Mingus dropped his hand to his weapon and fixed his gaze on Rourke. “I would not do that,” he said.
Rourke froze, his hand posed awkwardly at his side.
“Here we are, having a friendly conversation, and you want to get stupid. Why don’t you put your hands on the table, so I can see them? That way, we won’t have any problems.”
Rourke slowly lifted his arms and slid his palms to the tabletop and Mingus nodded.
“So, let me tell you what I know, and you three can fill in any blanks for me,” he started. “Playground friends, right?”
“We grew up in foster care together,” John Talley responded.
“Which one of you hatched the plan to bilk the Tower Group’s investment money? Was that you, Frank?”
Frank Sumpter’s eye was twitching, his nerves beginning to get the best of him. “We were just supposed to take a little off the top. No one would have missed it.”
“I bet it was Kyle here who got greedy. You wanted more, didn’t you, Rourke?”
“It was John’s idea to take more,” the man snarled.
“Humph!” Mingus cut his eye at the school administrator. “And I guess it was John who figured out the profit margins would almost double if the group got their hands on the Riptide property. Especially with that new hotel going up around the corner and the petition to redistrict that whole area. Those margins would probably have tripled!”
“It was an easy scam. We would have gotten rich and the investors wouldn’t have been any wiser. Until this one started taking double his share!” Frank snapped as he glared at John.
“My wife and I were taking on risks you two didn’t have. It only made sense. Like you didn’t get your share of any extra we took!” John muttered between clenched teeth. “We all stood to make millions!”
“How did Joanna Barnes play into all of this?” Mingus directed his question at John.
The man rolled his eyes. “We needed a big scandal to help push the property sale. The school was already on the verge of closing and we figured one sex scandal would take it over the edge. Almost worked, too, until that stupid kid decided to tell the truth. The board was voting to sell this week and now they’re going to wait.”
“But why Joanna? Why not some other teacher?”
John shrugged. “Rumor had it she was under consideration for Teacher of the Year. Figured it would knock her down a peg or two.”
Mingus shook his head slowly. “Because your wife wanted the title.”
“Leave my wife out of this!”
Rourke tipped forward. “What do you want from us?”
“Which one of you killed David Locklear?” Mingus shifted his gaze between the three, his brow raised questioningly.
Rourke and Sumpter both turned to stare at John.
“I didn’t kill anyone,” John said, his tone snippy. “I was at a board meeting when that boy got shot. And even if I did do it, you couldn’t prove anything!”
“Actually, I can prove more than you think I can,” Mingus said. He stood, retrieving his firearm from the table.
Rourke suddenly jumped from his seat, pulling his own weapon. His chair fell back harshly, slamming against the floor. His two friends turned as if to run, ducking when he pointed his pistol at Mingus.
Then three gunshots fired loudly through the room. Mingus turned to see his brothers standing in the doorway. Both stood with their weapons still aimed at the man who had been deemed a threat. Both had discharged a single shot. Kyle Rourke lay dead; one shot hitting him squarely in the chest, the other blowing through his abdomen. The third shot, fired from Rourke’s gun, had missed its target, hitting a bottle of Jack Daniel’s on the bar behind Mingus’s head.
“You good?” Parker asked. He moved to Mingus’s side.
“Better now.” He shot Armstrong a look. Gratitude seeped from his eyes. He was grateful that his brothers had arrived when they did. He was also thankful that Kyle Rourke had been a lousy shot. He shifted his gaze toward the body on the floor, then toward the other two men in handcuffs. He thought about David Locklear, the young man gone too soon from this world. This wasn’t the ending he had hoped for, but he’d learned years ago that in his line of work you didn’t always get what you wanted.
Then he thought about Joanna. He’d found the answers to finally clear her name. The Talleys and their cohorts would pay for what they put he through. She’d been vindicated, and he relished being able to hopefully put a smile back on her face. This time he’d gotten more than he wanted, determined that his win would last a lifetime. A weight had been lifted off his shoulders and he blew a soft sigh of relief. He gave his brother a nervous smile. “I see you brought the cavalry.”
Armstrong gave him a smug response. “Didn’t you call for one?”
“Secure the room,” Parker commanded to the team of police officers who had rushed into the space behind them.
Mingus holstered his weapon and settled back against the bar. Frank Sumpter and John Talley were both in handcuffs and witness statements were being taken from the bartender and one stripper who’d been in the room.
“Did you get the evidence I sent you?” Mingus asked, referring to the surveillance tapes and digital transaction records he had on all three men.
Parker nodded. “I did. We picked up Marion Talley a half hour ago.”
“She pulled the trigger on David Locklear.”
“Your note said you thought it was her husband.”
“I did at first and apparently so did they. But we were all wrong. He was at a school board meeting. If he wasn’t the one behind the wheel of his car when the shots were fired, then it only makes sense that she was.”
“I’m going to need a full statement from you.”
“Whatever you need...”
“Think about coming back to the force. We could use a good guy like you.”
Mingus laughed and then turned toward the door, intent on heading home.
* * *
Mingus wasn’t expecting to run into his father in the club’s parking lot. The police commissioner was stepping out of his city-issued vehicle when Mingus was headed to his own car. His father’s presence was a surprise.
The patriarch gestured for his son’s attention. “You good?”
“Yes, sir. I’m fine.”
“Your brother said you almost got shot.”
“He overexaggerated the situation. I had great backup from Chicago’s finest.”
“I doubt highly, Mingus, that someone pointing a gun at you and pulling the trigger is an overexaggeration.”
“It’s really no big deal, sir. I’m fine.”
“You better be. We would not be able to live with your mother if something had happened to you while you were helping the police department. And if I can’t live with that woman, I will bring your dead body back and kill you myself!”
Mingus laughed.
“By the way, it would seem that we’ve been able to recover a large portion of the money that was stolen from the Tower Group. It was transferred back into a Tower Group trust account. You wouldn’t know anything about that, would you?”
Mingus gave his father a shrug, just the barest hint of a smile pulling across his face.
* * *
“Yes, Mark, good morning. It’s certainly a somber morning here in Old Town. Investigators have confirmed that they have arrested Riptide High School English teacher Marion Talley for allegedly killing popular student David Locklear. Out in front of the school, students and faculty have set up a memorial here. Marion Talley faces one charge of first degree murder.
“Also arrested was school board president, John Talley. Talley faces charges for conspiracy to commit murder, embezzlement, and fraud.
“Seventeen years old, David Locklear was a star athlete and, according to his mother, had recently been accepted to the
University of Chicago, where he had planned to study mathematics. David died two days ago from injuries incurred in a drive-by shooting originally thought to be random. Investigators have not said what led up to the killing. We are expecting to hear from the investigators in a news conference later this morning. We’re hoping to learn more then. Marion Talley is expected to make her first court appearance later this afternoon.
“Reporting live, I’m Leanne Garner and this is ABC7 Chicago.”
Joanna depressed the volume button on the remote. David’s death had dominated the news since it happened and with the Talleys’ arrest, she imagined it wasn’t going to die down anytime soon.
She rolled to the other side of the bed, curling her body around Mingus. He was snoring loudly, but she found the rumble of air comforting. She’d been sound asleep when he’d come home and had no idea what time he had found his way to bed.
She knew there were details from the case that he needed to tie up. There had also been multiple meetings at the police department. Although Mingus hadn’t shared a lot of the details, there was an active internal investigation of Parker and decisions he had made. He’d been called on the carpet for his actions, as well as the behavior of the officers who served under him. She would be grateful when things were back to normal and the Black family was no longer consumed by the issues that had taken her down.
Principal Donato had reached out about her returning to the classroom, but she wasn’t sure about the idea. Returning to teaching suddenly didn’t feel like it was the right thing for her to do. Thinking about being back in the classroom actually gave her anxiety and made her blood pressure rise. She had pondered the idea of taking off the rest of the school year and maybe even the next to decide what it was she really wanted to do.
She snuggled even closer to Mingus, throwing one leg over his. The heat from his body was volcanic, holding back the cold in the room. Everything about him warmed her spirit. She felt immensely blessed and wondered how she’d gotten so lucky.
Mingus opened one eye to stare down at her. “You okay?” he asked.
“I am absolutely perfect!” she said.
“What time is it?”
“Too early to get out of bed yet.”
“I propose we stay in bed all day long.”
“Sounds like heaven! What will we do all day in bed alone?”
Mingus laughed. “Baby, whatever we want!”
He reached for her, rolling back against the mattress until she lay sprawled above him. He hugged her close, the hard lines of his body meshing sweetly with the soft curves of hers.
“Is that a pistol in your pocket or are you just happy to see me?” she teased with a soft giggle.
Mingus pushed his hips upward. “I am very happy to see you. Extremely happy. Abundantly happy. So happy, that I about to make your entire day happy.”
Joanna nuzzled her nose into that spot beneath his chin and trailed her tongue along his profile. “You could spoil a girl!”
“That’s my job, baby, and I am exceptionally good at what I do.”
Chapter 21
Joanna positioned the framed photo on the center of the wall. The thirty-six-by-forty-eight-inch portrait had been taken on Armstrong and Danni’s wedding day. The bride and groom stood front and center, Armstrong in a traditional black tuxedo that complemented Danni’s lace dress. The formfitting A-line design had fit her like a glove and she’d looked stunningly beautiful.
Jerome and Judith Black stood beside their son, beaming with joy. The brothers had flanked Armstrong’s left side and bridesmaids Simone and Vaughan balanced the picture, standing next to the bride and her sister.
They were a beautiful family and the formal portrait was simply divine. It had been a month since the wedding. The memories from that day made Joanna smile. The abundance of love carried over in everything the family did and said. She felt immensely blessed to feel so welcomed into the fold.
Her case had been officially closed two weeks before the wedding, the Talleys and their associates formally charged. She’d done a round of media interviews to insure her side of the story was told and life had begun to feel like normal again.
She and Mingus were in a very good place, the boundaries of their relationship clearly defined. In fact, they had no boundaries with each other, every aspect of their lives completely entwined. She was happier than she could have ever imagined, and she trusted that he was as well. They had plans for their future, both wanting to travel the same path toward happiness. Both knew that eventually there would be marriage and children and a life of dreams come true. In the short term they were navigating days at his home and nights at hers. They were enjoying the hell out of each other, neither wanting anything between them to ever change.
Mingus moved into the room and greeted her cheerily. “Hey, baby, what are you...?”
He stopped short, caught off guard. He looked from the portrait to her and back. “Wow!”
“Do you like it?”
“I love it! What a great shot of the family.”
“Good. I had one framed for your parents and each of your siblings.”
He moved against her, claiming her mouth in a passionate kiss.
Joanna melted against him, her entire body like mush. When he let her go, her knees were rubbery. “You keep doing that to me!” she whispered.
“Doing what?”
“You know what you do!”
She giggled and took a quick step back, fanning herself with her hand. “I can’t think straight, and I had something to tell you!”
Mingus folded his hands behind his back. “What’s your news?”
Joanna grinned. “I got a new job. Teaching!”
“Baby, that’s wonderful! Where?”
“The University of Chicago’s history department.”
Mingus closed the gap between them and hugged her again tightly. “I’m proud of you.”
“Thank you.”
He moved to his desk and the stack of unopened mail. “I appreciate you keeping me organized.”
“You’re very welcome. Right now, though, I need to go change my clothes. I have some errands to run and then I am going to meet your sisters for dinner. Do you need anything?”
“I don’t think so. I think I’m good. Just hurry back. I’m going to miss you.”
“I love you, too, Mingus Black!”
* * *
Mingus stared after her as she left the room. Everything about Joanna Barnes made him smile. Glancing back to the portrait, he couldn’t help but imagine the day he would make her his bride.
Taking a seat in the leather executive’s chair, he sorted through the stack of letters, separating the bills from the junk. When he was done, he slid open the side drawer and pulled out the letter he had tucked away weeks earlier. His mother’s delicate handwriting, in her signature purple ink, stared back at him.
Reaching for the letter opener, he slid it beneath the sealed flap. Inside was a letter addressed to his mother, written years earlier. Mingus read it once and then he read it a second time. He read the words over and over again until he’d committed his mother’s secret to memory. Sliding the aged paper back into the envelope, he returned it to the hiding spot in his desk.
Minutes later, still pondering the ramifications of what he’d just read, he looked up to find Joanna staring at him. “You good?” she asked, concern tottering on her words.
He nodded. “I have you, baby! It doesn’t get any better than that.”
“Finally!” she exclaimed tossing her hands up in mock relief. “I’ve been telling you that for weeks now! It’s about time you got it!”
Mingus chuckled softly.
Joanna moved to his side and took a seat against his lap. She wrapped her arms around his neck and brushed her lips gently against his. The kiss was sweet, the gentlest breeze between them. Whe
n they parted, both were slightly giddy with joy.
Joanna noticed the letter sitting on the desk top, her eyes drawn to the delicate penmanship on the envelope. “What’s that?” she asked, her brow raised in curiosity.
Mingus fingered the correspondence between his fingers. “It’s a letter to my mom. She’s asked me to find the man who wrote it.”
Joanna nodded her head slowly. “Is that a good thing?”
Mingus pulled the letter from inside and passed it to her to read. Her eyes suddenly widened as she looked from him to the letter and back.
“Does your father know?”
He shook his head. “She asked me to not say anything.”
“What are you going to do?”
Mingus shrugged. “I’m going to do what she asked. I’m going to find him.”
“Do you want some help? We do make a great team you know!”
He grinned. “I can’t imagine myself being partners with anyone else!”
“Then I’m hired!” Joanna leaned in to kiss his lips a second time. “Mingus Black, did I tell you today how much I love you?” she asked sweetly.
Mingus whispered back, pressing the words gently against her lips, “Oh, baby! I love you, too!”
* * *
Don’t miss the previous volume in
Deborah Fletcher Mello’s
To Serve and Seduce miniseries:
Seduced by the Badge
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Tempted by the Badge Page 23