06 Fatal Mistake

by Marie Force

  “Lovely,” Sam said. “Will you get them to the lab ASAP and put a rush on it?”

  “On my way there now.”

  “Thanks, Rango. Good work. Cruz, will you let Lindsey’s office know we’re almost ready for them to swab her?”

  “Yep.”

  “Any word from the lab on the knife?” Sam asked.

  “They were working on it when I called earlier,” Malone said.

  “Great.”

  “Let’s get this done,” Sam said.

  The others filed out of the room, leaving Charity and Malone to watch from the observation area.

  “Hill,” Sam said in the hallway.

  He turned back to her.

  “Are you okay?”

  “Yeah, I’m great. I just helped arrest the wife of my childhood friend. Never better.”

  “I’m sorry it turned out to be her. Ray has to know you didn’t enjoy that.”

  “Yeah, I’m sure he’ll be all sorts of forgiving after I help put his wife away for the rest of her life.” He shook his head. “Sorry. I don’t mean to take it out on you. It’s her I’m pissed with. She had everything, for Christ’s sake.”

  “She didn’t know any other way to live but rich and entitled. When that was taken from her, she struck out at the ones she blamed, never suspecting for a second that she’d get caught.”

  “I feel sorry for Ray,” Hill said. “He’s a hardworking guy who’s put a lot of himself into running the team. Who knows where this will leave him?”

  “Hard to say right now, but I’m sure it’ll work out for him. People won’t blame him for what she did. Let’s get this done so we can get the hell out of here.”

  They joined Cruz at the far end of the hallway and entered the three rooms simultaneously.

  “I’m not saying a word to you,” Elle said when Sam walked in.

  “You can just listen for now. Boris and Horace, your faithful henchmen, have told us everything.”

  “They wouldn’t dare say a word about me to you!”

  “Oh no? Funny how chatty they got when we told them they were looking at life in prison with no chance of parole unless they helped us to make a case against you. They told us everything—how angry you were with Willie and how you told them something had to be done about him, that he couldn’t get away with ruining everything for you.” Sam was spouting pure speculation, but judging from the reaction it drew from Elle, she wasn’t far off the mark.

  “They told us how you lured Willie to the seedy motel by blackmailing him with info about how he’d spent time there before with underage girls. How did you know that? Did your lover boy Rick tell you he’d seen Willie there before? Did you tell him you were going to call his wife, Elle? Is that how you got him there?”

  Without skipping a beat, Sam continued. “Doesn’t really matter how you got him there. Boris and Horace took over once he arrived, didn’t they? They put him in a room with Amber, hoping to distract him with sex, before they killed him in one place, dumped him in another and took his car somewhere else and all but destroyed it. Did they use Willie’s own baseball bats to destroy the car he’d loved so much? That would’ve been poetic, right? You must’ve been pretty pissed off with Willie to use almost the last of your available funds to pay Boris and Horace to do your dirty work for you.”

  “You have no idea what you’re talking about,” Elle said, a little less forcefully since Sam had offered a time line of how Willie’s murder had gone down.

  “Rick was a little more personal, since you’d been banging him on the side. You thought you could count on him to give you what you needed with the season on the line, but he didn’t get it done for you either, did he? All he had to do was strike out three batters. Three measly batters and the Feds would be in the World Series, and you’d get the influx of cash you desperately needed to save your daddy’s empire. But it didn’t happen, did it? One of the best closers in baseball couldn’t get it done for you, could he?”

  Elle crossed her arms and raised her chin defiantly. “I want a lawyer.”

  “No problem. Who would you like us to call?”

  She named one of Washington’s top law firms. “Tell them I want someone over here tonight to get me out of here.”

  Sam didn’t bother to tell her there was no way she was getting out of there any time soon. She’d figure that out soon enough. “I’ll give them a call. I’m sure they’re standing by at the ready at this hour on a Friday night.”

  She walked out of the room, letting the door slam shut behind her. A patrolman stood watch outside the door. “No one goes in or out of there without me knowing.”

  “Yes, ma’am, Lieutenant.”

  Sam went to the observation room to see how Hill and Cruz were making out with the bodyguards.

  Horace was in tears, sobbing loudly as Cruz took him through the same scenario Sam had laid out for Elle.

  “Ms. Elle,” Horace said between sobs, “she said Willie had to go. He’d messed up everything, and why should he get away with that? Me and Boris, we didn’t want to do it, but Ms. Elle, she said we had to or we’d get fired. We didn’t want to get fired. We did it just the way she told us to. We just did what we was told to do.”

  “Nice work, partner,” Sam whispered, beaming with pride as Freddie gently coaxed a confession from Horace.

  Freddie pushed a yellow pad across the table. “Write it down, exactly the way it happened.”

  Horace dried his tears and reached for the pen with his left hand. As Lindsey and Byron had suspected, the killer was left-handed.

  In the adjoining room, Hill worked over Boris. “Elle told us what you did. She said it was your idea to kill Willie.”

  “She said what? It wasn’t my idea!”

  “That’s what she said.”

  “I don’t understand. Why would she blame me? I just did what she told me to do. I always do what she tells me to.”

  “Have you killed for her before this?”

  “No! I’ve never killed anyone before. It made me sick to do that to Willie. He wasn’t a bad guy. He made a mistake. But Ms. Elle... She said he had to go. We couldn’t let him get away with ruining everything.”

  Hill pushed a yellow pad across the table. “Write it down. Exactly the way it happened.”

  “Excellent,” Sam said as it all came together.

  “We’ve got enough to charge all of them with first-degree murder of Willie,” Charity said. “I want the results of the DNA tests before we pin Lind’s murder on her.” She handed the warrant to Sam.

  Sam grabbed the extension off the wall and dialed the morgue.

  Byron Tomlinson answered.

  “This is Holland. We’ve got the warrant. Can you get down here to take a swab for me?”

  “On my way.”

  “Thanks.”

  While she waited for Tomlinson, Sam went into her office to look up the phone number for the law firm Elle had requested. She left a message with the answering service and then took a moment to check her own phone for messages. She was delighted to find a text from Nick.

  On the way home. Heard you got into another scrape while I was gone. I can’t leave you unsupervised for even a day. Missed you. See you in the morning.

  Sam smiled as she reread the message. It felt like forever since she’d last talked to him. She couldn’t wait to hear his voice and have his strong arms wrapped around her. The anticipation gave her a much-needed adrenaline boost.

  Her desk phone rang as she was getting up to return to the observation area.

  “This is Tim Russo returning your call about Elle Jestings.”

  “Yes, thanks for getting back to me. She’s been arrested on murder charges and has requested an attorney from your firm to represent her.”

  After a long pause, he said, “I’m afraid that won’t be possible. Mrs. Jestings has an outstanding balance on her account that exceeds fifty thousand dollars. We’re unable to do any more work for her until the balance is settled.”

&n
bsp; Sam tried to imagine how this news would go over with Elle and couldn’t help but smile. “I’ll let her know. Thank you for returning my call.”

  “No problem.”

  Sam got up and went straight to the room where Elle was being held. “I just got off the phone with Tim Russo.”

  “He’s on his way?”

  “I’m afraid not. He said your account with his firm is in arrears to the tune of fifty thousand dollars, and until you’ve settled up with them, they’re unavailable to do any more work for you.”

  “You can’t be serious,” she said, her face flushing with rage. “They were my father’s attorneys for forty years! They wouldn’t dare say no to me!”

  “I believe they just did. Shall I call the public defender’s office for you?”

  In that moment it seemed to occur to Elle that she was screwed. As she dropped into a chair, her silk dress billowed out around her before collapsing against her legs. “If it’s that or nothing, make the call.”

  “Very good.”

  “You don’t need to enjoy this so much.”

  “I don’t enjoy anything about murder, except for catching the scumbags who did it and sending them away for life. That part I enjoy very much. You may as well get comfortable, Mrs. Jestings. You’re going to be here a while.”

  * * *

  By the time they got the DNA results back from the lab as well as the report on the knife that confirmed the presence of Willie’s blood and Horace’s fingerprints, as well as Boris’s fingerprints on the steering wheel of Willie’s car, it was after four in the morning. Sam, Hill and Cruz spent the next three hours typing up their reports and filing them.

  At eight o’clock, Sam placed calls to Carmen Vasquez and Carla Lind to let them know arrests had been made in their husbands’ murders. While it might have been cowardly on her part, she refrained from informing them that their husbands had been unfaithful. Both were still dealing with the grief of their sudden losses, and giving them the rest of the story at this time would’ve been piling on. They’d find out soon enough.

  After she gave a brief statement about the arrests to the media, she was about to finally go home when she remembered she’d never filed a report on Stahl’s attack. It took another hour to pound that out, and by then her eyes were gritty and raw. Although she was anxious to see Scotty before he left with Mrs. Littlefield at ten, she stopped first at her dad’s house to update him on the case and to find out what had happened at the doctor’s appointment.

  “Are you crazy kids up yet?” she called out as she walked into the house to find her dad and Celia sitting at the kitchen table. “What’s going on?”

  “Have you been up all night, honey?”

  “Just getting home now, but we got it sewed up.”

  Celia held up the front page of the Star where a banner headline read “Star Publisher Elle Kopelsman Jestings Charged in Vasquez, Lind Murders.” The picture of Sam dragging Elle into HQ was plastered under the headline.

  “I can’t believe she was involved,” Skip said. “Her dad must be rolling in his grave.”

  “I suspect he’s been rolling for some time as she drove his company into the ground.”

  “Want some coffee?” Celia asked.

  “No thanks. I’m going home to crash.” She sat for a minute. “I heard you’re being admitted for some tests. What’s up with that?”

  “They think the bullet might be moving,” Celia said grimly.

  “What does that mean?”

  “It may have to come out.”

  “But they said that would be too dangerous.”

  “Yes, and it would still be dangerous, but it might be more dangerous to leave it if it’s moving.”

  Sam’s exhausted mind struggled to process what her stepmother was saying. “If they take it out, will he regain feeling in his extremities?”

  “They don’t know,” Skip said.

  “But maybe?” Sam asked as a surge of hope shot through her.

  “They don’t know what to expect,” her dad said again. “It’s a very unusual case. Has been from the beginning.”

  “When are you going in?”

  “Next week. After the election, don’t worry.”

  “Don’t plan it around us! Do what’s best for you!”

  “It’ll keep until then, baby girl,” Skip said. “I want to see my son-in-law reelected before I steal the spotlight for a day or two.”

  “Are you sure it’s okay to wait that long?”

  “It’s fine,” Skip assured her. “Everything is going to be just fine. I don’t want you to worry. Now come give your dear old dad a kiss and go home to bed. You’re about to keel over from exhaustion.”

  Since Sam couldn’t deny that, she got up and did as he asked, hanging on to him for an extra minute before she released him and went to kiss Celia’s cheek. “Keep me posted.”

  “You know we will, honey.”

  Sam left her dad’s house and walked the short distance to the ramp that led to her own home. Inside, she found Scotty having breakfast with Shelby. Judging from the chocolate smeared all over Scotty’s face, Shelby had made chocolate-chip pancakes.

  “Sam! You’re home. Did you figure out who killed Willie?”

  Sam bent to kiss his forehead. “I sure did. Three people are in jail right now.”

  “I hope they never get out.”

  “I doubt they will. Mrs. L will be here in a few minutes. You need to go wash your face and brush your teeth.”

  “Okay!”

  “Grab your overnight bag too,” Shelby called after him.

  Sam took the seat he’d abandoned and tore off a bite of pancake from the stack on the table. “Thanks so much for staying here last night.”

  “I’m happy to do it whenever you need me.”

  “It’s a huge help.”

  “I enjoy being with him. He’s delightful.”

  Sam smiled. “Yes, he is.”

  “You look done in.”

  “I’m ready for some sleep.”

  “What time does your handsome hubby get home?”

  “I’m not sure. He said sometime this morning.”

  “I’ll get out of here so you two can have some alone time.”

  “Since we’ll probably be unconscious for most of it, you don’t need to rush on my account.”

  “I’ve got a wedding to check in on later today, and a hot date for lunch tomorrow.” Her grin stretched from ear to ear. “I need to get my nails done and my hair colored.”

  “Ah, did a certain FBI agent finally call you?”

  “Yes, he did. He wanted to go today, but I didn’t want to be too available.”

  Sam laughed at her logic. “Good. I’m glad you heard from him. He’s a nice guy. You could do worse.”

  “He’s easy on the eyes. That’s for sure.”

  “If you say so.”

  Shelby giggled as she got up from the table and made quick work of cleaning up the kitchen. “So why doesn’t Nick like him?”

  Taken aback by the question, Sam struggled to find an answer that didn’t require the actual truth. “Who knows? Guys are so weird.”

  Thankfully, Shelby didn’t choose to pursue it any further and chatted about her night with Scotty as she finished loading the dishwasher.

  Sam forced herself to stay awake until Mrs. Littlefield arrived to pick up Scotty for their outing.

  He gave Sam a big hug before he left. “Tell Nick I’ll see him tomorrow.”

  “I will, buddy. We’ll be there to get you in the afternoon. Have a good time.”

  “We’ll have a great time,” Mrs. Littlefield said as she ushered Scotty out the door with his Secret Service detail in tow.

  Shelby left a short time later, and Sam trudged upstairs, going directly to the shower where she nearly fell asleep standing up. As she was combing her hair, she caught her first glimpse of her injured neck. “Holy shit,” she whispered as she took in the vivid blue marks. She was glad to know her nemesis had gotte
n the worst of it, but Nick would flip when he saw her latest collection of bruises.

  And how had he known about the altercation with Stahl anyway?

  “Secret Service,” she whispered to her reflection. Of course they had a direct pipeline to Air Force One and would’ve informed him of what happened in his absence. It had probably upset him to hear that she’d been hurt when he was too far away to do anything for her, which in turn upset her. She didn’t like being the cause of his distress.

  Sam dried her hair, secured it into a loose ponytail and wandered naked into the bedroom, eyeing the big bed with lust in her heart. Then she thought of the loft and decided that’s where she wanted to be when he got home.

  Still naked, she went upstairs, landed facedown on the comfortable double lounge chair and pulled a soft blanket over her. Sleep swooped down on her immediately. She fell asleep smiling, knowing she’d wake up to her husband’s handsome face and get to spend an entire day completely alone with him. She couldn’t wait to see him and to tell him all about what’d happened while he was gone.

  * * *

  Nick dropped his duffel bag inside the front door and laid his garment bag over the sofa to deal with later. He kicked off his shoes and took the stairs in stocking feet, anxious to lay eyes on his wife, even if she was sound asleep. He’d take what he could get. In the bedroom, he was surprised to find the bed empty and the blinds open to the late morning sunshine.

  “Where the heck is she?”

  And then he knew. Smiling, he took the stairs to the loft two at a time. She was curled up on her side, and the dip of the blanket revealed a bare shoulder, the graceful curve of her back and a tantalizing view of her gorgeous ass.

  Nick licked lips gone dry and quickly shed his own clothes into a pile on the floor that was most unlike him. He’d showered and shaved on the plane before they landed so he wouldn’t have to do anything when he got home but snuggle up to his beautiful wife in bed.

  He’d talked to Scotty on the way home, so he knew she’d worked all night and managed to close the Vasquez and Lind cases. His Secret Service detail had filled him in on the arrest of Elle Jestings and her bodyguards.

  Nick curled up to her warmth and pulled the blanket over both of them as he put his arm around her and breathed in the familiar scent of home.