Fate and Destiny

by Claire Collins

25.

  Smiling, feeling a slight twinge of regret and jealousy, Matt drove up the winding road, careful of the slick spots. Doreen chatted away in the passenger seat, wondering aloud about Destiny and the awful mess the poor girl was in. Matt only half listened, making the appropriate sounds at the right times. This Sunday for dinner, Matt had a feeling Andrew would be there and Destiny would be the special person of the day.

  Arriving at the cabin, Matt parked next to the truck Andrew borrowed from Doug. Sammy apparently had not arrived yet. The Jeep still sat cockeyed around the bend in the road. The only tow trucks for miles were busy pulling stranded motorists out of ditches and hauling off cars that slid through intersections, as well as the cars they slid into. The Jeep parked less than a mile from the cabin was not a priority.

  The snow and wind were mild compared to the storms that recently swept through, however the weather remained temperamental. Doreen and Matt quickly crossed the distance from the warm truck to the cozy cabin. Smoke curled lazily from the chimney and the soft flicker of firelight teased the frosted windows. Shadow woofed a welcome.

  Matt rapped briefly on the door with his gloved knuckles. Thanks to Shadow’s early warning system, Andrew was already waiting to open the door for them without wasting any precious heat. Once inside, hats, jackets, gloves and scarves hung over the fireplace and Doreen and Destiny were introduced to each other. To Matt, the atmosphere in the cabin felt comfortably different than the other times he spent with Andrew and Destiny. His keen eye also quickly noticed both of them recently came from the shower, and judging by the look of them, the shower had only been turned on once. Maybe that was the difference. Peace. No guns pointed at anyone, no questions of anyone being deceived.

  If the dire situation concerning Destiny’s future was not the reason for Matt and Doreen’s visit, then this evening would feel more like a family get together. Doreen still chatted endlessly, excitement rippling over her. Matt struggled for a moment trying to decide if she had stopped talking at all since they left the diner. Shrugging it off, he unpacked food.

  “We brought dinner from Nancy’s.” Interrupting Doreen, Matt handed out warm containers, forks, and napkins. “The special tonight is lasagna with garlic bread.”

  Inhaling the scent of garlic and tomato sauce, Destiny closed her eyes, passing the box under her nose.

  “I can’t remember the last time I had lasagna. This smells wonderful.”

  Andrew didn’t stop eating to speak, his agreement ending up more as a jumble of noises than actual words. The fork in her hand heavy under a helping of lasagna, Doreen was the only one of the group talking instead of eating.

  “Dew! You will not believe it, but Nancy has taken quite a shine to your big friend Doug. She finally found a man taller than she is! She almost became a puddle in the middle of the station. I thought I was gonna have to mop her up into a bucket and pour her outside!”

  The fork moved closer to her mouth. Her lips almost made contact when she suddenly stopped and pulled it away.

  “Oh! And Sammy should be here soon. He got into some computer and found evidence to save Destiny.”

  The fork finally found its way into her mouth. Scooping another forkful, Doreen smiled, looking around at the others. The smile faded as she scanned from one face to the next. Everyone else stopped eating. Destiny’s fork rested in the motion of cutting off another bite. Andrew’s jaws locked. Matt looked like only an act of God would keep him from strangling her. She swallowed hard.

  “What? Did I say something I shouldn’t have?”

  “Damn Doreen!”

  Matt gave up on counting to ten to deal with his sister, choosing to let fury take over instead.

  “You could at least let them finish eating! Why do you think we came early? So we could eat and get them settled before we sprung that kind of news on them! You don’t know when to keep your mouth shut and speak at the right times! This is why you aren’t allowed to go on calls with me.”

  He tried counting to ten again. He made it to three.

  “We don’t even know what Sammy has yet. He might not have what Destiny needs to prove DeMont killed his father and framed her for it. Unless you saw the paperwork with your psychic powers or something? I didn’t think so!”

  Biting his tongue, Matt shut his mouth. Doreen’s face fell and tears welled in the corners of her eyes. Shadow padded over and lay next to Doreen, eyeing Matt with his famous ‘how could you’ look.

  Destiny jumped up from her chair, racing to Doreen and grabbing her hand.

  “Sammy found my files? He has them?” Unable to quell the nervous excitement flooding over her, Destiny didn’t hear Matt. Focusing completely on Doreen, Destiny only wanted to hear it again.

  “Please. Tell me. Sammy has something that can prove I didn’t do any of this?”

  Andrew, accustomed to the opposite personalities of Matt and Doreen, stood from his seat on the edge of the bed, moving to Destiny’s side.

  “Don’t get too excited just yet. No one knows what your files contain except you. We don’t know what Sammy has. What if it isn’t what you expect?”

  Rubbing Destiny’s arm that gripped Doreen’s hand, Andrew weaved some of Matt’s caution into Destiny. Eyes wide, grinning from ear to ear, Destiny let go of Doreen, spinning around to face him. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders in a quick hug before letting him go.

  “It doesn’t matter! Don’t you see? If he got in the system once, he can get in again, and I can tell him exactly what to look for and where to find it!”

  Clapping her hands, Destiny danced around the room, hugging each person in turn, even Shadow. Her celebration was short lived as Shadow’s barking followed by a knock at the door interrupted. Already on the move, Destiny reached the door before anyone else could recover from her thorough hugging. Flinging it wide open without a care for her personal safety, Destiny continued the hug fest by throwing her arms around the man standing in the doorway.

  Surprised but quick to assess the situation, Sammy hugged her back, smiling at her as they embraced right into the room, Destiny kicking the door closed behind him. Grinning wickedly, she held Sammy out at arm’s length, scrutinizing him up and down. He certainly didn’t match her idea of a computer nerd. No glasses, no overbite, no pocket protector. Sammy was almost as tall as Andrew, only a little leaner. His thick dark blonde hair was a few shades lighter than his brother’s, but the captivating smile and sparkling brown eyes were almost identical.

  “I’m guessing you are Destiny and my cousin Doreen already spilled the beans about me being here didn’t she?”

  Laughing, he glanced over to catch Doreen rolling her eyes at him. Pulling a large manila envelope from under his coat, Sammy presented it to the woman who only then took her hands off him.

  “I believe this is what you are so excited about.”

  Grasping the envelope, not taking the time to pry the tines apart, Destiny ripped the top open. Pulling the stack of papers free, the room collectively held its breath while she scanned the top page. A tear trickled down her cheek as her eyes left the page to focus on Sammy.

  “This is it.” She quickly flipped through the rest of the pages, pausing only briefly on each. “This is all of it. This is the final report I took to Marcus the night he died. I haven’t seen it since then. How can I ever thank you for this?” She clutched the papers to her chest, tears flowing anew as she stared at Sammy.

  Embarrassed at her gratitude, Sammy studied the toe of his boot.

  “It only took maybe an hour or so. It was actually harder than I thought it would be. You had a lot of passwords on that thing.” Tipping his head, he brought his gaze back up to meet hers. “I actually think they have the computer sitting in a techie room. Somebody is trying to get in and get information out of that computer, but you encrypted it, hid it, and password protected it. I don’t think they’ve figured out how to get in yet.”

  Her sparkling smile came back and communication passed between them w
ithout either of them saying a word. Sammy liked her. She almost stumped him, and some of the best programmers in the world hadn’t even come close. Destiny turned to show Andrew the papers gripped in her hand. Everyone gathered around her to share in her joy and excitement. Sammy remained off to the side near the front door, his own excitement growing.

  “There’s more.”

  Sammy produced another, smaller, white envelope from the inside pocket of his coat. Holding it out, all eyes watched as Destiny took the envelope in her hands, finger sliding under the edge of the paper to tear it open. Curiously, she studied him for a moment as she pulled the folded sheets of paper from the envelope.

  Nervous twitters and excitement gone, Destiny dropped to her knees. Afraid she was on the verge of passing out, Andrew and Sammy both reached to catch her. Hands grabbed her as she sat on her legs on the floor, paper in hand. Eyes ready to pop, she looked to Sammy, not believing what she held.

  “Destiny, what is it? Are you okay?”

  At the concern in Andrew’s voice, she handed him the paper, eyes glued to Sammy.

  “That can’t be real Sammy. You made that up.”

  He shook his head, grinning enough to shame the Cheshire cat.

  “Nope. It’s completely real. I stumbled across it when I was trying to find your files.”

  Andrew read the document he held, absorbing every word while Doreen and Matt tried to read over his shoulder. Doreen wasn’t as tall as any of the male members of her family. Frustration won out.

  “All right already! Would someone please tell us what it is before I explode?”

  Andrew looked at her as if he had never seen her before.

  “I think it’s Marcus DeMont’s will.”

  He looked to Sammy for verification.

  Sammy nodded, hands clasped together behind his back, enjoying the reactions. He couldn’t torment them any longer.

  “It seems Mr. DeMont had quite a fondness for a certain Destiny Fisher, and left her as sole owner of the Diamonds Casino and Luxury Hotel in fabulous Las Vegas, Nevada. He also bequeathed to her the princely sum of $60 million for the continued operation of the casino as well as her own personal use. The remainder of his monetary holdings and other investments are to be placed in a trust fund for his only surviving son and heir, Charles DeMont.

  “The trust fund is to be monitored by Marcus DeMont’s attorney and there are a ton of stipulations as to what he could do with the money until he met certain guidelines. Then, he would receive the entire trust fund, no strings attached. Those papers Andrew’s holding are a scanned copy of the original, signed by Marcus DeMont, and dated three months ago. I would assume the original is either already with the attorney or it’s in a safe deposit box somewhere Charles wouldn’t find it.”

  Still in shock, not quite understanding all she read and heard, Destiny broke the stunned silence.

  “Marcus knew all along Charles was stealing from him. Why would he leave so much to me? I didn’t do anything to deserve it.”

  Andrew sat on the floor with Destiny, smiling at her and stroking her hair.

  “You were his friend. You locked yourself away from the world to protect yourself from being hurt. I bet Marcus was lonely, thinking everyone who got close to him wanted something from him, especially if his own sons’ behavior was any example of what the man dealt with every day. He knew you were a good person who didn’t care what Marcus had, but about who he was. It’s hard to find people like that.”

  Doreen squealed.

  “My God! You’re a millionaire! And you own a casino! This is incredible!”

  Matt, always the voice of reason, remained calm.

  “Not yet. Sammy, I need a copy of those documents to send up to Vegas after I review them with Fred Murphy.”

  At Destiny’s confused look, he clarified for her benefit.

  “He’s our lawyer in town. Don’t look worried. He practiced law with the largest firm in New York before settling down here. He’s top notch. Anyway, while that’s being done, we still have to get Charles locked up and charged and get Destiny cleared. Speaking of which, Doreen and I have to get back to the station so Doug can call Charles and see if we can get anything incriminating out of him.”

  Destiny stood on wobbly legs, certain she would slam to the floor if it weren’t for Andrew holding her up. Shaking, she hugged each member of Andrew’s family as they retrieved their winter gear, put it on, and headed out the door amid cheerful goodbyes and congratulations. Suddenly alone with Andrew and Shadow, she sunk to the bed, the last few minutes a blur. Marcus left her a fortune. A fortune she would have gladly handed over to Charles if he would have let Marcus live.

  26.

  Driving back into town, Matt and Doreen stopped by the diner to pick up Doug. The dinner rush was over and only a handful of locals sat around the counter drinking coffee or eating a late dinner. Wiping slush from their boots onto the welcome mat, Matt and Doreen greeted the patrons before taking seats at the counter next to Doug. The big man sat back in his chair, feet on the bar that ran along the bottom of the counter, engaged in a conversation with the man next to him. Doug introduced them.

  “Matt, I’m sure you know Frank Simmons. He’s the foreman for the county road crews.”

  Tipping his head to Frank, Matt nodded.

  “Sure do. Known Frank for years.”

  Reaching across Doug, Matt shook Frank’s hand.

  “How’re you doing Frank? How’s the family?”

  Frank was long and lanky, his skin leathered by years of working outside. His eyes were kind and strong with a deep sense of understanding and discipline, most of which developed while Frank and his wife Catherine raised ten kids.

  “Good. Good. And yours? Your mom sent Christie over a box of cookies for her birthday. I don’t know how she remembers all of them.”

  Matt shared in Frank’s laughter. His mom was notorious for sending out food for every occasion to everyone in town. Matt couldn’t figure out how she kept up with everyone either.

  “Are you ready Doug? We need to get going.”

  Something about Doug was different from when they left him there a few hours ago. For one thing, a huge grin spread across his face, erasing the dopey look he typically carried. Also, his manner was very relaxed and comfortable. His eyes shone and glimmered. Looking at him now, Matt decided Doug could easily pass as a local working man, simply enjoying a cup of coffee with friends. No image of the hired killer lurked under the casual stance. Matt tucked this understanding away in the corner of his mind.

  Doug rose from his barstool, shaking hands with Frank, and throwing a long glance at Nancy. She smiled at him, tipping her head coyly.

  “The spare room at my place is all ready. Just come on by when you’re finished.”

  Doug nodded with a purpose instead of the usual mindless head tipping.

  “I will.”

  As soon as Doug, Matt, and Doreen were back in the truck, an endless flow of words erupted out of Doug. Even Doreen couldn’t get a word in. From what Matt could gather, Frank offered Doug a job on a road crew and Nancy volunteered the use of her spare room for Doug’s use rent-free as long as he wanted it. The excited chatter continued after the truck pulled into the parking lot at the station, finally ebbing as they entered the lobby. Sawyer glanced up at the jingle of bells, quickly returning to the pile of paperwork on his desk as he realized who the visitors were.

  Hats and coats hung up, the group moved into the office area. Doreen was off duty and had no reason to hang around the station. No reason other than James Sawyer. Matt shook his head, laughing as Doreen sat on the edge of Sawyer’s desk, distracting him.

  “Doreen, you know he has work to do. Isn’t it time for you to go home and irritate someone else?”

  “I will, I just need to update Sawyer on a couple of police related matters first.”

  “Okay, Doreen, but don’t waste his time. Sawyer, any calls or faxes come in?”

  Matt checked his comput
er for email. He scanned for any updates on Destiny’s case. Nothing new there except junk emails and messages from various friends and family. He would read them later after Doug made the call to Charles.

  “Nope. Nothing new. It’s been quiet. I did let Brunetti make his call though. That finally shut him up.”

  Sawyer went back to the file on his desk, attempting to ignore Doreen.

  “Did he say anything interesting?”

  Sawyer looked up, glanced past Doreen to Matt.

  “I didn’t hear most of it. Right after he got on the phone, Gerrity delivered a couple of drunks who got into a fight over at the Dip n Sip. I booked them in and when I got back there, Brunetti was off the phone and waiting to be taken back to his cell.”

  “Okay. Doug and I will be in the interview room making a call.”

  Nodding, Sawyer shifted his attention back to the paperwork on his desk as Matt and Doug exited through the back door into the holding area. Matt didn’t miss the brief glance Sawyer passed over Doreen. She confused the hell out of the officer. Matt made a note to have a talk with Doreen about Sawyer. She needed to either make it a relationship or find a new victim to play her games with.

  All of the equipment was hooked up from their previous attempt and there were only a few minutes before the time to make the call.

  “Okay, Doug, you remember our goals right?”

  Doug nodded confidently, smiling at Matt. “Yes Sir. I need to get him to say something about Destiny or Marcus so he will get arrested and Destiny can go free.”

  “Here we go.”

  For a moment, Matt wished he was as confident as Doug appeared. Although they now had evidence of Charles’ motive in the killing, Marcus’ will could also show a motive for Destiny to fabricate evidence.

  The phone rang three times before it was answered.

  “Doug, how are things? Talk fast. I have a meeting here in Vegas.”

  The cheery greeting muddled Doug for a moment, his confidence dipping. The line also contained a lot of static, unlike the clear call made earlier.

  “Things are good Mr. DeMont, but I didn’t find Destiny’s body. What do you want me to do?”