“They divvied it up. Margie and Ed bought rental properties in the Dominican Republic in the names of the kids, to make it harder for investigators to find them. As for Greg and Juanita, they bought a small resort with a marina just outside Santa Domingo. They were going to retire there in a few years.”
“Does that mean the government can’t get the money back?”
“Well, I’m sure that’s what the gang hopes, but that’s not necessarily true. A lot of people don’t know that the United States signed a new extradition treaty with the Dominican Republic in 2015.”
“Sweet!” Kenny grinned. “Philip Grimshaw probably knew that when he cleaned out those safety deposit boxes down there.”
“I’m sure he did,” Gandy agreed. “Besides, the accounts were in his name and he legally had the right to recover them.”
“But what about the Diaz family...did Johnny kill them?”
“No, we think that was also Monaco and his associates. And it was only Bobby and Griselda who perished. We managed to locate Hector Diaz. He’s been clean and sober for three years now. It seems that losing his parents gave him the push he really needed to get his act together. He’s been living in his sister Carmen’s home for about eighteen months now.”
“She’s alive too?” This case was throwing me curve balls by the dozen. “Does that mean Johnny has to give back all that money?”
“That’s a good question, Scarlet,” Chewie remarked. “Technically, at the time his father died, Hector was an addict, and thus, was not eligible to share in his father’s estate. And as for Carmen, it turned out that she was pregnant when she ran away, something she didn’t want her parents to know.”
“That’s so sad. I’m glad the siblings got back together.”
“So is Johnny. He considers those kids to be his family, his only family. He really did think of Bobby Diaz as a mentor, even though he didn’t agree with what Bobby did in his will, cutting off the kids. Johnny took the money he inherited from Diaz and added to it to what he inherited Lavinia’s estate. Now he’s rolling in dough and he’s more than willing to share it with them.”
“That’s the decent thing to do.”
“It is. He told us he tried to find the Diaz kids after their parents died, but he had no luck. That’s probably because Carmen lived in six different states after she left home. She never did marry the bum she was with; he dumped her when her father disinherited her. But she got herself a job and is raising her teenage daughter up near St. Augustine. Carmen helped Hector get into an addiction center in Minnesota and when he got out, he accepted his sister’s invitation to move in with her.”
“If Johnny didn’t kill Bobby and Griselda, was it really just an unfortunate accident?”
“No, we think Monaco did it.”
“Does Johnny know?”
“Not yet, Scarlet, but we think he’ll figure it out quickly. That’s why we made sure to formally enter into a deal with him. In exchange for his cooperation in the investigation, we won’t encourage the tournament officials to include him in their lawsuit to recover the prize money. He will come off as a hero and the public will learn that he really did love his first wife.”
“That begs the question of whether his subsequent wives were involved with the Monaco and Jones families.” Kenny tapped his chin thoughtfully. “I can see that they might have been collaborators as easily as they were victims of blackmail.”
“Very good, Tolliver,” said the head FBI agent. “We aren’t sure at the moment, but the house of cards is starting to stack up on the side of collaborators. We think that wife number two is involved. We’re not sure about number three. It will take us some time to sort that out.”
“Yes, I can understand that,” said Kenny, standing up. “If you’ll forgive us, we have to get going. We have a flight to catch back to Connecticut.”
“Of course. We’ll be in touch. You’ll both return for the trial?”
“Of course. Scarlet and I are more than willing to cooperate on that front.”
“If you play your cards right, you might be able to squeeze in a honeymoon in Florida at the same time.” Gandy gave us a wink.
“There’s an idea worth considering,” Kenny chuckled, “although next time, I think we’ll skip the murderous thieves’ routine.”
We left the federal building seven minutes later, walking out the front door on our way to the car. The sun was hot as we covered the two blocks to our parking spot.
“You’re awfully quiet, Scarlet. What’s on your mind?”
“I was so wrong about Philip Grimshaw and Johnny Zee. I thought they were both guilty and they weren’t.”
“That’s the thing about investigations, sweetheart. The more you dig, the more you uncover. That’s when you really have to care about getting to the truth. Your instincts were good. Both men were, in fact, deceptive. But that didn’t mean they were the bad guys.”
“Normally, this is when I make my big announcement. ‘It was Joseph Monaco in the parking garage with a hunting knife.’ But I feel like I owe Philip Grimshaw an apology. He turned out to be a decent man trying to do the right thing. He deserves some justice. So does Johnny Zee. He really did love his wife, even if he wasn’t always on the up-and-up.”
“Well, you can feel bad about being wrong, honey, or you can feel good about what we did for the Diaz and Zee families. Lavinia and her sister can rest in peace now. So can Bobby and Griselda. Their kids will get some help from Johnny and he’ll get some from them. Who knows? Maybe he’ll turn over a new leaf. Money isn’t everything, is it?”
“No, it isn’t, is it?” I took his hand in mine.
“Before we get back to Cheswick, we’d better figure out how and where we’re going to get married, because if we get home without a plan, you just know our wedding is going to turn into a royal circus.”
“Lord knows we’ve got the clowns for it,” I sighed. “I can just imagine the Googins girls kvetching over whether we should release white doves or butterflies, when the reality is more bats in the belfry.”
He glanced over at me, amused. “Do you think you’ll be able to handle all this? I’d hate to have to tell a reporter from the Cheswick Crier that four women met an untimely end because they drove a deranged bride over the edge in their quest to arrange for the perfect wedding.”
“We both know that under the circumstances, it would certainly be justifiable homicide. I’d have to throw myself on the mercy of the court.”
“Oh, I see,” he laughed. “If it’s going to be Miz Scarlet in the dining room with ten yards of the world’s finest tulle, perhaps we ought to elope. It’s either that or we should have two weddings; one for us and one for them.”
“I wish you hadn’t said that,” I sighed heavily. He leaned over and brushed my cheek with those lips.
“No? Why is that?”
“Because I’m very tempted to....”
I didn’t get the chance to finish my answer. Trust me. It’s just as well. Any way you look at it, our wedding is bound to be a circus!
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Also by Sara Barton
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The Practical Caregiver
The Practical Caregiver's Essential Guide: How to Help Someone You Love
The Practical Caregiver's Guide to Home Hospice: How to Help Someone You Love (Second Edition)
The Practical Caregiver's Guide to Rock Star Caregiving: How to Help Someone Who Is Seriously Ill
The Practical Caregiver's Workbook
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Watch for more at Sara Barton’s site.
About the Author
Sara M. Barton is the author of several fast-paced cozy mysteries featuring lively characters: The Scarlet Wilson Mysteries, The Off the Books Mysteries, The International Killer Chefs Competition Mysteries (The first book in the new series is entitled "Frosted!")
She has also written a hybrid "cozy thriller" series, offering likeable characters and wild twists: The Cornwall & Company Mysteries
Sara M. Barton offers helpful tips, information, and education for families providing care to a loved one on The Practical Caregiver Guides website and her blog. As a passionate advocate for improving the lives of cancer patients and others managing serious health challenges, she has written "The Practical Caregiver's Essential Guide: How to Help Someone You Love", a short guide for caregivers providing end-of-life care called "The Practical Caregiver's Guide to Home Hospice", and a short guide for caregivers helping someone who is seriously ill, "The Practical Caregiver's Guide to Rock Star Caregiving".
She also has written dark and dangerous spy thrillers. The first in a new series is "The Devil in Jalalabad", featuring CIA officer Cat Ballentine. The most recent stand-alone thriller is "The Weeping Priest", a tale of murder and mayhem. She also has historical thrillers that deal with the Cold War and the Sixties.
She is also a classically trained artist who loves to paint landscapes, seascapes, and portraits.
Read more at Sara Barton’s site.
Miz Scarlet and the Acrimonious Attorney Page 28
