together. At least my suspicions were confirmed. Katie and Josh were back together. The wedding was on. Fucking hooray.
“Wadda ya say?”
I leaned back in my chair, trying to erase my black mood. “It would be awkward.”
“Why, because you’re planning on canning him?”
My lips tilted with irony. I loved that Matt always told it like it was.
Among other reasons. “Yes.”
“I was hoping to convince you otherwise. He’s had a tough time since his mother’s passing. With his work history, no one will hire him. Frankly yours is the only job he’s been able to hold down. I was really hoping he’d look up to you as a sort of mentor. Shit, I’ve never been able to get through to him.”
“Sorry.” I snorted, thinking Josh was the last person I wanted to mentor. Unless it was to mentor his face with my fist.
“The Vandercamps and I go way back. They really won’t mind. Why don’t you come? We can talk some more.”
“I’m afraid I’ll have to pass.”
I heard a deep sigh. “Okay. Let me see if I can delay flying out tomorrow. I may be able to meet early. I’ll give you a call later.”
I hung up the phone, my mind still on Katie and her family’s holiday party. It would no doubt also be a celebration of her upcoming wedding. I looked down at the mountain of paperwork on my desk and my gaze landed on a sheet displaying the bold Davenport PR logo. It signified everything I’d worked hard for. News of my arrest broke yesterday and I’d already lost a significant percent of my clients.
I needed to focus on the charges against me and on mitigating the damage to my company. I prayed I wouldn't have to divulge Kay as my alibi. I’d rather spare her that. Despite everything, I understood her situation. Despite everything, I still wanted her, still craved her desperately. But she wasn’t mine. She never was. I had to stop thinking of her as mine. I couldn’t afford to let Katie rule my thoughts. Let it go, I told myself. I had enough to worry about without adding more to the mix, and didn’t need the distraction. I rolled my shoulders and took a sip of coffee as a bitter laugh filled my head and the black void in my chest tunneled deeper. I was overcome with a profound sense of loss. I’d been a fool to have hope. Hope had died and been buried along with my wife.
When Jack called and said he needed to meet urgently, I wasn’t sure what to make of the request. After my morning at the office, I spent time with Livy doing some last minute Christmas shopping and then at home finger painting. I couldn’t believe that Christmas was in less than a week. If it were only me, I wouldn’t celebrate at all, but Livy was bubbling with anticipation of the holiday. She’d sent a lengthy Christmas list to Santa that would keep his elves working twenty-four seven.
In between my activities, I’d manage to review some of the reports from Grummel. Everything seemed in order. Glen ran a tight ship and it was nice to see that ACE treated its employees well. A substantial amount of money was paid out in overtime and everyone was entitled to benefits whether they were part time or full time. There was a complete match 401K for the employees and a time share. Hell, seemed there was even a contract with Dylan’s Limosine and Taxi service to shuttle employees around. And the staff seemed to make frequent use of this, judging by the expenditure, but some perks were worth it if it kept the employees happy and productive.
I exited the elevator on the floor that housed the Kandall-Mason Law offices. Jack had offered to come to my apartment, but I thought it best if we conducted business here. The officers’ intrusion into my apartment had terrified Livy and I knew having more strangers at our home would only upset and confuse her. I’d left her dancing around the kitchen baking Christmas cookies with Mrs. Rogers.
A secretary showed me into Jack’s office and I took a seat at the desk across from him. Jack’s usually placid countenance was pinched with a frown and I knew immediately that whatever this urgent matter was, it wasn’t good news. I braced myself as Jack pressed an intercom button and asked the person on the other end to come into the room.
“Coffee?” he asked, thumbing through a stack of papers on his desk.
I shook my head, wishing my lawyer would get to the point. I’d just opened my mouth to question him when the door pushed open and a middle-aged man strolled into the room. The man’s face was stiff and deeply weathered, and I knew the five o’clock shadow coating his jaw was a permanent accessory.
“Luke, this is Rasco. He does some investigative work for our firm.”
I stood as the man pumped my hand and grunted. I turned back to Jack, eyebrows raised, and Jack motioned for us both to sit.
“I wanted to talk to you because something came to my attention today. The DA made a request for records from the Medical Examiner’s office that concerned me.” Jack nodded to Rasco, who I now noticed was carrying a manila envelope.
Rasco deftly opened the envelope and drew out a large eight-by-eleven glossy photo, handing it to me.
Confused, I took the photo, my gaze glancing without recognition over the attractive blonde woman staring back with a smile.
“Do you recognize her?”
I shrugged and shook my head, feeling a crease worm over my brow.
“Should I?”
I noticed Jack and Rasco exchange glances and I ran my fingers through my hair in frustration, wishing someone would just explain what the hell was going on.
“You both attended the same party.” Jack’s gaze fluttered down at some notes. “A party thrown by a Mr. Kotobuki. Her body was discovered late that morning.”
I nodded, my memory stirring with a story that Bruce had told me. I didn’t know why but an uneasiness settled in the pit of my stomach and the organ soured. “Yes. I remember hearing something about it.”
Jack folded his hands on his desk and leaned in, his perturbed stare fixed on me. “She was strangled to death in the same manner as Ms. Carmen. I don’t have forensics on the murder weapon found by the body, but I fear it will match the rope found in your office.”
I recoiled as if I’d been hit. The sharp blow of Jack’s words was like a vicious blow to my skull.
I started to speak, but had to stop and start over. “That’s impossible. I thought she was drunk and stumbled onto the train tracks. I thought she’d been killed by the train.”
“Her body was discovered on the tracks, but her cause of death was asphyxiation by strangulation. Someone killed her then left her body on the tracks. The police haven’t released that information. Newspapers are saying she was killed by the train,” Rasco explained.
I fought down the wave of nausea swamping me. I lowered my head, propping it with an elbow on the desk to stem the sweeping tide of shock waves. I couldn’t believe this was fucking happening. The edge of the photo of the girl crept in
to my vision and something triggered a ringing alarm in my head. My gaze lifted and I slowly absorbed more of the picture, the ringing growing louder. What was it about this picture? The blonde woman…the pretty smile…the platinum hair. The dark coat with the furred neck line. Shit! The other coat. The one I almost took.
“Luke, I just got the heads up on this. I’m not sure what to make of it, but it’s best that we be prepared.”
I sat back and regarded Jack, barely hearing his words through the din in my head. My mind was racing with confusion, a cloudy memory trying to solidify and break to the forefront. Something about the party…grandmother’s earring…a pearl earring that suddenly appeared…in a shoe.
“Luke, if you’ve changed your mind about divulging your alibi, now would be a good time.”
That I did hear, and I inclined my head, fear mingling with my shocked confusion.
It didn’t make sense. Katie. I needed to talk to her.
CHAPTER SIX
Katie
The Vandercamp holiday party was in full swing. The grand ballroom at the Lincoln Hotel was packed with guests bedazzled with jewelry and draped in flowing evening gowns of silk and satin. The enormous crystal chandelier twinkled overhead and shimmered light on all the beautiful stones. This black tie event was a celebrated tradition that highlighted the festivities each holiday season. I watched my mother flutter around the room, beaming as she charmed the influential guests. I also knew my mother’s smile was for the ubiquitous photographers whose photos of tonight’s event would grace the pages of several lifestyle magazines in the upcoming week. I swept my gaze to the band on the far side of the room and suppressed the urge to consult my watch. I knew there were still a few hours left of the party. The MC was rallying the crowd, trying to get them onto the dance floor while the band segued into a jazzy swing number.
“You planning on dancing?” Michelle inquired next to me.
“Only if the next song is by Busta Rhymes.”