Lawful Deception

by Pamela Samuels Young

  “This is ridiculous. Paul isn’t cheating on me.”

  She’d let Bliss cause her to distrust her husband. She was glad Bliss was out of her life, but she desperately missed the kids, especially Harmony. Just thinking about how Bliss was using her beautiful baby as a pawn made Jessica seethe with anger. She wondered if she would ever be able to forgive her.

  As she was about to close the Archives folder, something caught her attention. She opened the sole unread document and started reading through it. Once, twice, a third time, as if expecting the words to somehow change.

  She wanted to scream, yell or bang her fists on the desk. But all she could do was stare blankly at the screen. Too numb to even react.

  The reason her husband was away from home for such long hours wasn’t because he was having an affair. She hadn’t found a shred of evidence proving that Paul wasn’t exactly where he professed to be over the past few weeks: at his office working on a deal. Unfortunately, what Jessica did find deflated her heart like a punctured balloon.

  Jessica wasn’t sure how long she’d sat there, quietly weeping, before finally turning off the computer. She had no idea what she should do.

  “What are you doing in my office?”

  Paul’s voice startled her.

  “Just sitting here,” Jessica lied. “I miss you.”

  She was not prepared to confront her husband about her discovery. Not now. Maybe never. Perhaps if she ignored this reality, it would not exist.

  “You didn’t come home last night,” she said.

  “I know. I’m sorry. We’ve been negotiating this big merger. It didn’t close until about an hour ago.” He came closer and stared into her sad eyes. “You’ve been crying?”

  “I had a fight with Bliss. A big one.”

  Paul’s eyes widened like he’d been jabbed with a stun gun.

  “A fight about what?”

  Jessica exhaled. They had much more important things to discuss. But she had no energy—mental or physical—to deal with it at the moment. “I don’t want to talk about it right now.”

  Paul started backing out of the room.

  “I forgot something I left at the office,” he said, and seconds later, Jessica heard his car pulling out of the driveway.

  CHAPTER 58

  Bliss relaxed on her patio, sipping champagne from a martini glass, enjoying the cool evening breeze. Aiden was with Dr. Franco, who also let Jonas tag along so the boys could keep each other company. Harmony, of course, was in the capable hands of her reluctant papa.

  Bliss had dropped by earlier that day to check on Harmony—only after confirming that neither Fletcher nor Mia was home. She was thrilled to learn that Fletcher had hired a nanny. When she saw the beautiful Carina, Bliss could only laugh. Mia was about to get her comeuppance. If Fletcher wasn’t already screwing the help, it wouldn’t be long.

  At first, Bliss had been worried that Girlie’s plan to dump Harmony on Fletcher would backfire. But Girlie assured her that Fletcher might win shared custody of Harmony, but it was unlikely that he would win full custody. So what if she only got forty grand a month? She could live off of that much money just fine and she’d only have Harmony half the time.

  Now she was just waiting for Jonas’ father to come around. The asshole didn’t think she would tell his wife about Jonas, but he underestimated her. The man made enough money to throw away and he was sweating her over five hundred grand?

  She still couldn’t believe Marty Zinzer had spilled his guts about their relationship. He was still refusing to take her calls. If he’d kept his trap shut, Fletcher would have no evidence against her in their custody battle. Men were so weak.

  It surprised Bliss how much she missed Jessica. She would’ve loved to catch a movie and dinner tonight. But Jessica had yet to call her to apologize, which was so unlike her. When Jessica did show up, Bliss was going to make her grovel before accepting her apology. Then she would put Jessica’s mind at ease by explaining that Harmony was doing just fine.

  An idea came to Bliss that caused a sinister smile to crease her lips. She wasn’t done with Fletcher and Mia just yet. She ran inside, grabbed her iPad and returned to the patio. Once her windfall from Fletcher started pouring in, Bliss knew exactly where she wanted to buy her new home. Beverly Hills. Since she was about to become a multi-millionaire, she needed to start living like one. She typed in Zillow.com and perused the homes currently up for sale.

  If she was lucky, there might be something available close to Fletcher, maybe even on their same street. If she was going to share custody of Harmony, it made sense to have her daughter nearby. That way, Harmony could also spend time with her brothers. Bliss snickered. Mia would be ready to pull out every strand of her expensive weave.

  She went inside for a champagne refill before returning to her website search. The houses in Fletcher’s neighborhood were in the two-to-four-million-dollar range. No big deal with the cash she had coming.

  The doorbell interrupted her house hunting. She wasn’t expecting anyone. Plodding barefoot into the living room, she was about to open the door, but decided to check the peephole first. She didn’t want some process server surprising her with another legal document.

  At first she couldn’t make out the person standing on the other side of the door. She hit the wall switch, turning on the porch light and looked again. When she realized who was standing on her doorstep, she snatched the door open.

  “What are you doing here?”

  Her uninvited guest stepped across the threshold without responding.

  “I didn’t invite you in.”

  Before Bliss could say another word, the intruder raised a gun, aiming it at chest level.

  Bliss instinctively covered her chest with both arms and backed away. “Are you crazy? Put that thing away. This isn’t funny.”

  With each backward step Bliss made, the intruder took a step forward, the gun still pointed at her.

  “Just calm down and put that thing down. Please! Don’t do this!”

  Without ever speaking a word, the intruder pulled the trigger and fired.

  CHAPTER 59

  “Definitely personal,” Detective Dean Mankowski said aloud as he crouched over the beautiful Bliss Fenton.

  His eyes moved from the glamour shot of Bliss on the mantelpiece to the bloody body sprawled before him. The woman’s entire chest was covered in blood, but her face had not been marred. From the head up, it was probably the best-looking corpse he’d ever seen.

  His partner, Detective Thomas, peered down from a standing position, agreeing with his initial assessment. “Yep, I’d say she knew the shooter. No forced entry and no apparent robbery. Looks like the perp fired five shots to make his point.”

  The coroner had estimated the time of death at some time between eight and ten p.m. last night. Bliss’ housekeeper had discovered her body just after nine this morning.

  Mankowski began to rise, his bones creaking as his left hip popped. He was well into his forties but his body seemed to be rushing him into senior citizen hood. He had a full head of dark blonde hair that added to his masculine allure. “Let’s bet? Whoever did this used to screw her? I’ll put up twenty.”

  “We’re not betting anything,” Thomas said, scanning the room to make sure they hadn’t been overheard. A lean African-American who looked more like an insurance salesman than a cop, his easy-going personality was a good fit for the sometimes grouchy Mankowski. “Shouldn’t you be trying to play it by the book these days?”

  “You’re such a pussy now. That time away from me really messed you up.”

  Thomas smiled. “You’re just lucky to have me back. Now fly right.”

  He was thankful to be at the scene of his first homicide after close to a year of desk duty. He’d almost lost his job after being busted for sleeping with an attorney who, unbeknownst to hi
m, was intricately involved in a murder case he was working.

  Mankowski wasn’t the kind of guy who could be led around by his dick. But he’d never come up against a woman with the skills of a Girlie Cortez. It still rankled him that he’d allowed her to use him the way she had. He stared down at Bliss Fenton again. This gorgeous chick had probably used some schmuck too.

  A crime scene tech walked up to them. “Detectives, there’s a woman outside who wants to speak with you. Claims she’s a friend of the vic.”

  Mankowski and Thomas made their way outside, where a petite mousy-looking woman stood on the far side of the police tape. She started yelling out to them even as they headed her way.

  “Is she okay? Please tell me what happened!”

  The detectives introduced themselves, sidestepping the woman’s question. “What’s your name?” Mankowski asked.

  “Jessica Winthrop. Bliss is my best friend. Please tell me she’s okay.”

  “I’m sorry.” Thomas was always the one who delivered the bad news. “Your friend didn’t make it.”

  Jessica dumped her head into her hands and started to wail. ”The children! Oh my God, the children. They don’t have a mother! I have to find the boys. Where are they?”

  “There were no kids inside, ma’am,” Thomas said.

  “Then they’re probably with the nanny,” Jessica cried. “Oh my God! You can’t let them see their mother like that.”

  Thomas put a hand on Jessica’s shoulder. “Relax. This is a crime scene now. They won’t be allowed back inside.”

  The detectives led Jessica over to their car.

  “What happened to her?” Jessica asked again. “On the news they said there’d been a shooting, but that was it. Please tell me what happened.”

  “This is an active murder investigation,” Mankowski said, “so we can’t say any more than that right now. What can you tell us about Ms. Fenton. Who would want to harm her?”

  Jessica pressed her hands to her cheeks. “I warned Bliss all the time that something like this could happen. But she wouldn’t listen.”

  Mankowski’s ears perked up. “That what could happen?”

  “That someone would want to hurt her because of the way she treated people.”

  “And how did she treat people?” Mankowski asked.

  “Like their feelings didn’t matter. Bliss only cared about Bliss.”

  They were drawing the attention of a growing crowd of looky-loos. One guy was videotaping Bliss’ townhouse with his phone and two more news crews had just arrived.

  Mankowski learned early in his career never to take anyone for granted. Murderers were known to return to the scene of the crime to gloat over their kill. “Is that how she treated you?”

  Jessica’s back straightened indignantly. “What are you insinuating, detective? I was Bliss’ best friend. We had a fight a few days ago, but I still loved her.”

  Mankowski cut his eyes in Thomas’ direction.

  “So what did you two fight about?”

  “It’s a long, crazy story.” Jessica wiped her eyes with the back of her right hand and struggled to compose herself. “Bliss always went after what she wanted, no matter who got hurt in the process.”

  Mankowski appraised the small woman in front of him. Bliss Fenton and Jessica Winthrop seemed an odd pair for best friends. But then he reconsidered that assessment. He’d dated a lot of stunning women, and none of them had friends who looked as good. Pretty women liked to surround themselves with less attractive competition. Standing next to Jessica, Bliss would shine like the floodlights at Dodger stadium.

  “So what was the fight about?” Mankowski asked again.

  “Bliss was in a custody dispute with her daughter’s father. I didn’t like how she was handling it.”

  Jessica went on to tell the detectives how Bliss had dumped her daughter on Fletcher McClain’s doorstep and how Jessica had kicked her out of her car.

  Mankowski wanted to pat the woman on the back. He liked her spunk.

  “Do you have any idea who might’ve wanted to kill Bliss?” Thomas asked.

  Jessica didn’t hesitate. “I’d start with the fathers of her children.”

  “How many fathers are we talking about?”

  “Two. I mean three, but no one knows who the third father is?”

  “I thought you said you were her best friend?”

  “I am. Or...I was.” Jessica was about to lose it again. “But Bliss never talked about Jonas’ father. Not even to me. Fletcher is Harmony’s father, and Dr. Joseph Franco is Aiden’s father. Both of them had a contentious relationship with Bliss.”

  “What kind of work did Ms. Fenton do?”

  “She didn’t work. She supported herself from child support payments. Her kids’ fathers were very well off. In fact, Fletcher McClain sued her for fraud to avoid paying child support, but his case got dismissed just a few days ago. That’s why he filed to get full custody of Harmony.”

  Mankowski scratched his head. “He sued her for fraud?”

  “Fletcher basically claimed she got pregnant by tricking him. Bliss was asking for more than eighty grand a month in child support for her daughter.”

  Thomas whistled.

  “That’s a lot of money for one kid,” Mankowski said.

  “Fletcher offered her fifteen thousand dollars a month, but Bliss insisted she was entitled to ten percent of his income.”

  Thomas and Mankowski eyed each other. Eighty grand a month was a whole lot of motive. “What does this McClain guy do?”

  “He runs Karma Entertainment.”

  Jessica started to speak, then looked down at the ground as if she was reluctant to proceed. After a long beat, she did.

  “If you’re looking for Bliss’ killer, you should start with Fletcher McClain.”

  CHAPTER 60

  Fletcher was nothing short of amazed that in only a matter of days, he’d fallen so hard for the tiny little human asleep in her crib. He hated to brag, but his kid was darn good-looking.

  Harmony’s eyes fluttered open and she smiled up at him. Seconds later, however, Harmony was wailing at the top of her lungs.

  Fletcher dashed to the doorway. “Carina, the baby needs you.”

  The nanny rushed in and grabbed the crying child. “Good morning, precious. I bet you’re hungry.”

  She turned to Fletcher. “Hold her while I go make a bottle.”

  As he took Harmony in his arms, Fletcher couldn’t help checking out Carina’s round, firm ass as she floated out of the room. The girl wasn’t just a looker. She was smart, well read and had an exuberant energy about her. It was going to be hard not screwing her.

  He knew Mia didn’t want a woman as hot as Carina joining their household. That was the only reason she now claimed she was thinking about going part-time to help out with Harmony. Fletcher didn’t buy it. He’d never forgive Mia for pouting and sleeping in the guest room after Harmony’s arrival. But as it turned out, he was glad Mia was behaving like a spoiled child. If she’d helped him pick their nanny, the woman would’ve been a troll.

  As he cradled Harmony’s small body, he felt an odd mix of emotions. It still felt foreign to hold a baby, his baby. But at the same time, he seemed drawn to her.

  He looked up to see Mia standing in the doorway wearing the same frown that had been plastered across her face since Harmony’s arrival. He understood how mad she was at Bliss, but it wasn’t Harmony’s fault.

  Fletcher inhaled the baby’s sweet scent. “She’s so beautiful,” he said, a sense of awe in his voice.

  Mia stepped further into the room, but not close enough to get a peek at Harmony. “I need to understand what’s going on here.”

  “What’s going on is that this is my kid.”

  “You said asking for full custody was just a stunt to get Bliss t
o back off her excessive child support demand. But you’re walking around here like you’re running for Father of the Year.”

  “Now that I’ve had a chance to spend some time with her, I actually think I do want full custody.”

  Mia stifled a gasp. “This is something we need to discuss. I never thought—”

  “You told me you wanted children,” he reminded her.

  “I do. But I want our children. Not—”

  It was too late for Mia to take her words back. Fletcher shot her a hard glare, hoping to communicate that he was appalled that she could not accept his daughter. But he wasn’t surprised. He’d overheard Mia talking to her mother, complaining that she would not raise Bliss’ baby. Well, Harmony wasn’t just Bliss’ kid. She was his flesh and blood too. And he was falling in love with the kid. The custody petition had been all about his money, but now it was all about his heart.

  Carina retrieved Harmony and began feeding her.

  Fletcher left the room and Mia followed him into the kitchen.

  “Fletcher, we need to talk.”

  “Okay, so talk.”

  “I need to get to work and so do you,” she said. “Let’s have dinner at Mastro’s tonight. We can—”

  “Not tonight. I had to work pretty late last night. Tonight I want to get home in time to see Harmony before she goes to sleep.”

  “Is it your kid or your kid’s nanny you want to see?”

  “Oh, Mia, give it up. I don’t have time for your childish insecurities.”

  Fletcher flicked on the TV in the kitchen and grabbed a box of shredded wheat from the cabinet. He started pouring almond milk into a bowl, when something on the TV screen grabbed his attention, causing him to douse the counter, not the bowl, with milk.

  A reporter was doing a live shot from Playa Vista. Fletcher instantly recognized Bliss’ townhouse. He grabbed the remote and turned up the volume. He listened as the reporter recounted what was going on.