When I hear the faint ringing of my phone, I hurry back to my desk and dig it out of my purse. I glance at the screen and see that it’s Special. “I better get this.”
Special is talking so fast, her words are completely indecipherable. “You have to slow down,” I say. “I can’t understand what you’re saying.”
She still doesn’t slow her pace. But I do understand her next few words, which almost knock me off my feet.
“You’ll never believe this! Mia didn’t kill Bliss. Mystery Baby Daddy killed Bliss. And I know who he is. He’s Jessica Winthrop’s husband!”
I hear a female voice I don’t recognize. As I continue to listen, an ominous chill slices through me.
Colin and Mia both charge over to my desk. I turn on the speakerphone.
“What’s going on?” Colin places a hand on my shoulder.
“It’s Special,” I say, my mind whirling with excitement for Mia. “I think she may’ve just solved Bliss’ murder.”
CHAPTER 92
Special planted a hand on her hip, ignoring Jessica’s order to leave. She wasn’t going anywhere until she got some answers.
“Your husband killed Bliss. Just admit it and I’ll be on my way.”
Without a word, Jessica lifted her blouse, snatched a gun from her waistband and pointed it directly at Special. “I’m not going to let you destroy my life!”
“Whoa, hold on now.” Special took a step back. “What are you doing? Put that thing away!”
Jessica’s eyes zeroed in on the phone in Special’s hand.
“Give me that phone!” She held the gun with both hands now, like she was an expert marksman aiming at a target.
Special wanted to yell out for Vernetta, to run or duck or scream. But her lips wouldn’t move.
“Give me that phone,” Jessica demanded.
Instead of handing over the phone, Special tapped the screen and slid it facedown on the island countertop next to her purse.
“Please just put the gun away, okay? We can talk this thing out.”
Jessica stood on one side of the island, with Special on the other. Special tried to review her options, but realized there were none. Ducking for cover behind the island would save her for all of two seconds. She had no place to run. At least not that offered protection from a bullet.
“You lied to me,” Jessica shouted. “You said you weren’t here to ask about Jonas’ father.”
“I didn’t know he was your husband. I swear I didn’t. I’m so sorry.”
“You’re not sorry! And neither was Bliss!”
Special was afraid to speak again for fear of enraging the woman even more.
“I can’t believe how she betrayed Jessica. Everybody thinks Jessica’s soooooo naïve. Poor, nice little Jessica.”
It was making Special even more scared that Jessica was referring to herself in the third person. Only crazy people did that. When she’d spotted Mystery Baby Daddy and Jessica in the portrait over the fireplace, Special had instantly put two and two together and figured out that Paul Winthrop was Bliss’ killer. She had to make Jessica understand that she wasn’t to blame for what her husband had done.
“This isn’t your fault,” she said softly. “You did nothing wrong.” But Jessica didn’t seem to hear her.
“Jessica was the only one in the world who befriended Bliss and she not only screwed Jessica’s husband, she bore his son. She deserved every one of those bullets!”
Rage painted Jessica’s face a fiery red and in that moment, Special knew.
“Oh my God!” Special covered her mouth with both hands. “It wasn’t your husband. You did it. You killed Bliss!”
“You seem surprised.” A sinister smile eased across Jessica’s face as she stuck out her chest, peacock proud. “Nobody thinks Jessica knows how to stand up for herself. But she does. Jessica had everything under control. Then you came along and messed it all up.”
The reality of this situation hit Special like a gut punch. This cuckoo clock was a stone cold killer. She had better bounce.
“Look, I can just leave and pretend none of this ever happened. I’ll just be on my way. Mum’s the word.”
When Special made a move toward her purse, Jessica cocked the gun.
“Oh, Lord Jesus, help me!” Special extended both hands out in front of her as if to keep Jessica at bay.
“Please put that thing away. I promise I won’t tell anybody about this. Your secret’s safe with me.”
“You’re a liar. Just like Bliss is a liar and Jessica’s husband is a liar. Everybody’s a liar. Everybody lies to Jessica.”
Help me, Jesus! Help me, Jesus! Help me, Jesus!
As far as Special was concerned, prayer was her only viable option for survival. She also prayed that Vernetta was still on the line listening to every word and had called the cops. Before setting down the phone, Special had actually hit the speakerphone button. She was now grateful that Jessica had kept repeating her own name. The police should be here in no time.
“How did you find out Jonas was your stepson?” Maybe if she kept Jessica talking, she wouldn’t be shooting.
“He’s not my stepson!” she screamed. “He’s my son! Bliss wasn’t a mother. I was the only real mother her kids ever had.”
“Okay, okay. So how did you find out?”
“I hacked into Paul’s computer.” She smiled, but a split second later, the fury returned. “I found a confidentiality agreement he made Bliss sign. She betrayed me, but she never betrayed him. Bliss never disclosed their little secret to anyone. He actually bought that bitch a townhouse and paid her a million dollars. He was so stupid! If he’d just come to me, we could’ve taken Jonas from her. She didn’t deserve to be anybody’s mother.”
“Mommy?” Jonas padded into the room, rubbing his eyes with both fists. He seemed barely awake.
A stunned Jessica lowered the gun, hiding it behind her back. Special dashed for Jonas, just as Jessica rushed toward him too. But Special was faster and reached him first. She grabbed him by the arms, picked him up and cradled him close. The boy was kicking and screaming at the top of his lungs.
“I know you don’t want to hurt your son,” Special said, breathless. “So put that gun away. Please, put it away.”
For a moment, Jessica looked lost, as if she didn’t have a clue about what move to make next.
“I understand how you feel,” Special continued. Jonas was trying his best to wrestle himself away from her and Special’s arms were growing tired fast. He had to be over thirty pounds. But the kid was her only chance at survival. She knew with certainty that Jessica would never fire the gun in her direction if there were even a chance of hitting him. So there was no way Special was letting him go.
“Bliss did you wrong.” Special tried to talk over the boy’s cries. “Maybe she deserved to die. But your son doesn’t. And neither do I. If you don’t put the gun away, it could go off and hit Jonas.”
Jessica looked down at the gun in her hand and seemed to be contemplating what to do.
Special didn’t know how much longer she’d be able to hold onto the kicking kid. The knowledge that the minute she put him down, Jessica would put a bullet between her eyes, helped prolong her strength.
“Auntie Jessica!” Jonas called out, which seemed to rattle Jessica even more.
Special took a step toward the counter to the right of where Jessica was standing. She’d spotted a cutlery block with several knives in it. If she could grab one of them, at least she’d have some kind of weapon.
Jessica must’ve read her mind.
“Get away from those knives!”
Jessica grabbed the entire wood block and hurled it into the hallway.
The woman’s agitation level had spiked tenfold.
“Jessica had everything all planned out, but you messed it all u
p! Jessica even planted the murder weapon in Fletcher’s closet. But you had to go asking about Jonas’ father.”
Jessica raised the gun, aiming it at Special’s head.
“No!” Special yelled as she struggled to restrain Jonas. Her arms felt like they were on fire. “You can’t hurt Jonas!”
Jessica spoke calmly now, as she took a giant step toward her. “You messed everything up. So Jessica has no choice but to kill you too.”
CHAPTER 93
As Colin and Mia continue to listen to the confrontation between Jessica and Special on my cell, I grab my landline and dial 911.
“There’s a hostage situation going on at the home of Jessica Winthrop,” I yell into the phone.
“What do you mean by a hostage situation, ma’am?”
“I mean a crazy woman is holding a gun on my best friend!”
“Do you have an address?”
“No, I don’t. You should be able to look it up. Her name is Jessica Winthrop. She lives in Bel Air.”
“What’s the address please?”
“I don’t know the address!”
“Ma’am, I’m going to need you to calm down.”
Mia points at her phone. “I just texted Fletcher, I’m sure he knows it.”
Just then, Fletcher charges into my office. “What’s going on?”
My heart is pounding so hard I fear it might fly out of my chest. “Please tell me you know Jessica Winthrop’s address,” I say to Fletcher.
“Yeah, I do, but why—”
“I don’t have time to explain. Just give it to me!”
Fletcher flinches, then starts scrolling through his phone. “It’s in Bel Air near Sunset.”
The 911 operator calls out to me. “Ma’am, are you still there? We can’t dispatch a patrol car unless we have an address.”
“Just a second!” I snap.
Fletcher finally gives me an address on Stone Canyon Road, which I repeat to the operator, who’s now asking me other questions.”
I pause to listen to what’s going on at Jessica’s house and my fear intensifies.
“Somebody give me another phone. That woman’s crazy. She’s going to shoot Special.”
Fletcher hands me his phone, while I continue to ignore the 911 operator’s questions. I dial police headquarters and after two transfers, Mankowski finally comes on the line.
“Jessica Winthrop killed Bliss! She’s holding my friend Special at gunpoint at her house, you have to get somebody over there now!”
I tell Mankowski as much as I know, then grab my purse and start for the door.
Colin, Fletcher and Mia are still listening to what’s going on at Jessica’s house on my cell. “Where are you going?” they ask in unison.
“Where do you think? To Jessica’s house to keep that woman from killing my best friend.”
CHAPTER 94
The distant sound of a police siren brought everything to a standstill. Even Jonas quieted down and stopped squirming.
Thank God!
Special had never been so happy to hear the sound of the po-po in her life.
Jessica was walking around in a small circle like a dog chasing its tail. The louder the siren grew, the more frantic she became. One second her eyes were bouncing all around the room and the next she was muttering to herself. Jonas clutched Special around the neck and now looked as scared as his loony-toon stepmother.
“Jessica, the police are coming.” Special spoke just above a whisper, hoping not to set her off again.
“Please put the gun down. It’s over.”
“It’s not over until Jessica says it’s over!” she hissed.
Jessica raised her hand, then lowered it, pointing the gun toward the floor. Special thought about charging her. Normally, she’d have no trouble tackling a puny little woman like Jessica. But her arms were so tired from wrestling with Jonas, Jessica might easily overpower her.
The police cars screeched to a stop just outside. Seconds later, the house phone on the kitchen counter rang.
“That’s probably the police,” Special said. “You should pick it up.”
On the fourth ring, Jessica snatched the receiver.
Special wished she could hear what was being said on the other end. Jessica remained silent and her hollow expression gave nothing away.
Without warning, Jessica hurled the phone across the room.
“Everybody thinks Jessica’s stupid!” she cried, as tears spilled down her cheeks. “But Jessica isn’t stupid. Jessica is brilliant.”
She raised the gun again and, this time, pressed it to her temple.
“Jessica, no!” Special yelled.
“Auntie Jessica!” Jonas called out to her.
“Jonas needs you, Jessica,” Special said, as gently as she could manage. “You’re the only mother he ever had. What is he going to do without you?”
Jessica’s eyes met Special’s and her expression grew even darker.
“You’re right,” Jessica sobbed. “I can’t leave Jonas. He has to come to heaven with me.”
Crazy fool. Your behind ain’t going nowhere near heaven.
Jessica was now aiming the gun at Jonas’ head.
“No, Jessica, you can’t hurt Jonas! You love him!”
Special dropped the boy to his feet and shoved him behind her, using her body to shield his. She tried to move sideways, out of Jessica’s line of fire. But Jessica mirrored each step she took, clearly aiming at the child.
Jessica darted forward at the same time a loud explosion rocked the room.
Special hurled a protective arm around Jonas as she collapsed to the cold kitchen floor, covering the boy’s body with her own like a human tent.
Jesus, oh Jesus! Please help me, Jesus!
It wasn’t until Special saw Jonas crawling away from her that she realized he hadn’t been hit. Men in SWAT gear poured into the room through the now-shattered French doors. That was when she saw Jessica only inches away, moaning and writhing on the floor, clutching her bloody left shoulder. The cops had fired through the French doors, shooting Jessica before she could kill Jonas.
The boy had almost made it over to Jessica when one of the cops scooped him up and carried him away.
One of the SWAT officers looked down at Special. “Are you okay?” the man asked. “Are you injured?”
Special couldn’t seem to find her voice. The only sound coming from her lips was a low whimper, the emotion of what she’d just experienced too overwhelming for words. She extended her hand and the officer pulled her up and helped her outside.
The second they made it to the front of the house, Vernetta charged over. “Oh my God! Are you okay?”
Special collapsed into Vernetta’s arms, still unable to speak.
“You’re not hurt, are you?”
Special shook her head as Mankowski and Thomas crowded around them.
“Thanks for getting the cops here so fast,” Vernetta thanked them.
The sight of the two detectives seemed to awaken something in Special.
“I guess y’all had the wrong suspect again,” she gloated in a hoarse, shaky voice. “Looks like I solved another one for you, huh?”
Epilogue
Eight Months Later
“Your boy certainly flipped the script,” Jefferson says. “Never thought I’d see a scene like this.”
We are in Fletcher’s backyard at Harmony’s first birthday party. His Beverly Hills mansion is crawling with toddlers and preschoolers. Fletcher must’ve invited everyone he knew with a kid under five.
“Yep,” I agree. “He seems to be taking fatherhood quite seriously.”
Fletcher waves at us from across the yard. He’s dipping a giggling Harmony in and out of the pool, while a host of kids splash all around them. Jonas and Aiden
are having the most fun jumping off the low diving board.
A lot has happened over the past eight months. Jessica was charged in Bliss’ murder, but she’s currently in a psychiatric hospital. According to the most recent news reports, she plans to plead temporary insanity when her case goes to trial. So far, her husband Paul has been standing by her, using his extensive wealth to get her the best medical and legal help money can buy.
Dr. Franco and Lena approached Paul about adopting Jonas. He readily agreed, saying it was in Jonas’ best interests to grow up with his brother.
Fletcher walks over with the birthday girl. Harmony is a gorgeous kid, with rosy cheeks and curly blonde hair. She definitely inherited her mother’s striking looks.
“Thanks for everything.” Fletcher gives me a big hug.
“Fletcher, if you keep thanking me every time we see each other, it’s going to go to my head,” I say. “And anyway, I’m not sure I did all that much.”
“Yes, you did. For one, you hired that crackerjack investigator of yours. If it hadn’t been for Special, Mia or even I, might be behind bars right now.”
Special sneaks up behind him and pulls out her iPhone. “Excuse me, but could you repeat what you just said. And this time, please speak directly into the microphone.”
Fletcher laughs and hugs Special too. “Thanks again for all your hard work.”
She glows from the compliment. “No problem at all. I’m just glad you’re still talking to me after you got my bill.”
“You were worth every penny.”
Someone calls out to Fletcher. “Excuse me a minute. Carina needs me.”
Special wrinkles her nose as he walks away. “That situation was as predictable as church on Sunday morning. Lucky heffa.”
She’s referring to Carina’s redefined relationship with Fletcher. As might’ve been predicted, she’s been upgraded from nanny to live-in girlfriend.
Mia forgave Fletcher for his little backseat indiscretion with Bliss and, at first, it looked as if they were going to work everything out. But three weeks after Jessica’s arrest, the L.A. Times ran a lengthy investigative piece about the case. Fletcher was outraged when he’d learned that Mia had offered Girlie Cortez fifty grand to help Jessica win custody of Harmony. The music mogul had been willing to stick by his woman when he thought she’d committed murder. Betraying him, however, was a deal breaker.
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