by Lee Goldberg
Mannering sagged, what little bravado he'd managed to muster evaporating in an instant.
"You really should have read the fine print," Steve said. "The district attorney went to a lot of trouble to word it just right so it would be foolproof in court."
Jesse whispered to Susan, "I love this part."
"Is it always this much fun?" she whispered back.
"Why do you think I'm always so eager to volunteer to help Mark?" Jesse replied. "It's so I can enjoy the moment when everything comes together."
"I'm afraid your days as Robin Mannering are over, Mr. Cale," Mark said. "So are your days as a free man."
Robin Mannering was dead. Jimmy Cale could feel his identity peeling off like dead skin. He half expected his face to start melting, his flesh mutating back to the way it was be fore the plastic surgery, dental work, and hair implants.
"Why did you do this to me?" Jimmy Cale stared at Mark Sloan with tear-filled eyes. "What did I ever do to you?"
"This is about what you did to Bert Yankton, your ex-wife, and your daughter. It's about all the people you killed in your greed, Mark said. "If there's any justice, you'll get Yank- ton's cell on death row."
Steve grabbed the front of Cale's shirt and lifted him out of his seat, pulled his arms behind his back, and hand cuffed him.
"You have the right to remain silent," Steve said, continuing to read Cale his rights as he led him out into the lobby, where Las Vegas police officers and FBI agents were waiting.
Mark turned to the others. "Thank you so much for your help. I couldn't have done it without you."
"We were glad to do it," Amanda said. "A man like that has to be stopped."
"Besides," Jesse said, "it was a lot of fun."
"Sure beats cleaning bedpans," Susan said.
"As a small token of my appreciation, I've reserved suites for all of you here for the weekend," Mark said. "You deserve a vacation."
"Hey, I've got an idea," Jesse took Susan's hand. "You want to get married?"
Susan stared at him in astonishment. "Excuse me?"
"You know, holy matrimony? Wedded bliss?" Jesse said. "They've got a chapel right here in the hotel. We could be husband and wife before dinner."
"Are you serious?" she asked.
"All of our closest friends are already here," Jesse said. "They're more of a family to me than, well, my family is. Your globe-trotting parents are on safari someplace in Africa for God knows how long. So, yeah, I guess I am."
"You guess?" she said, socking him in the shoulder.
"I'm serious." Jesse said, rubbing his shoulder. "Will you marry me, Susan?"
Mark and Amanda stood in complete shock, silent and staring at Jesse, waiting in suspense for Susan's answer.
A tear rolled down Susan's cheek as she turned to Mark.
"Would you give me away, Dr. Sloan?"
He nodded, a big smile on his face. "Only if you'll finally start calling me Mark."
Susan turned and threw herself into Jesse's arms, nearly knocking him over.
"Yes," she said. "Yes, yes, yes."
Table of Contents
PROLOGUE
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN
CHAPTER EIGHT
CHAPTER NINE
CHAPTER TEN
CHAPTER ELEVEN
CHAPTER TWELVE
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
CHAPTER NINETEEN
CHAPTER TWENTY
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX