“Call Kathy. Put her on speakerphone. Tell her you came over here the night of the funeral in a drunken stupor and passed out at my place. Let her know I took DNA samples and it turns out, you aren’t a Chapman. Tell her the scheme to fleece us is over, you decided to go through with the divorce, and want full custody of Grayson.”
Kip felt as though Sam reached across the desk and kicked him in the nuts with biker boots. He shook his head. “No, no way. She’ll never give up Grayson or fall for the story. She’ll want proof.”
Sliding the report across the desk, Sam kept her composure, knowing some of what she would say was blatantly false. She counted on Kip’s lack of legal knowledge and love for Grayson to ensure he followed her instructions.
“This is your copy. Tell Kathy you retained me as your attorney. She’s got two days to get here and sign the property settlement and custody agreement. If she balks, I’ll jump in on the call, informing her I’ll go straight to the authorities. You’ll both be arrested for felony extortion, and since she resides in another state, your little scheme falls under federal statutes as well. Bail and the services of a lawyer to defend you two will be steep, which means you’ll both be incarcerated for quite some time. Since neither of you have any immediate family members still alive, Grayson will go to foster care.”
Kip’s vision blurred. He feared he was close to passing out.
“Oh, and when we tell Reed what you were up to while working for my family’s company, you’ll be unemployed, forcing you to use the legal services of a public defender. I can’t stress enough how you don’t want some wide-eyed newbie fresh out of law school responsible for defending such heinous crimes.”
“No!” Kip gasped, finding his voice. “What a cruel thing to do to Grayson. He’s an innocent child!”
Sam narrowed her eyes. “Not as cruel as hatching out the extortion plot against my family, Kip. Not even close. Your loving wife used you to further her own agenda and didn’t tell you what she’s planning or the identity of the other player! This whole debacle is ethically reprehensible, illegal, and for me, life-threatening! Richard’s already killed twice, which means he won’t hesitate to do it again. Your son is right in the middle of the whole shebang.”
“Twice? Who? I don’t believe you. If he’s committed murder, why isn’t he in prison?”
From the pile of papers on her desk, Sam produced copies of the news reports of the car accidents of Richard’s parents and the one of Nicole’s. She pushed them across the desk. “Like I told you before, he’s the slickest lawyer I know. He makes things look like accidents. Read for yourself. Neither scene had skid marks—only dead bodies.”
Kip’s skin prickled with disgust and fear while reading. “Grayson might be in danger.”
“Grayson is in danger.”
Swallowing hard, Kip pushed the papers back across the desk. Overcome with sheer panic at the thought of his baby boy being caught in the middle, a faint gurgle of anger bubbled up from somewhere deep within in his soul.
“If you can still say you love Kathy and mean it, you need therapy. Are you willing to throw your entire life away for some scheming pole dancer with the moral integrity of a feral cat in heat?”
“I would for my son, yes.”
“Really, Kip? Really? Is that the role model you want Grayson to grow up watching and eventually emulating? Because that’s what will happen—Grayson will turn into a weak, alcoholic, pussy-whipped man too afraid to stand up for himself—just like you. Or worse; he’ll turn out like his mother.”
Though the words, and the ugly way Sam spat them out, pissed him off, Kip knew they were true.
Pushing the documents toward him, along with a pen, Sam pointed to the sections marked with yellow sticky notes. “Thirty seconds to make your choice. You either sign the engagement agreement for my services as your attorney, and the divorce complaint, or I’ll take the other route.”
“For Grayson. I’m only doing this for my son.”
Sam grit her teeth while watching him sign. “I’m sure my nana said similar words every single time she paid off Maria. Smart choice, Kip. When this is all over, I’ll tell you whose genetic profile you match.”
“I don’t want to know. As far as I’m concerned, Shawn Hale was, and always will be, my father.” Dropping the pen, Kip retrieved the cell from his pocket, turning the screen so she could see him uninstall the app. Once finished, he punched redial then hit the mic button. “I’ll hate you for the rest of my life.”
“Ditto.”
On the fourth ring, Kathy answered. “Hey, baby! You’re up early today!”
“Yeah, I am. Is Grayson awake?”
“He spent the night at the sitter’s. It was so cold this morning when I got off work I didn’t want to drag him out in it.”
Kip’s gaze locked with Samantha’s. She gave him a slight nod. “Good. We need to talk. I didn’t want to say what’s on my mind if our son’s around.”
“You sound upset, baby? What’s wrong? Do you miss me?”
Kip cleared his throat. “No, Kathy. I miss Grayson.”
“Not a nice thing to say to the woman who loves you.”
“Will you still love me, move back here, be my wife, even if I’m nothing more than a poor electrician?”
“Of course I would! Don’t worry, baby. We’ll be there soon. Guess what? I sold the club to Ginger. As soon as Grayson’s out of school for winter break, we’ll be there, so stop worrying! The Chapman money is a great bonus to our plans for us and Grayson! Remember, we talked about this?”
“Yes, I remember.”
“You’re letting your emotions get the best of you after the old bag’s funeral. Stop being such a pussy. Man up! She may have been your grandmother but it’s not like you were close to the woman. You didn’t know her. I doubt you missed much. I bet she was an old bitch.”
Sam’s pulse raced as she battled to contain her fury and keep her mouth shut.
“The problem is, Kath, she not my grandmother. I’m not Samuel Chapman’s son.”
“Samuel, Stan, it doesn’t matter which one dumped their wad into Maria! What matters is the blood in your veins.”
The mention of her grandfather made Sam’s blood boil. How in the world does she know about Pop? She couldn’t hold her tongue any longer. “You’re right, Kathy: What matters is the blood running through Kip’s veins. There’s not one allele match to my family. You and Richard will need to find someone else to blackmail. Game over.”
“What the fuck, Kip? I’m on speaker?”
Kip felt like a caged zoo animal with two bitter, strong-willed, female spectators poking sticks at him on each side. “Yes.”
“You worthless piece of shit!” Kathy screamed. “Don’t you realize she’s lying to you? Trying to save her family’s precious reputation and fortune?”
Sam grinned so wide her cheeks hurt.
“She’s not, Kath. I’m looking at the report as we speak. She got a sample of my DNA and…”
“Shut up, you fool! Shut the fuck up! You’re ruining everything!”
Kip’s anger broke free. “I want a divorce and full custody of Grayson. The papers are ready. You need to come to Samantha’s office and sign them by Tuesday, or she’s going to the police.”
“I’ll do no such thing you fucking rockhead!”
Sam’s lips curved into a wicked smirk. “You know, I sort of hoped this would be your reaction, Kathy, because the thought of seeing you in shackles and an orange jumpsuit makes my skin tingle with excitement.”
“Fuck you, you crazy bitch! You wait! Oh, you wait and see what’s coming your way!”
The line went dead.
Kip stared at the phone, numbed from shock and sadness. “I told you she wouldn’t fall for it.”
Rising from the chair, Sam pointed to the door. “She’ll be here, mark my words.”
Glaring at Samantha, Kip stood as well. “Maybe, but I bet you she won’t be alone. You should be concerned about your safet
y.”
Sensing the shift in Kip’s demeanor, Sam put her hand on the Glock. “Don’t worry about me. Concentrate on getting Kathy in here by Tuesday at 5:00 p.m. to sign those papers. Not a minute later.”
Kip strode to the front door. “Thanks for ruining my life.”
“Right back at you.”
Locking the door after Kip stormed off, Sam watched from the window as his truck sped out of the parking lot. Wee Thing trotted down the stairs, winding his body around her trembling legs.
Picking him up, Sam nuzzled his neck. “It’s okay, buddy. He’s gone. No need to be scared. He’s not the one we’re worried about, remember? What did you think about my performance, huh? Good thing I got my bluff in and Kip didn’t notice there wasn’t a clip inserted! Best argument I ever made and not in front of a jury. Figures.”
Wee Thing jumped from her arms when her cell buzzed. Extracting it from her pocket, she let a lazy grin cross her lips. “Hey.”
“Judging by his body language when he left, I’m guessing things went your way?” Bradford asked.
“Yep. Oh to be a fly on the wall watching Kathy! She was pissed.”
Bradford chuckled. “I bet so.”
“She said something odd. Makes me think she knows, and potentially has been involved in, more than we assumed.”
“What do you mean?”
“She said, and I quote: ‘Samuel, Stan, it doesn’t matter which one dumped their wad into Maria.’ I can’t fathom why she brought up Pop’s name. It can’t be a random coincidence or slip of the tongue. Right?”
“Well, it could be. She’s from here and there’s a possibility she overheard things before she moved away.”
“Maybe you’re right. Maybe I’m so keyed up I’m overthinking everything.”
“It makes my hackles stand erect too, but it’s a minor issue at this point. You lit the fuse on the powder keg. You need to be prepared for the explosion.”
“I’m aware. Don’t let Mom out of your sight until this is over.”
“I won’t. I’m driving to her place right now.”
“Thank you for protecting her and making her so happy. Nice touch asking her to marry you.”
“Is that a dig or a real compliment?”
“No dig, I assure you. However, I find it interesting you popped the question and plan on marriage in one week. I know part of the reason is both your illnesses, yet I wonder if you also decided to give Mom a project to keep her mind off Richard.”
“You have quite an imagination, Samantha.”
“True. And you’re something else, Sheriff.”
“Like I said before there’s no need to thank me. When you’re in love, it’s what you do. Keep the watch on. I’m only one code word away.”
“I will. Bye, Bradford.”
Disconnecting the call, Sam took a deep breath. The weight of the gun on her hip wasn’t enough to ease the worry rumbling inside her heart. Bradford was right—the fuse was lit—and there was no turning back. Once she finished with Kip and Kathy, her final, secret plan to eliminate Richard for good, was next. She made peace with the decision. She wouldn’t let Suzy, Mom, or Resa be involved in the sordid mess.
He was her mistake to fix.
Alone.
Patting the gun, she whispered, “Boom.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
Sunday, December 4, 2016
THROWING THE PHONE onto the bed in a fit of rage, Kathy grabbed a pillow, burying her face while screaming so the nosy neighbors wouldn’t hear her wails of fury.
“You stupid, stupid rockhead! Why in the world did you let her get ahold of your DNA? I knew you were drunk that night! I knew it! Why didn’t I kill your sorry ass already? You destroyed everything! Ugh!”
Unsure how long her muffled ranting and raving into the pillow went on, Kathy finally collapsed onto the bed. She wouldn’t—couldn’t—accept defeat. Not by the Chapmans.
Again.
Staring at the dirty, popcorn ceiling, she mulled her options. They were nil.
The one question bothering her was how Samantha knew about Richard’s involvement. Was it possible they were working together in some sick, twisted plot to make her do something illegal and thereby send her to jail? Was she actually the target and not the hunter in this game?
The thought made Kathy’s throat dry. “No, no way. No one, not even me, is that ballsy.”
The one ace she thought she had up her sleeve turned out to be worthless. She ran into a dead end while searching for Nicole Hammonds. Naughty Nikki died years ago. Her whiny sister hung up after Kathy prodded for information about Nikki’s time at Ole Miss.
The conversation pissed her off yet also made her nervous. Without any evidence to back her up, it left her without anything to hold over Richard’s head. She needed something to balance the scales because he scared the hell out of her plus she hated being under someone else’s control.
“Even though you were a great fuck,” Kathy mumbled, chuckling at the memory.
Deciding she needed a bump to help her think, Kathy rose from the bed, heading to the bathroom. Once inside, she shut the door out of habit and pulled the stash from her purse. After snorting and letting the rush flood her system, she sat on the commode, mind racing.
“What am I going to do now? Richard’s plans are shot to hell. My plans are toast. What if Sam’s playing us all? Did she fake the results or are they real? Damn, if I still had the birth record, I could post it online and let the court of public opinion force another test! Should I call Richard and tell him? Wait, does he already know all this? Maybe it’s part of his plan? He’s careful. Surely he did plenty of recon beforehand?”
Legs bouncing, she exited the bathroom. Storming into the living room, she paced back and forth while the wheels inside her devious mind spun.
“Wait, wait, wait! All hope isn’t lost! So what if Kip isn’t a Chapman. He works for Chapman Construction! He’s been helping Reed with all the bids, going to job sites, scoping out potential work at other locations. Yes! Perfect! I’ll threaten to expose the affair with Suzy! He’s still got the pictures on his cell. I won’t agree to a divorce because I’ll make those two twin bitches convince Reed to make Kip a partner or suffer the shame of Suzy’s infidelity! After they do, I’ll kill Reed so Kip can be in charge! Then once things settle down, I’ll make sure Suzy and Sam both have accidents, along with Kip! The Halstead home is old—no one will bat an eye at a gas leak. Blow them all up and let the money rain down on only me.”
Running back to the bedroom, Kathy snatched the phone off the bed. “No, don’t use this one, idiot! Use the disposable! Now’s not the time to slip up.”
After retrieving the other phone and Richard’s card from her purse, Kathy paused before dialing. Should she play the scared wife who decided to forget all the devious plans after being threatened with prosecution? Tell Richard she was out, wanted to forget everything and go on with her life?
“Yeah, like he’ll fall for that! If they’re working together, it’s a no-brainer!” Kathy chuckled. “Then again, maybe they aren’t in cahoots and he doesn’t know the truth about Kip. No, they’ve got to be! Why else would he have burned the papers? Oh shit, who cares? If I’m wrong then maybe the news our scheme is over will push him into a murderous rage and he’ll take out Sam for me!”
The cocaine made her voice raise an octave as the drug sped through her veins. She couldn’t control the speed of her voice. Rather than calling Richard, she opted to send a text.
“I talked to your enemy today. She knows all about our plans and threatened legal action. Hubster can continue if he wants the money, but I’m out. Sorry.”
“No, not right,” Kathy mumbled, clicking the back key to erase the words. “I need to be smart about this.”
“Leaving for AR tonight. As you know, we need to discuss the secrets and their money value. I can’t wait any longer. We need to finish this.”
Satisfied with the newer version, Kathy clicked send then grab
bed her regular cell. She called the sitter. “Hey, Cara.”
“You’re up early today, Kath. Grayson’s still asleep. He and Kevin stayed up late playing Pokemon.”
Kathy headed to the closet to retrieve a suitcase. “Let him sleep. I called to ask you a huge favor.”
“What’s that?”
“I’m making an emergency, unexpected trip to Arkansas. Do you mind if Grayson stays with you until Wednesday?”
Cara gasped. “Oh no! What happened? Is Kip okay?”
Not for long, Kathy thought while stuffing the suitcase with clothes. “Yes, he’s fine, just some legal stuff with his parents’ house. I need to sign some papers before Tuesday or he’ll lose the place.”
“Can’t they FedEx them or something?”
Keeping her voice steady, Kathy held in her irritation. “They could, yes, but only if they send the documents to an attorney here, you know, to verify my identity? I’m not giving them additional money from our pockets. It’s cheaper for me to make the drive.”
Cara chuckled. “Yeah, okay. The fact you’ll get to spend some alone time with Kip isn’t incentive at all. Right?”
“You don’t miss a thing, do you?” Kathy zipped up the suitcase, eager to get on the road.
“Nope. Kids, sugar, and sex—those three items are always on my radar and not always in that order. Don’t worry about Grayson. Kevin is going to miss him so much when y’all move it’ll be good for them to get to spend the extra time together.”
“Thank you. Will you have him call me when he wakes up?”
“You bet. Watch the roads. The weather report earlier said we might get a wintry mix tonight.”
“I will. Thanks a mil, Cara. I appreciate it. See you Wednesday.”
Disconnecting the call, Kathy hefted the suitcase from the bed. Before she made it to the kitchen, the burner cell buzzed.
Snatching it from the bed, she read the response from Richard: “Mrs. Hale, your request has been noted and prepared for. Tuesday. 6 pm. My place. Bring your partner in crime and, as you mentioned, finish this. My address is 164 Hilltop Pass, Little Rock, though I have the feeling you already are aware of where I live.”
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