Callaway frowned. “Okay, but then why did David go to see Lana?”
Beth replied, “Around the time I was meeting David, I found out about Lana. It wasn’t hard to get her telephone number—as Mr. Parish’s secretary, I have access to his private schedule and contacts. I met her at a park and we talked for hours. Lana was worried she might be involved in something she couldn’t easily get herself out of. She was afraid of Viggo. He had never threatened her outright, but his presence was menacing. She knew he was keeping tabs on her. Once, when she was grocery shopping, she’d caught him watching her in his car.”
Lana jumped in. “I should have confronted him right then, but I didn’t know what to make of it. I just wanted to finish the job and get the rest of my money.”
Beth said, “I mentioned my conversation with Lana to David. I had no idea he had gone to her apartment to speak to her until Lana told me.”
“What did he say to you when he showed up at your door?” Callaway asked Lana.
“He tried to convince me to go to the media and tell them how Parish was using me. I told him I couldn’t do that. As I mentioned before, my parents have no idea what I’m doing in Milton. David was upset, and I remember he left disappointed.”
Callaway thought of something. He turned to Beth, “How were you and David going to expose Parish’s scheme? All you had was a shredded document which Parish could easily deny ever writing.”
“I had started listening into Mr. Parish’s phone calls. I was hoping to record him incriminating himself, and with David being a lawyer, we would then use it against him. But it all fell apart after David to…”
She looked away.
Callaway knew she was referring to David’s suicide.
Callaway did not want to lose this opportunity. He still had a lot of questions he needed answers to.
He asked Lana, “What made you run away? Was it something David said?”
Lana shook her head. “I was upset by David’s visit, so I called Beth and told her. She said she’d speak to David about it.”
“Okay.”
“And as for why I ran, Beth told me my life might be in danger.”
Beth nodded. “Like I said, I had been listening in on Mr. Parish’s calls. And during one of his conversations, Viggo had mentioned that they should consider cleaning up everything that linked back to them. I sensed that they meant getting rid of Lana. Mr. Parish was against it, but I could tell from Viggo’s voice that he wasn’t convinced. I told Lana to pack her stuff and come here. I already knew Viggo was keeping an eye on her, so I couldn’t take her to my house. I figured, what better place to hide her than right in the lion’s den, so to speak? I knew the fourteenth floor was unoccupied except for the boardroom and this room. I booked it under Parish Holdings.”
“Weren’t you worried R.J. Parish would find out?”
“We book spaces throughout the building, and Mr. Parish doesn’t concern himself with such things. It’s my job to do it for him.”
“So earlier, when I caught you in the elevator, you were bringing Lana food.”
“I was.”
“And how long were you planning on keeping her here?”
“Only until the heat went away. After David’s death, Parish and Viggo were on high alert. We couldn’t do anything with them looking over their shoulders.”
Callaway mulled over what he had heard. He then said to Lana, “The day you left your apartment and came here, David was seen returning to your building. Why?”
Lana sighed. “I’m not sure why David came back to my apartment. Maybe he thought he could somehow convince me to change my mind.”
“I’m confused,” Callaway said, shaking his head. “Why did he hire me to find you? I don’t think he knew you had disappeared.”
“I can answer that,” Beth said. “Right after David left her apartment, Lana called me about his visit. I spoke to David about it. He was adamant she was the key to destroying Parish. David was desperate. He was under a lot of stress. He was acting strangely. I told him she was gone and that he should not bother contacting her again. Maybe he went back to see if that was true.”
Callaway considered his next steps.
“What do we do now?” Lana asked.
“We go to the police,” Callaway replied. “And I know just the man to call.”
ONE-HUNDRED FIVE
Almost an hour after Callaway made the call, Holt walked through the door.
Callaway introduced Lana and Beth and explained the situation. Holt listened and then informed them that he had Viggo Radovic in custody. Right now, all he had on him was a charge for the attempted murder of an officer, but he was confident they would be able to connect Radovic to Trevor Donley’s murder.
Beth and Lana provided a summary of what they knew about Parish, Bartlett, and Becker.
Holt was confident their statements would undo Parish's schemes, and also be the end of Bartlett's term as governor. Parish would be charged for corruption and conspiracy, and Bartlett would not be able to overcome this scandal.
At the end, Callaway said to Holt, “Can you help them? They are willing to go on the record and make an official statement.”
“I’m sure I can do something,” Holt said.
Callaway checked his watch and turned to leave.
“Where are you going?” Holt asked, confused.
“I still have time,” Callaway replied.
“Time for what?”
“There is a little girl I need to take to the zoo,” Callaway said, and with that, he was gone.
Holt stared at the door and then shook his head.
I will never understand that man, he thought. Maybe it’s best I never do.
ONE-HUNDRED SIX
Members of her own department arrested Nunes and charged her for the murder of Miranda Temple. Nunes left without incident. She knew there was no way out.
Fisher had a feeling Nunes was somewhat relieved this was over. She was an officer of the law, and if not today, then one day the guilt would get to her.
Casey had not yet been told about what had transpired. He had been an emotional wreck ever since Miranda was murdered. Fisher figured it might be better if she broke the news about Nunes to him face-to-face.
She entered the house and called out his name.
There was no answer.
He must still be in his room, she thought.
She knocked on the door, and when she got no response, she turned the door handle. It was unlocked.
Typical Casey.
But the room was empty.
He must have gone out.
She decided to freshen up after her long day.
She went into the bathroom.
She froze in her tracks.
The bathtub was filled to the brim with water. A lone hand was sticking out, resting on the edge of the tub.
Casey!
She screamed out his name, rushed over, and pulled his wet body out of the water. She placed his body on the tiled floor and began to perform CPR.
Hot tears streamed down her face as she applied chest compressions and blew into his mouth.
After what felt like hours but were more like minutes, she stopped and checked for a pulse.
There was none.
She looked around and spotted a bottle of painkillers on the sink counter. The cap was off, the bottle was on its side, and she could see it was empty.
She dropped to the floor and cradled Casey in her arms.
She kissed him. His skin was cold to the touch.
She cried like she had never cried before.
ONE-HUNDRED SEVEN
Several Weeks Later
The funeral was held in Fisher’s hometown. Casey was buried in the family cemetery plot. Her parents were devastated. They had a lot of questions, but Fisher was not ready or willing to answer them. They knew Casey was battling personal demons. They just did not know how badly he was suffering. Their only wish was that if they had known sooner, they might have
been able to help him. Fisher had tried to help him, but she was too late.
She was grateful they did not know about Miranda’s death or Nunes’s incarceration. If they conducted a simple search online, they might find out what had transpired in Lockport. She hoped they never did. It was best if the past was left behind.
She had taken some time off to grieve for her brother. As usual, Holt was very supportive. He was constantly calling to see how she was doing. McConnell would drop by at the end of his shift to keep her company. Even Callaway would drop by to see how she was doing. She was grateful to have those three in her life right now.
She sat on the sofa and stared at the TV. She could not muster the energy to go out for her regular morning jogs. She knew fresh air would clear her head, but right now, she just wanted to sit and do nothing.
She was still torn by Casey’s decision to end his life. Would he still have done it if he knew he was not responsible for Miranda’s death? Fisher was not so sure, because the alternative was the woman he loved and wanted to spend the rest of his life with was now going to be locked up for a very long time.
It was a tragic end, with no winners. Only losers.
She reached over to the coffee table to pick up the remote when her eyes caught sight of a cardboard box in the corner of the living room.
After Casey’s death, her family flew over and helped her pack up his stuff. Most of it was donated to the Salvation Army, and the personal mementos were divided amongst his parents and siblings.
However, there was one box that Fisher kept. The box was sealed, and on top of it, in Casey’s handwriting, was her name.
Her brother wanted her to have it.
So far, though, she did not have the heart to open the box and look inside.
I’ll get to it when I’m ready, she thought.
She went back to changing channels, but she could not help looking at the box.
She sighed loudly.
She got up and retrieved the box.
I’ll have to do this eventually, so why not now?
She opened the seal. The first thing she saw was a binder. She pulled the binder out and when she flipped it open, she saw it contained articles from all the newspapers at the time of Jacob’s death. Casey had kept them as a reminder of what he had done.
She shut her eyes and sighed. Time didn’t heal the wounds, because Casey wouldn’t let it. He was carrying his mistake with him all this time.
She went back to the box and found something she did not expect to see.
It was the smart watch Casey was wearing when she arrived in Lockport.
She was confused. Why would he want me to have it?
She tinkered with the watch and got it working.
There were dozens of recordings stored on the phone’s hard drive. She remembered Casey was always speaking into it. He wanted to keep a log of all his ideas, of his events, or just random thoughts. He hoped to one day to use that information to write a book.
She felt a sharp pain in the pit of her stomach.
Now he will never get to do that, she thought.
She hesitated, but then she decided to listen to the recordings if only to hear his voice again.
The first log was Casey explaining how much he loved being a teacher. He talked about his students and how they gave him the energy to come to work each day.
The second log was Casey trying desperately to describe a sunset. His choice of words was weak and uninspiring. He laughed at the end and remarked that maybe writing that epic novel was going to be harder than he thought.
Fisher scrolled through the list and decided to listen to the very last recording. She hoped it would give a sense of what Casey was going through right before he decided to end his life.
She pressed the button.
She heard heavy breathing as if he was breathing through his nose. Then Casey said, “Where are you?... Where did you go?... Come on… Come on.”
She could tell he was driving, and by the sound of it he had his window down, and he was on a dirt and gravel road.
Wasn’t Pine Trail dirt and gravel? she thought.
The car came to a halt. The sound of brakes was audible.
The car door opened, and then it slammed shut. She then heard footsteps on the gravel.
Casey was walking fast. He was also out of breath and panting.
“Oh my God!” he exclaimed. “Oh no!”
The next sounds were of someone moving through bushes and branches.
Fisher knew that the slope next to Pine Trail was covered in bushes and trees.
She then heard him cry, “No! No! No!”
If she had to guess, Casey had stumbled on Miranda’s body.
After leaving her by the side of the road, he must have changed his mind and returned to pick her up, she thought.
His breathing was even more labored. It was as if he was having an asthma attack.
Casey had severe asthma as a child, but it went away as he got older.
“What?” she heard him say.
There was movement, and then a female voice said, “Help…me… please…”
It was Miranda! She was still alive!
Fisher’s heart began to beat faster.
“I’m going to help you,” Casey said. “I’m going to call nine-one-one. It’s going to be alright.”
Miranda slowly said, “Nunes…”
“What did you say?” Casey asked.
“It… was… Detective… Nunes…”
There was silence.
Casey said, “I’m so sorry.”
The next sounds were moaning, and the sounds of someone struggling.
Her heart sank.
She knew what was happening.
Casey was smothering her.
As he did, Casey kept repeating, “I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry.”
Silence returned. Fisher knew Miranda was dead.
Casey began to weep. A minute passed, and then he sniffled, and then there was the sound of shuffling feet.
The next moment, she heard the car door open again.
The engine started.
Casey said, “Oh shit—”
The audio cut off.
Casey must have realized he had turned on his smartwatch’s recorder.
So why didn’t he delete it? she thought.
She knew the answer.
He did not want to. And he had sent her the proof because he knew she would do the right thing.
Nunes might have pushed Miranda, but she never killed her.
Casey did. And the guilt finally got the better of him.
Fisher reached over and grabbed her cell phone.
She was going to make a call to the District Attorney in Lockport, and she would fly down to personally hand over the evidence.
There was an innocent person locked up for a crime they had not committed.
Casey had already paid the price for his action.
Fisher had to make sure no one else suffered for what he had done. That was what Casey would have wanted.
She dialed the number.
READ LEE CALLAWAY’S INTRODUCTION IN THE ROSE WATER (ECHO ROSE #4). CLICK THE LINK TO GRAB YOUR COPY TODAY!
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Thomas Fincham
HYDER ALI
The Silent Reporter (Hyder Ali #1)
The Rogue Reporter (Hyder Ali #2)
The Runaway Reporter (Hyder Ali #3)
The Serial Reporte
r (Hyder Ali #4)
The Street Reporter (Hyder Ali #5)
The Student Reporter (Hyder Ali #0)
MARTIN RHODES
Close Your Eyes (Martin Rhodes #1)
Cross Your Heart (Martin Rhodes #2)
Say Your Prayers (Martin Rhodes #3)
Fear Your Enemy (Martin Rhodes #0)
ECHO ROSE
The Rose Garden (Echo Rose #1)
The Rose Tattoo (Echo Rose #2)
The Rose Thorn (Echo Rose #3)
The Rose Water (Echo Rose #4)
STANDALONE
The Blue Hornet
The October Five
The Paperboys Club
Killing Them Gently
The Solaire Trilogy
THOMAS FINCHAM holds a graduate degree in Economics. His travels throughout the world have given him an appreciation for other cultures and beliefs. He has lived in Africa, Asia, and North America. An avid reader of mysteries and thrillers, he decided to give writing a try. Several novels later, he can honestly say he has found his calling. He is married and lives in a hundred-year-old house. He is the author of THE PAPERBOYS CLUB, THE OCTOBER FIVE, THE BLUE HORNET, KILLING THEM GENTLY, the HYDER ALI series, the MARTIN RHODES series, and the ECHO ROSE series.
The Missing Mistress Page 24