Legacy Rejected

by Robin Patchen

  Ginny and Kade both said, “Okay.”

  Kade squeezed Ginny’s hand. “She saved our lives.”

  Ginny shook her head and took her hand back. “No. Kade had it well in hand. I only grabbed the gun so Pavlo couldn’t. But then… Petrovich still had a weapon. I thought I might be able to shoot the gun from Petrovich’s hands. I tried, and it worked.”

  Kade smiled at her. “You were awesome.”

  “You taught me how to shoot. And before that, you saved me. Pavlo was in my house that day. You saved me from…”

  “You’re safe now.” Kade wiped tears off her cheeks. Would she ever stop crying?

  “Okay,” Brady said. “Suffice it to say, you’re both heroes. Ginny, you start. Tell us what happened. Leave nothing out.”

  Kade listened closely, tried to put all the pieces together. She mentioned Russian mobsters whom her father had worked for.

  “Wait,” Kade said. “How do you know they were Russian mobsters?”

  Ginny looked at Brady, who said, “I’ll have to fill you in. I did some digging, told Ginny what I’d learned.”

  Oh. He’d been way out of the loop.

  She talked about a duffel bag full of cash that apparently her mother had given her. “I shouldn’t have given it to them,” she said. “I know what terrible people they are. But I was trying to save Kade. And myself. Honestly, I was trying to save us both. And they didn’t give me any time to think. I handed it over. But it wasn’t what they were after. They left the bag at my house.”

  “My officers found it,” Brady said. “Your house is a crime scene, by the way. It’ll be cleared soon.”

  “Any chance your men’ll clean it?” she asked.

  Brady smiled. “Probably not, but I bet we can find some friends to help.” Brady asked question after question, and Ginny told the whole story. She told how Sokolov had threatened her, had gone into her home in the middle of the night, yanked her from her bed, and bound her hands. How they’d searched her house, then taken her to the trailer to search there. How Pavlo had murdered Sokolov, then turned his evil toward her.

  Brady focused on Kade. “And how did you find out what was going on?”

  “Pure luck,” Kade said. “I happened to see the car when they went to the clubhouse.”

  “Not luck.” Ginny swallowed hard. “Not luck. God. The God Who Sees.”

  Kade kissed her head. “Yes. He took me there.”

  While Kade and Ginny talked, people came in and out, gave Brady updates, handed him information. When they were both done, Brady said, “Petrovich is in surgery. When he gets out, we’ll charge him. He’ll spend the rest of his life in prison.”

  “Have you looked at the information on the pendant yet?” Kade asked.

  “We’ve given it a cursory look. I have people getting it on paper. The Feds will be interested. To me, it’s irrelevant. Petrovich ordered his men to kidnap you. He ordered them to kill you. Your testimony will put him in prison for life.”

  Kade said, “But if he’s a mobster and she testifies against him, will she be in danger?”

  Brady was shaking his head before Kade finished the question. “I told Ginny this the other day. Petrovich had gone rogue. He had a small operation. There were some underlings, low-level hired hands who’ve crawled back into their holes like the cockroaches they are. The top level of the organization was Petrovich, Sokolov, and Pavlo. Petrovich ordered Pavlo to take Sokolov out, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he planned to do away with Pavlo when the opportunity arose. Although we can never know for sure, my guess is that he planned to get his money and get out of the country. Most of their operation in California had been shut down. The mafia out there was squeezing him out.”

  Ginny said, “So you’re saying…”

  “You’re safe,” Brady said. “It’s over.”

  She closed her eyes, took a deep breath as if pulling the information in.

  She opened her eyes and focused on Brady again. “And you found out about my mother how?”

  “A detective in San Francisco called me this morning after I made some inquiries. Turns out, your mother was killed in Baton Rouge a few weeks back. Authorities there didn’t know how to contact you.”

  “They murdered her,” Ginny said. “She told them what they wanted to know—that I was the one holding the information—and they murdered her anyway.”

  Kade wrapped his arm around her shoulders, careful not to hurt her, and pulled her close.

  “My father caused all of this,” Ginny said. “He gave me that stupid necklace. I was so proud of it, so sure it meant he loved me. It nearly got me killed. Why? Why would he do that and not even tell me?”

  Brady shook his head. “How long before he died did he give it to you?”

  “A week,” Ginny said. “Not even… It was five days. He told me when he gave it to me that there was a story behind it, but…” She sat straighter. “Our lunch got cut short when his phone rang. That’s when he went outside and got into the car with Petrovich.”

  “So he was going to tell you,” Brady said.

  Ginny nodded. “That makes sense. I never saw him again after that lunch. But what doesn’t make sense is why he gave it to me instead of Mom.”

  The grim set of Brady’s mouth warned him Ginny was about to hear more bad news. “You weren’t living at home at that point, right?”

  “I never moved home after college.”

  Brady took a piece of paper out of his folder and turned it to face her. It looked like a rental agreement. “I’ve been doing some digging. It looks like your parents had separated. Your father had leased an apartment in San Francisco a couple months before he died.” He added another piece of paper to the pile. It had a mixture of Chinese writing and English. “He’d rented an apartment in Hong Kong as well. I made a call and found out he’d moved a few things in. A woman lived there with him. He’d only been there a few times before his death.”

  So Sokolov had been right. Dad had planned to leave Mom. And Mom had known. They’d been separated, probably planning to get a divorce, and they hadn’t told her.

  “My guess,” Brady said, “is that your father didn’t trust your mother, considering they were going to get a divorce, and didn’t trust Li Min enough yet to give it to her. He trusted you. He gave you the information and intended to tell you what it was but was interrupted. And then he died.”

  “So he put me in danger and planned to leave me?” Ginny couldn’t imagine.

  Brady said, “We can’t know what he was thinking.”

  Kade had a theory. He took a deep breath and swiveled her chair to face him. “I think he was trying to protect you. Once he told you about the information, you’d have been able to turn it over to Petrovich, and none of this would have happened. It was Petrovich’s presence at the memorial that triggered all these events. He must have asked your mother for the information. She didn’t know where it was, and she didn’t think you would know, either, so she’d sent you away. She did it to protect you.”

  “That makes sense,” Brady said.

  Ginny’s smile was forced, unconvinced. And why should she have any faith in her parents now? All she knew was that the two people who should have loved her and cherished her and protected her had lied to her and put her in danger.

  And now, they were both dead.

  “I guess I’ll never really know.” Ginny shook her head. “Some family I come from, huh?”

  Kade started to speak, but Brady scoffed. “Ginny, your parents were liars and criminals. You’re obviously nothing like them.” He patted her hand and smiled. “You’re a hero.”

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Though Kade had offered to let her stay at his condo that night, Ginny had decided she’d be smarter to spend that night with Brady and Rae. Kade had stayed with her, though. He’d rescheduled a meeting at the bank that she’d known nothing about, and he’d sat beside her on the couch and watched funny movies until she couldn’t keep her eyes open. Then he’d
tucked her into bed in their guest room and kissed her forehead. If she’d been at her house or his, she might have asked him to climb right in beside her, to hold her until she fell asleep.

  Which was why she’d chosen to stay at Rae and Brady’s.

  When she’d mustered the nerve to go home on Friday, she’d found her house set to rights. Her friends from Bible study and their husbands had apparently worked most of the night and into the morning to get it back to normal. Her photo frames had been broken, a few other things damaged. But all that stuff could be replaced.

  It was early Saturday morning, and she was just drying off after her shower when she heard her doorbell making its horrid noise. She donned her bathrobe and looked out the window. Kade’s car was in the driveway. After twisting her wet hair in a towel, she hurried down the stairs, anxiety kicking her heartbeat into overdrive. What could possibly have him at her house before sunrise?

  When she swung open the door, Kade stood on the stoop with a huge smile on his face. “Good. I didn’t wake you.”

  “What in the world are you doing here?”

  He lifted a plastic bag with the hardware store’s logo on it. “I bought you a present. I’ll install it while you get ready.”

  “Install…? Wait, ready for what?”

  “I have a surprise.” He made a shooing motion with his hands. “Go on, hurry.”

  When he stepped into her house, she gave him a long kiss. “I love surprises.”

  He kissed her back, then groaned and stepped back. “Clothes… You need clothes.”

  She looked down at her thin bathrobe. “Oh, right.”

  “You have twenty minutes.”

  She rushed to her room, brushed out her wet hair, and threw on a T-shirt and jeans. Twenty minutes even gave her enough time to add some makeup. Throughout her rushed morning routine, she prayed. She couldn’t keep the praises and thanksgiving in, not when Kade was downstairs even now with a surprise. Not when all the danger that had followed her for months—for years, really, considering her parents’ business—was gone. She felt freer than she’d ever felt in her life.

  And yes, her parents were both gone. She grieved for them. She’d spent the day before trying to find out what had become of her mother’s body. When nobody had claimed it, Mom had been buried in Louisiana. Ginny would leave her there, near her home. She hoped she’d be able to locate Kathryn to tell her the news—Brady had promised to help, as had Sam’s husband, Garrison, who had contacts in the FBI. Whether she succeeded or not didn’t seem to matter anymore. Ginny would grieve, and she would go on with her life, make a fresh start in this wonderful little town. God willing, Kade would be by her side.

  God was so good.

  She slid into her sandals and went downstairs to find Kade standing at the front door as if he’d never moved. He opened the screen, reached out, and pressed the doorbell.

  It ding-donged, just like a doorbell should.

  “That’s the loveliest sound I’ve ever heard.”

  “I was going to get one that whistled Dixie, seeing as how you’re a Southern girl at heart, but they don’t sell those in New Hampshire.”

  She laughed. “Glad you didn’t. I don’t really ‘wish I was in the land of cotton.’” She pulled him inside and gave him a proper kiss. “Thank you for my surprise.”

  “The doorbell isn’t the surprise. I was just tired of listening to that old screechy one. Let’s go.”

  “Where are we going?”

  He just shook his head.

  A few minutes after they drove through Dunkin’ Donuts for coffee, he pulled onto his property and parked where he had that first day of target practice. He walked around and opened her door. “M’lady?”

  She stepped out. “What’s going on?”

  “I take it you haven’t read the paper this morning?”

  She shook her head. “When would I have done that? It’s barely dawn.”

  He laughed. “I’d hoped, because I wanted to show you this myself.” He reached in the backseat of his car and pulled out a newspaper.

  Plastered across the front page was the headline, Nutfield’s Own Bring Down Russian Mobsters.

  She leaned against the car door. “So now I’m one of ‘Nutfield’s own’?”

  He peered at the newspaper over her shoulder. “You think that’s good, keep reading.”

  Seemed Brady had given Larry a whole lot of information, and all of it made Ginny and Kade out to be heroes. “There’s nothing here about how everything Larry printed about us last week was wrong. What was his problem, anyway?”

  “Bonnie told me yesterday that he and Collier went to school together. I guess he believed all the lies Collier fed him. But don’t worry. This town won’t let him get away with it. I’ll be surprised if Rae’s not the editor by next week.”

  “Does she want the job?”

  Kade shrugged. “I hope so.”

  Ginny continued reading, her heart thumping with joy at the words. Not only would she no longer be seen as a pariah, this article made her out to be a saint, a woman who threw off the trappings of her past and forged a life as an upstanding member of society. She tapped the paper. “Look at this. Even Bruce Collier is quoted.”

  She glanced to see Kade nod, a big smile on his face. “That’s my favorite part. ‘Nutfield needs more people like Kade Powers and Ginny Lamont, people willing to fight to keep our citizens safe.’”

  “I wonder if it pained him to say it.”

  “I hope so,” Kade said. “After the truth gets out about his involvement in all of this, he’ll be finished as town manager.”

  “I hate to sound vindictive, but that’s the least of what he deserves.” She turned to face Kade, an idea coming to mind. “Maybe you should run in the next election. You’d be great for the town.”

  “I’m not going to have time for that.” His smile told her he’d kept the best for last. He tossed the newspaper back in the truck. Hand in hand, they walked to the crest of the hill and looked down at his land. From here, they could see the houses in their various stages of construction. The clubhouse that had been the scene of their terror on Thursday now shone in the light of the rising sun. Beyond the land, the lake glittered gold.

  “News got out Thursday afternoon about what happened,” Kade said. “The bank manager let me know yesterday that they don’t plan to call the loan, that I’m a good risk again. I started getting calls yesterday from investors. They’re apologizing and wanting back in.”

  She turned from the beautiful view to see his face. “Oh, Kade, I’m so happy for you. But I thought you were angry with them for turning on you.”

  “I was. But there’s no room in my life for bitterness.” He shrugged. “They apologized. I forgave them. That’s what God expects me to do.”

  She loved this man’s faith.

  Kade continued. “I thought when I learned Sokolov’s money was tainted, my dream was dead, but apparently being a hero”—he made air quotes—“has been good for my reputation. It’s all going to work out.”

  “You are a hero.” She slid her arms around his waist and hugged him. “I’m so happy for you.”

  He kissed the top of her head, then backed away, threaded his hands into her hair, kissed her cheek, the corner of her mouth.

  The sensation sent tingles through her body. She couldn’t have moved away from him if she’d wanted to—and she never, ever wanted to.

  “I love you.”

  “I love you, too.”

  He leaned back. “I should have a whole thing planned, or at least…” He shook his head. “I can’t wait another minute.”

  “Can’t wait for…?”

  He fell to one knee.

  She stepped back, covered her mouth.

  “I know it’s crazy. I don’t even have a ring yet. And after the week we’ve had, I should let you process it. I should give you time and space. But two days ago, I thought I was going to lose you, and I knew then… I’ve never been so certain of anything. I ne
ver want to be apart from you. I love you, Ginny. Now that we’ve put the past behind us, I hope you’ll make a future with me. Will you marry me?”

  She was nodding, trying to force words past her tears. “Yes.”

  He stood, wrapped her in his arms, and spun her in a circle.

  Her past was gone, her future secure. She’d never been more free.

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Ginny steeled her courage while she waited for her new husband to open the door of their rental car.

  The wedding had been the stuff of dreams. The ceremony at their church had been followed by the reception in the clubhouse at Clearwater Heights. With the two-by-fours and concrete—and all the evidence of what had happened there—covered by walls and flooring and paint, it was a beautiful space. A space redeemed for good, the way Ginny’s whole life had been redeemed.

  Kade’s family—which had quickly become her own—and all their friends had celebrated the day with them. For the first time, Ginny had felt like she belonged.

  She did belong in Nutfield. But did she belong in front of this house? She couldn’t believe they were doing this.

  In the months after the incident, while they’d planned the wedding, while Kade had built his dream, Ginny had searched. With Brady’s help, she’d found Kathryn, Matthew, and the kids in a little town in Florida. She’d called Kathryn, but her sister wouldn’t talk to her. So she’d emailed and told her about their mother’s murder. Then she’d explained that they no longer had reason to fear. She’d directed her sister to the special agent at the FBI who was handling the case. They’d communicated via email a little since then. Ginny had kept her sister informed about her life and all she’d discovered, but Kathryn never replied.

  Then, Ginny had found the rest of her family.

  Kade opened the door, and Ginny stepped into the Louisiana humidity. It was evening in early May, and the sun had warmed the air to the low nineties. Cicadas and tree frogs were practicing for their evening symphony.

  She’d expected to find her family near New Orleans where she’d grown up, but after Katrina they’d moved north. She and Kade had flown into Shreveport, rented a car, and driven to a little town about a half hour off the interstate. They’d passed through the charming downtown area and stopped in front of a large plot of land. Cars were parked on the street and all along the windy driveway. A single-story house sat back behind tall trees that were as plentiful here as they were back in New Hampshire. But they were different here, the cypresses and oaks and pecan trees. The scent of them as she stood beside the car brought back memories she hadn’t thought of in years. Happy memories of her childhood before Katrina, before her parents had chosen the path that had gotten them killed.