He’d acquired a map of the grounds online and knew an equestrian center was located near the entrance. He could see the roof line of the huge structure from the street. From where he sat in the car, he could even see several horses grazing in the pastures. Hell, he’d always wanted a horse and Carson and her husband owned a dozen or so.
From the map, he knew Sutton Hills was divided into four major plots. There was the main house where Carson and her husband probably lived. The house was a monstrosity and could be seen from the road. The three-story structure was an architectural masterpiece and backed up against Mammoth Lake. Why would anyone need a house that large?
The more Pence sat there and saw all Carson had, the angrier he became, especially when he thought of the scholarship money she’d received from his mother.
His thoughts shifted to Karl Halifax. He’d been warned not to do business with the man, but he’d been so sure that he would win the bet. He would have had enough to pay the man out of his own inheritance, had it not been for Carla. His ex-girlfriend had encouraged him to blow most of his money on foolish stuff she’d wanted. And then when he’d refused to spend any more money on her, she’d left him.
He rubbed his hands down his face. He knew he had a gambling addiction. His mother had known it as well, which was why she’d specifically ordered in her will that his inheritance be doled out in yearly installments. He wouldn’t get another payout for a year. What would he do until then?
He knew what he had to do. And God help Carson if she didn’t go along with him.
#
“Hello.”
“Drew, I hope I’m not calling at a bad time,” Sheppard said to Andrew Logan, the man who’d once been a fellow inmate.
He and Carson had finished dinner and were headed home in their individual cars. He could see the taillights of her vehicle a few cars ahead of him as they headed toward the outskirts of the city. When he’d been released from prison, one of the first things he did was go shopping for a car. Unfortunately, Dalton had volunteered to come along. Needless to say, he’d left the dealership with a toy. The two seater Mercedes sports car had taken some getting used to. As far as Sheppard was concerned, it had too much power and not enough room.
“No, Shep, you aren’t. Is anything wrong?”
“Not sure.” He then told Andrew what Carson had shared with him about Pence Denmark. “I don’t think he’ll leave town and I want to know all there is about him. I have a feeling he’s going to be trouble.”
“No problem. I’ll put him in the database and see what I come up with. I’ll also find out if he’s still hanging around in Charlottesville. I’ll get back to you tomorrow, okay?”
“Thanks Drew.”
“No problem, Shep. Glad to help.”
When Sheppard ended the call, he felt a lot better. He didn’t know Pence Denmark personally, but what Carson had shared about the man--especially his abusive tendencies--Sheppard preferred that Denmark not go anywhere near his wife.
18
Good morning, Ruby.”
“Good morning, Ms. Granger. A package was delivered to you first thing this morning.”
“Thanks.” Carson headed for her office, smiling at how Ruby had decorated the reception area for the holidays. Her personal assistant had even put up a Christmas tree. That reminded Carson of all the shopping she had yet to do. At least she’d gotten Zina’s gift shipped out to her in Houston. It was hard to believe her goddaughter was five years old now. And Roddran had given birth to twins three years ago. Myles wanted two more children and Roddran thought he was crazy. Carson couldn’t wait to see if Myles got what he wanted.
Sitting at her desk, Carson verified the package was the letter she expected from John Davis. An envelope addressed to her was inside, along with other documents. She recognized Emma’s handwriting immediately.
Leaning back in her chair, Carson began reading Emma’s letter.
Carson,
If you’re reading this letter, it means I am no longer among the living. That’s okay. Losing Stan was hard and now we are together. I had to make a lot of tough decisions and one of them concerned Pence. They say parents can’t decide their children’s future and Stan and I didn’t try to decide Pence’s. But we had hoped that with all we’d given him in life, he would have made better choices. Stan and I knew that Pence’s celebrating the loss of your child was the last straw for you. We understood. We were hurt by his actions as well. Until the day I die, I will mourn the loss of my only grandchild. You were the best thing to ever happen to Pence. He might not realize it now but hopefully one day he will. Putting my son behind you and remarrying was the best thing you could have done.
I am proud of you and all that you have accomplished. Due to Pence’s jealousy, keeping in touch was difficult. I’m sorry about that. But nothing he did could destroy the bond between us. In my heart, you were the daughter I never had, which brings me to the reason I am writing this letter. I’ve decided to split the value of all the stock I’ve accumulated between you and Pence. He’s not going to like it and I truly don’t care. I refuse to let him do in my death what he did while I was alive--stop me from showing my love for you.
Knowing you as I do, I’m sure you will use the inheritance I’m giving you wisely. I also know Pence will probably raise holy hell about me leaving you anything. I wouldn’t be surprised if he protests the will. No matter what, do not give in to him. If you prefer not to keep the inheritance, donate it to your favorite charity.
I know whatever decision you make will be a good one.
Love always,
Emma
Carson wiped the tears from her eyes as she refolded the letter. Emma Denmark had been a woman with a beautiful heart and Carson was thankful for the time her mother-in-law had been a part of her life. The day Carson had been released from the hospital after losing the baby, it had been Stan and Emma, not Pence, who’d come to pick her up. Instead of taking her to the home she shared with Pence, they’d taken her to their house.
Her in-laws had given her the love she needed while mourning the loss of her child. Not once had Pence come by or called. After remaining with Stan and Emma for a couple of weeks, she had returned home long enough to pack her things and stop by an attorney’s office to file for a divorce.
Knowing that Emma had established those scholarships to help her get through college and law school was overwhelming. There was no way she could have obtained her degrees without them. She would forever be appreciative of her mother-in-law for believing in her and giving her that support.
She glanced at the other documents and saw the check made payable to her for just over five hundred thousand dollars and couldn’t help but cry some more.
She was wiping the tears from her eyes when the buzzer on her desk sounded. She pulled in a deep breath before answering. “Yes, Ruby?”
“Just a reminder of your doctor’s appointment today at two o’clock.”
She nodded. “Thanks, Ruby.”
#
Sheppard glanced at the stack of papers on his desk. It would be another day of reading. Good thing he’d gotten used to doing that very thing while locked up. He was just about to sit down at his desk when there was a knock on the door.
“Come in.”
Dalton entered, smiling. “Good morning, Dad.”
“Good morning, Dalton. You’re in a good mood.”
His youngest son shrugged, while grinning profusely. “What can I say? My wife keeps me smiling.” Dalton dropped down in the chair near the desk. “I want to run an idea by you before I present it to Jace.”
“Okay, what is it?”
“John Castor turned in his resignation this morning. His wife wants to be closer to their kids and grandkids so they’re moving to Dallas. He needs to be replaced as soon as possible.”
Sheppard knew John Castor was head of the IT department and was one of those employees who’d been hired during the time he was in prison. “Okay, what’s the problem?”
“There are several good people who’ve been here a long time. Like Mike Jones who’s celebrating his tenth anniversary with the company next month. But in my opinion, the most qualified person has been here less than two years. It’s Percy Johnson.”
Sheppard nodded. “I see.” And he did. Percy and Dalton had attended the same high school. Although they hadn’t been close friends, they had played on the same football teams since middle school. From what Sheppard had been told, Dalton had run into Percy waiting on tables in a nightclub he often frequented. He had been catching up on old times, when Percy mentioned he was having a hard time finding a job, even though he’d recently gotten a degree in computer technology, graduating at the top of his class. Percy had been working during the days at Cullum Meat Plant as a forklift operator and moonlighting at night as a waiter. Before the night was over, Dalton had offered Percy a job at Granger Aeronautics.
Sheppard also knew that due to Percy’s attention to detail, he was the one who’d noticed the computers at GA had been hacked. That information had ultimately led to the cracking of his wife’s murder case, which had resulted in Sheppard’s release from prison. He had met Percy and thanked him personally during one of his visits to the office.
“The final decision will be Jace’s,” Dalton added.
“Yes, but as head of security, your opinion will carry a lot of weight. I’m sure Jace will welcome your opinion.”
Dalton looked rather skeptical. Sheppard lifted a brow. “Why wouldn’t he?”
“Like I said, there are a number of others who’ve worked here longer,” Dalton said.
“It doesn’t matter. If Percy Johnson is the most qualified, then he’s the person you should recommend. But you need to be ready to outline your points when presenting your case.”
Dalton shrugged. “Just so you know, I wanted Jace to get rid of John Castor when it was discovered hackers were under his nose.”
Jace had told Sheppard all about it and he knew it had been a bone of contention between his two sons for a few months. “Although John Castor was head of IT, Dalton, his job didn’t have him involved in the day-to-day operations on the floor. His role was management. He had men working for him who should have detected something amiss. The only one who noticed anything was Percy. Not Mike Jones and the others. That counts for something. But if I recall, Jace said John did take full responsibility for what happened on his watch.”
“And you don’t think John Castor should have been fired?”
“No. I think Jace made the right call to leave him in that position. You’re head of security. Yet if some deranged person managed to get into our building and cause chaos, I wouldn’t think of firing you because you’re the one in charge. But I would definitely reprimand those you put in place to protect the entrances to the building. If they’d done their jobs, any problems would have been avoided. It’s the same situation with John.”
Sheppard leaned back on his desk as he continued. “From what I understand, John demoted a couple of people. He felt they should have discovered that device before Percy noticed it on the computers.”
Dalton stood and nodded. “Thanks Dad. That helps.” He shoved his hand into the pockets of his dress slacks. “And I enjoyed having breakfast with you this morning.”
Sheppard smiled. “Same here, although I’ll agree with Jace and Caden about Hannah spoiling you.”
Dalton waved off his father’s words. “You can’t believe everything you hear from those guys. Sometimes I feel like disowning them as brothers.”
Sheppard chuckled. “Don’t think you can do that unless you also plan to disown me as your father.”
“Not on your life,” Dalton said quickly. “Now that you’re back, I intend to keep you around.” He checked his watch. “I’ve got a staff meeting this morning,” he said heading for the door. “I’ll talk to you later.”
Sheppard had taken the seat behind his desk and picked up a pen to jot down notes while reading when his cell phone went off. He picked it up and answered. “This is Sheppard.”
“Shep, this is Drew. I’ve got that information you wanted.”
Sheppard glanced at the clock on his desk. It wasn’t ten o’clock yet. “That was fast.”
“Only because I solicited the help of a friend who works for the FBI. She did a little digging and uncovered some interesting stuff, one thing in particular that I’m sure you’ll want to know.”
#
“So, other than the occasional queasy stomach, how have you been?”
Carson smiled at the doctor who was sitting on the stool writing in her chart. “I’ve been doing fine.”
Dr. Fisher then tilted his head and looked at her. “When was your last period, Mrs. Granger?”
Why would he ask her that? What did her period have to do with a stomach virus? “Three years ago. I started menopause early.”
“A medical physician told you that?”
“No. I wasn’t sexually active and figured that’s what was happening to my body. The same thing happened to the aunt who raised me, which is why she couldn’t have children. I figured the same thing was happening to me.”
“But you never had that self-diagnosis verified?”
Carson shrugged. “No. I felt there was no need. I was definitely not going to complain about not having a period.”
The man who’d been her regular physician for years had retired a year ago and she’d put off getting a new one. Why go to the trouble of finding a new doctor when there was nothing wrong?
“I see from the questionnaire that you were pregnant once and miscarried.”
As always, whenever the topic of the child she’d lost came up, pain settled around her heart. “Yes. That was years ago. I was in my early twenties when that happened.”
She paused and watched as Dr. Fisher went back to perusing her file. “Dr. Fisher?”
He looked up at her. “Yes, Mrs. Granger?”
“Is there a reason you’re asking me all these questions?”
“Yes, there is,” he said, giving her his full attention. “I just went over the results of your lab work. It seems you’re pregnant.”
19
Sheppard leaned back in his chair. “And just what did your friend uncover Drew?”
“Pence Denmark has a gambling problem. I’m not sure how much of an inheritance his mother left him but court records show it was set up to be dispensed in yearly installments. Evidently, he went on a shopping spree, blowing this year’s money instead of paying his loan shark.”
“How much he owes?”
“Close to a hundred grand.”
Sheppard whistled through his teeth. “I’m not sure how much Emma Demark left Carson but Pence Denmark wants it. Now I understand why. It sounds like he’s desperate,” he said.
“Yeah, well, you haven’t heard the best part of this story. Of course, there’s a loan shark involved who is charging extremely high interest rates. From what I can tell, Denmark is already behind in his payment, which is why he’s so frantic for cash. But the big surprise is the name of that loan shark.”
“Who is it?”
Halifax.”
Sheppard set up straight in his chair. “Karl?”
“Yes.”
Sheppard couldn’t hold back the expletive that flowed from his lips. “Damn…I was hoping…”
“You tried, Sheppard. But not everyone can be saved.”
“I know. I know. But I was hoping.”
Karl Halifax had served time with Sheppard in Glenworth, for doing then what he was evidently still doing now. He’d come from a family who made their living as loan sharks. One day, Karl had sent one of his goons to collect on a debt and violence had ensued, resulting in a death. A jury had found Karl partially responsible.
Under any other circumstances, Karl was a nice enough young man. However, no matter how hard Sheppard had tried, he could not get him to consider another profession. The family business was the only one he knew, it made him a lot of
money and he didn’t see anything wrong with it. He felt that his family was obviously providing a service and they weren’t holding a gun to anyone’s head to accept their terms.
“I thought Karl was in Mississippi.”
“He was for a while,” Drew said. “But after a few years, he left and moved to Florida. And another thing, Shep.”
“What?”
“Pence Denmark is still in Charlottesville. I checked with the airlines and he cancelled his return ticket. There’s no telling how long he intends to stay. You might want to let Carson know.”
“I will. Thanks for checking on this for me.”
“Glad to do it. If you need anything else, let me know.”
“I will and take care, Drew.”
Sheppard clicked off the phone and leaned back in his chair. His thoughts again went to Karl. He’d been a few years older than Stonewall, Striker and Quasar, but had gotten into just as much trouble. When he’d left Glenworth, he’d promised Sheppard that he’d try a new profession. Evidently, it hadn’t been that easy.
Drawing in a deep breath, Sheppard glanced at his watch. Then he picked up the phone and called Carson. He needed to give her a heads-up that Denmark was still in town.
When the call immediately went to voicemail, he figured she was in court. Deciding not to leave a message, he texted her instead and asked her to call him when she got a minute. The sooner she knew about Denmark, the better.
#
Carson almost tumbled off the examination table. Dr. Fisher had to jump up to steady her. Concern shone in his eyes. “Mrs. Granger, are you all right?”
Carson drew in a deep breath. “No, I’m not all right. I’m forty-three. Too old to be pregnant. There must be some mistake.”
Captivated by Love (Grangers Book 1) Page 15