Second Time's the Charm

by Knight, Vanessa

  Unfortunately, Mörder had taken over and was doing things his way. A kindergartner could hide money better than that idiot. It was a miracle the man could tie his own shoes. Stupid people drove Edward crazy.

  Unfortunately, Herb hadn’t been stupid. That had ultimately led to his undoing. Edward had been funneling the money from his extracurricular activities into one of Herb’s personal accounts. Herb had been so busy with Byrnes and Company that he hadn’t known half the assets he actually owned.

  Until, of course, that little ingrate came back to the States. If Dale had just stayed away, Edward wouldn’t be in this mess. Herb never would have found that account, but then he started looking for money to give that beggar. If Herb had just stuck with his initial instinct and said, “No”, then this wouldn’t have happened. Dammit. The whole situation sucked.

  He stared at the wall. If Adam and Allison got the information to the cops, he could be looking at a maximum of fifteen years in prison. He refused to go to jail with the common riffraff.

  He needed to get that paperwork before they got to the police. He needed to keep them quiet. He placed his head in his hands. He didn’t like where this was going. It was one thing to simply drop some medication in Herb’s coffee and let it take effect naturally, quite another to commit cold-blooded murder. Unfortunately, he didn’t think that slipping some drugs into their food would work to rid him of Allison and Adam. He was afraid that the only way to eliminate the problem was to eliminate them.

  He left the condo and headed back home. He needed to find his forty-five before he lost his nerve.

  * * *

  Shay stared at the miscellaneous financial reports sitting on her desk. Adam had called and suggested they take a look into a few high-dollar financial transactions. The research had been fruitful but disturbing. The breadcrumbs started with large sums of cash that had been deposited to one of Byrnes and Company’s accounts. The custodian of the account was Edward Connolly. A few of the transactions had been linked to an old Mörder account, and after additional searching; it appeared as if there were more cash deposits to various judges in Chicago.

  Getting that information had almost taken an act from God—or Captain Humphries, as it were. When it came to the Mörder trial, the FBI was trying to keep everything close to the vest. Thankfully, the captain knew how to play hardball to get the information they needed to track the cash.

  This case looked bigger than they originally thought, and if Herb Byrnes had discovered this information, it was an incredibly motivating reason for murder.

  “So are we thinking we need to talk to Edward again?” Joe asked her as he rubbed his eyes in exhaustion.

  “I’m thinking we need to talk, now.” Shay clipped her handcuff case to the belt at the back of her jeans and grabbed her jacket. She double-checked her holster and headed for the exit. “He might be able to shed some light on these financial coincidences.”

  “Coincidences? I thought you didn’t believe in coincidence.”

  “I don’t.” Shay shrugged at her partner. “I find it hard to believe that a man with damming information accidentally winds up dead.” Then she added, shaking her head, “He was so believable when he talked about how much he loved Herb.”

  Joe snorted as they continued out the front door of the station. “I’m not surprised. He’s a lawyer. They live to lie.”

  “Wow. Prejudice much? I thought I was the one with the lawyer issues.”

  “Just callin’ them like I see them. Do you want to go to his office first or his home?” He opened the door of their squad car and angled into the driver’s seat.

  “It’s Saturday. Let’s try his home first,” she said, and Joe pulled the unmarked police car away from the curb.

  * * *

  Julie walked out of the shower and toweled herself dry. She rubbed her hand over the foggy bathroom mirror and stared at her red-rimmed eyes. Apparently, water vapor didn’t curb the puffiness associated with crying one’s eyes out. She stared at herself in the mirror and stuck out her tongue. Maybe a bit juvenile. Ugh! She really needed to get her life back on track. After all, she was back on the market again. Tears threatened to fall down her face.

  She’d known Ben would never understand about Dale. It had been a one-time mistake that produced the most amazing gift. She could never regret that it happened. Cody was the love of her life. However, she did wish that things could have been different with Ben. She pulled in a cleansing breath and willed herself to stop crying.

  She needed to get ahold of herself. Crying over things she had no control over was unproductive. She walked into her room and stuffed herself into a comfortable pair of jeans.

  She needed to hit the gym. Darn, the list of her needs was definitely growing— needed to get a hold of herself, needed to hit a gym—a lot of needs. Unfortunately, none of those needs would be addressed today. Today she was dealing with a broken heart. Today was about drowning herself in self-pity and possibly a few pints of ice cream. Drowned by frozen cream and sugar, what a way to go.

  She shuffled through the empty house and opened the freezer door. The mint chocolate chip called to her, so she placed the carton in the microwave. She pulled out a spoon as the ice cream spun on the turntable. Twenty seconds to perfection and then the beep. Thank goodness. She leaned against the counter, spooning the creamy, minty, chocolaty goodness into her waiting mouth. It almost made her forget her life sucked.

  After all, her boyfriend had left her, she was pretty sure she would lose her job after she talked to Dale, and her father was crazy. Woohoo! She won the trifecta of crap. Although she’d asked Adam if she should come in on Monday, she was pretty sure he’d said yes because he wanted to make sure HR was there when he fired her behind. Good ol’ Adam. He always did things by the book.

  Not that she blamed him. She couldn’t even blame Dale, though she really wanted to. If he had just called after their one night. If he had made even one gesture after, she would have told him. She could have called him. It’s funny how phones work two ways. Darn it. The whole mess was her fault.

  As she took another bite from the carton of frozen therapy, the front door creaked open. She was hoping to avoid the father/ daughter confrontation until the second or third carton, but it looked like the time was here.

  She stormed into his office, pint of melting ice cream in hand.

  “Father, we need to talk.” Julie used her best authoritative voice. She hoped she did, anyway.

  “I don’t have time, right now.” He clawed through his desk drawers. “Are you eating again? You’re not going to be happy until you’re as big as a house.”

  “I really don’t need this. I’ve had a crap day.”

  “We all have our crosses to bear.” He continued to sift through the drawers in the armoire behind his desk. Hatred stirred in her throat. He couldn’t even take two freaking minutes to listen to her. It was the story of her life—everything in the world was more important to the great Edward Connolly than his daughter.

  “Where did you get one-point-five-million dollars in your bank account?” She dropped a hand to her hips. He would not ignore her. She wouldn’t let him. Not today.

  “Where did you hear that?” he roared.

  Panic crawled down her spine. She hated that tone, the tone that held disappointment, anger, and hate. The tone that told her she was just like her mother, stupid and worthless. It reminded her she’d never be good enough. She’d always be lacking.

  “You need to keep your nose out of my business,” her father snarled. “I don’t have time for your garbage.”

  “You never have time for me, but today you’re going to make it.” She stood her ever-shifting ground. Fear gripped her heart, but she refused to let it cripple her. She refused to let this man walk over her again.

  “To hell I am,” he said, as he pulled something from the drawer. He tried to sneak the contraband into his jacket pocket, but the glint of black metal caught Julie’s eye. He got up and brushed past h
er on his way to the door. “I have someplace to be.”

  “Is that a gun? Have you lost your mind? Where are you going with that?” She laid a hand on his arm.

  He pivoted on his heels, combustible hate spilling from his eyes. He grabbed her shoulders and shook her. Horror and panic welled in her stomach. “Get out of my way! I’ll be damned if I’m going to let you or that stupid Southby mess up my plans.”

  She dropped her ice cream on the floor as he threw her against the foyer wall. Her temple slammed into a hallway mirror, shards of glass spilling onto the floor around her feet. She felt warm, gooey liquid spill down her face as she slumped against the wall.

  He bent down and checked her pulse. “You’ll be fine, you crazy idiot.” He threw his cashmere scarf at her. “Use this as a compress. When I get back I’ll take care of that.”

  He walked toward the door, slipping on the ice cream.

  “You’re as useless as your mother,” he mumbled as he righted himself on the slick surface. He pulled the collar of his jacket forward and walked into the bright daylight, slamming the front door shut.

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Allison and Adam stared at the disaster-area family room in her condo.

  “Well, we know it’s not Julie or Ben. We were just with them.” Adam attempted humor despite the anger simmering underneath his skin. He toured the condo, but whoever did this was long gone. “I think it’s time to invest in a state-of- the-art security system, and we need to change the code for the floor.”

  “Do you think the building would consider changing the key for the elevator? That might not hurt, either.” Allison picked up a fallen vase, a tear glistening in her eye.

  “I’m not planning on giving them a choice. Obviously the whole world knows how to access this condo. I can’t have you staying here like this.” Anger engulfed him as a gasp tumbled from the front hall. He pulled his gun and stared at his brother, who was gawking at the mess.

  “Geez, don’t shoot. What the hell happened here?”

  “Don’t sneak up on a cop. We’re not sure, but we were just about to call CPD. How did you get in?” Adam asked, his gun still drawn.

  “I have a key and I know the code.” Dale shrugged as he took off his coat. “Put that thing down.”

  “What are you doing here, Dale?” Adam kept the gun levelled at his brother. He hated the thoughts swimming through his head, but what were the odds his brother would show up while all this was happening? He even had the damn key.

  “Mom sent me.” Dale picked up his jacket and reached a trembling hand into the inner pocket. He pulled out a jewelry box, and waved it above his head. “For Allison.”

  Allison walked over to Dale and took the box. She opened the lid, and her eyes glowed as a smile crossed her lips. “My necklace. I thought I lost it.” “Nah, Mom rescued it.”

  “Can you put it on me?”

  “Yep.” He kept his arms bent above his head. “Truce, bro? I come in peace.” “Fine.” Adam lowered his weapon. He watched his brother place the pendant around Allison’s neck. Even he had to admit he was a bit jumpy these days. Dale was harmless. He looked back at the disaster in the family room. Shit. Maybe he hadn’t been jumpy enough if someone had gotten into the condo again. He slipped his cell phone from his pocket.

  “You must have the Chicago police on speed dial by now. They have got to be tired of hearing from you.” Dale shook his head as Allison let down her hair around the golden chain.

  Allison smirked. “Probably. By the way, have you heard from Julie today?” “No. Should I have?”

  “Just checking. I’ll be right back.” She jiggled the documents in her hands at Adam, and headed to the bedroom.

  “Adam, I hope you know I didn’t do any of this. I’ve been with Mom all day long. Nadia and I went with her to the luncheon for the animal shelter. Remember, you were supposed to go after we put a few hours in at the office. Familial responsibilities. Ring a bell?”

  “Yeah.” Adam sighed as Perretti’s voicemail clicked on. He hit End and scrolled through his cell phone contacts.

  “Way to blow me off, brother.” Dale grinned as he flipped over a coffee table and set it on its feet. “So, we okay?”

  “Yeah. Sorry, this has been a shit day.”

  “I can see that. I just can’t believe someone got in again.”

  “Well, it won’t happen again. I’m going to find a company to install a security system before I let her come back here again.”

  “Let me?” Allison had returned to the living room without the paperwork, her unbroken arm angled with her hand. Even though he meant every word he said, Adam probably should have found a better way of saying it. The best way to start a fight with Allison was to tell her what to do. Hell, it was one of his favorite pastimes.

  “You could always stay at Mom’s until it’s operational. In fact, after this, you’ll be lucky if she lets you out of the house at all. She might lock you in your bedroom,” Dale joked.

  “Adam’d break me out though, right?” She gave a small grin, and Adam nodded. He owed his brother for that little diversion.

  “I might break in, but I probably wouldn’t break you out. I have an overwhelming desire to keep you safe.” He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her forehead. “I think I’m going to try Joe’s cell again.”

  “Do we have to? I think Dale’s right, they’re probably sick of us.”

  “Probably, but every piece of the puzzle will help them find this bastard.” Adam kissed her head and released her.

  Adam had just located Joe’s number when someone cleared their throat at the front of the room. The three turned to find Edward leaning against the doorframe.

  “How convenient. You’re just the people I need to talk to.”

  “You found us. What do you need, Edward?” Adam said as Edward pushed his way into the family room.

  “I need the statements you found in your father’s safe,” he said calmly.

  Adam stared warily at Edward. There was something off about his demeanor. He’d always been cold, but his eyes were frighteningly disassociated, and his movements were a little erratic.

  “I can help you.” Adam soothed, trying to hide the adrenaline coursing through his veins. Every instinct was tingling. He needed to get Allison far away from this man. “Dale, why don’t you take Allison downstairs to get the mail. I’ll take care of things up here.”

  “They stay. You all stay.” Edward sidled closer.

  Allison’s eyes widened as she backed up toward the bedroom. She looked terrified. Adam felt the same way.

  Edward pulled a gun from his pocket. “Don’t move!”

  Allison’s movements stopped except for her unbroken arm, which instinctively shot out to her side.

  “Edward, everything’s going to be fine.” Adam eased toward him, his arms forward in a reassuring manner. He wasn’t sure who he was reassuring—Edward, Allison, Dale, or himself. “Think about what you’re doing. We know about Mörder.”

  “Am I missing something?” Dale asked as Adam angled himself between Allison and the gun.

  “You are always missing something, you stupid piece of shit. You knock up my daughter, ruin her life, and then you come back to town looking for handouts, forcing your father to look at accounts that he would have just left alone. No one wants you here, that’s what you’re missing,” Edward shouted and fired two rounds at Dale.

  Dale fell to the ground.

  Allison yelled, “Stop! Please! We’ll give you what you want.” “I want those statements.”

  * * *

  Joe Perretti parked along the tree-lined street in Lincoln Park and approached Edward’s large brick home. He knocked on the French doors and peered into the sidelight windows, but couldn’t see past the curtains. Shay walked up behind him, also watching the residence for any sign of life. She walked over to a large picture window at the front of the house and squinted at the room inside.

  “Well, should we try the office?”
he called over to his partner. They gazed at the two-story home napping in the late afternoon sun.

  “Might as well. It’s on the way back to the station,” she agreed as they headed back to the car. He took one last glance at the house and saw the curtains next to the door jostle.

  “Wait.” He walked back to the door and saw a bloody hand resting on the glass. “Call the EMTs! Someone’s in the house.”

  Shay drew her gun and moved to the right side of the door. She pressed her back to one wall as Joe took his place against the opposite one. She reached over and twisted the knob of the closest door. It swung open as they peeked around the corner. They found the hallway empty, except for Julie, lying in a smear of blood with mirror splinters strewn about. They quickly checked out the first floor, verifying that no threat still lingered.

  Shay bent over Julie, who had a gash above her eye that was oozing blood. Shay grabbed the scarf lying on the floor and wadded the fabric against the wound. “Joe, the cut’s deep. She needs a hospital now. Julie, are you all right? Can you hear me?”

  “Yes.” Julie’s voice quavered, and she gave a weak sob

  Joe walked into the hallway and began to ascend the stairs to the second floor. “I’m going to check the rest of the house. I’ll be right back.”

  “Who did this?” Joe heard Shay ask. He stopped as she answered. “My f-f-father.”

  “Your father? Do you know where he is?” “Allison, condo,” she umbled and her eyes closed.

  Perretti ran up the stairs to secure the scene as an ambulance siren sounded. Joe glanced out a bedroom window at the bus rocketing down the road toward the house.

  “Perretti! We need to go!” Shay yelled.

  He ran down the stairs, shoving his gun back in its holster. “It’s all clear.” He looked over at Julie as the EMT’s began to take her vitals and do their magic.

  “We need to get to Allison’s condo.” Shay ran to their car and put the cherry on the roof. The light flashed and the siren blared as they hurried back to the city.