by LS Sygnet
“I know Sully murdered Danny’s father, or at the very least had one of his assassins do the dirty work. How do you know that Danny was never part of Sully’s businesses? I’m not doubting you, I just need…”
“Evidence,” Celeste smiled. “I understand that, Helen. Believe it or not, Danny was the same way. He needed proof that Sullivan killed his father. And when he got it, he was very young. He told me everything. I know everyone in this city believes that Danny duped me into believing he was a good person when he really wasn’t. They thought I was too young, too naïve to know what I was really getting into. But I knew everything. In fact, I know more than you probably have uncovered in your investigation.”
“You’re not betraying him by telling me anything, Celeste.”
“I know that. I believed all along that if I could just get Danny to agree to have a civil conversation with you that perhaps the two of you could work together to bring his uncle to justice.”
I had so many questions. I didn’t know where to begin. Perhaps candor would make the best starting point. “Danny thought I killed his cousin.”
“Yes,” she said. “He had doubts after you talked to him when Sofia was kidnapped. He called me that night, while you were out solving the mystery of what happened to our child, Helen. He told me what he said to you.”
When you find the bastard that stole my daughter, you be ruthless. You be every bit the cold hearted bitch you were with Rick.
He wanted me to find his daughter and do anything I had to do to get the job done. Even kill. My chin dipped.
“Helen, whatever happened between Rick Hamilton and you is in the past.”
“Did you know that Danny was the one who put Rick in place laundering money for Sully?”
“Were you aware that Rick was giving Danny information about how much money Sully made and where it came from?”
“I wasn’t at the time,” I said quietly. “Danny told me that Rick wanted in. I never asked him what he meant by that.”
“Your ex-husband had ambitions. Danny loved him, but he didn’t trust him completely. I don’t think Danny ever trusted anyone completely until he fell in love with me.”
“I can relate,” I said. “Except for my father, I think Johnny Orion is the only person I’ve ever… well, you understand.”
“I do understand it. I also understand that the kind of betrayal you felt after Rick was arrested must’ve been devastating.”
“He never loved me you know.”
“Danny told me that he encouraged Rick to get close to you, that there was some sort of case in California that you were instrumental in solving and that the FBI was interested in hiring you before you even finished your doctorate. He hoped that a family connection would give him an easy way to slip information to the FBI about what Sully was really doing.”
“Celeste, if you know what that crime was, what any of them were, you’re in grave danger. In fact, Johnny should probably be providing round the clock police protection for you anyway, considering everything that’s happened.”
“Danny once told me that it was unusual for the men in his family to confide in their wives, that women were largely looked at as trophies or insurance policies.”
A pang of guilt stabbed my heart. Hadn’t I made the same assumptions about his relationship with Celeste?
She laughed softly. “I see you felt that way when the truth came out about Rick, maybe you’ve even pitied me, assuming I served the same role in my marriage.”
“I’m sorry, Celeste. It’s terribly unfair to make those kinds of assumptions.”
“After Rick married you and settled with you in Georgetown, Danny became concerned. He said that Rick came to him with this scheme, that if he started laundering money for Sullivan, that they could get evidence against him much faster, and that since he was married to you, it would be a simple matter to see that evidence was quietly turned over.”
“But that never happened,” I said.
“No,” she said, “which was why Danny became so frustrated. He panicked, Helen. When he realized that Rick wasn’t giving you any information, he was afraid that Rick’s loyalties shifted. He told me that the information Rick gave him might’ve been incriminating, but that Rick was doing too good of a job making Sully’s money appear legitimate.”
“Did he talk to Rick about it?”
She nodded. “Rick just told him that they’d both end up dead if they weren’t careful and methodical. In the meantime, Rick was getting richer and richer.”
“And I had no idea that there was even a link between my husband and the Marcos family. Not until the end. Were you aware that when I was vetted for service by the FBI that they never uncovered the fact that Rick and Danny were cousins?”
She nodded. “Rick felt it would be safer that way, if they maintained distance, and Danny agreed.”
“But he was at our wedding.”
“Yes,” Celeste said. “At that time, Danny and Rick were very close. He told me he was so hopeful that his plan would work.”
“To use me.”
“He was aware that Rick didn’t…”
“Love me,” I said with a hard edge.
“Yes, but Danny once told me that love was as rare in his family as honesty and integrity. He wondered most of his life if he was even capable of it, if there wasn’t some sort of genetic flaw that made them all bad.”
“And again, I can relate.”
“We were stunned to learn about your father, Helen.”
“You mean Danny didn’t know about Wendell?”
She shook her head. “We didn’t know about that until after you came to Darkwater Bay. An FBI agent who was investigating Rick’s death met with Danny a number of times. He told him that you came from… bad seed, I think was the exact phrase he used. Danny had no idea that your father was still alive until then, or what his history was.”
“Mark Seleeby.”
“Yes, I believe that was his name.”
“Danny didn’t believe me when I told him Rick committed suicide, did he?”
“No. He said Rick was too selfish to ever kill himself. When it first happened, when we learned that Rick was found dead, Danny immediately suspected that his uncle had him killed. He’d heard from Rick that some of Sullivan’s money went missing and Rick was afraid that he’d be blamed for stealing it.”
“I know Rick didn’t embezzle that money, Celeste. In fact, I’m pretty sure that one of Sully’s other hired killers, a man named Eddie Franchetta was responsible for the missing twenty million.”
“Well, Rick told Danny that he was going to go to you and tell you everything. The next thing we heard, he was found dead.”
Oh, he’d told me quite a bit less than everything. In fact, Rick was still angling for a way out of his legal problems without losing his money or his standing with Sully. “He asked me to destroy the evidence that the FBI had against him,” I said. “And when I refused to do it, he threatened to expose my connection to the Marcos family.”
“I see.”
“I’m not sure you do, Celeste. You see, until that conversation, I had no idea that my husband was related to Danny, or who Danny really was, that he was at our wedding and welcomed me to the family after the ceremony.”
“Oh dear. You don’t have to tell me, Helen, but I’d like to know. Was Danny right about what happened to Rick?”
A shudder rippled through me. What was it about this slip of a girl that made me want to spill my guts? Had she had the same effect on Danny?
I ignored her need for answers and focused on my agenda. “I need to know what really happened when Mitch Southerby came to Darkwater Bay. The first time, Celeste.”
“Danny said his uncle sent him, that he suspected Danny was talking to the FBI and trying to make it look like Southerby was doing the talking.”
“And according to my friend at the FBI, that’s exactly what they thought,” I said.
“Right, so Southerby was really out to get
my husband. Danny swore up and down to him that he had no idea what Sullivan was up to.”
“He lied.”
She shot me a look. “Wouldn’t you, Helen? A ruthless killer is standing in front of you, literally threatening your life, and a lie seems like a bad idea?”
“Of course not. So why was everyone convinced that David Ireland had information against Sully Marcos?”
“It was a tragic mistake. Danny was involved with some litigation involving one of the unions. His attorney picked up a floppy disk that Danny had used to record information he’d spent years compiling, and it ended up on the district attorney’s desk. Danny told me he never knew that Ireland figured out the code he used, until Danny approached him, to ask that the disk be returned. When he realized that he decoded the information on the disk, Danny said he actually felt relieved. Mr. Ireland wanted to help my husband expose the truth, Helen, I swear.”
“And Southerby figured it out.”
She nodded. “And he was content to let everyone believe that Danny ordered him to kill David Ireland. Of course he didn’t. Danny wanted the man to go away convinced that Sullivan’s leak didn’t come from Darkwater Bay. But Southerby got the scent. He killed that district attorney, searched his office for any evidence against Sullivan, or anything that might incriminate Danny. When he didn’t find anything, he disappeared.”
“Which was when Johnny and Detective Briscoe found him in Jersey City and brought him back here.”
She nodded. “Then that horrible police captain figured out something was fishy between Southerby and Danny.”
“Did Danny know that Mitch Southerby didn’t really die sixteen years ago?”
“Not until he came back to Darkwater Bay last fall after Lowe’s arrest hit the national news.”
“Jesus,” I finally saw the truth that revenge and hatred kept me from accepting. The pieces began to rain down into place, things that never quite added up. “Danny didn’t order Southerby to torture Johnny.”
“No, but Southerby called us in Hawaii after you called with your search warrant. Danny jumped on his jet to come back immediately. He wanted to stop him from killing anyone else, Helen.”
“And the men at the medical examiner’s office?”
“Wait,” Celeste said. “There’s more. When the jet landed, those men that were with my husband when you arrested him were waiting for him. He wasn’t willingly in that Escalade that morning, Helen. Did you bother to wonder why of all the armed men in that vehicle, Danny was the only unarmed man? That he was driving? Danny didn’t drive himself anywhere.”
“Why didn’t he tell me any of this? I could’ve helped him. I could’ve protected him.”
“Protect and help? He was convinced you murdered Rick.”
God. The memory of my bloody hands, the red stain draining down the trap in the sink the day Alfred Preston killed Danny flashed before my eyes. I really am responsible for his death. All of this is my fault. I came out here, I arrested Jerry Lowe. Southerby saw his opportunity…
“Celeste, this is important. What was Danny’s relationship with Jerry Lowe?”
“They hated each other.”
“Do you know why?”
“Other than the fact that Lowe and his dirty cops tried to blame Danny for every crime in town while he himself was responsible for most of it?”
“But did Danny know he was responsible? When did he know?”
“When the rest of us did. He was sick when the truth came out about Lowe.”
“Because he, like everybody else, believed Salvatore Masconi got away with murder,” I said.
“He thought what he had done was right, Helen. I know it was wrong. He knew it was wrong. He thought he was protecting people.”
“Did Danny tell you what really happened to Salvatore Masconi?”
Celeste hesitated. Then nodded. “He went out to sea on one of Danny’s ships and never made it back to shore.”
How could I condemn him? Masconi was a bad guy. Not a murderer, but he was a predator. He’d simply managed to weasel out of his rape charge.
“Helen, Rick was a bad man too,” she said. “Just like Sal Masconi. Danny was conflicted because he didn’t trust Rick anymore either. But it bothered him, stirred up a lot of painful memories about what happened to his father.”
She understood.
I shivered again. Danny was right about her. Celeste Datello was a wise woman, certainly not the naïve girl I’d initially assumed.
“Was your husband blackmailing the chief of police and police commissioner?”
Celeste was taken aback. “Did they claim that he was?”
“The problem was that neither of them knew who was blackmailing them. I suspected Jerry Lowe, but we never found anything that proved it,” I said. “So again, we made another assumption, and for that I am sorry, Celeste. I’m sorry for everything.”
“The day that Danny died… did you try to save his life?”
I nodded. The blood again, strands of it slipping down the drain in that sink… it haunted me.
“Helen?”
“I heard the gunshot. I should’ve never agreed to let Preston talk to Danny without me there. If only I’d insisted, he’d still be alive.”
“What really happened in that room?”
“Saul Becker – he was one of the officers at the jail – he was with Preston when he talked to Danny. He basically threatened him so subtly that Saul didn’t realize what was happening, and coerced Danny into admitting that he voluntarily gave Sofia to Melissa Sherman for a legal adoption. Preston sent Saul out to get me because Danny said he wouldn’t say another word unless I was there.”
She gasped softly. “He knew. He knew that man was going to kill him. Danny wanted you to stop him.”
“Yes,” I said slowly. “Only Saul didn’t get to me in time. I heard the shot, grabbed Saul’s gun and ran. When I got into the room, Preston turned the gun on me, refused to drop his weapon and claimed that Danny tried to kill him – a man shackled at the wrists and ankles. I gave him a warning to drop the weapon. He took aim. I shot him in the leg. He shot at me. I shot him in the shoulder and went to render assistance to Danny, but it was too late. You know the rest, that they tried to save him at the hospital.”
“You said you killed Preston.”
“I didn’t mean to kill him. When I shot him in the leg, apparently he had a blood clot, and it went into his lung. That’s what killed him.”
Celeste reached for my hand. “He would’ve approved of a righteous kill, Helen. You saved our daughter. If they hadn’t murdered Danny, he’d have told you all of this himself.”
I nodded again. Yes, I believed her. Every word. “How did he tell you all of this?”
“How?”
“Yes. How do you start a conversation like that? Wasn’t he worried that you’d run screaming for the nearest police department?”
Celeste smiled. “I suppose he was terrified, but that’s the thing about trust, Helen. When you’re with someone that you know would do anything to protect you, would love you no matter how bad the worst really was, you just… feel it in your heart. Danny knew that I loved him. He knew I meant what I said when we made our vows. When I told him I loved him, he believed it. It wasn’t like we sat down and had this long conversation like you and I are doing right now. But gradually, before he even proposed to me, he told me enough that I understood how alone he’d been his whole life. So even if it was only for a little while, I had the privilege of making him understand that it wasn’t him against the whole world.”
Tears sprang to my eyes. “You were right, Celeste.”
“About what?”
“Danny and me. We were more alike than you could possibly imagine.”
“No, more than you could possibly imagine, Helen. I’ve known for a very long time. What else can I tell you about him?”
“Do you have any idea how Danny ended up being surrounded by so many horrible people, criminals like Destiny Gerard and
Umberto Gutierrez?”
“Only one,” she said. “For as hard as Danny tried to escape his family’s poisonous reach, I believe his uncle never truly allowed it.”
We all live under an illusion of independence. Maybe freedom too. I thought about my father and how he managed to reach out from behind the walls of Attica and manipulate me, how he drove a wedge between Johnny and me that we almost didn’t surmount.
Yeah. Danny and I were an awfully lot alike.
Chapter 7
He wasn’t happy with me. Understandably. I preempted the coming tirade by wrapping my arms around Johnny’s waist and breathing out a sobbed but very genuine apology. I wouldn’t go so far to say his ire evaporated, but it slid to the back burner at least.
“Where did you go?” he asked.
“Celeste’s penthouse.”
Apparently, no further explanation was needed.
“Ah hell, baby,” Johnny soothed. “Did she upset you?”
I shook my head. How did I tell him that I was responsible now for the deaths of two innocent men? While Rick wasn’t as lily white as Danny probably was, if I’d bothered to do a proper investigation instead of jumping to conclusions, I’d have known that the real guilty party was already in custody, that all we needed to do was mop up Southerby and his accomplices – which we’d almost done before Danny even returned to Darkwater Bay.
And if I was so wrong about that case, how many other people’s lives had I ruined because I simply knew I was right?
Johnny’s hand spanned my jaw and lifted it until I couldn’t avoid his probing gaze. Yeah, his eyes were filled with suspicion. I deserved at least that much.
“Tell me.”
“He was innocent. Of all of it. Danny didn’t order a hit on anyone. He was forced to participate in what happened at the medical examiner’s office, Johnny.”
“Because his wife said so?”
“He didn’t have a gun. He was driving the Escalade. In all the years you’ve been watching Danny, how many times did you see him personally drive himself anywhere?”