by KJ Kalis
Emily looked at Lou and he looked back at her. Emily nodded. “That would be fine. Thank you.”
Before the words were out of her mouth, the two men with Frank had put their arms under Vince, standing him up, practically dragging him to the car. As pale as Vince was when Emily found him, he was even paler now, the reality of what was about to happen settling on him. “No, you can’t let them take me. Arrest me. Do something!” he screamed, his voice bouncing off the empty parking garage.
Emily watched as the two men loaded Vince into the SUV. Frank glanced at her, “You are unharmed?”
Emily nodded.
“There’s no need to worry about Vince. I’ll take it from here. I’ve heard about the trouble he’s caused for Ms. Burgess.”
Emily didn’t say anything, watching the SUV pull away. “How did you know I was here?” she asked Lou, following him back to the parking lot.
“One of my informants told me about the meeting. Thought I should be here.”
“I’m glad you were.” Emily glanced off in the distance, “I wonder what will happen to Vince now?”
Lou shook his head. “I’m not sure you want to know…”
Epilogue
Two days later, Emily got back into her truck after a grueling workout with Clarence. Miner settled in on the backseat with a groan, his belly filled with treats. Her phone chirped. It was Mike. “Thought you might want to see this.” It was a link to an article. Emily clicked on it.
There wasn’t much to it, just a few lines that the body of a well-known Chicago businessman had washed up on the shores of Lake Michigan. The medical examiner had found a high level of alcohol in his system. They assumed he’d gotten drunk and decided to take a swim in the lake which hadn’t worked out very well for him. “Thank you, Frank,” Emily said, pushing the sweat-drenched strands of hair away from her face. She forwarded the link to Lou. He probably knew all about it already.
As she walked in the door from the gym, Mike was waiting by the back door, his laptop bag and overnight bag packed ready to go. “Are you leaving?” she asked.
“Yep, don’t want to overstay my welcome,” he said, leaning down to give Miner a scratch as the dog walked by and curled up on his bed. “Listen, I want to tell you again how sorry I am about Miner. I was out of line.”
Emily could tell by the look on his face that Mike had realized what a betrayal it had been to her for him to steal her dog. “It’s okay,” she said, though she wondered if the fracture in their relationship would ever be fully repaired.
“It’s not okay. I talked to my friend Alice. You remember, she’s the one that helped us on Sarah’s case?”
Emily nodded.
“Well, she flat out told me it’s high time I get myself together. I’m going to see a therapist.”
Emily raised her eyebrows. “You are?”
“Well, yeah. It’s virtual, and everything. I really can’t see myself sitting on some couch somewhere. But Alice said it’s cool. She said I’ll like it and it’ll make me feel better. So, I’ll give it a try.” Mike glanced down at the floor, “Anyway, I just wanted to tell you I appreciate our friendship and I’m very sorry.”
To say Emily was surprised would have been an understatement. “Okay. Well, keep me posted on how things are going. I’ll loop you in for the next case.”
Mike exhaled loudly, “Thank God! I was sure you’d never want to work with me again.” He leaned over and hugged Emily awkwardly, patting her on the back, then picked up his bags and walked out the back door.
Just as the door clicked closed, Emily’s phone rang. The call was coming from Anthony’s number. “I hear your problem has been solved.”
Emily put her keys on the counter and tilted her head to the side, “Yes. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. People like that make business difficult for all of us. Oh, I think you’ll be getting some good news about Ms. Burgess and your butcher soon. Call if you need me, honey.”
After taking a shower, Emily came downstairs to find a string of excited texts from Marlowe. She’d been released from the hospital after a couple of days in the psych unit. “I got the building back!” she wrote in the first text. The string of messages that followed said that somehow the money that had been taken from the loan account had been repaid. Someone had secured her a new loan and the Rossiter’s had walked away from the project, still reeling at the loss of Vince.
Emily didn’t reply. Some things were better left unsaid. She leashed Miner and put an envelope in her back pocket. “It’s time to go get some dinner, buddy.” The walk to Sammy’s Butcher Shop seemed more relaxed this time, despite the cold weather. Why, she wasn’t sure, although maybe it was because the peace in her city had been restored, at least for now. Walking in the back door, Carl practically ran her over, beaming from ear to ear. “I have great news! The people that own the building — the Donato’s — they decided not to have me move after all! And get this, they didn’t even raise my rent!”
Emily slumped down into one of the chairs in front of Carl’s desk. It was almost too much good news to deal with in one day. She pulled the envelope of cash out of her pocket. It was five thousand, one of the envelopes Anthony left in her mailbox every month. “Well, here’s a little investment in your business in case you want to make any upgrades. This should cover this month’s bill and still give you some play money.”
Carl stood in the doorway, his mouth open as Emily got up. “Oh my gosh! I don’t know how to thank you. Can I get you something?”
Emily picked up Miner’s leash, “No. I’m good… I’m really good.”
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A Note from the Author
Thanks so much for taking the time to read Lakeview Vendetta!
After reading Lakeview Vendetta, I hope that you've been able to take a break from your everyday life and join Emily on her adventure to get justice for Marlowe. There are more stories to come! Click on this link and enjoy an exclusive prequel for this series.
Enjoy!
KJ
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