by Jen J. Danna
“Connor didn’t see it that way. Samuel was generations older, but they shared a bond of like minds and interests. Samuel set him on his chosen career path, and Connor felt this was the ultimate way to repay him—doing the deed that Samuel couldn’t do without revealing himself.”
“Would it really have been a problem at this point?” Paul asked from the backseat, where he was wedged between Kiko and Juka as the forest flanking Route 2 streaked by.
“It’s not like he’d even survive long enough to go to trial,” Kiko agreed. “Or if he did, how could he testify? He’s the only one left with any actual knowledge of that time, but he’s not lucid enough to be a reliable witness.”
“Even if he was convicted,” Juka said, “he’d only serve a fraction of his sentence and likely not even be cognizant of it.”
“Not to mention that I bet Samuel thought the score was settled when he killed Ward,” Matt said. “Ward’s life for his mother’s.”
Leigh slid him a sidelong glance. “That’s vigilante justice. That’s not how we do things in this country.”
“But sometimes it’s really that simple, especially when you’re up against someone like Ward. Someone with money and power, who can buy his way out of trouble, especially back then.”
Leigh took her eyes off the road long enough to drill him with an appalled stare. “Do you actually condone what he did in that speakeasy?”
“Condone … no. But do I understand why he did it? Sure. If someone untouchable murdered my mother and I knew that she’d never see justice, would I try to make my own? It’s a gray area. I’m not sure what I’d do.”
Paul reached forward to tap Matt on the shoulder. “A word of advice, man. You’re talking to a cop, who’s going to see it in black and white. Stop talking now before you bury yourself.”
“Speaking of the speakeasy, there’s a place where Connor went wrong,” Kiko said.
Leigh met her eyes in the rearview mirror and Kiko grinned sheepishly as she purposely changed the subject to keep her boss from digging an even bigger hole for himself.
“What do you mean?” Juka asked.
“He left Peter Holt’s body there as a message for Evelyn. I’ll bet he purposely left his ID on him so there was no way to mistake in the message who he was. The only problem was that the most important part of the message didn’t get through, at least not right away. Connor learned the location of the Blue Ruin from Samuel, but clearly Evelyn didn’t know about it, so the significance of the body dumpsite was lost on her.”
“Until she saw the cuff links,” Paul said. “Only then did it all make sense. She had to know the Kain family was responsible for her loss, but she didn’t know who, specifically, until Connor panicked after realizing his alibi wasn’t going to hold up and Leigh would figure out it was him. But what I want to know is how she figured out that Samuel Kain killed her father?”
“We got a lot of the story from her yesterday in interview. She was doing major renovations to the house in Lynn in nineteen-seventy-five,” Leigh said. “When they ripped out the floor of Ward’s office, they found a floor safe. She had it drilled and discovered a bunch of Ward’s business papers and account books. He’d made note of threats from Samuel Kain over a wrongful death.”
“He was a politician,” Paul pointed out. “He was probably covering his ass in case he got sued. But that still doesn’t point the finger at Samuel.”
“It doesn’t. But she recounted a story back from when she was very young. Sitting at the top of the stairs, watching her father meet with someone in the front hall. A very angry young man, she recalled. The man wanted restitution following the death of his mother. He even threatened to kill Ward before he got thrown out. Ward shouted at him that he’d never be anything other than a dirty bricklayer. Evelyn was certain that man was Samuel Kain.”
“That was forty years after the death of her father,” Matt scoffed. “How could she be sure it was Kain? The memory of a small child from so long ago?”
“Apparently he mentioned his mother’s name—Nora. Kain’s mother’s name was Nora.”
Matt made a sound that fell somewhere between a snort and a laugh.
Leigh held up a hand to placate him. “I’m not disagreeing with you. I also found it hard to believe that she killed Anna Kain based on a few vague documents and the wisp of a childhood memory. But, in fact, she was correct. She never went to the police because her father’s body was never found. No proof of death, no actual real evidence, no investigation. So she took matters into her own hands, and then used the family fortune to pay off Emerson to ID the wrong man, ensuring that the cop who wouldn’t let the case drop stopped looking at her.”
“How do you know all of this?” Kiko asked.
“By this point in the interview, Evelyn was giving me any info on Samuel Kain’s guilt she could, both in her own defense and in an attempt to bury Kain. The most disturbing thing to me was that sending an innocent man to jail for decades didn’t bother her at all. She described Cabrera as a dangerous criminal who was better locked up in jail than free on the streets collecting welfare. The fact that he lost decades of his life and missed his children growing up didn’t faze her in the least.”
“What about Peter Holt’s death?” Paul asked. “You figured out he was killed at the Ward family home in Lynn, but how did Connor actually get him there?”
“Connor was banking on what he considered to be a rich person’s love of money. In the end, it served him well. There was a ‘For Sale’ sign on the front lawn when Riley and I went to search the house. It didn’t take much work on Connor’s part to find out that the listing price was too high—against the realtor’s recommendation—so it wasn’t moving. He cold-called Peter, posing as an agent of a local auction house specializing in moving exclusive properties. Peter told him the house belonged to his mother, but Connor explained that he wanted to run the idea by Peter first and even offered Peter a ‘finder’s fee’ if he’d be willing to help convince his mother that auctioning the property was the way to go. It wasn’t an unlikely proposal since some of these auctions can gross twenty-five percent or more for the auctioneer, plus hourly fees. Also, because of the auction process, the final sale price can exceed the asking price, so it’s worth it to them to go out and drum up business. Peter certainly bought it. He had access and agreed to show Connor the property. Evelyn never knew anything about it. It proved to be the last mistake Peter would ever make.”
The sun was just setting behind the trees at the edge of the property as Leigh pulled the car into the half-full parking lot in front of the Souza-Baranowski Correctional Center. “Also speaking of the Blue Ruin, you remember what Rowe told us about how the government deliberately poisoned industrial alcohol to keep people from drinking it? That’s what Ward used to dilute his real Canadian, Jamaican, and European booze. Kain’s mother was just one of many casualties of the practice.” She killed the engine. “And here we are.”
Paul leaned forward, peering through the windshield at the two huge structures sprawled behind the low-slung building outside the sky-high razor wire fence. “Whoa. That is not where you want to spend twenty years of your life.”
“Trust me, it’s not where you want to spend even a week of your life,” Matt said.
“It looks …” Kiko seemed to be at a loss for words. “Foreboding. Tiny barred windows surrounded by deadly fences. It must be miserable inside.”
“It’s not good. Remember, it’s a prison, not a day spa. We’re not rewarding people for committing serious offenses.” Leigh opened her door. “Come on. Cabrera is supposed to be released at four.”
“I still can’t believe you got him out this fast,” Paul said. “I mean, the justice system just doesn’t work that way.”
Leigh paused to turn to the backseat. “It does in a case like this. D.A. Saxon arranged for a judge, Cabrera got counsel assigned to him, and then there was an immediate court session to release him. When the evidence is this black and white, they do
n’t drag their heels. Everyone does what they can to release the wronged man immediately. And since no jury is required, everything can be arranged quickly. It really can happen in a matter of days.”
They climbed out just as another car pulled into the parking lot. The engine died and a man and woman got out. The woman opened the backseat and leaned in, straightening a moment later holding a baby in a padded, pink, footed onesie. Turning she spotted Leigh. After a moment’s conversation with the man, they both started toward the group.
Matt leaned down to murmur in her ear. “Are those Cabrera’s kids?”
“I think so. I talked to his daughter on the phone a few days ago. She’s never met her father and wasn’t sure she wanted to.” Leigh eyed the woman, who appeared to be in her early thirties, as she quickly closed the distance between them. “I think she changed her mind.”
“Trooper Abbott?”
“Yes.”
The woman shifted her baby to her other shoulder, freeing her right hand to shake. “Sofia Cabrera. Thank you for your call the other night. I know I wasn’t very receptive to your idea initially, but maybe I just needed some time to think about it. This is my brother, Luis.” When the man behind her continued to hang back, his dark eyes darting suspiciously from side to side, she grabbed his arm, hauling him forward with surprising strength for such a small woman. “Luis, we’ve been over this.”
“Don’t like cops,” the man mumbled.
“And this cop isn’t here for you,” she retorted.
“Mr. Cabrera, it’s good to meet you. I’m so glad you came to meet your father. It will mean a lot to him.” Leigh extended her hand, waiting patiently while Luis weighed his options before finally shaking her hand, whipping his hand from her grasp as quickly as he could. She turned to Sofia. “I’m glad you both came. It will mean a lot to him.”
“I thought a lot about what you said. That he was innocent of this crime. And while he’d been found guilty before, he’d been trying to straighten out—for us—when he got into trouble. Mom always made it clear that he didn’t love us enough to stay straight, but you tell me that’s not true. It’s going to be difficult to try and change the beliefs of a lifetime, but if you’re right, then he deserves the chance to prove himself.”
“Good for you. I think your father will need you now, perhaps more than he’s needed anyone else in his life. It’s not the same world he left over thirty years ago. He’s going to need someone to help him find his way.”
“I think I’d like to try.”
“Look!” Paul pointed to the door of the correctional center as it slowly started to open.
Cabrera stepped out into the fading sunlight. Someone had given him street clothes to wear. The baggy jeans, plaid shirt, and worn jacket didn’t fit perfectly, but they were clean and neat. He was clean-shaven now, the scruffy white beard gone, revealing a lined face.
Sofia gasped, her hand rising to cover her mouth.
“You okay?” Leigh asked.
Sofia nodded several times in quick succession, the movement bouncing the baby on her shoulder. “He looks so much like Luis. But old. So old.”
“His life here hasn’t been a picnic. But your being here will likely make this easier on him.” Leigh looked back at the man staring at them from across the space. “Do you want me to take you over and introduce you?”
“No, we can do this. Luis, are you coming?”
The other man jammed his hands in his pockets, hunching his shoulders and shaking his head.
“You’re a fool then. Come on, Maria, let’s go meet Grandpa.” She started across the parking lot.
“Gutsy gal,” Matt murmured.
“That she is,” Leigh agreed. “I think she takes after her father.”
Sofia stopped feet away from her father. “Papá?” Her voice was uncertain and a slight tremor ran through it.
“Sofia?” Cabrera’s gaze swept over her, taking in every feature and hesitating over the small form in her arms. “Is that you?”
A tiny nod was all Sofia could manage, and then she rushed forward to throw her free arm around her father. Cabrera froze for a moment, stunned and unsure how to react. Then his arms slowly came around the daughter he’d never met as his eyes closed in bliss.
A hand rubbed comfortingly up and down Leigh’s back and she looked up into Matt’s smiling eyes. “You did good, Trooper.”
“We did good. We couldn’t have lived with ourselves if we’d sat back and done nothing. It’s not who we are.”
“Amen to that.”
Sofia pulled back, self-consciously wiping her eyes. Shifting the baby from her shoulder, she held out the small form to her father.
Cabrera glanced uncertainly from his daughter to the baby and back again. “It’s been a long time since I’ve held a baby.” His gaze flicked to the dark man standing apart from the group.
“No time like the present to practice, abuelito. Meet your granddaughter, Maria.”
Cabrera hesitantly took the baby, holding her awkwardly at first until some old reflex kicked in and he adjusted his hold, settling her against his chest. Fascinated, the baby stared up at him with a nearly identical pale blue gaze. “She has my eyes.”
As if in response to his words, the baby reached up, tapping her fingers gently against his freshly shaven chin.
Kiko gave a small sniff and Leigh glanced behind to see her staring at the trio, blinking furiously.
“Are you crying?” Paul asked incredulously.
“No.” Kiko contradicted herself with another sniff. “The sun is in my eyes, that’s all.”
“Uh-huh.” Paul’s look clearly said I don’t believe you but, with a grin, he turned back to the family tableau before them.
“Luis.” Sofia was standing in front of her brother, hands on her hips. “We’ve been over this. Now stop being a stubborn ass.”
Luis’s shoulders inched higher and his gaze dropped to his scuffed work boots.
“It’s okay, Sofia.” Shifting the baby more securely into the crook of one arm, Cabrera stepped forward, grasping his son’s arm. “You were just a tiny boy the last time I saw you. But I still see that boy in the man you are now. I’m sorry I wasn’t there for you growing up.” He threw a glance at Sofia. “For both of you, but I’ll do whatever I can to make amends for that now.” He paused when his son didn’t move and continued to stare at the asphalt between their feet. “Luis, look at me.”
The younger man’s head raised reluctantly, his flat gaze meeting his father’s.
“It wasn’t my fault I was taken from you, but it doesn’t change the fact that you lost your father, a hard thing for a boy at any age. I can’t bring back those years, but I can try to be that father now. Please let me try.”
Luis remained stock still for a moment, and then gave a subtle jerk of his head. Satisfied his father stepped back.
A dark sedan attracted Leigh’s attention. It pulled into the lot only a few cars away. A frail older man climbed out.
“Uh-oh.”
“What?” Picking up on the stress in Leigh’s voice, Matt leaned in. “Who’s that?”
“That’s Trooper Bern.” She laid a hand on his arm. “Stay here. I need to go smooth the waters.”
But Cabrera had already seen the older man and was handing the squirming baby back to her mother. “You’ve got some nerve coming here, Bern.” He crossed the parking lot in ground-eating strides, standing at the end of the gap between the two cars, blocking Bern’s path. “Get the hell out of here. You’re not wanted.”
But the older man straightened and Leigh could see the bearing of a police officer slide back into place. “I may not be wanted, but I came anyway. I owe you an apology.” He held out his hand. “I was so focused on finding who killed Anna Kain that perhaps I didn’t stop long enough to question the evidence that came into my hands. If I contributed to putting you here, to keeping you here when it’s now clear you were always innocent of her murder, then I’m sorry. In my need to find jus
tice, I was blind to your plight. You never wavered from your innocence, but I wasn’t listening.”
Leigh reached the men, putting out a hand to stop Cabrera from stalking further forward. “Cabrera, you need to know that Trooper Bern played a significant role in your release by providing the information that led to the apprehension of the real killer. He was determined to right whatever wrong he may have done. More than that, it wasn’t his fault. We know who falsified the evidence that put you away, and that person is being brought into custody as we speak. It was a reputable witness who was paid off.”
For a moment, Cabrera only stared down menacingly at the retired trooper, who still stood with his hand extended in greeting.
Heart beating faster as the silence stretched and the tension rose, Leigh started to calculate if she could successfully leap the corner of the hood of Bern’s car to get physically between the two men. Cabrera was heavier and likely stronger than she was, but she still had the advantage over Bern’s frailty. She laid her hand on the warm hood of Bern’s car and started to gather herself when Cabrera slapped his hand into the older man’s. It wasn’t a warm handshake; it was terse, and, from the wince on Bern’s face, it was overly hard. But it was a start. Cabrera dropped Bern’s hand and strode back to his family without a backward glance.
Bern gave Leigh a short nod of thanks and a sheepish smile before he got back into his car and drove away.
Leigh wandered back to Matt and his students. “I thought things were going to get dicey there for a moment.”
“You and me both. You were going to get between them, weren’t you?”
Leigh blinked innocent eyes up at him. “Would I do that?”
The look he gave her told her he could see right through her charade.