Winner Cake All

by Denise Swanson

  “Nothing, thanks.” Franklin smiled. “Detective Christensen informs me that you are the one who figured out who murdered Yvette.”

  “I am.” Dani was surprised Gray had told Franklin about her, but then again, since they were asking for his cooperation, if the billionaire demanded to know, the police were hardly in a position to deny him the information.

  “In that case, I think it’s only fair that you get to hear Chandler’s confession.” Franklin lifted his chin. “However, just be warned that there is a slim possibility that you might be called on to testify.” He paused, then shook his head. “But he’ll probably take a deal.”

  Dani considered the offer. Neither Spencer nor Gray would be happy if she accepted. However, after her experience with her ex-boyfriend, she’d vowed that she’d never allow herself to be controlled by another man’s wishes again, so she was going to do what she wanted.

  Beaming at Whittaker, Dani said, “I would love that. How will it work?”

  “Detective Christensen has agreed to have you with him in the prime listening spot next to the gazebo.” Franklin glanced at his heavy gold watch. “You should probably get out there pretty soon. Chandler is due in fifteen minutes.”

  “Absolutely.” Dani nodded enthusiastically. “I’ll get the entrées in the oven right now and alert one of my employees to take them out when the timer goes off.” She hesitated. “Thank you for thinking of me. It’s really very sweet of you.”

  The tips of Whittaker’s ears reddened and he squeezed her shoulders. “From everything I’ve heard about you, you’re a very special woman.”

  With that, he left and Dani stood for a moment wondering exactly who had been telling him about her and what they’d been saying.

  Blinking, she shook her head. That wasn’t important right now. What was crucial was getting the food in the oven and herself outside and hidden before Chandler arrived.

  Ten minutes later, she and Gray were squatting among the bushes along the side of the gazebo. Three foot-long redwood slats formed the bottom of the octagonal structure and ended in a railing. The rest of the building was open, except for the columns supporting the roof.

  As she’d predicted, Gray hadn’t been happy to see her. He grumbled as he fitted her with a Kevlar vest and had given her strict instructions about her expected behavior. Mostly, she was to be quiet, stay still, and shelter in place if anything went wrong.

  Franklin was already seated at a table that had been pushed against the back wall. Dani could just make him out through a space between the wooden slats. He seemed as cool and calm as if he were in his office about to have a routine meeting with any one of his thousands of employees.

  Dani’s knees were already aching when Marc Chandler arrived a few minutes later. She really needed to get back to doing yoga.

  Marc strolled into the gazebo with a smirk on his handsome face. He wore a suit, but his shirt was unbuttoned at the throat and his tie was stuffed into the breast pocket of his jacket.

  Without an invitation, he took the seat opposite his boss and drawled, “You wanted to see me?”

  Franklin retrieved his cell phone from the inside pocket of his suit jacket, put it on the table, and tapped the screen.

  Marc cocky grin faded. “What’re you doing?”

  “As you know, I record all meetings with my employees.”

  “Oh.” Marc’s forehead creased. “Should I have my agent here?”

  “You can, but I doubt you want anyone else to hear this conversation.” Franklin took out a leather notepad and flipped it open. “I had an interesting discussion with Detective Christensen about my fiancée’s death.”

  “What’s that got to do with me?” Marc’s tone didn’t convey the slightest interest.

  “He had a video recording of you exiting Yvette’s Mercedes just before the engagement party.”

  “I…I…” Marc stuttered, then seemed to pull himself together and said, “Yvette asked me to help her find a gift for you. I was showing her suggestions on my phone and she felt faint, so we sat down in her car for a bit.”

  “There’s also video that was shot through the windshield of the Mercedes showing your bare ass pumping like you were drilling for oil.” Franklin crossed his arms. “Any other lies you want to try?”

  “It… I… The thing is…” Marc’s gaze bounced around the gazebo like a ball on a roulette wheel, and for a second Dani was afraid he’d spotted her, but then he took a deep breath and said, “I’m sorry, man. The first time I slept with her, I had no idea that she was your fiancée.”

  “And all the times after that?” Franklin’s voice had icicles hanging off of it.

  “Then she threatened to tell you I raped her unless I continued with the relationship.”

  Dani wasn’t sure she believed Marc, but on the other hand, from what she knew about Yvette, Dani wasn’t completely able to rule out that the woman had been coercing him.

  “And you couldn’t have Yvette accuse you of that, could you?” Franklin’s chuckle was anything but amused. “Because you knew, if I believed her, I would have ended your career.”

  “Exactly.” Marc nodded like a bobblehead doll. “She had me by the short hairs.”

  As if tired of the current subject, Franklin abruptly demanded, “Let me see your team pen.”

  “Why?” Marc stiffened, then quickly said, “I mean I lost it. I was devastated and I’ve been looking everywhere for it.”

  “Well, it’s your lucky day.” Whittaker’s smile reminded Dani of Scar’s in the Lion King movie. “The police found it. Of course, I doubt they’ll return it to you even after your trial.”

  “The police!” Marc’s voice cracked. “What do you mean? Where did they find it?”

  “Just where you left it in Yvette’s ocular cavity.” Whittaker shrugged. “They have your prints on it. You might as well confess.”

  “That’s not possible,” Marc protested, then seemed to realize what he’d said and hurriedly added, “I mean it wasn’t me. Someone must have picked it up from the floor during the chaos when the tent collapsed.”

  “Let’s not play games. You may have wiped your prints off the outside of the pen, but you forgot to wipe them off the ink cartridge.”

  “That doesn’t prove anything.” Marc swallowed audibly. “Someone still could have found it and used it as the weapon.”

  Franklin ignored Marc’s protest and leaned forward. “You obviously overheard Vicki telling me she had caught Yvette cheating. Then heard me saying that if necessary, I’d pay my dear fiancée for the name of her lover. And you knew Yvette would expose you if it meant getting her greedy hands on more of my money.”

  “No. No. No.” Marc’s head swung back and forth in denial. He was clearly starting to lose it.

  “Here’s the thing.” Franklin’s voice softened. “I know how manipulative Yvette could be, and I understand how none of this was your fault.”

  “That’s right.” Marc nodded.

  Dani looked at Gray, who rolled his eyes. Neither of them believed the billionaire was that empathetic, but they hoped that the perp was more trusting.

  “So, just to satisfy my own curiosity, tell me the truth.” Franklin cajoled.

  “Why would I do that?” Marc wrinkled his brow. “That would be admitting to murder.”

  “Do you remember how, after you had your little breakdown,” Franklin asked, patting the younger man’s hand, “I kept you on the team and made sure no one knew why you took several years off from playing?”

  Marc nodded. “That was really terrific of you. I would have never been able to come back from that if you hadn’t helped me. Coaches would have been afraid that I wouldn’t be able to take the stress of the game.”

  “Well, now I need your help.” Franklin’s voice broke, but Dani was pretty darn sure he was acting. “In order for me to get any
kind of closure about Yvette’s death, I need to know the truth.”

  “I know I owe you and I want to help you.” Marc was silent for several seconds, then seemed to make a decision and asked, “If I tell you, will you keep me on the team and not sabotage my chances for the majors?”

  Dani glanced at Franklin’s cell phone and saw that the wily billionaire had casually laid his notepad on top of it. She wondered if Marc had forgotten he was being recorded.

  “Of course,” Franklin assured him. “Someone with your talent needs to play for the Cardinals.”

  Marc frowned. “I thought you were a Cubs fan.”

  “Right,” Whittaker agreed, then hastily added, “but Normalton roots for the Cards.”

  Marc shrugged. “I don’t care who I play for as long as it’s the bigs.”

  “So tell me the truth,” Franklin encouraged.

  “I didn’t want to kill her,” Marc started slowly. “But you’re right, I did overhear your conversation with that wedding planner and I panicked.”

  “Understandable. Yvette was about to ruin your life.” Franklin patted the younger man’s hand again, then prodded, “Tell me what happened after that.”

  “I hurried over to Yvette and offered her a percentage of my major league salary in exchange for her not to tell you I was her lover.” Marc’s lips curled. “But while she was bargaining for a bigger cut and demanding the agreement in writing, the tent collapsed and a pole knocked her out.”

  “And you…” Franklin urged.

  “And I decided that she was a leech and didn’t deserve a penny of my hard-earned money.” Marc’s mouth tightened. “I knew from my survivalist training that sticking something into a person’s eye socket would kill them, so I grabbed my pen and shoved it in. Then I pulled it out, wiped off my prints, and shoved it back again.”

  “You killed her to save yourself some cash!” Whittaker pounded the table.

  Marc jumped, then muttered, “I saved you money too.”

  “I don’t give a rat’s ass about the money!” Franklin thundered. “What I care about is the fact you betrayed me. After I did everything to help you in your career, you screwed my bride-to-be.”

  “I told you she didn’t give me a choice,” Marc whined.

  “No one betrays Franklin Whittaker.” The billionaire’s complexion was so red Dani feared that he was about to have a stroke. “And I’m going to make sure that you serve every minute of your sentence. I’ll attend all your parole hearings and play the distraught fiancée card.”

  “What?” Marc’s face was purple. “You promised that if I told the truth, that would be it.”

  “Just like you and Yvette”—Franklin gripped the table’s edge, perhaps to stop himself from taking a punch at the man—“I lied.”

  “Yvette deserved to die!” Marc screamed. “And you know it.”

  Dani watched as every cell in the billionaire’s body went rigid, then he relaxed and smiled.

  “Perhaps.” Franklin replaced his notebook in his pocket, picked up his cell phone, and rose from his chair. “But I’m still turning this over to the police.”

  “Can’t you give me a break?” Marc appeared suddenly to come out of a daze. “Kick me off the team, but let me slide on the murder?” He grabbed the billionaire’s arm. “Please!”

  “No.” Franklin shook Marc off, then raised his voice. “Detective Christensen, he’s all yours.”

  Epilogue

  “Wow!” Frannie Ryan rushed up to Dani as they all gathered on the dock waiting to board Franklin’s yacht. The fifty-two-footer was easily the largest boat in the marina. “This was so generous of Mr. Whittaker. Imagine arranging for us all to take an evening cruise on the Illinois River and sending his own personal chef along to make us dinner.”

  “He said between our experiences with the tent collapsing at the engagement party and helping find Yvette’s killer we’d all earned it.” Dani gestured to Frannie’s fiancé, Justin, who was busy taking pictures. “He included our significant others to make sure we really enjoyed ourselves.”

  The billionaire had been extremely grateful to have the matter of his fiancée’s murder settled. There would be no trial. Marc had agreed to plead guilty to second-degree murder and Franklin credited Dani and her friends with the quick resolution that had saved him from a great deal of public embarrassment.

  A mischievous expression danced across Frannie’s face and she said, “It’s a shame that Detective Christensen couldn’t be here.”

  “Police officers can’t accept gifts,” Spencer explained as he joined the two women. He slipped his arm around Dani’s waist and added, “At least he’s getting a letter of commendation. Whittaker is sending copies to the police commissioner and the mayor.”

  “What a cool guy.” Ivy played with the tie of her black-and-white polka-dot jumpsuit.

  She stood holding hands with Laz, who had returned from his mini-rehab seeming much less stressed. One of his takeaways from that week had been a resolution to acknowledge that he and Ivy were dating. Mrs. Hunter had grudgingly accepted his announcement, but Dani was glad that Laz spent more time with his father than with his mom.

  As Starr hugged Robert’s arm, she said to him, “I’m just glad you were able to get the night off.” She shot Spencer an impish grin. “Thank goodness the campus Halloween madness is over and you’re finally back to your normal shifts.”

  Spencer raised an eyebrow. “Has Robert complained that he’s being overworked?”

  “Not at all, boss,” the young security officer protested and whispered something in his girlfriend’s ear that made her shrug.

  Tippi sauntered up to the group with Caleb holding her elbow to steady her as she picked her way across the wooden dock in stiletto heels. Once the Halloween dance was over and the gallant Texan’s obligation to the girl he’d previously invited was honorably discharged, he and Tippi had been inseparable.

  Looking around, Tippi asked, “Are we the last ones to arrive?”

  Dani shook her head. “We’re expecting one more.”

  “I told you Brock declined, right?” Spencer asked. “He wanted to return to the city and start putting his life back together as soon as possible.”

  “It’s not Brock.” Dani bit her lip. “It’s my father.” She checked her watch and shrugged. “But maybe he won’t show up.”

  “After you helped get his company’s foot in the door with Whittaker, he’d better keep his word to you,” Spencer growled.

  Ivy quickly stepped in and changed the subject, “So, Unc, whatever happened with the mysterious happenings at Fox Hall?”

  “Those two incidents were it.” Spencer shoved his hands in the pockets of his black dress slacks. “We’ve put in new locks and installed a lot more cameras, so I hope that discourages whoever was behind the tomfoolery.”

  Dani poked Spencer. “My money is still on a ghost from the Native American burial site.” She snickered. “Deadbolts and cameras won’t stop a spirit.”

  “At least Oinkphelia and Hamlet are safe.” Robert chuckled. “Did you all see the video of the pledges dressed up as hogs at the Hell Night Luau? That was their punishment for failing to snatch the college mascots.”

  Spencer made a face. “All that fuss about those animals for nothing.” He sighed and shook his head. “But I guess the whole point of most of what campus security does is to prevent problems from occurring and we definitely stopped the Greeks from pignapping the swine.”

  Before anyone could comment, Jonas Sloan arrived. He hurried toward the group, stopped in front of his daughter, and awkwardly gave her a hug.

  Spencer held out his hand and said, “You must be Dani’s father. I’m her boyfriend, Spencer Drake.”

  “Boyfriend?” Jonas glanced at Dani. “I didn’t realize you were dating someone.”

  “We’re fairly new.” Dani glanc
ed between the two men, hoping there wouldn’t be any tension. “And you and I haven’t had that much contact since I broke up with Kipp.”

  “I’m sorry about that.” Jonas looked down. “I really thought he was the one for you. I was afraid you were throwing away your chance at happiness.”

  “I know. I should have been more honest with you about Kipp.” Dani inhaled. “He never treated me very well, but you liked him so much I didn’t want to disappoint you.”

  “I…I need to stop making you afraid of that,” Jonas admitted. “I plan to try.”

  Dani was silent for a moment. She had her doubts, but she’d give her father a chance.

  She took his hand and led him a short distance from the group where they could have a little privacy, then she pointed up at the sky. “I like to think that those aren’t stars. That they’re actually windows to heaven. And that their light is Mom showering us with her love and letting us know that she’s fine until we join her.”

  Jonas enveloped Dani in what felt like the first real hug he’d given her in years. They stood silently for a long moment, then broke apart and returned to the others.

  Smiling, Dani said, “We should all get on board. Appetizers are at six and I know how annoying it is for a chef when a client is late.”

  * * *

  “What did you think of the cruise?” Spencer asked from where he was sprawled on the yacht’s sofa.

  “It was terrific. The couples all appeared to have fun.” Dani leaned forward from her corner of the couch and selected a tiny red velvet cupcake from the tray of desserts sitting on the table in front of them. “I was a little worried that my dad would feel like a fifth wheel, but he and Justin seemed to really hit it off.”

  “They did. I overheard their conversation about technology and manufacturing. If journalism doesn’t pan out for him, I think Justin has a future in industry. Did you know he was a double major at U of I and got a BS in computer engineering?”