by LS Sygnet
“There’s no comparison for the things you’ve done.”
Johnny’s arms tightened. “I know that Rick Hamilton was filth, Helen. He deserved to die. Is suicide a plausible story? Apparently so. Do I really buy that explanation for his death?”
My chin dipped to my chest. “If you thought it was a lie, why would you protect me like that?”
“I understand that kind of frustration. I know that deep down in your heart, you’d never hurt someone truly innocent. I know that whatever happened in the park that night, it wasn’t premeditated, that you simply snapped. He threatened you. He ruined your career, Helen.”
“How can you love me, if you believe that you protected a murderer?” Large tears streaked down my cheeks. Johnny brushed them away and held me tighter.
He didn’t answer the question right away, and never did address it directly.
Finally, he spoke. “Salvatore Masconi.”
“What?”
“I was convinced he was guilty. Gwen told me that he would never hurt another child again, Helen. I knew what it meant. I ignored it, because I believed that a greater good had been served. Later, I came to regret that decision, because I learned the truth, that Masconi couldn’t have been Brighton Bennett’s killer. By then, the trail was ice cold. The evidence that would’ve put Datello behind bars was long since destroyed. I’m not the paragon of virtue you think I am. You didn’t corrupt me.”
“Why are you telling me this now?”
“Because you’re my wife. Because I don’t want any secrets between us anymore. You need to understand that no matter what happens, I love you. I accept that things are less than perfect. You make sense to me, because in a lot of ways, we’re exactly the same.”
“Would you be angry if I admitted that I thought of telling you the truth after you married me because I knew it would be protected by spousal privilege?”
Johnny laughed softly and kissed the side of my head. “No, it wouldn’t upset me at all, nor would it come as any surprise. What has amazed me since the very first case we worked last year is how you pull such random tidbits of information together to make a concrete case out of them. Helen, I know something else happened with Gillette on that ship. What I don’t know is why you’re keeping that information from me. Surely you know that nothing will ever make me turn against you.”
“His death truly was self defense, Johnny.”
“He’s lucky you got to him first.”
“You would’ve done the right thing. It was an easy out for him. If I thought I had a choice, I’d have preferred that he go to prison for his crimes, believe me. Death was too kind.”
“Are you ready to tell me the truth about what happened now?”
I opened my mouth to protest.
“Don’t lie to me. I know the difference.”
“Johnny –”
“I can see a lie a mile away, Helen. Whatever it is, you may as well tell me now. Who knows? Maybe I can help sort out whatever it is that’s been eating at you.”
“I’m not ready to talk about it yet.”
“Get ready. I’ll lose patience eventually. Do you really want me digging for the truth on my own again?”
“No,” I said softly.
“Then why don’t you tell me the truth right now?”
“Because it could be nothing. I don’t want to open a can of worms if I’m wrong.”
“And I’m still waiting for the day when your gut leads you in the wrong direction. I don’t think it’s possible. If you’ve got reason enough for suspicion, and it’s making you hide something from me, odds are, you’re on the right track.”
I swallowed the lump that grew in the back of my throat. “Gillette said something to me. He wasn’t concerned about getting caught, Johnny. He said it wouldn’t matter, that you’d be discredited to the point that it would be impossible to prosecute him or anyone else.”
“I see.”
“Do you?”
“And exactly how were you planning to investigate Sanderfield off the radar, Helen?”
“I don’t know. I hadn’t worked that out in my head yet.”
“You think he’s been wise to the human trafficking ring all along?”
“It’s possible. It’s also possible that Datello was part of it all along.”
“I didn’t tell you everything,” Johnny said slowly. “I was worried about your emotional state after we found you.”
“What don’t I know?”
“Destiny Gerard claims that Datello was behind the whole thing. She’s pedaling the Sherman’s wife was a victim, an unwitting pawn in the whole thing story.”
“That’s a lie. They planned to rescue Melissa Sherman from county jail, Johnny. It was part of the plan, one that Gillette abandoned when I convinced him that it was only a matter of time before you’d show up to rescue me. He pulled out of Darkwater Bay early and abandoned his partners because he wasn’t going to get caught until the evidence was properly disposed of.”
“What evidence?”
“Me,” I said. “He was going to sell me and be done with it. It was the plan all along, at least according to Gillette.”
The muscle in Johnny’s jaw jumped suddenly. “I see.”
“I don’t know why. It wasn’t like my testimony against Datello would do any harm. He was already dead.”
“Remember when we thought that Danny was the root of all evil in this city?”
I nodded.
“I’m starting to wonder if that was an assumption the people who were really pulling the strings counted on us making, Doc.”
“The ties to Marcos made him a built-in patsy.”
“What’s your gut instinct on Datello now? Do you think he was really part of that whole mess?”
“I don’t know,” I said. “I know he hated you and felt pressured to make OSI go away. He didn’t get rabid about making that happen until after you blew your cover, Johnny. That was late October.”
“And Sanderfield had already announced that he planned to challenge Joe in the election this fall,” Johnny’s expression grew grim. “Sherman was upset with Joe. Really upset, Helen.”
“Because of Jerry Lowe’s arrest?”
He nodded. “And the fact that Joe thought it was perfectly appropriate that he stand trial for murder and go to prison instead of living at Dunhaven until deemed sane.”
“He’s not insane. Jerry Lowe enjoyed his crimes. He committed them with malice aforethought. I have no doubt about that.”
“Neither do I,” Johnny said. “What I don’t quite grasp is why Sherman was so opposed to Lowe’s day in court.”
“Zack still hasn’t made inroads getting Lowe to trial. Have you thought about what might happen to his case should Collangelo lose the election? Sanderfield could be in a position to protect him, Johnny.”
“Yeah,” he said. “I guess he would. Maybe Joe ought to push the issue publicly. It could be damning if Sanderfield defends a man like Jerry Lowe, particularly since the majority of the state is outraged that he’s been in custody almost a year and still hasn’t been found fit to stand trial.”
“Then again, with Sherman out of the picture, Sanderfield wouldn’t be obligated to keep any promise he might’ve made about Jerry’s fate. Unless Jerry is involved in the human trafficking business too.”
“Do you think that’s a possibility?”
I shook my head. “Not in a million years. Jerry Lowe was too focused on what his personal agenda was. He stalked his victims. That took time, Johnny. He counted on surrounding himself with corrupt and inept detectives who were more than willing to look the other way for the right amount of money. Jerry Lowe’s greatest asset was that he simply didn’t give a damn about what happened in Darkwater Bay. He used his influence to make sure it wasn’t easy for the cops who did care. He created the perfect storm for the criminal element. This place became a haven, the safe harbor for all things illegal.”
“I agree.”
“If Terrell S
anderfield sees the benefit in rewarding Jerry with a cushy sentence at Dunhaven, even though he could never possibly return to his former position in the police department, it says a lot.”
“It says that Sanderfield is more than a little tainted.”
“Exactly. Plus, I can’t stop thinking about Gillette’s cocky belief that he was untouchable. A man of status like Sanderfield might’ve been why Gillette believed he’d never be captured.”
“Why did you keep this from me, Helen?”
This particular tip of the iceberg was either insurance or the piece of the puzzle that could lead Johnny to the real revelation that Gillette made. “I have no proof, only suspicion.”
“Your instincts are enough for me. We’ll get the evidence. At least now I’ve got some idea where to look.”
“That still doesn’t offer up a plan to find proof, Johnny. Sanderfield has OSI in his sights. Anything you do will be criticized and scrutinized like crazy.”
“Which is why it’s time to move the investigation into someone’s hands who won’t be on Sanderfield’s radar,” Johnny said.
“And who might that be?”
Johnny grinned. “Well, he was recently bitching that OSI spent too much time excluding the feds from the human trafficking investigation. Wouldn’t it be a brilliant coup if it turns out the case was never really closed, that we just put it in the very capable hands of our friends at the FBI?”
“You want to call David and ask for his help?”
“I can’t think of a better way to move this forward, Helen. Can you?”
About ten trillion ways. The last thing I needed was David Levine looking over my shoulder while I tried to figure out if my father was part of the human trafficking ring we uncovered too.
Another thought rippled through my brain. Maybe this was why Dad was determined to drive a wedge between Johnny and me. Darkwater Bay was probably the last place on earth he wanted me to live.
“Helen?”
“Hmm. Make the call, Johnny. David can get a team on Sanderfield so fast it’ll make your head spin.”
If I could keep them focused on Sanderfield and based in Montgomery, it would at the very least buy time for the investigation that had to begin in Darkwater Bay.
Chapter 7
Tears sprang to my eyes the instant that the Doppler probe touched my belly. Johnny’s hand gripped mine tightly, not the source of my tears. No, it was the sudden echo of the whoosh of our baby’s heartbeat.
“Let’s see if we can’t get a picture of this little guy – or girl,” the ultrasound technician grinned.
“Is that his heartbeat?” It was the first time Johnny assigned a gender preference to our baby.
“Strong and healthy,” she said. “About a hundred forty beats per minute.”
“Is that normal?”
“It is for a growing baby, Mr. Orion. Let’s see here.” The heartbeat faded for a moment before jumping back through the speaker on the ultrasonic machine. “Well,” she exclaimed. “This is a surprise.”
“What is? Is something wrong?” My worst fears leapt from my throat. That bastard Gillette – if he’d done something to hurt the baby, I wouldn’t rest until I found everyone in his family and tortured the shit out of them.
“Nothing wrong at all, Mrs. Orion.”
Johnny squeezed my hand, let his thumb roll over the ridges of my knuckles. Today was the first time I used my new name publicly. He hadn’t stopped grinning about it.
“I am curious,” she said, while she turned the monitor to our line of sight. “Do you have a history of fraternal twins in the family? They tend to increase the likelihood of multiple births in women who are twins or the child of a twin.”
Johnny’s jaw dropped. “There are two babies?”
“Yep.” She pointed them out on the screen. “There, and there. Both just as healthy as can be.”
“Can you tell what sex they are?”
Johnny’s stunned elation couldn’t overshadow the gripping panic in my chest. Was I carrying twins because I was a twin? I started praying. Please don’t let him figure out what I’m really doing. Please don’t let Johnny do that mind reading bullshit and see right through me!
“Mrs. Orion?”
My eyes snapped into focus on the tech. “I’m sorry. What did you say?”
She laughed softly. “I think your wife is in shock, Mr. Orion.”
“No doubt,” he grinned. “Honey, did you hear her? We’re having twins!”
“Good thing I didn’t start buying furniture yesterday, huh?”
“How soon can you tell us what we’re having?”
“It’s a little early, Mr. Orion. In another couple of weeks, we should be able to have a much clearer picture of them when we take a peek again. If you want to know what you’re having before they’re born, that is.”
I didn’t. I suspected already – we would get a girl and a boy, just like the Conall family had the first time around.
“So are you a twin yourself, Mrs. Orion?”
“Only child,” Johnny piped up. “The both of us.”
“I see,” she smiled. “Well, there has to be a first somewhere, doesn’t there?”
“You’re sure they’re fraternal?” I asked.
Her fingers flew over a keyboard and froze one section of the screen. “Two amniotic sacs. You can faintly make out the outlines, here… and here. See them?”
Johnny leaned forward. “Uh-huh. Are those the heads? Wow. Helen, can you see this? You can make out their little arms and legs and spines. I’ve never seen anything so amazing in my life.”
“This probably explains the extreme morning sickness you told the doctor you’ve been experiencing,” she said. “You’ve got more than the typical amount of HCG in your blood stream. Let’s hope it doesn’t adversely affect your appetite.”
“It’s getting better,” Johnny said. “For the first time in her life, Helen actually has a decent appetite.”
“That’s great! Now, if you’ll give me a minute to take some measurements, we can give you a much more accurate due date for these little darlings, and then I’ll print a picture for you to take home with you.”
“Since she’s having twins, does that mean she’ll start showing sooner?”
“I’m right here, Johnny. You don’t have to talk about me like I’m not in the room.”
He laughed and squeezed my hand again. “Sorry, sweetheart. I feel like I just got the best news a man could ever hear.”
“Good thing you got two on your first try,” I said dryly. “I’m a little old to be going through this again.”
“Did you give the doctor the date you believe you conceived, Mrs. Orion?”
“Yeah,” I said. “Unless contraception failed after that one reckless event, we’re certain that it was early in January.”
“Well, that seems to jibe with my measurements. I’d estimate that you’re about ten weeks pregnant based on the size of the babies. That would put your due date about 28 to 30 weeks from now. Late September, early October. We have to go with the 40 week due date officially, but twins seldom go to term. Better have that nursery ready by the end of September,” she paused and grinned, “Congratulations.”
She printed the traditional snapshot of the ultrasound image and handed it to Johnny.
“Thank you,” he said. “Thank you so much!”
I laid there silently watching him while the tech cleaned the gel off my belly. His eyes gleamed with joy while he stared with an awestruck expression at the little photograph.
“Would people think I’m nuts if I got this professionally framed?”
“I would think you’re nuts, but when has that ever stopped you?”
Johnny grinned. “Wanna see it?”
I stared at the two tiny blobs on the photograph while he enthused about his belief that one of them looked slightly larger than the other. Pondered if that meant one was a boy and the other a girl.
“It’s not unusual for one twin to b
e bigger than the other, Johnny, regardless of gender.” Crevan and I were about the same size, at least in height, as adults.
“Neither one of us is exactly petite,” he said. “Do you think they’ll be tall like you, even if they’re girls?”
“It would seem to be in the cards, or at least the gene pool.”
“We want to know in advance what we’re having, don’t we? I mean, it’ll make decorating the nursery easier.”
“Or we could go with neutral colors,” I said. “Even if they’re boys, there will be no NASCAR theme in my house.”
He laughed again. “I can see you going for a basketball theme. A Boston Celtics nursery.”
“It sure as hell wouldn’t be the Lakers.”
“Spoken like a true east coast girl.”
“You can get dressed now, Mrs. Orion. Dr. Harvey will be in to talk to you in a few minutes, just as soon as I show her the ultrasound results.”
“Thanks, Joan.”
“Don’t forget to stop at the desk and make your next appointment before you leave.”
I saluted and smiled. My mind continued to race. How much more circumstantial evidence would I need to convince me that Gillette told the truth? Hopefully none would come crashing down on my head between now and the time Maya had the mitochondrial DNA results. Given my labile emotional state, I wasn’t sure how many more surprises I could endure.
“Helen?”
I looked up at Johnny.
“Are you going to get dressed?”
“Oh. Yeah. Sorry.”
“Are you upset about this?” He waved the photograph in front of me.
Good question. The actual news might’ve been as exciting to me as it was Johnny if not for the growing suspicion I carried about Gillette’s vague taunt.
“I wasn’t expecting this. Am I upset about it? No. A little blindsided perhaps, but not upset.”
He offered his hand and pulled me upright on the exam table.
“I’m probably excited enough for both of us. I just feel so…” he thumped one fist over his heart. “This is the most amazing thing I’ve ever seen. Look at them, sweetheart. Our love made these little babies.”
“Your impatience and refusal to pause long enough to get a condom made them.”