by LS Sygnet
“Do you want to kill me?”
“I did when I first came into town. In fact, I debated whether or not I should even accept George Hardy’s offer. It would’ve been a hell of a lot easier to just… show up and take care of the problem without anyone being the wiser.”
He nodded curtly. “What did Rick tell you before you shot him?”
I fiddled with the sleeve of my shirt. “What did Masconi say before you dumped him at sea?”
“Fair enough. We both have made mistakes, although I’m starting to believe mine was more grievous than yours.”
“Rick told me that he would expose my relationship to Marcos through marriage if I didn’t destroy the evidence the FBI had against him,” I said. “He had no intention of turning on the master.”
Danny nodded slowly. “I suspected as much, specifically after you filed for divorce.”
“What did you think when I showed up in Darkwater Bay?”
It was his turn to chuckle. “Pretty much what you admitted. I thought you were here to kill me. You can’t imagine my surprise when you came into that interview room at Central Division that morning.”
“You really thought we had Gwen, that we’d convinced her to give false testimony about your businesses?”
“Yeah,” he said. “But when you said she was gone, when I realized what you meant, I started to wonder what was really going on. See, I probably knew a hell of a lot more about you than you knew about me.” He shrugged. “Rick kept me informed of certain things, probably to placate me and make me believe he still planned to give our evidence against Uncle Sully to you.”
“Told you things like what?”
“That when the time came, you were so straight, you’d have no problem quietly building a case against Uncle Sully. To be honest, he sounded almost…”
“Almost what?”
“Disgusted by it,” Datello admitted.
I gritted my teeth. “My husband was repulsed by me. That’s what you’re really telling me. Well, if being morally flexible was attractive to him, he probably died with a hard-on. Probably the only one I ever gave him where he didn’t have to pretend I was someone else.”
“Where do we go from here, Helen? What is it that Johnny thinks I know but haven’t shared?”
“I have no idea. I’m not sure he gave me his real motive for keeping you here, under his thumb.”
“Is that where you are too?”
I grinned. “He thinks so.”
“Are you happy in this marriage?”
“I love him,” I said. “But happiness? I’m not sure I know what that really is. I think you can relate to what I’m saying. There’s always something at the periphery of our lives, something dark, something not quite legal. It’s nipping at our heels, and no matter what we try to do to make it disappear, to live outside of that shadow –”
“It’s always scratching at the back door, just waiting to make an appearance. Or take over.”
I peered at him thoughtfully. Datello did get it. He understood me, understood the things I felt without a word necessary between us. His wife was right. We were very much the same.
“Do you think it’s possible that Uncle Sully is part of the slavery ring? I find it beyond coincidental that my company was used to facilitate such a reprehensible business.”
“Danny, I honestly don’t know.” A sigh parted my lips. “I don’t like coincidences, but it’s no secret that you’ve been a villain in this city without doing a thing to earn the black cape that goes along with the job. It could’ve been something as simple as using you for a scapegoat.”
“Yet the men Southerby used at the medical examiner’s office, the ones who intercepted me at the private air strip I own, they worked for me, Helen. At least, I thought they did.”
“As did Captain Gutierrez and Destiny Gerard,” I said. “She’s the one you hired to replace Salvatore Masconi after he died, correct?”
“After his arrest,” Danny clarified. “She was a recent graduate from Argyle University, came with very high recommendations locally.”
“That’s right. Tony Briscoe said you basically cleaned house and got rid of the transplants you brought in to run the casino operation and hired local people, that it endeared you to the city a bit more.”
“The police have an odd way of looking at things,” he scoffed. “And Briscoe, yeah, I know of him, he’s one of the worst.”
I leaned forward. “The worst in what way?”
“Part of Orion’s vendetta against me.”
“Can we just assume that all of that is in the past now? At least it is from Johnny’s perspective. I reminded him that you are innocent after all.”
“Except for feeding Masconi to the sharks, bit by bit.”
“And Johnny looked the other way. He knew that the man didn’t just leave Darkwater Bay, Danny. He chose to do nothing because he thought Masconi got away with murder too. I reminded Johnny that he really is in no position to judge you when he’s gone to questionable means to protect me from what I deserve.”
“I guess if I can forgive you for Rick, he ought to forgive me for Sister Agnes Marie’s altar.”
“At the very least. Now tell me about Gerard. You said she came highly recommended.”
“Argyle,” he nodded. “Good Christian university. Obviously they have had a few failures over the years.”
“Meaning that Gerard was a bad person?”
“You disagree with that, after knowing her involvement in Sofia Helene’s abduction?” Datello asked a bit incredulously.
“People start their bad acts somewhere. You said she was highly recommended. Do you mean by the university?”
He nodded. “She just finished her MBA. When the Sentinel splattered Sal’s arrest on the front page, I fired him naturally. The Bennetts were friends, Helen. But I had a lot of different interests at the time, the logging company was still struggling under the new mandates for reforestation. We had some union woes with the trawling business. There were concerns that grew exponentially about the casino after Sal’s arrest. I needed someone local, someone above reproach to take over day to day operations at the resort and casino.”
“So you went to Argyle for help.”
Datello frowned. “No, actually, their board of regents approached me. They suggested that I consider a candidate from their school, an up-and-comer who showed tremendous promise, someone who could ameliorate the image problems Datello Enterprises faced. I had a good relationship with both Metro State University and Argyle. In fact, we funded environmental research grants to both that enabled them to grow programs and bring in scientists that could help monitor the environmental impact of industry in the region.”
“So you took their advice and hired Gerard.”
“She was every bit as good for our public image as the board of regents said she’d be,” Danny said. “In fact, she had such business savvy, it wasn’t long before she took on an expanded role in Datello Enterprises beyond operations at the Island Hotel Resort and Casino. She became my chief financial officer within five years.”
“Interesting.”
“Is it? Is this the sort of thing your husband thought would be helpful information?”
“Perhaps,” I said. I rose and moved toward the office, beckoning Danny to follow. I opened the browser on the computer. “How often does this board of regents change? I assume they’re elected.”
“Sure they are,” Datello said. “They serve six year terms, but I can’t remember the last time the city actually elected new members. People are satisfied, and the positions aren’t highly compensated. It’s more of a prestige thing, the sort of position that retired academics or philanthropists seek out. You know, the kind of people who have no practical knowledge of the real world, but are good at shepherding institutions like universities and art councils. In fact, I think a few of them are on the arts council in Darkwater Bay.”
Something raised the hairs on the nape of my neck. My one and only conversation
with my biological father flitted through my memory. Wasn’t he on the arts council? The voice of dissent when Pan Demon had its two-day metal-fest at the city amphitheater.
A photo popped up on the screen.
“Isn’t that –”
“My biological father,” I ground the words out like broken glass. “I suppose he’s been a fixture at Argyle for centuries too.”
“Yeah. Also the arts council. A lot of charities in Darkwater Bay. He probably had his undies in quite a knot when Destiny was arrested.”
“Why would you assume that?”
Danny grinned sheepishly. “Surely you know about your own father, Helen. The man’s a puritanical pain in the ass. He was dead set against legalizing gambling. He’s dead set against just about anything that isn’t pious and holy. He even hates the Catholic church.”
“That much I knew. Other than how he’s treated Crevan over the years, I’m blissfully ignorant of his positions on most things.”
“He’s ultra conservative. In fact, he was a huge supporter of Terrell Sanderfield when Gene Sherman proposed that he run against Joe Collangelo in the election this fall.”
I swiveled in the chair. “Now we’re getting somewhere. You said you went to Eugene Sherman because you felt angry over Johnny’s deception, that he was really the force behind OSI.”
“Damn right I was,” Danny snarled. “It was a huge slap in the face. I supported Collangelo, not just when he was running for governor, but when he was the State’s Attorney General. I was part of the committee that encouraged him to run for governor in the first place. I thought OSI was a fantastic idea, and then all of a sudden, I realized that the guy he put in charge wanted nothing but to put me in prison.”
It was understandable, his rage, that sense of betrayal he must’ve felt.
“Collangelo is from Darkwater Bay, isn’t he?”
“Yeah,” Danny said. “We knew each other growing up. He was a good kid. I wasn’t so good, but I always liked him, respected him.”
“You knew Scott Madden, too, didn’t you?”
Danny chuckled. “He was Scott Goddard when I knew him, but yeah, he was a year behind me in school. I wasn’t surprised that he grew up to be the rock-star-bad-boy. Now there was the only kid I knew with a worse reputation than mine. Too bad he snapped and killed that murderer in January.”
“You ask me, he saved the taxpayers a real headache,” I said.
“True. It might’ve been hard to convict Underwood, at least until he killed that pastor.”
“The pastor that was replaced by Lyle Henderson,” I said. “I’d sell my soul if I had one for five minutes alone with good old Lyle.”
“Somehow I doubt your father would allow that. Or your husband, for that matter.”
“Daddy don’t mind what daddy don’t see,” I said softly. “Or Johnny. Take your pick. If I didn’t go off the ranch from time to time, we’d be twiddling our thumbs without answers at all.”
Datello grinned. “So what’s our next move?”
“These bastards have been watching me from the day I showed up in Darkwater Bay, probably before then, truth be told. If Henderson was part of my abduction as an infant, he’s been keeping tabs on me my whole life. I’d like to turn the tables on them.”
“How?”
“You. And Dad.”
“But Lyle knows your father.”
“And he, like the rest of the world, thinks that Dad is dead. I know for a fact he hasn’t had time for even minor plastic surgery like you received,” I said. “Yet he looks remarkably different beyond changing his hair color. Do you know how? Botox?”
Danny laughed. “I didn’t ask, Helen. In fact, I didn’t know anything about your father until Mark Seleeby showed up trying to build a case against you for Rick’s murder. I’d never seen him before until he opened the screen in the confessional.”
“He looks different, is the point. Younger. Regardless, when people believe you’re dead, they’re not looking for you. I want you and Dad to keep an eye on Henderson.”
“And what’re you doing in the meantime?”
I procured the DNA sample from the pocket of my sweater and tapped it into my open palm. “I’m going to find out who Melissa Sherman really is. Can you call Dad and get him on board with surveillance? He may have to work alone for a little while, at least until Johnny and I can figure out how to get David Levine out of town.”
Chapter 21
Maya grinned when I walked into her office without knocking. “A phone call was all I requested. Have I done something wrong?”
I handed her the vial with the swab of Dad’s skin cells. “What did Johnny tell you about the sample he delivered earlier?”
“Just that you’re trying to figure out Melissa Sherman’s true identity. We’ve already got an idea who she is?”
The last time I shared a secret with Maya, she betrayed my confidence. The fact that she was nearly on par with the police as the county’s chief medical examiner, and the fact that she was involved in a serious relationship with the head of Darkwater Bay’s Crime Scene Division made me reluctant to be more than superficial and vague. “It’s a long shot, Maya. But, you never know. “I’ve got another sample too, something you might find mitochondrial DNA on. At least there’s precedent getting skin cells from saliva off decades old envelopes.”
Her eyes widened. “You have an envelope her mother might’ve licked?”
I nodded and pulled only the flap of the old document out of my bag. It was encased in plastic for preservation.
“Helen, where did you get this?”
“I can’t tell you.”
“Can’t or won’t?”
“Both.”
“Is this because I told Johnny what you were doing when you disappeared? Don’t think I haven’t started putting things together myself, Helen. You suspect this Sherman woman might’ve been abducted too. Whose DNA is this?” She waved the buccal swab at me. “Yours? Crevan’s?”
“Just run the test, and for God’s sake, don’t share the information with anyone other than Johnny or me.”
“Crevan knows too.”
“Fine. You can tell Crevan. I don’t have to explain to you how sensitive this case is. We’ve still got some very bad people at large, folks who deserve to rot in hell rather than profit from the suffering of others.”
“You don’t believe in hell.”
“Well, maybe I should. Maybe these bastards are revising my previous position on the subject. If I could tell you more, I would.”
“This shouldn’t take long. You wanna hang while I have Billy run the samples for comparison? It’ll take longer with the envelope flap. I’m assuming it was discovered in her personal items in Montgomery.”
“We’re not sure it’s from her mother, but it’s worth a shot.”
“Fair enough. The buccal swab looks fresh. Dare I ask who it’s from?”
“For the time being, let’s just call him John Doe until we know if it’s a match to her or not.”
“His mtDNA will be different, Helen. Unless it’s from another long lost brother.” She scowled at the sample in hand. “Or do we think she’s related to you and Crevan? Don’t tell me the family had yet another daughter given away.”
Her words slammed into me. “My parents didn’t give me away!” Or did they? More specifically, did Aidan give me away? If I ended up with Wendell and Marie, and Dad’s biological child ended up with Lyle Henderson, friend to Aidan Conall…
I swallowed the knot inching its way up from my belly.
“Sit,” Maya said quickly. “I’m sorry I said that. It certainly wasn’t what I meant. Have you seen either of them since you learned the truth?”
“Either of whom?”
“Aidan or Kathleen Conall.”
I nodded. “I met Kathleen. She knows the truth.”
Maya ruffled my short hair fondly. “Hard to miss that fact these days, princess. You two look like siblings now.”
I twisted away f
rom the light touch. “She’s a stranger to me. Wendell is my… was my father. No one could ever replace him in my heart.”
“Yeah. We’ve had this conversation before, and I am sorry, Helen. I know you wanted answers from your father before he died. It’s part of what’s driving you now, isn’t it?”
“Yes,” I said. “I’m assuming that it’ll be longer than a few hours for the DNA results.”
“I’ll call as soon as we’ve confirmed a hit or a miss. In the meantime, we need to get together and catch up on the happier news in life.”
“Is there any? I hadn’t noticed lately.”
“You’re not enjoying the pregnancy yet?”
Oh, that. I forced a weak smile. “Honestly, I haven’t had much time to enjoy anything lately. At least I’m not puking up my shoelaces anymore. The doctor is satisfied with my appetite and weight gain. The ultrasound shows everything progressing well.” I shrugged. “The nursery is ready. What more is there to say?”
“I’d think Johnny would want to keep you as far away from his investigations as possible, all things considered. I got the impression from both him and Crevan that in this up to your eyeballs though.”
“Maybe the hairs on my chinny-chin-chin. Oh, Maya. How can I walk away from this? It’s about me, my life, the safety of my children. When Sanderfield was murdered, I was terrified that the real people behind all of this are starting to mop up any witnesses that might expose their crimes. Don’t tell me you didn’t have the same idea.”
“I won’t lie. It was pretty ballsy to murder a state senator, one running for governor to boot. If it’s really connected to Sherman and Gillette and all the others, it’s an act of desperation, and I don’t doubt your gut instinct. I never have. But I also know there’s way more going on here than you’ve told me.”
“It’s Johnny’s case. What he chooses to divulge is up to him.”
She snorted. “Come with me to the lab. We’ll get Billy started on this right now.”