The Last Lie She Told (Lies and Misdirection Book 1)

by K. J. McGillick

  “Next you’re going to say you had nothing to do with Chuck Evans’s death either,” the older woman said with disdain.

  My eyes met hers for a second and then swept back to the detective.

  “Detective Hughes, right?”

  She nodded.

  “I have no information or knowledge about either of these deaths. Tragic as they are, it’s absurd that you think I knew about them or had anything to do with either of them.”

  I wasn’t going to allow this to continue. I knew it wasn’t irrational at all for them to think I’d had something to do with Mahir and Chuck’s deaths. After all, I had accused both of them of battery and rape, so I could see how someone might think I could be linked to both deaths.

  I’d let my pace slip and needed to bring it back and close this down. My next attack would be the old lady. She appeared to be their weak link.

  “And you,” I said to her. “How do you fit in here?”

  “I’m a private investigator and his partner,” she said, with a bored shrug, hitching a thumb toward Lee.

  I had to stifle a laugh. “Are you now?”

  “Enough,” Lee bellowed. “We’re not here for your entertainment. I want answers.”

  Well, I wasn’t about to give him any. He had to realize this was wasting all our time.

  “What makes you think I owe you any answers?” I asked him, while maintaining my composure.

  “Because you want to clear yourself, so we can all move on. The valuable information you had access to while working for Benjamin Hightower is missing, leaving you a primary suspect in its disappearance. You were the last one seen with those two men, again leaving you a suspect in their murders,” he said. As the muscle in his jaw clenched.

  “Seriously. That’s what you have on me? That’s what makes you think I’m a thief and murderer? I didn’t hear one shred of evidence in that accusation,” I responded, standing to leave.

  “Sit down,” Detective Hughes ordered.

  “Excuse me?” I asked, annoyed. “You have no authority here, and I don’t see why I should stay here any longer. If you think I stole something, get a warrant. If you think I killed someone, arrest me. But since you have no grounds to arrest me, your time is up, and I’m leaving because you can’t hold me here.”

  “What were you doing at Fire and Ice today?” Lee asked without taking his eyes from his notepad.

  I studied him before I formulated my answer. If he weren’t such a dick, he would be appealing in a rough sort of way.

  “You do realize there are laws against stalking?” I asked.

  His face fell slack. He knew where I was going; I had him right where I wanted him.

  “How did you know I was in California much less at Fire?”

  “It’s called investigation,” the old lady answered with authority.

  I saw an uncomfortable look pass over the detective’s face as well as Lee’s.

  “I see. What state issued your private investigator’s license?”

  “Colorado,” she said, with a touch of pride.

  “I assume Lee’s license was issued there as well.”

  He nodded, but I could tell he knew where I was going with this.

  “And what state are we in right now?” I prompted. This wasn’t my normal way of dealing with unpleasantness. Honey usually worked best, but this situation called for vinegar.

  “Don’t take me for a fool, young lady,” she snapped.

  It wasn’t nice to gloat when you were about to kill your prey. They already knew their interview with me was about to die.

  “I’m merely pointing out that your license isn’t valid here in California. So that makes one man’s surveillance another man’s stalking. How would it look, you following me from Boston to LA?”

  Lee looked livid, and I could almost hear Mary’s dentures snap together.

  “Now,” I said to Detective Hughes, “I will tell you I didn’t have anything to do with those murders. But that’s all I’m telling any of you unless you’re bringing me in…but wait, you can’t do that, can you?” I gave a snide smile. “So, I suggest we end this nonsense right now.”

  “You.” I pointed at Lee. “You tell Benjamin he can have you stop following me. His secret is safe with me. If I find out you’re continuing to follow me, I will file a police report.”

  “Why’d you try to disappear?” Lee continued, as if I hadn’t just threatened to have him arrested.

  “I’m done here, and make no mistake; you are on legal notice to stay away from me.”

  He reclined deeper into his chair, as if he were settling in for the long haul. I didn’t like that. This wasn’t going to happen.

  “It’s a free country,” Mary said with a false smile and shrug. “We can go wherever we please. We can’t help it if you happen to be there too.”

  That did it; I snapped. I couldn’t have these people following me around.

  “Ma’am, you do not want to cross me. Trust me, I don’t play well with others,” I warned.

  “That sounds like a threat to me,” Lee said to the detective.

  He was sorely mistaken if he thought he could scare me. “I’ll refer you to California Penal Code 422 PC to make that assessment,” I said.

  I couldn’t tell who was more agitated, Lee or the detective. But it was Lee’s hand that started to twitch.

  “I’ve got things to do. You can find your way out, I assume?” I said.

  “Why did you leave without telling anyone?” Lee asked.

  Was he really going to do this? What was he hoping to accomplish?

  “Would it satisfy you to know that I got a better job offer? I just accepted a job at a premier lab,” I said, monitoring my tone.

  “But you already had a job at a premier lab,” he said.

  I studied their faces, and it was evident that none of them knew Benjamin’s secret. They truly believed I had stolen some intellectual property, and that’s why they were here.

  “What was your relationship with Dennis and Ryan?” Lee asked.

  This man was relentless! “You mean the men from the lab?” I asked with innocence only a practiced actress could muster.

  “Don’t play with me, little girl,” he said, spitting out the words through clenched teeth.

  He had come here for a confession and to retrieve some stolen property and would leave with neither. Too bad. I clearly had the advantage, and he knew it.

  “Two co-workers I partied with; what’s next?” He stood, walked to the window for a few moments, and once he’d regained his composure, moved back behind the detective’s chair.

  I looked into his eyes and then to the detective’s. Brilliant. I still had him where I wanted him. I knew I should leave, but I wanted to see how this was going to play out.

  “Were you with them the night Dennis was murdered?” Lee continued.

  I licked my lips and watched his eyes follow the tip of my tongue. The detective stiffened. She realized what I was doing.

  “Since I don’t know when he died, I can’t tell you where I was at that time,” I said. taking a breath to lift my chest.

  I watched his breathing increase, and the vein in his neck pulsated. Lee was moving ever closer to the edge.

  Suddenly, the old lady stepped in. “See here, you little sociopath. I’ve about had it with you. I didn’t have an opinion one way or the other if you stole the drive. But now I’m fairly sure you had a hand in the theft. I’m just wondering if you were in cahoots with those other men.”

  “You people should take this show on the road; it’s quite entertaining. First, you accuse me of theft, then murder, and now you’re labeling me with a mental disorder? Your employer better have deep pockets for the lawsuit coming his way if any of what you’re saying about me becomes public. I’d caution you to watch what you say. Let’s recap. Wasn’t it you who admitted to stalking me? Now, stop me if I’m wrong, Detective, but didn’t Mary make an admission against her interest with that statement, right in
front of an officer of the law?” I let that hang before I said, “People, I’m done here. As ‘fun’ as this has been, this conversation is over. If you want any further interviews with me, you can feel free to reach out to my lawyer.”

  These people had taken up enough time, and they had balls to accuse me of murder and theft. I had business to attend to, and time was money. Claire didn’t know it yet, but she was about to be paying me a hefty fee for me not telling them about her little coke problem and her side gig of selling whatever product she didn’t use herself. I had the upper hand for now, but I was going to need money to stay one step ahead of these people, and Claire was going to pay.

  As I stood to leave, Mary said, “Don’t leave the jurisdiction. We might want to talk to you further.”

  That produced an unfiltered laugh.

  “You watch too much TV, Mary. Tell her, Detective Hughes. Tell her there’s nothing keeping me here.”

  When I reached the door, I turned and said, “Good luck with your case. And tell Benjamin I still have it. But his secret is safe. He’ll know what I mean.”

  Lee straightened; for a moment, it looked like he was going to walk toward me, but he stopped. No one said anything.

  Back in Claire’s room, I watched from the window as Mary, Lee, and Detective Hughes exited the building. They appeared to be in a heated argument. As I was about to turn away, I saw Claire approaching the building. She stopped and started talking to them. They started arguing with Claire, leaving her in a defensive position. Within seconds, they were all looking up at the window, staring at me looking down at them. As if in slow motion, my brain rewound everything I’d witnessed, and the pieces clicked into place. Claire was working with them. Son of a bitch! Yep, there was the body language. Her hugging her bag, afraid I’d found out and closing herself off from them. Leaving the group still talking, she walked toward the building, looking up and watching me, and I began to formulate a plan.

  I heard the elevator doors slide open and then close. The key slid into the lock, and I waited for the turn of the handle. Claire walked in and stopped to take the temperature of the room. I’m certain she could tell things were about to get frigid.

  “Did we have visitors?” she asked, placing her keys on the tray.

  “You know I did,” I said, staring her down. I was not in the mood for games. “So, when did you start conspiring with those three?”

  “I didn’t. I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  Her body language said she was lying.

  “Don’t even try to lie to me. I see I’m going to have to leave, since you’ve exposed me. But before I do, here’s what’s going to happen. We’re going to the bank, and you’re going to give me twenty thousand dollars in cash from your safe deposit box,” I said. As she started protesting, I raised my hand, cutting her off. “I arranged for you to supply the drugs at Fire tonight, so think of it as my cut. Or you could think of it as paying me to keep your secret from the police. Either way, I’m getting paid.”

  “I don’t have that kind of money, Fi. I had to invest it in the new supply,” she whined.

  “Oh my God. Seriously? I’m starting to think you’ve been working with those people with the hope they’d arrest me for something. God knows what crap you fed them about me! You know, if it hadn’t been for me, you wouldn’t have the connection with Fire, so cut the crap,” I said. “You owe me! You think it was easy creating a relationship with a mob-backed sex club? Now, get your bag and your keys, and let’s go. I have some product to deliver on my way out of town.”

  With cameras strategically placed in the bank, it was challenging to maintain any disguise. My hair pulled up into a baseball cap along with large sunglasses was my best hope. As Claire signed the registry, I checked a text I’d received from Steven verifying he’d be picking up the drugs in an hour from the safe deposit box.

  We brought her box to a viewing room, and Claire opened it cautiously.

  “Don’t have twenty thousand dollars? Really, Claire, there has to be a hundred thousand there, so throw another five thousand on the pile,” I said, opening my bag. “You’ll more than make it up tonight. Those rich fucks know how to party.”

  Once the money was in my bag, we moved back to the vault. I removed another empty security box. I placed the drugs Claire had given me for tonight’s party in the new security box, closed the box, and slid it back into its cubby. Within the hour, Steven would be retrieving it from here.

  “Well, Claire, we’ve had some good times together, but the run is over. Goodbye and good luck,” I said. “Oh, and did you hear Mahir is dead? Such a tragedy.”

  “Yes, Fi, I’m aware,” she said. She got the message.

  I couldn’t fly with this much cash; I’d needed to keep about three thousand dollars and deposit the rest. But not in an offshore. Maybe a bank that did business in the US and Germany and that didn’t like US rules about reporting cash deposits. Three doors down, there was the perfect bank for what I needed, so I headed there. I’d get a new account and access to my funds in the States and in Berlin immediately. Perfect.

  A week from now, I’ll be on a plane out of here.

  Lee

  As we walked to the car, I glanced up at the window one last time. Fiona was watching us; a moment later, she turned away.

  After our public outburst at each other and Claire, we remained quiet, but we were gearing up for the next round. I held the door for Mary to enter the car, and she shook her head at me in disapproval. Belle didn’t wait for me to open her door, she was in, buckled, and ready to go before I’d even gotten to her door. I looked between Mary and Belle and realized the minute I started driving all hell would break loose.

  “Before I get in this car, let me just say, we’re not continuing this conversation until we’re back at the hotel. LA traffic is an accident waiting to happen, and I won’t be a willing participant because you two were screaming at me and distracting me.”

  Mary opened her mouth to say something, but I held my finger up, stopping her. I started the car and headed back to the hotel. Everyone was quiet, but my thoughts were anything but calm.

  I’d had no control over the situation in there with Fiona. How had that happened? This had been the second time she’d boxed me in; I started replaying the whole interview in my mind and dissecting every sentence and innuendo.

  I was lost in thought until Mary broke the silence.

  “We’ve been played.”

  “Mary, so help me. I don’t want to raise my voice, but right now if I hear the name ‘Fiona’ said out loud, I will lose my mind,” I said impatiently.

  “What? No! Not by Fiona,” she said. “By Hightower.”

  Belle turned to look at Mary.

  “Mary, remember, he’s our client, and we signed a confidentiality agreement,” I cautioned. “I can guess where this is headed, and we should talk to Jackson about this before it goes any further.”

  “Do you think he’s having you track down something that doesn’t even exist just so he can find Fiona?” Belle asked. “I mean, what are the chances a whole server was wiped with no backup anywhere? And why put the entire focus on her and not the other two? I’m having a hard time swallowing the whole scenario.”

  I sighed. My mind had been spinning with these same questions over the last week, and the answers remained the same. I didn’t trust Hightower. The minute he’d admitted to an inappropriate relationship with Fiona an enormous red flag went up for me. Should we have challenged the story he gave us? Possibly, but to what avail? I’m not privy to Jackson’s finances, but I guessed a cash infusion was a welcome addition. Maybe, I was willing to believe him because it benefited us.

  “OK, how about this plan? When we get back to the hotel, Mary and I can brief Jackson on what happened with Fiona. Once we get his input, we can meet back in my room and work on a plan. How’s that?” I asked.

  Before anyone answered, the tracking app beeped, alerting us that Fiona was on the move.
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br />   Belle launched the app and said, “She’s at a bank. Do you want to go?”

  “Where’s it at?” I asked.

  “Three streets down,” she said. “Keep going straight.”

  As we approached, Fiona exited through the revolving door. As luck would have it, we were stuck in bumper-to-bumper traffic. This gave us a free, legal parking space to watch her enter another bank three doors down.

  “I don’t like this,” Mary said, leaning forward. “That bank is on a watch list because they’re suspected of cooperating with terrorists. Last year, they paid several million in fines for their non-compliance with US banking regulations.”

  As we were ready to turn, Claire exited the same bank Fiona had just left.

  “What the hell is going on! Were we bamboozled by them both?” I asked. “All right, this is what we’re going to do. We talk to Jackson and get his input. Belle, you reach out to your precinct and find out what’s going on with the Mahir case. We meet back in my room in one hour.”

  Both nodded.

  “Do we continue tracking Fiona with the app?” Belle asked.

  “The batteries for the tracker are probably almost dead,” I said.

  “My head hurts. I have so many questions I thought I had answers to, but after today everything is utter chaos,” Belle said, turning to look out the window.

  I don’t know what possessed me, but I reached for Belle’s hand and squeezed it. At first, I was worried she would snatch her hand from me. But instead, she squeezed mine back. She looked over at me, and the look she gave me was one I hadn’t seen in years. It said, “I care.” Something was growing, changing between us, and we both felt it.

  “Tell me about your wood sculpting,” she said.

  Well that had come out of nowhere. Was my agitation showing so clearly that she was trying to calm me down? Funny, how she picked to talk to me about sculpting.

  “God, I’ve been whittling with wood for as long as I can remember. It started out when my brothers and I were small, and my great-grandfather would sit with us on the front porch and teach us how to scrape the wood with a knife. From there, we graduated to a larger thing like a Welsh love spoon. People would custom order them from me, and I got so good at them I made a tidy little profit. With those profits, I bought more supplies and tools. From there, I progressed into making furniture.”