by Terri Reed
“She must have known she had something sensitive on that thing,” Jace mused aloud.
“Let’s open her up and find out what,” Paul ordered, rubbing his hands together.
Soon they found emails and documents that put a whole new light on Sylvie’s murder. For murder they now believed it to be. They just needed to connect the dots to find out who had committed it. Hopefully, they would also be able to find Maggie Slade, alive and well. Jace knew what they were both thinking, but not saying. Finding Maggie alive was growing less likely by the hour.
*
Melanie swung her legs back and forth like a kid as she sat in the chair Dan had provided for her at the police station. He was sitting behind his desk, diligently working on his reports. He never glanced her way. She suspected he was still mad at her over the morning’s escapade. She wished he would say something, anything. It had been almost two hours since she had talked with Jace on the phone, and she was starting to go stir-crazy. What if something had happened to him?
She couldn’t stop worrying over the fact that someone seemed to know each move they made. Her one comfort was that since she had no idea where Jace and Paul had gone, maybe the killer didn’t know, either. After all, except for the incident when Jace was returning from Pittsburgh, she’d been present for every attack.
“Dan,” she finally begged, hating the whining tone in her voice. “When will they be back? What if they’re hurt?”
Dan reached for his coffee and took a sip, never removing his eyes from his computer screen. “I’m sure they’re fine, Melanie. They’ll call when they have news.”
“Are you still mad at me?” Man, she sounded like a spoiled kid.
“Mad at you?” This time, Dan looked at her, startled. “Melanie, I was terrified that you and Irene might have been injured or worse, and furious at Miles for being so irresponsible. And I was a little irritated that you hadn’t informed me of your plans. But I wasn’t mad at you. Not exactly.”
She didn’t believe him. “We’ve been sitting here for two hours, and you haven’t said a word to me.”
Dan held up a finger, then riffled through the stack of paper on his desk until he found a notepad. He scribbled something rapidly, then handed it across to her.
She read the note to herself, eyes widening with each word.
Paul texted. Suspects bugs planted. Office and Tucker’s place being searched now. Didn’t want to worry you. Sorry.
She raised horrified eyes to his briefly, then wrote in reply:
Sorry for being a brat.
She leaned over and passed him the paper. He smiled and winked, then stood up. “I need to run this to Paul’s secretary. Back in a sec.” He strode from the room, leaving the door open.
After what seemed like forever, she heard Jace’s voice in the hall. She jumped up and ran to the door of the office. Jace saw her and broke off what he had been saying to Paul. He strode to her and pulled her back into the office and shut the door before taking her in his arms. She rested her head against his chest and found comfort in the solid beat of his heart.
She could have gladly stayed like that for hours, but there were so many things to discuss. She raised her head, but when she looked at his face, the first thing she noticed was the weariness in the set of his mouth, the crease of his brow. She laid her hand against his cheek. He turned his head and kissed her palm. She sucked in a surprised breath. She couldn’t say anything, though, because he bent his head and kissed her. It was a chaste kiss, but one that made her heart pound.
“Hey, don’t let me disturb you.”
Mel jumped back out of Jace’s arms. She had been so wrapped up in him, she had noticed neither the opening of the door nor Dan’s entry.
“Can it, Willis,” Jace responded mildly. “It’s been a harrowing day.”
Dan smirked at his colleague. “The building’s clear. No bugs found here. No word yet on your mother’s house or Melanie’s things. We should have that information in a few hours.”
“Great. Paul and I found some—”
A knock stopped Jace in midsentence. A young clerk was standing in the doorway.
“Lieutenant Tucker, there’s a young man here to see you. I put him in your office. He said to bring Miss Swanson with you.”
“Really? Okay. Thanks, Sharon.”
Dan circled Melanie and Jace to go back behind his desk. “I have some reports to finish up here. Call me when you’re done. You can bring me up to speed then.”
Jace nodded. He and Mel headed to his office. Mel froze in the doorway when she saw who was waiting for them. “Seth? What are you doing here?”
The young man who whirled to face them was a Seth she had never seen before. His cocky attitude was nowhere in sight. Anguish etched his face. He suddenly appeared to be older than his twenty-six years.
“Seth, what’s wrong?” She hurried across the room to him. As she neared, Seth backed away from her, his hands warding her off.
“Don’t hug me, Melly,” Seth warned her, his voice hoarse. “I think when you hear what I have to say, you might hate me.”
Mel blinked. What on earth? Hate Seth? She’d felt bitterness toward him and anger, but never hate. What could be so bad that she would hate the man she had once planned to marry? Whatever it was, she found she really had no desire to hear it. But she didn’t have a choice at this point.
“Sit down, Travis.” Jace closed the door and moved to sit behind the desk. He motioned for Mel and Seth to sit in the padded chairs across from him. Mel moved to a chair with leaden steps. Seth hesitated, then followed suit. Jace waited until they were both seated before speaking again.
“Okay. What’s this about?”
“I think my father’s the one who threatened the jurors,” Seth burst out. “I think he’s the reason Melanie went to jail.”
“What—” A look from Jace stopped her.
“I’m listening, Travis. Explain,” Jace ordered.
Agitated, Seth rose from the chair and started pacing the room.
“When that girl, Sylvie, was killed, it was close to the election. My father, he was feeling the heat from his opponent because I had been engaged to the lead suspect. Fraternizing with criminals and all that.” Seth grimaced. “It didn’t even matter that we’d already broken up and I’d left the country by then. He’d been after me for months to break it off with her. He threw her family history in my face. Said he wasn’t going to lose the election because of the daughter of a drug-addicted wife beater.”
Mel felt as if he’d punched her. Seth caught her glance, then looked away with a muttered apology.
“What makes you think he was responsible for the threats?”
“I’m an idiot. It never occurred to me to look into it further. He had coerced me into breaking it off with Mel. I figured I’d go along with it until the situation blew over and the election was finished. Then I’d get back with her, and things would be great.”
Mel shook her head in disbelief. She wondered if she would have accepted him back, had things gone differently.
“I even told him that was my plan. He looked right at me and laughed in my face. Called me a fool. Said Mel was going down, and I needed to step back or she’d take me down with her. He was gleeful about it. I never thought about it at the time, but it was like he knew something. And this morning, I was working on his computer. He complained it was slow. I saw he had too much memory used. I noticed he deleted files, but never thought to empty his recycling bin. I doubt he even realized that those files were still on his computer.” Seth pulled a paper out of his pocket. “I found this old email and printed it.”
Seth handed a piece of paper to Jace.
Jace read it, his mouth tightening. He showed it to Mel. She gasped as she read an email telling the senator that “it has been taken care of. The Swanson girl won’t be able to hurt your campaign again.”
“I also have my suspicions that Dad has been cheating on my mom. His office staff love to gossip. Apparent
ly, Dad has received gifts from an unknown source. The day Mel went to jail, he received flowers. No card.”
“Seth,” Jace began, “what do you know about the young girl who was killed four years ago?”
Seth cocked his head. His forehead puckered. “What do you mean? She was a college student. That’s all I know.”
“You didn’t know that she was your half sister?”
Seth staggered, the blood draining from his face. Mel had never seen him look so appalled. “No! What are you saying?”
Jace folded his hands on the desk. His face was blank, but compassion swam in his eyes. “It’s true. Her stepbrother, Miles, confirmed it. And,” Jace continued in a softer voice, “she wasn’t the only out-of-wedlock child the senator had. I’m sorry to tell you this, but the Chief and I found evidence today that you have at least two other half sisters.”
“I have sisters?” Seth rubbed his hands over his face and slumped in his chair. “I never knew anything about that, and I doubt my mom does, either. She’s been really sick, and my dad doesn’t like anything to upset her.”
He raised his gaze to meet Jace’s. “What are the odds that my ex-fiancée and a half sister I didn’t even know I had would just happen to meet?”
“It’s even worse than that, Seth. Like I said, you have two other half sisters. One of them is Maggie Slade. The missing juror.”
SIXTEEN
A strained silence filled the room as Mel and Jace watched Seth struggle to come to terms with this new development. His jaw worked, and his hands clenched and unclenched. He fixed his eyes on a place above them. She knew the signs. He was close to his breaking point. Despite his betrayal, Mel found her heart wrenching at the pain in his eyes. The worst part was knowing there was nothing she could do to ease his suffering. So she stayed where she was, a silent observer.
“I have sisters,” Seth finally whispered, his voice ragged. “I hope my father had nothing to do with Sylvie’s death and Maggie’s disappearance. I know he’s obsessed with his career, but I really can’t see him as a murderer—not of his own children.”
“I hope you’re right, Seth,” Jace said. “But I have to investigate every angle. The chief has gone to bring your father in for questioning. We know he’s involved somehow. When we searched her home, we found that Maggie’s laptop was filled with research. Dates, at least one false marriage certificate, bank drafts. Probably bribes in return for silence.”
“Did he—did my father know Sylvie was his daughter when she died?” Seth asked.
“I think so,” Jace replied.
“Jace,” Mel interjected quietly, “what about Maggie? Did she and Sylvie know each other? Did she know they were sisters at the time of the trial?”
It sounded so cold to ask about that, but she had to know. Did Maggie have an agenda at her trial? It seemed fishy that she would be picked as a juror.
“I doubt either one knew they were sisters. The evidence I collected at her house suggests that Maggie knew she was the senator’s daughter. She was pretty bitter about it, too. She and Sylvie never had any direct contact as far as we could tell. Her notes said she had found the third sister, a kid of about thirteen now. She was emailing the girl’s guardian. Her email logs show that last year, the guardian sent Maggie a picture of the kid—Carrie is her name, I think. Maggie noticed that she looked almost exactly like Sylvie. That’s when she started to piece things together.”
“It’s quite a coincidence that Maggie ended up as a juror,” Mel pointed out.
“Yeah, but I really think it was a coincidence.” Jace stood and walked around the desk. He sat against the edge, stretching his long legs in front of him and folding his arms across his chest. “LaMar Pond is fairly rural. The jury was selected randomly.”
Someone knocked on the door. A clerk stuck her head in. “Lieutenant Tucker, Chief Kennedy has returned with the senator. He wants you to join him in his office as soon as you are able.”
“Gotcha. I’ll be there right away.”
Jace held out his hand to Seth. “I’ll look into everything you’ve told us, Travis. You should probably scat before your dad sees you here.”
“Yeah, you’re probably right about that.” Seth started for the door. He stopped and turned. “I hope you find whoever killed Sylvie, even if it’s my dad. And I hope you find Maggie safe and sound. I always wanted a sister.”
Melanie approached Jace, who was staring after Seth with a thoughtful frown. “Jace, I’m going to head off to the restroom for a few minutes. I don’t really want to be in the room with the senator, either.”
“Sure, Mel, that’s probably a good idea. Just let me find someone to walk with you.” She rolled her eyes at his paranoia, which he ignored. He stuck his head out the door and called for someone named Sheila. Sheila turned out to be a tall blonde in her forties. Her uniform was perfectly groomed from her shiny shoes to her ironed collar. Her hair was pulled back in a severe bun. She looked like a teenager’s worst nightmare. Then she smiled, a big, open grin full of white teeth with dimples, and her whole countenance was transformed.
“Hey, Lieutenantt, what can I do for you?”
“Sheila, would you please escort Miss Swanson to the restroom?”
“Sure thing, my pleasure.” Sheila flashed Mel another toothy grin and motioned her to come along. “We’ll have to use the stairs. Maintenance is working on the elevator.”
To her surprise, Mel found that Sheila was full of stories and mischief. She apparently knew just about everything and everyone from LaMar Pond. Mel enjoyed her conversation immensely. They had just reached the restroom when Sheila was paged. Uncertainty gathered on her face.
“Oh! I should call someone to stay—”
Mel shooed her away with a wave. “I’m at the restroom. I know my way back. Honestly, you go ahead. I’ll be fine.”
“You sure?” Sheila queried, already edging away.
“Yes, I’m sure.”
Sheila sighed, her relief evident. “Great! I’ll be back in just a minute—don’t leave without me!” She dashed away.
Mel chuckled and entered the restroom. She just wanted a few minutes alone where she wouldn’t run into the senator. Unfortunately for her, the restroom was already occupied. The woman at the sink sprayed herself liberally with perfume, then added a touch of hairspray to her hair.
Turning around in the entrance, Mel dashed out of the room. It was too late. The heavy, cloying perfume stuck to her clothes. She could already feel her air passages shrinking. A wheezing sound accompanied her breathing when she exhaled. Not a full-blown asthma attack, but it could turn into one. Sliding her hand into her pocket, Mel grasped her inhaler and used it. It was almost empty. She felt marginally better, but knew she needed her new one.
Sheila returned, a bright smile on her face as she noticed Mel sitting on a bench in the hall. It changed into concern when she noticed how Mel was breathing.
“Melanie, do you need help?”
“I need my new inhaler. Could you go to Lieutenant Tucker’s office and get it out of my purse? I don’t think I can do the stairs again without it.”
“I don’t want to leave you by yourself, though.” Sheila gnawed at a fingernail.
“I’m in a police station. What could happen to me?”
Sheila seemed to come to a decision. “I’ll be back in a jiffy.” She dashed up the stairs, taking them two at a time. Mel watched her leave. She sat on the bench watching people pass. From where she sat, she had a clear view of the street outside.
A familiar form hurried past the police station. Cathy? Mel noticed that Cathy was looking upset. Her head kept swiveling back and forth, as if she was watching for something. Melanie grew concerned. Cathy looked as if she might need some help. Melanie shot a look back at the stairs. No sign of Sheila. Deciding she could wait a few minutes before she really needed her inhaler, she headed out the door after her friend.
Cathy headed past the post office, then turned into an alley. Picking up her
pace, Melanie followed her. She found Cathy standing next to her car talking with someone who was sitting inside the vehicle.
“Cathy,” Melanie called, a slight wheeze rattling out with each breath. “Are you okay? Do you need help?”
Melanie reached her friend’s side and attempted a smile as she caught her breath. She moved her head to acknowledge the young man sitting in the car. He looked familiar. His dark hair was combed back, and he was wearing a suit and tie. She thought at first he was a young lawyer. Until she saw his eyes. His cold eyes that regarded her with contempt. Her smile froze and she began to back away.
“This is awkward, Mother,” the man she knew as Dr. Ramirez said with a sneer. “Looks like we’ll have company on our drive.”
A hard object pressed against her side. Mel knew with stark clarity that what she felt was the barrel of a gun. Moving her head slightly, she found herself looking into Cathy Jordan’s ice-filled eyes. She had no doubt the woman was capable of murder. The small click as Cathy cocked the gun gave her all the confirmation she needed.
*
Senator Travis was fuming. Jace couldn’t care less. He’d been blustering for the past fifteen minutes about his ill treatment at the hands of LaMar Pond’s incompetent police force. By unspoken agreement, Paul and Jace allowed the man to rant. When he seemed to run out of steam, Paul nonchalantly held up his arm so he had a good view of his wristwatch.
Jace bit back a grin. The senator swelled, looking ready to explode. My, that couldn’t be good for the blood pressure.
“I have half a mind to sue this office for harassment,” the senator raged.
“By all means, call your lawyers,” Paul advised, “We have a few things to clear up, and you might be needing them.”
The legislator sneered. “What possible reason could I, a law-abiding citizen, have need of a lawyer? This is a witch hunt, and I won’t stand for it.”
“I don’t know, Senator,” Jace drawled, inspecting his hands. “It seems to me that bigamy is still illegal in the state of Pennsylvania. Isn’t that right, Paul?”