She's My Mom

by Rebecca Winters

  “That’s right,” Grady concurred. “I remember that conversation, too. We decided to let you sleep over, Brett, so you could go with Mike the next day. I had business downtown I couldn’t get out of. It wouldn’t surprise me if those men we caught yesterday were the ones Stevens hired to get rid of your mother and LeBaron.” By now his fists were clenched.

  “Grady? You said the Stevenses moved from the neighborhood about a year ago. How soon was that before the completion of the Etoile?”

  “Six weeks. By then, you’d started working for the Lytie Group.”

  “It all fits, doesn’t it?”

  “I’m afraid so.”

  “I just thought of something else. Remember when you first brought me home and mentioned that I’d never discussed the Drummond account with you, and you couldn’t understand why?”

  His grimace spoke volumes.

  “You told me Ellen worked for her husband. According to you, she’s a sweetheart. Maybe when I discovered Jim was cheating Mr. Drummond out of hundreds of thousands of dollars, I thought she was part of the scheme. That would have been horrifying for me to contemplate.

  “With you being a detective, I probably couldn’t bring myself to discuss the case with you until I was absolutely certain of my facts. Especially considering that Mike and Brett were so close.”

  After a brief silence, he said, “That’s as good an explanation as any I can think of.”

  But you’re not sure. I hope it’s the reason I didn’t come to you immediately, my love. I want to clear away the shadows.

  Susan turned to her son. “I’m so sorry it’s Mike’s father, of all people.”

  “Me, too.”

  “If Ellen’s innocent, then this is going to devastate their family when they find out what he’s done.”

  “He’s probably been stealing money on most of his jobs over the years,” Grady muttered. “No wonder he was able to build a multimillion-dollar place of his own and afford all his trips and expensive toys. I knew there was serious money to be made in construction, but I never could understand how he became that affluent.”

  Brett’s eyes filled with angry tears. “How could he sit there in that restaurant and ask me what I thought of the Etoile when he was the one who got rid of Mom? I hate him!”

  “Jim’s obviously a very sick man.”

  Susan concurred with her husband. “When the truth comes out, Mike will need his good friend more than ever.”

  “Dad? Do you think Mrs. Stevens knew what he did to Mom?”

  Grady was slow to answer. “I doubt it. But she might have had an idea he was stealing and pretended not to notice. That just means she’s no different from a lot of spouses who either live in denial or are too needy to confront their partners.

  “After his arrest, there’ll be a jury trial. One way or another, the truth concerning Ellen will come out before the judge hands down his sentence.”

  “Will Mr. Stevens get the death penalty?”

  “Nevada still has that law on the books, so it’ll either be that or life imprisonment for him and his henchmen.”

  “What I’d give to see his face when he finds out Mom’s alive…”

  Yes. I’m alive. But I’m not the woman your father wants.

  She took the sheets from Grady. “I’m going to fix lunch. When you two are dressed, come downstairs and we’ll eat. Then I’ll finish working on the account.”

  No longer comfortable around her husband, she avoided his eyes and hurried off.

  GRADY STOOD THERE in agony. Like a fool, he’d assumed a night of lovemaking would be the catalyst to bring years of intimate memories rushing to the surface. How wrong could he have been?

  Susan’s capacity to face reality had been much greater than his. Last night she’d tried to warn him, but he hadn’t listened. His response to her haunted him now.

  A little while ago, you made the suggestion that we live in the present when we’re in this bedroom. I have a much better idea. Why don’t we stop analyzing everything and just go with our feelings from now on. If you remember something, fine. If you don’t, we won’t worry about it.

  You honestly think you can do that?

  You’re lying here next to me, aren’t you?

  Yes.

  A shudder racked his body. He’d meant those words at the time. That was before he’d taken her in his arms. To his shock, he’d found himself making love to a stranger.

  The difference between the two women—the Susan he’d married and this one—had become markedly pronounced in the darkness. He’d thought it would be the other way around.

  Maybe he was crazy, but it had felt like making love to a virgin. Not the innocent nineteen-year-old he’d married, but a thirty-six-year-old virgin. A mature, beautiful, desirable, confident woman who’d never been with a man before.

  He hadn’t been able to shake the guilty feeling that he’d been unfaithful to Susan with a woman who’d once called herself Martha Walters. Undoubtedly a psychiatrist had a name for what was wrong with him.

  It had undeniably been an enjoyable experience, but God help him, he still missed his wife….

  He pulled out his cell phone to call his boss. “Captain Willis? I’ve got big news.”

  “Did your wife regain her memory?”

  Grady gripped the phone more tightly. “No, but I know for sure who planned Susan’s death.”

  “And?”

  “It’s definitely Jim Stevens. I’ve seen the proof.” For the next ten minutes, he presented the facts as he would in any murder investigation.

  “What a testimonial to your wife! Even without her memory, she was able to crack this case.”

  “Brett helped, too. They’ve both done an incredible job.”

  “I’m more than impressed. I guess I don’t have to ask how you feel about it.”

  “No. I’m still in shock that she’s alive and back home with us.”

  “I’m having trouble believing it myself. Okay, Grady. This is your call all the way. How do you want to proceed?”

  “By the end of the day, Susan will have gone through the entire account. If you could send Matt over with Mrs. Harmon this evening, he can wind things up and take the disks and printouts to give Boyd. We’ll plan a strategy for Jim’s arrest.”

  “All right. In the meantime, I’ll get word to the D.A. Now that we know the brains behind everything, we ought to be able to get a full confession out of the suspects arrested at your house. Two murders and one attempted murder could mean the death penalty.”

  “Or a couple of hundred years’ prison time for the bunch.”

  “Amen to that. Keep me posted.”

  “Will do.”

  “Grady, when this is all over, take a month or two off and enjoy a second honeymoon. Know what I mean?”

  “I do,” he said in a quiet voice. “Thanks, Captain.”

  He ended the call, but the elation he should have felt knowing the six-month nightmare was all but over just wasn’t there….

  Something was drastically wrong with him. He didn’t want to go on another honeymoon. Not without his wife.

  Tears sprang to his eyes. He shouldn’t have touched her last night. Feeling the way he did now, he couldn’t do it again. He didn’t dare even consider what would happen if she never recovered her memory.

  The last thing he wanted to do was hurt her, but they were going to have to talk about this. He couldn’t pretend something that wasn’t there. It wasn’t in his nature.

  It wasn’t in hers, either. Like the old Susan, she was honest, just more direct.

  Trying to put aside his personal worries for the moment, he dressed in a polo shirt and trousers.

  “Dad?”

  He turned his head. “Looks like you’re ready. I am, too.”

  “Before we eat, I want to tell you something I was thinking.”

  “What’s that?”

  “Since we know Mr. Stevens was the person who did that to Mom, she’s finished with her part, isn’t
she? I was hoping we could drive to California so she can see Grandma and Uncle Todd. Maybe if she’s with the family, she’ll remember something else.

  “I don’t have to be back at school till Monday. Mrs. Harmon could smuggle us out in her car, and then we could rent one. If we drove at night, no one would see us.”

  Grady stared at Brett. There were times his son was positively inspired. A little while ago, he felt as though he’d reached the depths. Now, suddenly, there was a glimmer of hope.

  He grabbed Brett, holding him close for a few seconds. “What would I do without you? Let’s phone your uncle Todd right now.”

  “Yes!” Brett let out a whoop.

  “He’ll be at the office.”

  “I know his work number. Can I tell him?”

  “You found your mother on those stairs at the hotel,” Grady murmured. “You should be the one to let the family know she’s alive.”

  Grady sat on the edge of the bed while Brett picked up the receiver and punched the buttons.

  “I’d like to speak to Mr. Nilson, please. Tell him it’s his nephew, Brett.”

  After a minute, he said, “Hi, yourself! Are you sitting down?” Brett’s smile filled his whole face. “How much would you give to see my mom again?”

  Grady could just imagine Todd’s reaction.

  “What do you mean, where did that question come from? Just answer me.”

  His smile turned into a frown. “I know you’re busy, but you can’t hang up yet. I’ve got something important to tell you. Mom didn’t die in the explosion. She’s alive!”

  A moment later, Brett handed the receiver to Grady. “Uncle Todd wants to talk to you. He sounds freaked.”

  That was a good word for it.

  “I’m going to tell Mom he’s on the phone so she can talk to him.”

  “Give me ten minutes, then bring her up.”

  “Okay.”

  He put the receiver to his ear. “Todd, it’s Grady. Everything Brett told you is true. Stay seated and listen.”

  His brother-in-law wept while Grady gave him a detailed account of their lives since last Friday. “She remembers Brett and has had some flashbacks of you growing up, but that’s it so far.”

  There was a long silence on the other end before Todd asked, “How the hell have you handled that?”

  “Not well,” Grady confessed.

  “Mom’s not going to believe this.”

  “It might be better if you broke the news to her. I was thinking if the three of us drove down tonight after dark, we—”

  “I’m going home right now to tell Beverly,” he interrupted Grady. “We’ll get everything ready for you.”

  “Before you hang up, there’s someone here who wants to talk to you.” Brett and Susan had just come into the bedroom.

  Grady motioned her over to the bed. Her hand shook as she took the receiver from him.

  “H-hello?”

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  “SUSIE Q? IT REALLY IS YOU!”

  Susie Q…

  “Todd!” she cried as memories of her family came flooding into her mind. But before she could talk, she got too dizzy to hold the phone. It slipped out of her hand.

  “I feel sick, Grady.”

  Her husband caught her in time to help her onto the bed. She could hear Brett in the background, telling his uncle they’d call him back. She felt so far away.

  Still looking into her eyes, Grady said, “You’ve had another flashback. Tell me about it.”

  Susan’s inability to recall memories of her own husband was taking on hellish proportions.

  “When he called me Susie Q, it all came back in a rush. I remember my whole family. Mom, Dad, Bev and the girls, Todd, home, the beach.” Tears filled her eyes. “Grady, I don’t know why I can’t remember you and our life together.”

  “Don’t worry about it, Mom.” Brett had hung up the receiver and come to sit on her other side. “Probably what happened to you at the fireworks plant before they took you out to the desert was so awful, you’re afraid to remember. Maybe you knew you were going to die and you got so scared you’d never see Dad again, you don’t want to relive it.”

  Did you hear that, Grady?

  Thank you, my dear, dear son.

  “That must be the reason, darling,” she said.

  “I agree with Brett, too,” her husband murmured.

  But he didn’t! Not deep in his soul.

  “Would you like to drive to California tonight and see everyone?”

  “Oh, yes!” Yes! I’m afraid to spend another night alone with you. I couldn’t bear to hear you make up a reason for not coming to bed with me.

  “Then we’ll do it. How are you feeling?”

  “Much better. I’d like to get up now.”

  Grady guided her to her feet. “You sure you’re steady enough?”

  “Yes. You can let me go.” I promise you don’t have to touch me again. “Lunch has been ready for quite a while. I’ve already had mine, so I’m going to keep working on the account.”

  “After we’ve eaten, Brett and I will help you. Matt will be over later with Mrs. Harmon. We’ll give him everything you’ve found.”

  “Now that I know what I’m looking for, I should be able to finish the whole thing before we leave.”

  It was one-thirty; by seven in the evening, she was able to call it quits.

  “We’re done.” She closed the last file, removed the disk and turned off the computer. Grady had been adding up the tally on their calculator. “What’s the grand total?”

  “Would you believe Jim pocketed 5.5 million? He probably paid his cronies half a million apiece to kill everyone off and kept the rest.”

  She shook her head. “I’d love to see his tax return.”

  “No wonder Randy was able to buy that twenty-thousand-dollar motorcycle!” Brett said.

  Susan glanced at Grady. “Considering how much it costs to build a four-thousand-room hotel in Las Vegas, I can’t say I’m surprised his take was that high. As you pointed out, everything he cheated on still made it past the inspection.”

  “Except that in a few years the inferior products will have worn out faster and then there’ll be problems and further costs.”

  “Poor Mr. Drummond.”

  “He probably won’t miss it, Mom.”

  “That’s where you’re wrong,” Grady interjected. “He may be the owner, but he has stockholders to answer to. Anyway, it doesn’t matter how much money he has. He was robbed.

  “Because of Jim’s dishonesty, he’ll have to order more repairs to be made to the hotel much sooner than he would’ve expected. Everyone loses on this deal.”

  Brett looked suitably chastened. Susan got to her feet. “Come on, darling. Matt and Mrs. Harmon will be here any second. While your dad talks to them, let’s go upstairs and start packing. You can show me where we keep our suitcases. I’m so thrilled about seeing the ocean again! As soon as you can smell it, you know you’re almost home.”

  “Did you know Uncle Todd got a new dog?”

  “What happened to Lumpy?”

  “They had to put him to sleep.”

  “Oh, no— Did they buy another terrier?”

  “No. Aunt Beverly loved Lumpy too much, so they got a black Lab puppy and sent pictures. I can’t wait to play with her.”

  “How long ago was that?”

  “About three months.”

  “Then she’ll be a lot bigger. What’s her name?”

  “Susie Q.”

  GRADY WANDERED OVER to the doorway and listened to their conversation until they’d gone upstairs. He’d been waiting to see if Susan remembered his grandmother’s pug, Gypsy. The dog had lived six years beyond his grandmother’s death.

  When Gypsy had finally died of old age, Susan had grown so attached to her, she couldn’t bear the thought of getting another dog.

  “With that adorable little pug face of hers, no other dog could replace her, Grady.”

  By then Brett was a t
oddler, and the subject of getting a new dog didn’t come up again. Since most of the work would fall on Susan if they got one, he didn’t push it. Her thoughts had been centered on having another baby.

  He wondered now if losing their first child was such a traumatic experience, she couldn’t face getting another dog, only to lose it one day, too.

  The sound of the garage door opening broke his concentration. He waited until it closed again, then went to welcome Mrs. Harmon and Matt into the house.

  “So I was right about Mr. Stevens.” Mrs. Harmon spoke up at once before going about her duties.

  Grady’s gaze flicked to Matt. “He took 5.5 million off the top.”

  The other man whistled. “Sean Mills made a phone call. It was to the same attorney who represented him in court during the Beck trial. The other guy’s name is Sykes. He’s using Mills’s attorney, too.”

  “Have they done any talking?”

  “Not yet.”

  “So—” Grady handed Matt a large envelope with all the disks and printouts. “It looks like Jim’s bought himself an attorney as well.”

  “No doubt about it.”

  “Which means he knows they’ve been arrested by now.”

  “It was a stroke of genius to pretend you’re in Florida. As long as those birds don’t sing, he can’t be implicated, so he won’t do anything unexpected. He’ll assume that when you hear about it, you’ll figure it was a failed burglary attempt in your neighborhood.”

  “That’s the way we’ve got to keep it for now. According to Mrs. Harmon, the Stevenses are in Mexico and won’t be back until Sunday. As it happens, I’m taking my family to California tonight. We’ll be back sometime Sunday evening.”

  “How are you getting there?”

  “A rental car. I’ll ask Mrs. Harmon to help me.”

  “I’ve got a better idea. Let me give you the key to my car.” He reached in his pocket and gave it to him. “It’s parked in her garage. Go home with Mrs. Harmon and take mine. She can come back for me. I’ll tell Jennifer mine had to be towed, so she’ll pick me up in hers.”

  “I don’t want to leave you stuck without a car.”

  “I’ll borrow one from the station in the morning. Don’t worry about it. I know you’d do the same for me. We’ll keep in touch. Let me know when you want to move in on Stevens.”