McAllister Justice Series Box Set

by Reily Garrett

  It was time to enjoy life a little, which would make the coming betrayal all the sweeter. “We’re going to play a little game. I’m going to record your voice as you read a script. In return, I’ll make all your problems with Emilio disappear.”

  “Wh-what do you mean?”

  “Just what I said. Neither he nor his cronies will ever bother you again. And the police will never suspect you. I’ll swear on a stack of bibles.” Because corpses don’t commit murder or get irritated by an ex.

  “What do you get in return?” The girl’s step lightened. Despite glancing around the deep forest in apparent expectation of some trick, her gaze lit with interest.

  “Just for you to read a paragraph. Once I have it, I’ll set you free.” To further secure her prey’s cooperation, she added, “I need to make amends to someone I’ve wronged. She’ll never talk to me without your help. So—in return for this favor, I’ll make sure Emilio never rapes you again.”

  “How did you know about that?”

  “Friends in all the right places, my dear.” In the spirit of mutual collaboration, she smoothed her hand down Lottie’s back then circled her shoulders as they climbed the steps to the porch. Creating confusion in a victim was her superpower.

  Her extended family had abandoned the shack long ago when their dysfunctional unit split for the last time. Memories of the police forcing her cuffed father into a patrol car twisted her lips in a sneer. She’d been sixteen. Her pathetic excuse for a mother had just left, telling her good luck. If not for Daryl, she would’ve fallen into the hands of social services. A shudder circled her spine.

  Havoc wanted to do something spectacular with this girl’s body. She had a nice shape, pretty face, and subservient spirit. The latter could be overlooked in lieu of the mark’s value. Timing proved the only possible hitch.

  Inside, musty air made them both cough. She guided her prey to a rickety stool by the kitchen table which wobbled with the slightest touch.

  “Here, sit. I’ve got to get my backpack out of the car.”

  “Could you... loosen these bonds? Just a little.” Hope filled eyes that would soon show terror.

  Anticipation made her mouth water. “I can do you one better. Sit quietly, and as soon as we’re done, I’ll remove them.”

  Meek and mild, not how Havoc liked her victims. She preferred spitting mad, the way Abby would soon be. The question remained, would Abby attempt to subvert her anger in hopes of discovering a way to escape?

  After retrieving the necessary items, she stepped back inside to find the girl hadn’t moved an inch. It paid to be a convincing liar.

  Spending hours watching yourself on video to detect all those nasty little tells, a tapping finger, a gaze that slid away, or a change in your voice’s pitch that signaled deception, certainly paid off.

  “Okay. Here’s the deal.” Havoc placed her double-edged knife on the counter in front of Lottie. “I’m going to hold a tape recorder up for you to recite your lines. Once done—you’re free.” By the time the recorded message lured Abby to the designated spot, Lottie would have drawn her last breath. So much fun, but the timing needed to be perfect.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Since finding Charlee buried in Abby’s backyard, cold rage consumed both Royden and his partner. Focus and clipped words defined their current exchange. Every minute equaled more time slipping through their fingers, time Abby might not have.

  “Credlin is involved somehow, but I can’t imagine him being in league with the psycho, Carrigan.” Royden had proven himself a decent puzzle solver, but this embroiled multiples he couldn’t separate.

  “Once we figure that out, we’ll see how all this fits, and end this madness.” Billy tugged his jacket over the bulge at his waist after exiting the car. “I’ll hit the professional vein, you go for the jugular, the personal stuff.”

  The reversal from normal procedure gave Royden pause. His partner held a particular card close to his vest. Dammit, not now. Only time would unlock its secret.

  “Your assumption we can play head games with this CEO might be premature. Information gleaned from digital resources doesn’t equal time face to face.” In order for that ploy to work, one had to know a good bit about their target and spend time with them. Credlin proved to be a very private individual with funds for a team of lawyers. “If he knows the extent of our knowledge concerning his private life, he’ll clam up faster than a witch’s ass.”

  “So, we make it look like a fishing expedition,” Billy’s crooked grin reflected both disdain and amusement. Figurative smoke rolled from his ears.

  “Remember. Once he brings in his legal watchdogs, progress halts.” They’d kept their previous questions general in an effort to get a bead on the suspect’s overall behavior while they dug into his background.

  “Now that we’ve poked around inside his world, let’s give him a little taste of what we know. It’ll keep him off balance while you delve through his mind.” Billy murmured while scanning the grounds.

  Royden nodded then tilted his head toward the upper front corner of the mansion. The CEO made no effort to hide his security cameras, which didn’t mean there weren’t others concealed among the ornamental trees or elaborate landscaping.

  Billy smiled and nodded in return.

  “As long as you don’t lose your temper.” Royden flashed a smile and received the bird in return. His neat-nick partner kept a cool head until a family member came under fire. As the only female sibling, Abby had endured lots of situations fending off their over-zealous protective instincts during her teenage years.

  Unlike employees at the CEO’s hi-tech company who wore uniforms of a sort, several grounds keepers dressed in jeans and casual shirts. One trimmed yew bushes into works of art while another collected the clippings.

  Two men, one at the front door and the other walking the perimeter fence wore black tactical gear. At the gate’s guardhouse, security had worn the same style black pants and boots.

  “I never lose my temper.” A muscle in his jaw ticked as they started to climb the steps.

  At the top of the elaborate entranceway, the guard held his hand up. “Mr. Credlin is around back. He said you can meet him in his greenhouse. Just follow the brick walkway around the side.”

  “Thanks.” Royden considered the suspect’s possible ploys. Once out of security’s earshot, he pointed out to his partner. “He thinks—”

  “Yeah, he’s going to flaunt the fact he grows orchids. How could he get access to forensic results so soon?”

  “Money. Either he has a tech in his pocket or a hacker.” Royden’s gaze scanned the vast immaculate yard. An ornate fountain took center stage to intricately carved benches where one could sit and enjoy the soft burble of water. Waist-high hedges formed a maze as a backdrop, which opened to a back yard full of various flowerbeds surrounding a glass and metal structure.

  The greenhouse covered a small portion of the massive yard but maintained a large footprint, just the same. Royden estimated it about sixty by two hundred feet. The unit consisted of several sections, portioned off according to the plants inside. Two women and an older man tended to the orchids and hybrids grown.

  “We can sort our leaky situation later. At least he’s not going to be as ahead of us as he figures.” Billy grinned, anticipatory glee furrowing his brow.

  Royden had seen that particular look before, when the psycho Abby nicknamed whisper imprisoned her in an underground cell. She’d explained the moniker as her way of making the monster less scary. At that time, the whole family went rogue.

  “Okay, let’s assume and verify he knows the dirt from Abby’s office is a match, pointing to an advanced gardener. He wants to appear transparent and cooperative.”

  “I’ll see through him without a problem.” Billy opened the door to the greenhouse.

  Royden bit the inside of his cheek to keep his retort silent. McAllisters had a way of changing horses in mid-stream without advance warning.

&nb
sp; Credlin met them near the entrance. “Hello, detectives. What brings you here today?” That same shrewdness about the eyes took in the officers’ appearance.

  “We have a few more questions, if you don’t mind.” Royden worked to keep his voice calm while ferreting Billy’s change in approach.

  “It’s in my best interest to help in any way I can. I want the prick who targeted my family.” Rage simmered in Credlin’s voice.

  “Nice place you got here.” Billy thumbed the six-inch leaves of a young orchid. In flicking the tender root, he broke a piece off. “Oh, sorry. I didn’t know they were so delicate.”

  Credlin gritted his teeth then smiled, the tightness belying anger underneath the façade. “The aerial root draws in moisture and carbon dioxide in order for the plant to thrive.”

  Royden sighed inwardly. To be honest, he supposed this was Billy’s attempt at playing nice. After all, the suspect was still vertical and didn’t have a gun stuck in his face. “Thank you for seeing us on such short notice.” Royden held out his hand to shake, not liking the forced role of good cop.

  “Not a problem, but please understand I am a busy man and have very little free time.” Gesturing to the rows and rows of plants, he added, “This is my source of inner Zen, where I go to get centered.” Slight contempt infused the last words spoken while the homeowner’s gaze narrowed on Billy.

  “I see you don’t use regular soil here. What is this stuff?” Billy bent to have a closer look.

  “Of course not. It’s a special blend made specifically for my hybrids. You can’t buy it on the open market and since I employ the man who developed it, I own the patent.”

  “Figures you wouldn’t use off-the-shelf stuff.” Billy wiped a smudge of dirt on the metal rack and held it to his nose. “It doesn’t smell like anything to me. I thought you fertilized flowers with chicken dung.”

  Royden sighed, realizing Billy wouldn’t stick to their plan, forcing an adjustment in his own approach. Billy did bad cop very well. “Excuse my partner, Mr. Credlin. He’s not a gardener.”

  “No, he’s not. I hear he’s an explosive expert with um... vast and varied experiences.” If the man referenced one of Billy’s impromptu detonations, his source of information proved better than expected.

  Billy made a tsking sound in the back of his throat. “Very uncool.”

  “By the way, if you want a sample of the soilless mix, all you have to do is ask.” Credlin pulled an empty baggie from his jeans pocket and held it out to Billy. “I would offer you a small bag of it, but I figured you’d want to collect it yourself. Feel free to look around, but please don’t touch the plants.”

  Royden accepted the bag but put it in his jacket as Billy pulled out an evidence bag. Royden sighed.

  Billy grinned.

  “I hear you now have complete control over the company since your wife and child have passed.” Billy picked up a nearby orchid and turned it upside down before Royden could stop him. Pieces of the bark mixture fell into the bag he held.

  “What? I didn’t touch the plant.”

  “They didn’t pass. They’re dead!” Credlin took a half-step forward then stopped, closed his eyes briefly, and fisted his hands at his sides. “The rest remains to be seen, probate and all that.” One of the nearby workers moved toward the opposite end of the structure.

  “But your wife was close to her family. Isn’t that so? Don’t you think they’re gonna raise hell?” Billy countered.

  “Obviously, you know the details. However, I did not kill them.” The last words gritted out as the suspect took a stiff step forward. “I loved my daughter and would gladly give half of my company in trust to her, even if it was controlled by my ex-wife.”

  Billy stood toe to toe with Credlin. “But she wasn’t your ex. Which means you get everything.” Billy’s diving for the suspect’s most vulnerable organ provided a ruse, throwing the man off kilter.

  Royden nudged Billy aside. His partner had succeeded in his attempt to throw the interviewee off balance. As usual, McAllister had a second agenda, apparently trying to incite the executive to violence.

  “Someone has targeted your wife’s attorney on several occasions. Any idea who might do that?” Royden blocked Credlin’s view of Billy, a vain attempt to calm the homeowner.

  “No. I don’t. If you’ll look at the timing, it doesn’t fit. My... wife’s accident occurred before the doctor was taken.”

  “You appear to be up to date on current events.” Royden held the man’s stare, observing for the smallest sign of increased anxiety. The exec didn’t flinch. Either someone had tutored him extensively in the art of deception, or he was innocent. Either scenario was possible.

  “Wouldn’t you be if the roles were reversed?”

  “As I understand it, you’ve hired two investigative firms, one in Oregon and one in Ohio.” Billy stepped around the end of one table under the pretense of admiring the vast expanse of flowers.

  Royden tried to keep his face impassive. He shouldn’t have been surprised his partner stayed one-step ahead of him, considering the hackers in his family. Keeping up with the McAllisters equaled a full-time job in itself.

  “Then you realize I want to find out who killed my family as much as you do, preferably before you do. They meant everything to me, as yours does to you, considering the lengths you’ve gone to in the past to protect them.” The fact Credlin pulled off the gloves lent an old-world feel to his desire to settle things, physically.

  Royden blocked Billy’s approach, a warning frown telling his partner to back off.

  “Mr. Credlin, how many people are in your employ?” Billy’s feral grin equaled acceptance of the unvoiced challenge.

  “Here or abroad? How is Abby, by the way, Detective McAllister?” A short recovery time followed by a returning salvo. “I heard someone made an attempt on her life, what... two times.” The sneer in his words matched that of his lips.

  “She’s fine. And—we’re closing in on the prick who’s marked her.”

  “Good, then you probably shouldn’t be wasting time here. Rumor has it that the evidence recovered from her office will match my own special blend of growing medium. I assure you; I, nor any employee of mine has had anything to do with your sister’s problems. I don’t know who wants to set me up, but I can prove my whereabouts on each occasion. Furthermore, I am now making certain my time is accounted for, one hundred percent of each day.” Confidence in the fact no one could catch him accounted for the aggressive stance, the husband’s true colors. By doing so, he apparently hoped to show he’d laid all his cards on the table.

  Unexpected.

  The fact Credlin had known the specific reason for the visit wasn’t surprising. Despite the anger he radiated, the widower maintained eye contact and didn’t reveal any nonverbal signs of deception with subsequent questions.

  When they’d concluded the interview, Royden contemplated the answers en route back to their unmarked car. “He already knew his wife’s death wasn’t an accident. Why didn’t you tell me about the investigators he’s hired?”

  Billy opened the driver’s door then hesitated. “Yeah, Lexi called me this morning. Said that he’s hired two firms, one from southern Oregon and one close to the town where his family died. I don’t think it’s a ruse. He wants to find the killer before we do.”

  “Which means we need to stay one step ahead. And you couldn’t have given me the information before we went in there?” As with Abby, Royden played catch up with the rest of the McAllisters. Considering the threat and attempts on Abby’s life, Royden didn’t voice further complaints.

  “I wanted you to go in there with a clean conscience.”

  “There’s no such thing around a McAllister. No wonder Abby’s headed to ulcer land.” Royden dropped down into the passenger seat and shut his door. “Shall we revisit Johen, the associate attorney who was competing for a promotion?”

  “Might as well.” The chattering squeak and hissing of Billy’s cell startled
them both. “Damn it, having one hacker in the family was bad enough, now Katt is catching up. She keeps changing the ringtone on my phone to that damn ferret’s babble.”

  “Don’t feel bad, she does it to everybody. The girls want us to know who’s calling.” Royden listened as his partner nodded and remarked on the incoming information.

  The phone snapping shut coincided with Billy’s frown. “Katt says Johen recently started making purchases from Cleman’s garden center.”

  “I do not want to know how she came by that knowledge.” Royden turned his thoughts and gaze out the window.

  “Which is why she called me.”

  “If Matt finds out what she’s doing...”

  “He won’t from me.” Billy grinned, knowing his partner wouldn’t out one of their best sources of information when it concerned Abby’s welfare.

  Royden contemplated the slippery slope to hell during the quiet drive. Walking a figurative tightrope between Abby and his partner provided a constant source of friction. Information obtained through illegal means would never make it into court, yet ignoring it could cost someone her life, someone he loved. No risk was too great.

  Green pastures and thick woods rolled into small developments, then to the suburban area where the associate attorney owned a small rancher in an up-and-coming neighborhood.

  “Seems odd for him to take several vacation days and not go anywhere.” Royden appraised the home’s neat appearance. The cookie-cutter structure boasted neutral colors, steep-sloping rooflines, and a small front porch. One holly tree and several flowering specimen trees dotted the front yard. A long root buckled the brick walkway leading to the front entrance, lending a quaint appearance.

  “Abby use to do the same thing until she met you.” Billy paused before tugging the screen door open. “Has she come around to the idea of private practice?”

  “Yes, thank god. Now all I have to do is convince her to marry me.”

  Billy’s shrug belied the frustration within. “That would be nice since you are living together.”

  “Like every other McAllister isn’t doing the same thing? Goose, gander, etc.” Each of Abby’s brothers lived with the other half of their soul, and Royden wondered at what point they’d take the plunge. It wasn’t difficult to see they’d all made good matches. It seemed the hesitancy lay at the women’s feet, as if they waited for some invisible affirmation to proceed.