Lethal Legacy

by Amanda McKinney

  Turning on her turn signal, she swerved into the turning lane and made her way onto the interstate. Even with her windshield wipers on high, she could barely see through the rain.

  Thankfully, she was the only one on the road at this time of night.

  Taking one hand off the wheel at a time, she wiped her wet clammy hands on her skirt. The muscles in her neck were tight with tension as she strained to see the road.

  In an attempt to calm her nerves, she turned up the radio and began jamming out to the weekly top ten.

  Two headlights twinkled in her rearview mirror. Far away at first, but quickly became closer and closer until they were right behind her.

  “Go around, jerk.” She waved her hand.

  The car sped up, and was right on her tail.

  “What the hell?” A knot formed in her stomach as she sped up in an attempt to put some space between her and the other vehicle. But, as she sped up, the car behind her did as well.

  The further she drove, the closer the car got to her bumper. Her heart began racing as she scanned the roads, hoping to see another car so she didn’t feel so alone.

  Sweat beaded her forehead as the headlights reflecting in the mirror lit up her car. “Screw this.” She hit the gas. Fifty-five, sixty, sixty-five miles an hour. Her head was telling her to slow down, but the car wouldn’t back off. She hit seventy miles an hour as the car pulled dangerously close to her bumper.

  “Damn you!” She saw the lights of a narrow bridge up ahead. A feeling of panic swept over her.

  Suddenly, the car swerved and pulled up next to her. She nervously took her eyes off the road and looked over. It was a black truck, with tinted windows as black as the night. She pressed the gas, attempting to pull ahead.

  Her pulse spiked with fear as she accelerated faster. The rain pounded the windshield as she struggled to see the bridge up ahead. There was an exit just past the bridge, if she could just make it.

  She gassed it. The black truck kept up, right on her bumper. Holding her breath, she gripped the steering wheel as her car crossed onto the bridge. Her body flooded with fear as the truck was inches from her.

  Almost to the middle.

  BOOM!

  She let out a scream as the truck swiped the side of her car. Gripping the wheel, she straightened out, just narrowly missing the side of the bridge. She slammed down the gas pedal.

  BOOM!

  The wheel flew from her grip as her head slammed into the windshield.

  Her world went black as the car rammed the side of the bridge and went airborne.

  Chapter 21

  Victoria opened her eyes. A stream of golden sunlight shone across her face. She felt the warmth of his body and the comfort of his arm still wrapped around her.

  Slowly, she turned her head. His eyes were closed, his muscular chest rising and falling with each deep breath. The sunlight illuminated his handsome, beautiful face. Stubble shaded his face, adding to his rugged sexiness. The smell of charred wood and ash hung in the air.

  She lightly pushed his arm away from her and sat up.

  The house looked different this morning. Brighter. Warmer.

  A smile spread across her face. She felt so happy, for the first time in a long time.

  She turned to look at him again when something caught her eye. A bright sparkle in the corner of the room.

  Careful not to wake him, she pushed up off the floor and tiptoed over to the object. Bending down, she saw her blue sapphire necklace, shattered on the floor. Just beyond the chain was something small and bronze. She got down on her knees and picked it up.

  A key.

  Her stomach dropped.

  A small key.

  She turned it over. Engraved along the shaft was six digit code.

  “What is it?” His voice was low and gravelly.

  She sat back on her heels and turned around.

  His sleepy eyes widened as she held up the key, and he sat up. “Where did you get that?”

  She couldn’t speak. She looked back down at the shattered necklace.

  Danny scooted over to her and picked up a piece of the necklace.

  “This is that necklace you always wear. The blue sapphire.”

  She slowly nodded.

  “The key was inside the necklace?”

  Another nod.

  “My father gave me this necklace right before he died.”

  They sat and stared at the small bronze key for a moment. She shook her head. “It must’ve gotten torn off me last night when we were…”

  He smiled. “May I see it?”

  She handed it to him and pushed herself up off the floor. “We need coffee.” She walked into the kitchen and began preparing a pot of coffee. She couldn’t believe it. This was the key. It had to be. It was in her necklace this whole time. He had put it in a necklace and given it to her when she was just a little girl.

  Her hand shook as she poured the grains into the filter. She paused and closed her eyes, trying to remember.

  It was two days before her father was killed. He’d come home from an exceptionally long day at work. It was past dinnertime. She remembered that he walked in, looking disheveled, agitated and nervous.

  “What’s wrong, daddy?”

  He took a deep breath and smiled. Bending down in front of her, he said, “Nothing sweetheart. In fact, I’ve got something for you.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small blue box. Her eyes lit up as she reached for it.

  “Can I open it?”

  “Of course.”

  She ripped off the pink bow and opened the box. “Oh, my gosh, it’s beautiful, Daddy.”

  “Do you like it?”

  “Of course!” She pulled the necklace from the box and peered at the blue gem.

  “It’s a sapphire necklace. It’s a beautiful gem for a beautiful lady.”

  “Thank you, thank you, thank you!”

  “Here, let me put it on you.” She bent down as her father locked it around her neck.

  He sat back and smiled. “Honey, this is a very special necklace. Don’t ever lose it, okay?”

  “Of course, I won’t!”

  “And, keep it with you, always. Forever and ever. And someday, it will bring you something very special. But, not now.”

  “Okay, Dad. Forever and ever, I will keep it with me.”

  * * * *

  Victoria jumped as Danny put his hand on her back.

  “Are you okay?”

  “Yes.” She turned to finish setting the coffee and pressed the brew button. The fresh smell of coffee began to fill the air.

  “I remember it now. So clearly. Like it was yesterday.” She told him the story of her father giving her the necklace as she poured two cups of hot coffee and then sat down at the table. Danny remained standing and leaned up against in the counter in nothing but a pair of jeans. He sipped his coffee and handed her the key.

  “It looks like a key to a safe, maybe.”

  She flipped it over. “You noticed the engraved numbers?”

  He nodded.

  “This must be what they’re after. This is what they want from me.”

  Danny clenched his jaw and tensed up. “You need to let me handle this, Victoria.”

  Saying nothing, she set down the key, leaned back and gazed out the window.

  It was a beautiful, cold fall morning. The sun was just coming up, and the rays of light reflected like fire dancing on the lake. There wasn’t a cloud in the sky.

  In barely a whisper she said, “What’s the key hiding, I wonder.”

  He walked over and tenderly touched her cheek. “We’ll find out. And, no matter what it is, everything will be okay.”

  She nodded.

  Across the house, Danny’s phone dinged. “I guess we have reception for the moment.”

  Still looking out the window, she nodded. “It’s a clear day. Should have it, on and off.”

  Danny turned and walked down the hall, grabbed his phone and turned on the screen. It
lit up with text messages. He scrolled down to and opened the latest one from Bobby, received at four forty-five this morning.

  Where the hell are you? I’ve called four times. Thought you’d want to know: Victoria’s friend, Natasha, was found floating down the river. Ran off the road. Call me.

  “What is it?” Victoria watched him click off his phone as she walked up behind him.

  He paused for a moment and turned around. “Nothing. But I’ve got to go in.”

  Concerned, she took a step back.

  “I want you to pack your things and come stay with me. You’re not safe here.”

  She was taken aback by his protective tone.

  “I’m fine here.”

  Frustrated, he stepped forward. He tilted her head up and intensely looked into her eyes. She could tell he wanted to say something but was holding back. His eyes narrowed. “This isn’t negotiable. Either you stay with me, or check back into the Four Seasons. I’ll have an officer watch your suite.”

  Although she wanted to protest, the look in his eyes told her that would be unwise. He was a man that got what he wanted, although he rarely had to ask.

  Maybe he was right.

  Finally, she nodded in submission.

  “Good.” He picked up his shirt and looked around the house. “Make sure the doors and windows are locked and hang onto that key. I’ll meet you later and we’ll discuss what the next steps are. Call me when you get into town.”

  “I will.”

  They locked eyes, saying everything without saying anything at all. He bent down and kissed her passionately, then turned and jogged to his car.

  Her knees weak, she watched him from the porch as he sped down the driveway.

  She eyed the key sitting on the kitchen table. She needed to think. Clearly. Try to remember more.

  She walked to the bedroom and threw on her running clothes. Tucking the key in her pocket, she took off down the driveway. She started off in a sprint, trying to shake off the haze of lust she woke up in.

  What an amazing night. What an unexpected, incredible night. Butterflies danced in her stomach just thinking about Danny.

  She ran faster, harder. The cold wind whipped through her hair, the bright morning sun shone in her face. She hadn’t felt this much energy in years. She felt like she was flying. She felt good.

  A few miles in, her muscles warm and loose, her thoughts turned to the key and her father. The numbers etched in her side ran through her head. A safe? She didn’t remember seeing a safe in the house, but that certainly didn’t mean one wasn’t there. But if there were, where the hell was it now? Her grandmother had sold everything in an auction after his death. She reached down and patted the key in her pocket. It was too small to serve as a traditional door lock.

  Think, Vee, think.

  She stopped suddenly in her tracks.

  A bank.

  She remembered her dad taking her to a bank a few days before he gave her the necklace.

  A safety deposit box key?

  She spun around on her heels and sprinted back to the house.

  Chapter 22

  “Yo, hey Dabrowski, over here.”

  Danny jogged across the bridge. “This where it happened?”

  “Yep.”

  Danny walked over to the side of the bridge. Paint and debris from the car speckled the cracked side of the concrete. He glanced over the side. About a twenty foot drop. He turned back to Bobby.

  “And she’s alive?”

  “Barely. She’s in a medically induced coma. Bashed her head pretty good, and nearly drowned once she hit the water. It’s a miracle she didn’t, really.”

  He turned and jogged down to the car that had been pulled from the river. Bobby followed.

  “You can see here where the other vehicle sideswiped her.”

  He reached down and touched the side of the crumpled car. “Black paint. Truck?”

  “We’re thinking so, based on how high the markings are.”

  He nodded. “Recover anything from inside?”

  “Not yet.”

  “Who found her?”

  “Hunters. Old couple. Saw something in the water. How’s Victoria?”

  “Holding up.”

  “Saw you put out a BOLO on William Henry.”

  “Yep.”

  Bobby lowered his voice. “You’re reaching for straws, man. People are talking.”

  Danny gazed out at the water. “I’m onto something, I know it.”

  Being the loyal friend that he was, Bobby slapped him on the back and said, “Alright then, bro. Well, I’m here when you need it.”

  “Thanks.” He glanced at his watch. “You got this?”

  “Yep. Will keep you updated.”

  “Thanks, Bobby.”

  Danny sprinted to his car, did a u-turn and took off toward town. Thirty minutes later, he pulled up to Natasha’s apartment. It took about fifteen seconds to pop her front door lock.

  He shook his head as he walked in, no one cared about security anymore.

  Pulling on latex gloves, he flipped on the lights. She kept things tidy and clean, which was much appreciated in situations like these.

  Making his way through the small apartment, he noted that nothing looked out of the ordinary. He walked into the kitchen, no voicemails on the answering machine. Across the room, he saw black and white pictures spread across the table. Walking over, he recognized that they were of the alley behind Victoria’s gallery. They must be the security pictures of Anthony trying to break in that he asked her to get for him.

  Thumbing through the stack he found the money shot. A perfect frontal picture of Anthony Ramos. He felt the rage bubble up in him just looking at the face of the man who hurt Victoria. Grabbing the pictures, he took one last look around and jogged to his car.

  “Wilson here.”

  “Wilson, meet me in my office in twenty.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “Get McAndrew too.”

  Danny clicked off his cell phone, flung it across the car and sped to the station. He parked haphazardly in visitors’ parking and jogged up the steps.

  Wilson met him at the front door. “Good morning, Lieutenant.” He was bright-eyed and alert. Especially for so early in the morning.

  Danny nodded and breezed past him. “Let’s go to my office. “And,” he glanced over at him, “I’ve been meaning to tell you what a great job you’ve been doing this week.”

  “Thank you, sir. I appreciate your willingness to pull me into this high profile case.”

  “Someone took a chance on me once, that’s where it all starts. You’ve got to prove yourself around here, little by little, case by case.”

  “Yes, sir.” He smiled. “I’m still running all the local Lisa’s–you know, the name of Williams’s mistress that you got from the housekeeper. Haven’t found a connection to him…yet.”

  “Keep at it.”

  “And,” he pulled a piece of paper out of the folder he was carrying, “Here’s all the numbers that called the King house the day before the fire.”

  Danny took the paper. “Great, now look at names and addresses of the callers. Anyone stands out, let me know.”

  “Yes, sir. That’s on my to-do list this morning. And, McAndrew is on his way in.”

  Danny shook his head. McAndrew was notorious for working all night, but coming in late the next day.

  “And always make sure to get in before McAndrew.”

  Wilson laughed as they rounded the corner to Danny’s office. Danny threw the stack of security photos on the desk.

  “That’s Anthony Ramos.” He pointed to the picture. “And, let me guess, no one with that name came up in your search.”

  “No, no one that raised any eyebrows.”

  “Do we have the DNA tested off the knife yet?”

  “McAndrew took that one. We’ll see when he comes in.”

  Just then, McAndrew whirled in like a tornado. “Sorry, guys, I overslept.”

  Withou
t acknowledging his statement, Danny asked, “Any hits on the DNA from the knife?”

  “We’ll know very soon this morning, sir.”

  Danny tossed him a picture. “That’s Anthony Ramos, but that name’s an alias. I need his real name immediately, and location. The assumption is that it’s his blood on the knife.”

  “Wow, great picture. They must have a hell of a security camera. This is perfect, should take me no time at all.”

  Wilson looked over at McAndrew. “Facial recognition?”

  “Yep, I’ll show you how to use the program. And then you can make a Starbucks run for me.”

  Wilson rolled his eyes.

  “Do it now, and call me as soon as you have the results.” Danny glanced at Wilson. “And let me know about those numbers who called the Henry house.” He pulled his notebook out from his pants pocket. “One more thing, the King house bodyguard is one Alek Volsky. Apparently, he wasn’t very well liked in the house except by William. I need to know who this guy is.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  Both men left as Danny glanced at his cell phone. No call or text from Victoria.

  * * * *

  Victoria sprinted up the driveway to the lake house. She grabbed her purse from inside, pulled the door shut behind her and jumped in her car.

  Her heart was pounding and her mind was racing as she sped down the driveway.

  She could remember what the bank looked like, and the general vicinity but not the name. But was it the right bank? And would they still have his box thirty years later? She didn’t know, but had to find out.

  She reached over and picked up the phone to call Danny, but then decided against it. He’d make her wait for him to go in, so he could go with her. He’d have her under his thumb until Anthony was caught and William was found. No, she had to do this now, and she had to do it alone.

  Two hours later she pulled into a narrow parking spot across from the bank. It was an old, brick and stone building with bars on the windows. She couldn’t believe she’d found it so quickly, or remembered it at all, for that matter.