Dead Wrong

by Kate Allenton

  “I’ll make it quicker than Moreno will,” he whispered between us.

  His words registered. His body was so close. Although he was old, he still had me at gunpoint, and that would always trump my advantage of youth.

  I let out a shaky breath. “You were supposed to take care of me.” I shook my head as anger seeped in my soul. “You were like a father to me. You were supposed to protect me,” I growled my words loud and in his face.

  His brows dipped. My words were sinking in. Right before I rammed my forehead into his, sending him reeling backward and down to his knees.

  Grammy always told me to use my wits in the event of a fight. I’m not sure she meant my actual head, but it worked. I spun around and had the door open two seconds before I heard the gun go off behind me. I darted around the bushes and out of the line of sight.

  Freddie and George were nowhere to be seen. I had no phone; I had no keys. I had no way to escape. I didn’t even stop to glance over my shoulder as I headed to Marcie’s door and started ringing the doorbell. No one answered.

  “Crap.” I was heading for her neighbor when a pair of arms snagged out and caught me, pulling me between the houses. A scream bubbled from my lips.

  “Shh. I’ve got you.” I recognized the Italian accent as George immediately.

  “What are you doing out here?” I whispered.

  “I was looking for Freddie. We were watching from down the street, and we saw someone slipping between houses. Freddie left to investigate but never returned.”

  “Come out, Cree,” Faraday yelled. “Let’s talk about this.”

  My entire body trembled as George shoved me behind his back and slowly started inching down the side of the house toward the back. He grabbed my hand and ran toward the storage shed behind Marcie’s. He yanked open the door and shoved me inside the dark space.

  “Stay here.”

  “I’ll be trapped.”

  “Find a place to hide and keep your head down. I’ll take care of the cop.”

  “Please don’t hurt him. Just knock him out or something.” I nodded and backed away so he could shut the door.

  George shook his head and shut the door. I didn’t want Faraday to die. He’d been like a father. Something wasn’t right with him or what he was doing, but I’d never forgive myself if he died because of me.

  The sound of moaning had me spinning around when an overhead light flicked on. Freddie was tied up on the ground with a piece of tape over his mouth. Marcie had the barrel of her gun pointed at me.

  “That goon hand-delivered you to me.” Marcie chuckled as she took a step in my direction.

  “You?” I shook my head in disbelief.

  “Of course me.” She seethed through gritted teeth and gestured to the ground next to Freddie. “Mickey should have been mine, but that whore stole him before he even met me.”

  I shared a look of understanding with Freddie as I lowered to my knees next to him. “You were his MateSpace hook up at the library?”

  “I was, but my damn car wouldn’t start. I followed her one day from the library. It was pure luck the house next door was for rent. I knew she deserved to die for taking what was supposed to be mine.”

  This woman was freakin’ delusional. I’d walked, well, really ran from one person who wanted to kill me straight into the path of another. “What did you do with Margarete?”

  “I got her good. I shot her just like I’m going to do to both of you. She got away from me. I chased her into the woods behind the park. She lost a lot of blood. I’m sure her dead body is rotting in there.”

  “What if she’s not?” My hands were shaking. “She isn’t dead. I’m psychic. I would know.”

  “You’re lying,” she growled. “I wore a mask and gloves. She’d never be able to guess it was me. I took the diamond ring that Mickey gave her as a memento. That diamond was meant for my finger, not that snooty bitch’s. It was so easy to steal the gun from the pizza shop. Hell, it still had the gift tag attached. Planting Moreno’s gun was pure genius. I had to.” Her eyes turned wild. “I can’t have him ruining mine and Mickey’s life. He deserves to rot in jail.”

  This was starting to make sense. Mickey’s lies were starting to make sense. He’d lied when I asked if he knew where Margarete was. He did know because he was fucking protecting her from this psychotic bitch.

  A smile slowly split my lips. If I was going to die, I was going to take Marcie’s dreams with me. “She’s alive.”

  Marcie’s eyes narrowed to slits as Freddie tried to sit up next to me. “Stop lying.”

  I shook my head. “Her best friend is a nurse; her boyfriend is the son of a mob boss. All you did was drive them closer together. She got away from you that night and ran right into her lover’s arms. I bet they’ve already started trying to make little Mickey Juniors.”

  Marcie raised her gun and aimed at my head and pulled the trigger. Freddie jumped in front of my body, taking the hit, and slumped to the floor. I charged Marcie like a bull in a china shop. No way was I letting Freddie take my shot and I not take this bitch down.

  Marcie had made a mistake. She hadn’t tried to subdue me. She probably thought I was a southern belle who couldn’t land a punch. Nothing was further from the truth.

  I lowered my shoulder and charged her in the gut, knocking the gun out of her hand as we both flew backward against a shed full of crap. My head smacked against the post of a shovel as she tumbled into a wheelbarrow. I grabbed the shovel and held it to her throat like a snake I’d killed at the Lady Blue plantation.

  The door to the shed burst open. Two cops and the two FBI agents that had given me a ride were standing at the entrance.

  “She’s trying to kill me,” Marcie cried.

  Special Agent Fernandez walked into the shed and took the shovel out of my hands.

  “How did you know I was in trouble?”

  “We were having dinner with the police chief when Detective Spencer called.”

  “We heard the gunshot and found Faraday unconscious,” Special Agent Hunter added. “EMS has him, and then he’ll be booked.”

  Fernandez grabbed Marcie out of the wheelbarrow. Her demands I be arrested were going unheard as they slapped the cuffs on her.

  “Freddie saved my life. He’s been shot. We need to get him to a hospital.”

  Hunter snapped his fingers, and the other cops moved out of the way for a stretcher to enter.

  I held Freddie’s hand. Not because he needed it. This probably wasn’t even his first bullet wound, but I needed it. I smiled down at him. “Taking a bullet for me wasn’t part of your job.”

  “It is now. I’ll be seeing you, Blue.” He coughed, and blood spurted from his lips as the paramedics wheeled him away.

  Chapter 16

  A fter giving my statement, and within the hour, the whole neighborhood was infested with police cars and men combing the area and inside Marcie’s house. Several of the forensic team members walked out with bags. One contained a black mask and gloves, and another had a bag with a diamond ring in one hand and a bag with a gun in the other.

  I’d been taken to the hospital and checked for a concussion before being released. I asked the nurse for Freddie’s room and took the elevator up to the third floor. I slowly opened the door. Freddie was lying on the bed with his eyes closed. Mickey was in the room, along with a woman wearing a hat and a nurse checking Freddie’s vitals. I didn’t need Insight to tell me who they were.

  “You must be Margarete and Mandy,” I said as I stepped inside and let the door close behind me.

  All eyes turned and met mine.

  “I couldn’t tell you she was alive. We didn’t know who’d tried to kill her,” Mickey said.

  “I know,” I answered and walked to the bed to peer down at Freddie. “I think it’s time Margarete rises from the dead. Your dad is sitting in jail for killing her.”

  “That’s where we’re going next.”

  Margarete rounded the bed and took my hands. �
��I’m sorry you got involved. I didn’t want anyone else to get hurt. I planned to show up in court, to tell the truth about being alive. I wouldn’t have let Mickey’s dad take the fall. I just couldn’t, not yet. I was too scared.”

  I squeezed her hand. “I’m just glad you’re okay.”

  I answered with all honesty, even though my heart was shattered into a million pieces. Margarete would eventually heal from this ordeal. I’m not sure I ever would.

  “We’re in your debt,” Mickey announced.

  I shook my head and glanced at Freddie. “I’m in his.”

  I headed out of the room with one last look at Freddie on the bed. I’d find a way to repay him for saving my life. I had to.

  I headed down to the lobby to find both FBI agents lounging in chairs. Fernandez was on his phone and quickly snapped it closed and rose as I neared. “We leave you alone for an hour, and you’re almost killed.”

  I shrugged. “But I wasn’t.”

  “No, you weren’t.” Special Agent Hunter gestured to the automatic doors. “We figured you might need a ride.”

  I laughed, contradicting a tear that slipped free.

  ****

  It took a week for the buzz of reporters to disappear and almost everything to return to the new version of normal. I slid my hands down my black dress as I stared in the mirror. The color in my cheeks had yet to return. I felt like I was going to a funeral, and in some ways, I was.

  “Are you ready?” Charlotte asked, leaning against the doorframe.

  “As ready as I’ll ever be,” I answered and followed her downstairs where Mason was pulling at his tie while waiting with Faraday’s attorney and the chief of police.

  “Are you sure you want to do this?” Mason asked, holding my gaze.

  I nodded and gestured to the library and let Charlotte lead the way.

  “Ms. Blue.” The chief nodded in passing as he entered the room. The attorney remained silent, and who could blame him? He had no idea what I was about to say or do.

  I waited for everyone to be seated. The energy in the air was thick with uncertainty. I’m sure several more feelings would soon be added to that mixture before I was done.

  “Thank you all for coming.” I took a seat behind my father’s desk, hoping to soak up some of his lingering courage. Grammy and Mother were in the corner of the room watching me. No one could see them but me, but it was another form of support I needed today.

  “What’s this about?” the chief asked, letting his gaze go from Mason’s back to mine.

  “I’d like to make a deal.”

  The attorney glanced at the chief and then back at me. “What kind of deal?”

  “I’ll drop the charges against John Faraday on one condition.”

  The chief narrowed his eyes, and the attorney’s ears perked up.

  “What condition?” Faraday’s attorney asked.

  “John Faraday has been a friend to my family all my life and even before it. He was the only man who believed in my father’s abilities and also mine.”

  “He tried to kill you, Ms. Blue,” the chief butted in.

  “I don’t believe he was in his right mind or that he would have followed through. I have it on good authority that if you were to check the ceiling of the rental house, that you’ll find the bullet that was discharged. The gun wasn’t aimed at me when he fired. We both know that without it, the District Attorney doesn’t have a case, and Internal Affairs can’t do much but potentially suspended him for discharging his weapon. As far as the threats he made, those would be up to me if I felt the need to press charges.”

  “Cree.” Mason rose from his seat and started pacing the room behind the couches. “I heard him threaten to kill you with my own ears.”

  I nodded. Everything Mason said was true. I couldn’t deny that. “John has been after Moreno for longer than I’ve been alive. He was on medication, and to be honest, I don’t think he was going to kill me.”

  “You did at the time,” Mason answered, crossing his arms over his chest. “I heard it in your voice.”

  I let out a long sigh and leaned back. “Sure, he wanted to scare me, but we both know that if he intended to kill me, that bullet he fired wouldn’t have missed his target. He’s a crack shot, always has been.”

  “What’s your condition?” the attorney asked with the pen poised over his legal pad.

  “For starters, I’d like him to get counselling to deal with his anger toward Moreno. It’s neither natural nor healthy. He’s almost at retirement. One almost”—I used quote marks when I spoke the word to punch home my point —“bad deed doesn’t make him a bad man. He’s done so much good, not just for my family but for the citizens of this town. He doesn’t deserve to be locked up with criminals. I just think he momentarily snapped. He’d lost his home. Hell, he was almost killed. Things like that can really mess with a person’s head.”

  “We accept,” the counselor was quick to announce.

  “I wasn’t done,” I said, rising from my chair. “I’d like you to give him back his job.”

  “Now that’s out of the question,” the police chief said. “Don’t get me wrong, I like Faraday, and up until this incident he was a good cop, but I can’t trust him.”

  I nodded in complete understanding. I truly did understand. “His retirement is in a couple months. I’m not asking you to put him on active cases but to work as a liaison between me and the cold cases I was helping to solve. Consider it community service. He understands how I work, and you still get the benefit of my help. He’ll live here…”

  Mason walked out of the room, stealing the rest of my sentence when everyone turned to watch him leave. I cleared my throat to regain attention. “He’s homeless. He’ll live here after he attends counselling and until the therapist believes he’s not a threat.”

  “Why would you even offer that?” the Chief asked.

  “He’s family. He’ll always be my family.” A tear slid down my cheek just as my dad appeared in the room. He smiled, and I almost lost it. I took a deep breath and smiled back. “When he reaches retirement, he’ll be free to leave or whatever he wants. Those are my terms for dropping the charges.”

  “You can’t be serious,” the chief demanded.

  “Saving Faraday was the whole reason I went into this case, and I’m going to damn sure finish what I started.”

  “He’s not going to agree.”

  “You’re probably right.” I shrugged. It was always a possibility that the guilt from what he’d almost done would eat him alive. He was hard-headed when he wanted to be. “But I have to try.”

  The chief’s face softened, something I never thought I’d live long enough to see. “You truly believe that he wouldn’t have harmed you?”

  I glanced to my family’s spirits in the corner. “I have it on good authority that he just wanted to scare me, to push home the point that what I was doing was dangerous.” I met the chief’s gaze. “Will you let him be the liaison and help all of us bring peace to the families from your cold cases?”

  The chief ran his hand over his head. “You drive a hard bargain.”

  “Think of all the families you’ll be helping.”

  He nodded. “After his counselling, if I’m satisfied with the therapist’s reports that he’s making progress, then I’ll agree.”

  A smile eased on my lips as I turned to the attorney. “Those are my terms.”

  “He’ll accept. I’ll see to it.”

  “Not that I don’t trust you,” I said, sliding the top drawer open. I pulled out the letter I’d written to Faraday. It was short, sweet, and to the point.

  I love you. I forgive you for trying to scare sense into me, and it’s time to come home and help me solve these cold cases. I’ll have the cookies waiting.

  “Give him this, and when he agrees, you and the Chief can make the necessary arrangements.”

  In the next thirty minutes, I had everyone out of the house and was surprised to find Mason’s car still in
my drive. I walked back inside and went in search to find him standing at the kitchen counter next to the cookies. The sight made me smile.

  “I needed a few minutes before I started to yell. I followed the smell of your cookies. They seemed to calm me down.”

  “I’ll have to remember that.” I grinned and went to the plate and handed him two while I nibbled on one. “I know you don’t believe I know what I’m doing, but honest, I do.”

  He chewed and swallowed before he answered. “I’ll never understand you.”

  I chuckled. He wasn’t the first. “Congrats on the new job.”

  “How did you know?” he asked, his brows dipped.

  “I have friends in high places,” I said, walking to the fridge. I poured us both a glass of milk and set them next to the cookies. I dunked mine, and he looked like I should be arrested for doing it.

  “This is a good opportunity for me,” he announced, setting his cookie down. He took my hand.

  “I know. It’s your dream.” I smiled up at him. “You’ve got to take it.”

  “This isn’t the end between us,” he said, kissing my cheek.

  “I know. You promised me a date when you got back.” I grinned.

  “My daughter lives here.”

  I smiled. “I know. I heard you had one.”

  Mason chuckled. “Faraday told you.”

  I nodded.

  “I’ll be back often to see her.” He cupped my cheek and leaned down to stare into my eyes. “And you.”

  He pressed his lips to mine in a kiss that only lovers would share. Not that we were, but we were defiantly headed in that direction. One day at a time. That was all any of us really had.

  My doorbell rang, breaking the moment. “Sorry.”

  “It’s okay. I have to leave.” He followed me to the door, standing right next to me as I pulled it open.

  My mouth parted, and words escaped me.

  “Blue,” Freddie said, smiling down at me. “You’re a rock star.”

  I gave a full-belly laugh. “Hardly, what are you doing here, and who’s your friend?”

  “I’ve decided to make you my full-time protection detail since you’re going to be running around chasing criminals.” Freddie pointed his thumb at the man next to him. “And I don’t know who this guy is, but if you want, I can get rid of him.”