He let out a long sigh and took a few steps back. “I’ll give you the money,” he said. “But first, you have to tell me where Meagan is. If you have no loyalty to anyone but yourself, what do you care what happens to her?”
“Leave her alone. She’s not going to tell anyone what you did as long as you pay up. I’m splitting the money with her.”
Cliff shook his head. “Nope. I don’t like loose ends. If the dumb bitch was paying attention to the road she wouldn’t have hit my car. I told her not to worry about the dent in my bumper but she insisted on giving me her insurance information. I mean, who the hell does that?”
“She thought she was doing the responsible thing and you tried to end her life because of it. Although I have to give you props, the plan you came up with was pretty clever.”
Cliff smiled, as if flattered by my remark. “Apparently, not clever enough.”
I had to resist the urge to punch his face. Instead, I took a deep breath and decided it was better to stick to the plan. “So, when will I get my money?”
He chuckled. “I really misjudged you, Sarah. I thought you were a straight-shooter but you’re just a money-grubbing whore.”
I shrugged like his insults meant nothing to me. “Whatever. Where’s my money?”
“Like I said, I need a few days.”
“Not a few days. You have two hours. Or I’m giving the tape to the police. Oh, and by the way, if anything happens to me or Meagan or her father, my partner will make sure that the video will end up in the proper hands.”
“Without a body, what can they do to me? Nobody but me has a clue where Graham Taylor is. Therefore, nobody can prove he’s dead or alive.”
“Meagan will testify that she saw Graham’s body in your car on the day he went missing and, then, the cops will be all over you. It won’t matter if they can prove if you’re guilty or innocent because once the video is out and everyone sees your dirty little secret, it’s all over. Heather will dump your ass. If you pay us the money, Meagan won’t talk and neither will I.”
His eyes bore into me like laser beams. “You have a lot of fucking nerve, you know that? Once I give you the money, how do I know you won’t expose me anyway?”
I smiled with satisfaction. “I guess that’s a chance you’ll have to take.”
“You’re treading on thin ice, you know that? You think you’re smart but you’re an idiot to challenge me.”
“This is simply a business transaction,” I said. “It’s nothing personal. So tell me, only because I’m curious, what did you do with Graham’s body?”
He gave a throaty chuckle. “Wouldn’t you like to know?”
“Did you dump him in the river like Meagan? Or did you bury him out in the woods somewhere?”
Cliff turned away from me and stared out the window into the bright sunshine. I couldn’t tell what he was thinking but his expression was placid, almost void of emotion. Perhaps he was resigning himself to the fact that he’d been outsmarted or, maybe, he was just plotting my demise. Finally, he turned to face me again, his hands in his trouser pockets. “I’ll have your money today. I’ll call you to set up a time and place to meet.”
“Fine with me,” I said, getting to my feet and fixing my shirt. “You have my number.”
I should have considered myself lucky to get out of Cliff’s office alive but he must have known that choking me with his bare hands would not be in his best interest.
Carter seemed relieved to see me walking toward the Buick. When I got in, he grabbed my hand and gave me that look like he wanted to hug me and never let go. “Sarah, you did really well.”
“He didn’t exactly confess but I think it’s enough, don’t you?”
“Let’s hope so.”
As soon as we left Cliff’s office, we drove directly to the police station where Detective James listened to the recording. When it was over, his eyes sparkled with encouragement. “Okay, you guys, this is just a small part of the big picture. This conversation you recorded in his office today is valuable, although I have a feeling that Cliff’s lawyer will manage to get it thrown out of evidence but, we still need Meagan to come in and give us her statement. If she agrees to that, I think we’ll have enough to get a warrant to search Mr. Collins house and other property.”
“It’s a good start,” I said. “What should I do when he calls me back for a time to meet with the money?”
“Don’t answer any of his calls. In fact, I don’t want you to contact him again. It’s out of your hands now.”
In a way, I was relieved to hear him say those words but part of me still felt dissatisfied. This wasn’t a slam dunk and maybe there was something else I could do. “Okay. I’ll call Meagan right now and tell her to come in.”
When we left the police station, Carter called Mark Gillespie on speakerphone and told him the good news.
“Is Meagan okay?” Mark sounded excited and anxious. “Where is she?”
“Prepare yourself,” Carter said. “She’s changed her identity and you probably won’t recognize her. It’s a long story, and I’ll let her tell it to you.”
“When can I see her?”
“I’m sure she’ll be calling you soon,” Carter said.
“Thank you. I really mean it. I appreciate everything you both have done.”
Chapter 19
When we got back to my apartment around 2:00, I invited Carter up for a beer.
“I know it’s a little early to have a drink,” I said, “but I feel like celebrating.”
“Sure, I’m game.”
I grabbed two Coronas from the fridge and we relaxed on the couch. The apartment was sweltering and I could see the sweat stains on Carter’s shirt. Even with the three fans I had going, the heat was unrelenting.
“Feel free to take your shirt off,” I told him. “I really don’t mind.”
“I don’t want to be rude.”
I laughed. “Rude? Are you kidding me? It would be my pleasure.”
He gave me a sly grin. “I’ll take my shirt off, if you take off yours.”
“No,” I said with a straight face. “I’m not wearing my best bra today.”
“Who said anything about wearing the bra?”
I slapped him playfully on the arm. “You are incorrigible and I like it.”
After Carter downed the first beer, I offered him another but he declined. “I have a better idea,” he said. “Let’s go to the beach. Only way we can cool off.”
I was stunned. “You? In a pair of swimming trunks? Now, this I gotta see.”
“So you’re up for it?”
“Hell, yeah. Let me go change into a swimsuit.”
As I rose from the couch and headed to the bedroom, there was a knock on my door. When I heard the key being inserted into the lock, my chest tightened and I knew who it was. I had forgotten all about the fact that Max was coming over to collect a few of his things.
I rushed to the door just as it was opening. Max’s face seemed to light up when he saw me standing there.
“Hey,” I said. “Come on in.”
“Is this a bad time?” he asked.
“No,” I lied. “We just got finished with a job and we were just having a drink to celebrate.”
Max glanced toward the couch, and when he saw Carter with the empty beer bottle in his hand, his smile faded. “Oh, sorry. Maybe I should have called first.”
I made a dismissive hand gesture. “No problem, you told me you’d be by this afternoon.”
Max slowly walked into the apartment, as if unsure whether or not to stay or go. “Um, it’ll just take me a second to grab my stuff.” He glided past me toward the bedroom. When he went past Carter, he offered a clipped hello. Carter replied in kind.
I didn’t know what to say or do. I definitely got the sense that Max was not comfortable and it stung a little. Why did my timing have to be so bad?
Carter just sat there, giving me a funny look. I shrugged and followed Max. Once we were alone in the be
droom I put a hand on his shoulder.
“So,” I said with a gentle yet slightly awkward voice. “How is the move going?”
He didn’t bother to look at me as he grabbed a few items of clothing from my closet. A sweatshirt and a button down shirt. “Fine. It’s not like I have a ton of stuff to move. I’m hiring a company to do it all for me.”
When Max had what he came for, he turned to face me and his face was ashen. “Well, I guess this is the official good-bye.”
My throat seemed to swell up and I could barely swallow. I reached my arms out to him for a final hug but he didn’t reciprocate. In fact, he just stood there shaking his head.
“I can’t, Sarah. I just need to go, okay?”
I returned my arms to my side, feeling awful. “Okay, I understand.”
He looked away, strode right past me and out the bedroom. I followed him back to the living area and saw him walk out the front door.
I had to fight the urge to go after him, to apologize but I wasn’t sure what I would be apologizing for. He obviously needed time to work through his feelings but seeing Carter relaxing on my couch was probably not something he needed to see at the moment.
I went to the window and watched as his Jeep drove off down the road. I found it hard to breathe but I knew this feeling would pass. As much as it hurt me to see Max this way, I knew he’d get over it. Probably sooner rather than later.
I let out a long breath and joined Carter again. “Wow, that was … interesting.”
Carter chuckled and put his hand on my knee. “Are you okay? We can do the beach some other time.”
“No,” I said. “I’m fine. I need to have some fun. Let’s go.”
Two Weeks Later
I got a call from Detective James on Thursday morning with information about Cliff Collins. The police searched his property and, after four days, they couldn’t find a single piece of evidence linking him to Graham’s disappearance until, finally, they caught a break. A call came into the station, a man hiking in the woods near Bridgeport found a body, half buried in the dirt. The body was badly decomposed but the ME was able to confirm it was Graham Taylor through dental records. It wasn’t easy to determine an exact date of death but the final report stated, he’d been dead at least three months. A fractured hyoid bone indicated that he’d been strangled or hanged.
After the news of Graham’s death became public, several witnesses came forward. They claimed to have seen a red Porsche parked at the abandoned warehouse just a few hundred yards from where the body was found, early in April. Throughout all the media frenzy, however, Cliff Collins maintained his innocence. He will stand trial with one of the most prominent defense attorneys by his side. His fiancée Heather has broken their engagement but refuses to speak to the media about it.
The district attorney is confident that, with Meagan’s testimony, they stand a good chance for a conviction despite the lack of physical evidence.
Later that day, I got a call from Meagan.
“It’s good to hear your voice,” I told her. “How are you doing?”
“I’m back at the house and things are slowly returning to normal,” she said. “I still go to visit dad every other day. His condition hasn’t changed and I’m starting to finally realize that it probably never will.”
“You’re a good daughter,” I said.
“Well, I’ve been spending a lot of time with Mark.” She chuckled. “He doesn’t seem to mind the new packaging, in fact, he says he thinks I look better with a little extra weight on me. He’s not too fond of the red hair but that’s easy enough to change.”
“I’m happy for you, Meagan.”
“Thanks,” she said. “It’s going to be a long trial but the DA told me he’s gonna go after Cliff with all he’s got. There are no guarantees of course but there never are. Cliff will probably be out on bail, so Mark insisted on staying with me until this is all over. I’m so thankful.”
“You’ve got a good man, there,” I said. “He really loves you. Any guy that will spend his savings on the woman he loves is a keeper in my book.”
“So true. Anyway, I just wanted to call to say thank you again for everything you and Carter did for us.”
“You’re very welcome, Meagan. Good luck with everything. You have my number if you ever want to talk, right?”
“I appreciate that.”
When the call ended, I checked my watch and gasped when I saw the time. Carter was due to arrive any minute. A new job prospect had presented itself and we were going to discuss whether or not we should get involved. The job would require us to travel to Connecticut for an extended stay, which actually sounded like a wonderful excuse to get out of town for a while. I had never spent much time in that state and a change of scenery would be welcome.
I haven’t heard from Max in over two weeks and he hasn’t responded to my e-mails. I’ve decided to give him time to work his feelings out and I vowed to leave him alone. Once he was settled in San Francisco I was certain he’d meet a woman in no time and, soon, all thoughts of me would flee from his mind. Only then could we establish our friendship.
Every now and then I wonder if I made the right choice but there’s no changing it now. My life is here with Carter and we have work to do.
The End
The Ties That Bind (Sarah Woods Book 11)
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A Witness in Disguise (Sarah Woods Mystery Book 10) Page 10
