‘He told me what happened,’ Truman said. ‘He was trying to help you.’
‘All he was trying to do was get me locked up somewhere to keep his darling daughter’s family safe from scandal!’ Rick shouted bitterly, then drew a deep breath. ‘I’ve changed a lot since I was fifteen but Vaden still recognized me at the reception after Lorelei’s funeral, the wily old fox. He just got me mixed up with some guy who’d dated his wife a hundred years ago. I couldn’t take a chance on his head clearing enough to remember me, though.’ He grinned at Truman, and then at Kelsey. ‘Besides, I knew the two of you were crazy about him. I had luck on my side and was able to finish him that very night.’ He laughed. ‘I sent him out of this world in a blaze of glory!’
‘And you enjoyed it,’ Kelsey said without emotion.
‘Yes! Oh, yes I did!’
‘Even though Grandfather had never done anything except try to help you?’
‘I told you that I saw through him,’ Rick spat. ‘I know he wanted me to disappear, for me to die rather than tarnish his family.’
Kelsey forced herself to hold his gaze. ‘That’s not why you killed him. You destroyed Lori and Grandfather because you knew Dad loved them. And I guess you murdered Eve for the same reason.’
‘Yes. She was really just another orphan the Marches took in and treated like a princess.’
‘I see.’
Rick frowned. ‘What are you thinking about, Kelsey? Tell me!’
‘I was wondering how you lured Eve to the Sanderson house.’
‘I didn’t. I went to her apartment complex and waited in the parking lot until she came home. I wore a black poncho with the hood pulled up. Before she could open her door, I jerked open the passenger door and jumped in the car. I pushed my gun in her side. I forced her to call you and I told her what to say. Then I made her drive to that old factory you’re remodeling, half-dragged her up the iron staircase on to the roof and took her to that skylight hole. I held her there until you appeared right beneath it. Then I pushed her. She landed right at your feet!’ Rick laughed. ‘The pretty girl went splat!’ Kelsey cringed as Rick’s laughter grew loud and wild, as if he was losing control.
In spite of his laughter, Kelsey thought she heard a soft noise downstairs – the sound of the front door opening. Oh, please, she thought. Please let that be someone coming to help us.
‘You took the pictures of Brad Fairbourne and Megan Reid and sent them to Dad, didn’t you?’
‘Sure. I would have sent them directly to John Reid if I’d had his phone number.’ He looked at Truman. ‘I knew you’d send them, though. After all, Megan Reid is another pretty, spoiled girl. I had to ruin her fun. And Brad is yet one more orphan that hit the jackpot! God, what is it with you people? Oh, well, I got him fired from his fancy law firm so he probably hates the Marches as much as I do.’
‘Why did you take Gatsby?’ Kelsey demanded loudly, hoping to mask any more noises coming from downstairs.
Rick almost choked as he struggled to stop laughing. ‘Because you love him.’ He paused, then said scathingly, ‘A cat!’ He smirked. ‘When I brought him back and left him in the alley, you should have seen yourself shaking and shuddering, holding your little gun with a trembling hand as you tried to save your cat!’
‘I did save my cat.’
‘It wasn’t in any danger.’ Rick’s expression shifted into one of disgust. ‘I don’t torture dogs and cats to death. Those pathetic serial killers in the making, like Jeffrey Dahmer, do that stuff. I’m nothing like those people, and don’t you ever compare me to them!’
Kelsey marveled in horror at Rick’s distinctions. Murdering the real Richard Conway and Lori, Grandfather and Eve meant nothing to him, but he abhorred killers who began their savage lethal career by torturing dogs and cats. He wanted everyone in the room to know that he was different. He believes he’s different, Kelsey thought. It would be sad if it weren’t so frightening.
There was a nearly inaudible creak on the stairs. Helen tensed, and Kelsey knew she’d heard it. Had Rick? ‘What are you going to do after you kill the three of us?’ she asked loudly. ‘You can’t get away with these murders.’
‘I can do things you wouldn’t imagine.’ Rick glared at her. ‘I’ve gotten away with murders since I was fifteen. I got away with murders – the murders of your family and friend – while hiding in plain sight. I’m smart, Kelsey.’ His fierce gaze turned to Truman. ‘I’m brilliant, Dad. You have a handsome, brilliant son and you turned your back on him. How does that make you feel? Stupid? Are you stupid as well as cruel?’ Truman sat rigidly in his chair, sweat running down his face. Rick raised his gun and pointed it at Truman. ‘How does that make you feel?’ he roared.
Although Kelsey’s attention was focused on Rick, she glimpsed movement in the doorway to the landing and saw a shadow that was tall and very thin. She knew instantly that Enzo Pike had arrived. In spite of her intense relief, she kept her eyes on Rick.
‘Drop your gun, Conway,’ Enzo said in a hard, toneless voice. Surprise flashed across Rick’s face. He stood rigid for a moment, then turned to face Pike. ‘Drop the gun!’
Rick stared at him for a moment. Then he dropped his gun on the thick carpet. ‘It’s all yours, Detective. Come and get it.’
‘First, step away from it.’
Rick sighed and took a step backwards. ‘Is that good enough?’
‘One more.’
Holding a gun, Declan appeared in the doorway that led to the adjoining bedroom. Rick glanced at him before his gaze moved back to Kelsey. As he stared at her, a chill ran down her spine. She saw amusement in his brown eyes. He didn’t look frightened or defeated. He looked smug, she thought. How could he—
Rick’s right hand moved stealthily to his side. ‘He has my gun!’ she screamed just before she saw him slide the gun out of his pocket and aim it at her.
Kelsey heard a blast and Helen shriek as pain seared through her. Blinding, bludgeoning pain. She heard another shot. Helen was still screaming as Kelsey’s world swirled and she slid from the bed into a crumpled, unconscious heap on the floor.
EPILOGUE
One week later
‘Are you warm enough?’
‘Helen, if you put one more blanket on me I’ll burst into flames!’ Kelsey laughed. ‘It’s almost eighty degrees today!’
‘Well, you can’t be too careful, that’s what I always say. It’s the first time you’ve spent all afternoon outside. You don’t want to overdo it.’
Kelsey lay on a chaise longue on the terrace of the March home. Before Enzo Pike shot Richard Conway in the head, killing him almost instantly, Rick had fired at Kelsey and the bullet had torn into her shoulder. Janet had already called 911, and an ambulance arrived only minutes later, but not before Kelsey had lost a lot of blood. After surgery, the doctors at the hospital told her how lucky she was that the bullet had passed through her body, leaving an open wound that had not injured her shoulder joint or the long bone of her arm. She’d suffered no serious arterial or nerve injury – only damage to soft tissue and cartilage. Within months she would probably need further surgery to correct minor injuries, but for now she just needed to take antibiotics and keep her bandaged shoulder in a shoulder stabilizer.
Also, because of the shock and the need for rest, she was ‘home’ with her father and Helen hovering over her. Today, while Kelsey lay on the chaise longue, Gatsby had been installed in a large steel cat enclosure complete with a colorful awning and matching hammock, although for the last fifteen minutes he’d been positioned on a padded ledge, watching the bluebirds dart and swoop around the birdhouses on the spacious back lawn.
‘He’s the most spoiled cat I’ve ever seen,’ Truman commented as he took a sip of Helen’s iced tea with mint.
‘Gatsby has been through a rough time, Dad,’ Kelsey said. ‘After all, he was catnapped.’ Truman laughed. ‘Also, we’ve been separated three nights in the last three weeks. He’s four years old and we’ve never spent a night
apart. He has emotional scars from separation anxiety.’
‘The poor thing. I guess he’s bearing up fairly well considering the damage to his psyche.’
‘How’s everyone?’ Kelsey looked up to see Declan Adair striding across the terrace toward her. ‘Are you sure you’re up to this today?’
‘Since this entails me lying here sipping iced tea, I don’t think I’m overdoing it. Would you like some tea?’
‘Sure,’ he said, pouring a glass then smiling at Truman. ‘And how are you today, sir?’
‘I’ll be fine if you’ll stop calling me sir. It’s Truman. That’s a courtesy I extend to men who’ve saved my daughter’s life, and mine.’
‘Truman it will be from now on, although I didn’t save anyone. Actually, Janet O’Rourke did. Thank God she anticipated trouble. Hell, the woman even had Kelsey’s, Pike’s and my business cards with our cell phone numbers on them! She’s a wonder! She called Pike and me before we’d gotten halfway home from the funeral. Then she called 911 because she feared the worst. But I’m not saying anything you don’t already know.’ Declan smiled and shook his head. ‘I’m amazed at what a plucky little thing she is.’
‘That’s an understatement. Janet is wonderful,’ Kelsey said. ‘I don’t think I mentioned this, Declan, but while Nina is on maternity leave Janet’s working at MG Interiors. She doesn’t have any interior design experience but her people skills are beyond compare. Dad has hired a very good divorce lawyer to end her marriage with as little friction as possible. Her husband isn’t a nice guy to put it mildly. She can work at the business until she either finds another job or else decides to study interior design. Stuart says she shows talent. If she wants, she can work for MG Interiors and go to design school part-time.’ Kelsey grinned. ‘I know that would suit Giles Miller. I think he might have a crush on her.’
Declan’s vivid blue eyes widened. ‘Really?’
‘Yes. He met her when he went to Conway’s Tavern to pick up lunch for all of us, and unbeknownst to me he went there several times by himself for lunch. It seems they began hitting it off at least a month ago. Now if Giles’s mother would just give him a little room to breathe …’
‘I know her type,’ Declan said. ‘She’ll want all of his attention. She’s not likely to accept an interloper.’
‘I believe Giles might not be as self-sacrificing as she assumes. He’s talented, handsome, and on his way to becoming a successful twenty-six-year-old. I’ve seen his confidence in himself growing for months.’
‘You’re turning into a matchmaker, like Nina,’ Declan teased.
‘She likes to see the people around her happy. And she likes you. That’s why her new baby is named Declan Harry Evans.’
Declan shrugged. ‘She likes the name.’
‘She likes you. She likes you for me.’
‘Then I love her.’
‘That was quick.’
‘I’m impulsive.’ He smiled. ‘Speaking of falling in love quickly, Truman, what do you think of Bradley Fairbourne marrying Megan Reid? We thought he’d gone missing after killing Eve. Actually, he’d taken Megan away for a surprise wedding.’
‘A surreptitious wedding! John is furious. He thinks Brad might have talked her into marriage because he’d been fired from the law firm.’
‘John thinks Brad married Megan to spite him?’ Kelsey asked.
‘Maybe. Or else Brad thought if he was married to John’s daughter, he’d be taken back at the firm. John told me that will not happen, even though Olivia is certain it will. I think she’s forgiven Brad for disappearing for days. In her mind, an elopement with Megan Reid was worth causing her some distress.’
‘Distress? When I saw her at Brad’s house, she was nearly hysterical,’ Declan said.
‘My wife used to say Olivia was mercurial. I think she’s unstable. I always did. I don’t know why everyone thought I might marry her. Aside from not loving her, I believe being married to her would be like being married to a tornado!’
Declan threw back his head and laughed, startling Gatsby away from his intense scrutiny of the bluebirds fluttering around their cypress houses. ‘I didn’t know Olivia’s husband, but he must have been a patient man.’
‘He wasn’t, actually,’ Truman said thoughtfully. ‘But he fell in love with Olivia when she was very young. Maybe she wasn’t such a whirling dervish back then. Anyway, John told me Brad says if he can’t come back to the firm he intends to open his own law practice. I don’t think it will be successful, but I could be wrong. I do know that if he doesn’t earn a decent living quickly Megan will leave him. She’s used to the best.’ Truman drained his iced tea. ‘I think I’ll go inside and watch CNN for a while. I need to catch up on what’s going on in the world.’
Kelsey knew he really wanted to give her and Declan some time together. They hadn’t been alone for over a week. Declan refilled their glasses and smiled at her. ‘So what’s new these days, kid?’
‘I found out yesterday that the Sandersons are going to keep their new home. According to Stuart, they said Eve had put in so much work on it, selling it would feel as if they were rejecting her.’ Kelsey smiled. ‘And that’s not all. Josie Sanderson has a superstitious side. She told Stuart that they’d walked Amber, their golden retriever, through the house. Animals, especially dogs, are supposed to be more sensitive to bad energy than humans are. Amber seemed relaxed and happy in the house, and that clinched it. Also, their twelve-year-old daughter Angela especially liked Eve. Josie and Aaron have bought a six-month-old golden-retriever puppy as a companion for Amber, and Angela has named her Eve. Stuart said Angela wanted me to know that. I’m sure Eve would have been pleased.’
‘I’m glad. I’d like to see the place when it’s finished. I know it will be beautiful.’ He stared out at the birds. ‘That brings up the subject of Stuart. Has he made an offer to buy you out of MG Interiors?’
‘No. But Stuart told me more about Teddy Blakemore, and how the man had seemed like a father when he was a teenager. He cared for Teddy, but didn’t realize that he never gave something for nothing. He expected Stuart to be his guy, to do as he was told. Teddy wanted him to start by getting control of MG Interiors, whatever it took. Stuart had no intention of doing so, but Teddy had been driving him crazy after being released from prison.
‘Teddy had lost most of his “goons” as you called them, but he still had three. One of them burned Stuart’s wrist with the lighted end of a cigar as a threat. Stuart lied to all of us about how he got the burn, but he went to Pike and told him everything. The guy was arrested and the other ones warned. Teddy slipped into a coma three days ago. He’ll probably die within the week. There’s no threat to me or the business.’
‘Says Stuart. He lied to you at least once and you believe him now?’
‘I understand why he lied about his wound. And yes, I believe him now, at least until something happens that lets me know I can’t. He’s been a good friend for four years, Declan. And he’s heartbroken that his tension about Teddy drove him apart from Eve before her death but he thought she was safer away from him. He truly loved her.’
‘I want to believe in him because you do, but I’ll have to see how he acts when Delphina Harrington comes back to town,’ Declan said morosely. ‘Cole is definitely divorcing her. She’ll arrive in Louisville a single woman with lots of money, and a soft spot for Stuart.’
‘Are you sure she’s still interested in Stuart?’
‘According to Cole she is. Delphina doesn’t do well without the constant admiration and companionship of a man. I think she’s already counting on Stuart adoring her and showing her off at all the social events around Louisville as soon as she gets here.’
‘I think it will take Stuart a long time to recover from Eve.’ Kelsey watched a bluebird couple teaming up to scare a flying squirrel away from their house. ‘I just hope he doesn’t get involved with Delphina. She sounds awful.’
‘She is.’
‘How are things with Co
le?’
‘He’s going to Africa to do the Vogue shoot. Then he plans to stay in Africa to become the next Grant Harrington.’ Declan shook his head. ‘I give him a year of dealing with the heat and bugs and sleeping in a tent. But at least he’s going to try to make it work. He’s also trying to get over Lorelei.’
After a moment, Kelsey said quietly, ‘I guess I misjudged him when Lori told me about him.’
‘Who wouldn’t have under the circumstances? He wouldn’t hold it against you.’
‘We’ll probably never meet.’
‘Says who?’
‘I don’t know. I just assumed he wouldn’t have any desire to visit Louisville again, unless he wants to attend the Kentucky Derby next year.’
‘He might. He always enjoyed it.’ Declan looked in the direction of the debris from the horrendous fire that had claimed Pieter Vaden’s life. ‘Any plans to rebuild the barn?’
‘Dad wants another one – something much smaller, of course. We have no intention of selling our horses. And when they return home, I’m going to spend time improving my equestrian skills. It’s just disgraceful that I’m not a better rider.’
‘I thought you might take flying lessons.’
Kelsey grinned and lowered her voice conspiratorially. ‘I intend to but I don’t want Dad to know. He’d be a nervous wreck at the thought of me flying a plane. I intend to surprise him after I get my license.’
‘Good.’ Declan’s smile faded. ‘How’s he doing after what happened last week?’
‘You mean after he, Helen and I were almost killed by the man we believed had saved my life but who turned out to be someone who thought he was Dad’s son? As well as can be expected. I didn’t see him at first because I was in surgery, but Helen said she’d never seen him look so devastated.’
‘Being trapped in the bedroom with that lunatic must have been horrible.’
Kelsey nodded. ‘It wasn’t just the threat to our lives. It was also hearing the vitriol that poured out of Rick. He seemed hardly human, yet there was something tragic about him.’
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