Partners

by Kira Chase

Johanna walked to the table. “Just in time,” she said as Trey brought the platter of ribs to the table.

  Bobby slid in next to Trey. “I'm starved!” he announced hungrily eyeing the ribs.

  Trey laughed. “A boy after my own heart. There's enough food here to feed a small army.”

  “Maybe there'll be enough left over for us to have a snack tonight, Trey.”

  “You bet, Bobby,” he replied.

  * * * *

  Frankie yawned and stretched her legs as she took a large swallow of water. She set the water bottle into the cup holder and glanced at Johanna who was readying her camera. They'd been parked across the street from the Sedwick Building for the past hour. The building was small with one floor containing a legal firm, an accounting firm, and an investment firm. Harry Cosco worked for the Taylor Investment Firm. From what Helen Cosco had said and what Johanna had gleaned from her search, he'd been with the firm since its inception over twenty years ago. He'd been married to Helen for thirty years and they had a son aged twenty-eight who now lived on the west coast.

  “I think Harry is only guilty of working late hours. If he has someone on the side, I'd be surprised. You said he appears to live a very uneventful life.”

  Johanna set the camera in her lap and looked at her. “Now why would you say something like that? Sometimes it's the quiet boring ones you have to watch out for.”

  Frankie shrugged. “Harry doesn't fit the profile. I think Helen is just jealous.”

  “Jealous of what?”

  She shrugged again. “His work. He has somewhere to go and something to do every day, but what does she have?”

  “We don't know how she spends her days,” Johanna replied.

  “Well, from what she told us she doted on her son, but right after college, instead of staying close by, he left the nest.”

  “What's so unusual about that? A lot of kids leave home after college if the opportunity arises. He was obviously offered a good position or I'm sure he would have stayed at home until one materialized.”

  Frankie was thoughtful for a minute. “She's admitted she's never worked a day in her life. I think she sits home day after day in her lonely house counting the hours until her husband comes home.”

  Johanna patted Frankie's arm. “So, this is what having a day of leisure does to you?”

  She laughed. “Actually, while Bobby was chatting with his grandparents, I did another search on both of them…very in depth.”

  “And?”

  “She spends a lot of time on social media chatting about her grandchildren. She also belongs to a quilting circle, recipe club, and is taking some computer classes at the local college.”

  “It doesn't sound like she's sitting home all day wallowing in self-pity and loneliness,” Johanna stated.

  “Yeah. I was just trying to add some excitement to the case,” Frankie said with a wry grin.

  Johanna threw her head back and laughed. “I believe that Helen Cosco might just be going through a phase. She's worried that she's getting older and her husband might have developed a wandering eye for a younger woman.”

  “She has no evidence of anything. If she even had one tiny little thing that would make him suspect, I could see it. But she has nothing,” Frankie reminded her.

  “True.”

  Frankie checked the time. “Looks like Harry should be exiting the building in the next half hour if he stays true to form. At least we can tell Helen he never left the building before his designated time while on our watch. Of course, we'd have to be here all day long watching. I'm sure he goes out to business lunches occasionally.”

  “I think Helen was eluding to the possibility he could be having an affair during business hours.”

  “She never asked us to watch him all day long.”

  “No, she didn't,” Johanna agreed. “If she wants us to do that, I already went over with her what our expenses would be and she didn't seem very receptive.”

  “Well, she didn't tell us how long she wants us to tail him when he leaves work each night.”

  “We'll just have to wait and see,” Johanna replied. “I'll bet Bobby and Trey are having fun with their swimming competition.”

  “Speaking of Trey, he said something earlier to me while you were in the shower.”

  “What?”

  Frankie rubbed her jaw. “We were talking about how Bobby took to him almost immediately. He said Will and he had discussed adopting.”

  Johanna's eyebrows shot up. “Were they planning to get married?”

  “I don't know. I didn't press him on it since he's in enough pain without me adding more.”

  “It only makes what happened between him and Will even more heartbreaking,” Johanna said quietly.

  Frankie blew her breath out. “It's just so damned frustrating.”

  “Will couldn't come to any of us about those cold case rapes because he doesn't know for certain whether he committed them or not. Something about it doesn't make any sense.”

  “Which brings us back to the question why wouldn't he remember?”

  “Maybe he thinks since he can't remember sleeping with Carrie Martin, if he actually did, he must believe he committed those rapes, too, and somehow it got blocked from his memory.” Johanna shrugged. “Who knows what is going on in Will's mind?”

  “Well, we know what Blake Roman is up to. Maybe Will knows that, too, and realizes no one is going to believe him if his DNA shows up.” Frankie looked at Johanna. “All I know is that he didn't trust any of us…especially Trey, enough to let us know that he was being blackmailed.”

  “After this is over, I'm sure he'll fill us in.”

  “It might be too late. We could have helped him at the very beginning,” Frankie insisted. She craned her neck when the main door of the Sedwick Building suddenly opened and two men with wide smiles emerged.

  Johanna checked the photo Helen Cosco had given them. “One of them is definitely Harry Cosco.”

  Frankie nodded. They watched Mr. Cosco enthusiastically shake the other man's hand. Johanna snapped a few pictures. The unfamiliar man was beefy, about ten years Cosco's junior. He sported a shock of curly brown hair and was dressed in a sport coat and jeans while Harry was attired in a dark blue business suit. They chatted for a few seconds and then the man slapped Harry on the back and they went their separate ways in different cars parked in front of the building.

  “Well, let’s see if Harry stays true to form and heads home.”

  Johanna nodded as Frankie started the car and waited for Harry Cosco to enter traffic, which was light at this time of the night. She stayed a couple of car lengths behind Harry's dark blue late model sedan.

  Johanna sighed heavily. “Do you think we should call George when we get home?”

  “I do.” She kept her eyes on the road. Her head was spinning, wondering what was going on. Will's DNA test results would have a major impact on Bobby. If Will did prove to be his father, it would take a long time for Bobby to accept him if he ever did. She wondered how it would affect Trey since Bobby and he had grown close. Would Trey stay with Will because of Bobby? Of course, it would leave Brenna off the hook. But there was still the case of Blake Roman trying to plant fake evidence. Her head began to pound with all the what-ifs.

  They fell silent and only spoke again when Harry Cosco pulled into the driveway of his modest two-story home.

  “Nothing to see here,” Johanna announced. “Now we can go home,” she said with a touch of impatience in her voice.

  Frankie eyed her suspiciously. “Who's the impatient one now?”

  “Okay, I admit it. I want this whole mess with Will over now and everything to go back to normal.”

  “You do realize that Trey and Will might never get back to normal, don't you?”

  Johanna swept a hand through her hair. “I know. I just wish there was something I could do.”

  “There isn't anything any of us can do, babe. This is all on Will. At least I'll give him credit for signing
his half of the house back over to Trey.”

  She nodded. “Yes, there's that. I don't want you to think I'm defending Will for his part in this mess, because I'm not.”

  “I know. You just wish we could turn back the clock.”

  “Do you want to stop anywhere before we go home?” Frankie asked.

  “No. I just want to get home. I think I'll type up the report for Helen Cosco and then tomorrow contact her to see if she wants us to continue our surveillance of her husband.”

  “Okay. Do we have anyone coming to the office tomorrow that I should know about?”

  “No. No appointments.”

  “Well, I'll go in just in case we have a walk-in and you can stay home with Bobby. It's supposed to be a beautiful day. You should show him around the rest of the backyard.”

  “I will. Probably swim, too.”

  “Bobby told me his grandmother puts in a large vegetable garden every spring and he enjoyed working in it with her,” Frankie said.

  “Good. I have an abundance of weeds he can help me pull,” she said with a sly smile.

  Frankie chuckled. “We should be home in a few minutes.”

  “It's still early. Maybe I'll go for a swim before typing the report.”

  “I'll join you,” Frankie said laying a hand on Johanna's knee. “Then maybe later I can practice my breast stroke,” she added with a wink.

  Johanna shook her head as she grinned. “One-track mind.”

  Their cell phones buzzed simultaneously. “Who is it?”

  Johanna pulled her cell phone from her jacket pocket and glanced at the message. “It's from George. He wants us to contact him as soon as possible,” she said excitedly. “I'll call him and put it on speaker.” She quickly speed dialed his number. “Hey, George. I've got you on speaker.”

  “Hi ladies. Are you going to be home tonight?”

  “We've just finished our surveillance for a client and are heading that way as we speak,” Johanna said.

  “Good. I'll be there in about half an hour.”

  “Wait…” Frankie said, but he'd already clicked off. She glanced at Johanna. “He sounded rushed. I'll bet he has the results of the DNA tests.”

  Johanna bit her bottom lip. “I'm on pins and needles. You'd think it was my own DNA test.”

  “I know how you feel,” Frankie admitted.

  Chapter 22

  George sat in an easy chair, which was positioned so that he had a full view of Frankie and Johanna who were seated on the loveseat and Trey and Bobby who sat on the sofa. The group had their eyes trained on George in anticipation of his news.

  “I have Will's DNA results. I stopped at your house, Trey, and gave Will the results before coming here.”

  Trey nodded. “Does Brenna know the results?”

  “No,” George replied. “We'll get into that a little later. Now on to the results.” He looked at Bobby.

  Frankie saw Bobby's body tense as he clasped his hands tightly together. His eyes were filled with fear and dread. Even though the teen believed Will not to be his father, she could still see the shadow of doubt in his eyes. His whole life could drastically change with these results and everything he'd been told about Randall Corbin, the man his grandparents professed to be his father, would be erased.

  “Bobby, Will Benjamin is not your father.”

  Bobby's face lit up. “I told you!” he exclaimed before his face suddenly crumbled and tears began to flow from his eyes wetting his cheeks.

  Frankie knew the strain of the past couple of days had been rough on him and now his jumbled emotions were set free as the truth finally sank in. She was ready to rush over to him to comfort him when Trey suddenly moved closer to the boy and placed a comforting arm around him. Tears brimmed in Trey's eyes and he rapidly blinked. She bit down on her trembling bottom lip.

  George's jaw twitched with emotion. “Bobby, that’s not all,” he said. He waited while Bobby wiped his eyes and calmed himself. “Your grandparents have been notified of the results.”

  Bobby swallowed hard. “Can I go home to them, Sheriff Ryker?” he asked in a wobbly voice.

  “Yes, you can.” George flashed a wide smile. “But better than that, I called them before coming over here and they’re in the process of making plane reservations to come here to pick you up.” He looked at Trey and then Johanna and Frankie. “They are looking forward to meeting you all in person and want to thank you for all you've done for Bobby.”

  Frankie's jaw dropped. “When did all this happen, George?”

  George looked at Bobby. “Bobby, would you mind if I talk to Trey and the ladies for a little while?”

  He shook his head. “All I care about is I'm going home,” he said elated. “And it wouldn't be possible if all of you didn't help me,” he added gratefully.

  “I'm overwhelmed, George,” Frankie admitted after Bobby left the room. Relief flooded through her as she grabbed Johanna's hand and gave it a squeeze. “There are so many questions I have.”

  “And I'll try to answer them all,” George answered.

  “How did Will react to the DNA test results?” Trey asked.

  George shifted in his chair. “Better than I thought he would. He had to face the truth that Kyle had lied to him about being Bobby's father and that was a bitter pill for him to swallow.”

  “What about Brenna? Doesn't that prove she tampered with Will's DNA? Has she been charged?” Johanna asked her questions in quick succession.

  George nodded. “Yes, she's been taken into custody.” He ran a weary hand over his jaw. “It's been a hectic couple of days getting this all sorted out, but once everything began to fall into place we had to move quickly.”

  “What about Kyle?” Trey asked. “What happens to him?”

  “He tried to deny his involvement and put all the blame on Brenna.”

  “What a douche bag,” Trey said in disgust. “So, they'll be charging him, too?”

  “Yes. We're holding Brenna and him here for Seattle.” He cleared his throat. “Blake Roman has also been arrested. He's trying to pin everything on Kyle.” He grimaced. “There will be added charges, of course, for all three of them for the abuse they inflicted on Bobby.”

  Frankie frowned. “This is so unreal. Blake Roman actually tried to taint the cold case evidence with Will's DNA?”

  “Yes. He underestimated his ex-partner. Blake was caught in the act and everything was captured on tape so he'll be going away for a long time.” He shifted his weight again. “But you haven't even heard the best part yet.” He grunted. “I asked the Police Commissioner in Seattle if he would run Kyle's DNA, and of course as I explained to him, nothing would come up since he has a clean record prior to his assault on Trey Daniels. I explained to him I had a hunch about Kyle Martin because there were still many unanswered questions. The biggest question being what did Kyle expect to gain since Will had no assets? After I explained to the commissioner what I suspected, he agreed that it was worth checking into. Long story short, my hunch paid off.”

  “Are you going to keep us in suspense, George?” Johanna asked.

  “Kyle's DNA matched the evidence in every one of those cold case rapes.”

  Frankie's mouth dropped open. “Oh my God! Unbelievable!”

  “Kyle Martin was a serial rapist. Apparently, it had been going on for years in surrounding towns before and after Will was living in Seattle. While Will was living in Seattle, he ramped up his attacks. Since the women never saw their attacker, because Kyle always covered his head, he couldn't be identified. The authorities are still matching Kyle's DNA to all unsolved rapes.”

  “I just thought of something,” Frankie said as her eyebrows knitted together. “It might be a long shot.”

  “What's that?” George asked.

  “Kyle's plan really had nothing to do with trying to get the house or to blackmail Will for money. This only had to do with Kyle trying to cover his tracks and seek a fall guy. He must have been afraid he'd eventually be found out.�
�

  “We've all reached that same conclusion,” George said. “Since Will was friends with his sister and Bobby's father had been killed overseas, Kyle needed to form a plan to convince his former friend that Bobby was Will’s. When he met Blake Roman his plan really took off. And Blake's sister Brenna Roman was the icing on the cake.”

  “Did Blake Roman or Brenna know he'd committed those rapes?”

  “No. I think they were only brought into it because he'd told them of a potential financial windfall.”

  “I'd love to see the look on their faces when they find out,” Trey said. “Does Will know?”

  “Yes. I thought he'd have a stroke. I feel bad for him.” He shook his head slowly back and forth. “He's going through hell right now, Trey. He wants to talk to you. He's found a small apartment and is planning to move tomorrow.” George folded his hands together. “I'm not telling you what to do, Trey. All I'm doing is relaying his message.”

  Trey's jaw twitched. “Okay,” he said softly. “Thank you.”

  Frankie studied Trey. She knew he was torn between wanting to comfort the man she knew he still loved and despising him for the hell Will had put him through. “So, Will knew he'd never committed those rapes. Why then didn't he put a stop to it right then?”

  “As we already assumed, Blake Roman had agreed to taint the evidence, leaving Will with no way to prove his innocence. In fact, Will had no way of knowing if Blake hadn’t already tainted it.” George grunted. “What a tangled web. And Will was caught in the middle of it.”

  “And he was only friends with Carrie Martin,” Johanna interjected. “So obviously Kyle had drugged him and convinced him that he'd impregnated his sister.”

  “It sounds like something out of a fiction novel. So, what happens now?” Frankie asked.

  “They'll all be going away for a long time. Kyle hopefully will spend the rest of his life behind bars,” George said. He looked again at Trey. “By the way, Kyle dropped his charges against you.”

  “That's a relief,” Trey replied. “Why do you think he did that?”

  “He wanted Will to know that he wasn't such a bad guy.” George cocked an eye. “At least that's what he told me.”