Sweet Vengeance

by Fern Michaels

  “I’ll hold you to that,” Lee said before Chen left.

  As soon as he was out of the room, Sam spoke. “Does that man ever take a shower?”

  “I don’t believe he even knows that they exist,” Darlene said, with a giant grin on her face. “Miss Tessa, I look forward to seeing more of you in the future. Something tells me between Mr. Lee and Sam, you’ll get a second chance. Now, I have just a bit more Christmas shopping to do for those grandsons of mine, so if you all need me, call me on the cell phone. I’ll be at the mall.” With that announcement, Darlene practically floated out of the room.

  Tessa was unsure why they’d had the meeting with Chen. What, if anything, had the state gained by her and Rachelle’s conversation? It wasn’t as formal as Lee had expected it to be, that was more than obvious.

  But then she realized that before she and Sam arrived, Lee must have told him about Rosa’s story and the polygraph test she was going to take. That is the only way he could know that the people she supposedly murdered on Friday were still alive on Saturday, when she was on the mainland the entire day.

  “I have a feeling the second Harry comes up with something ‘concrete,’ as Chen put it, he’ll go to Crider and ask for a dismissal of all charges,” Lee said with a grin.

  “But beyond Rosa’s story, we have nothing at this point,” Tessa said, “except for Poppy’s drawings, do we? While I think that’s more than enough to show she was being abused, are you that confident he’ll do what he says?”

  “I am,” Lee said. “He’s a big show-off, but his legal career is his life. He would not allow new evidence to go unnoticed.”

  “I’m not so sure,” Tessa said. “Remember where I have spent the past ten, almost eleven years? He convicted an innocent woman without even bothering to listen to my story. Why should I or any of you trust him now?”

  “She’s right, Lee. He’s a swine,” Sam said.

  “In the true sense of the word for sure, but I have a feeling he knows he’s screwed up on this case. Big-time. And in one sense, it might not even be his fault. Yes, the investigation was about as slipshod as one can find. But he is not the person who decided that the murders took place on Friday, when Tessa could have committed them, rather than Saturday, when she could not have. And he is not the one who identified the adult male as Joel.

  “He’ll do whatever it takes to make himself out to be a hero, regardless, so I trust he’ll take the evidence provided by Rosa, assuming she passes that polygraph test, and whatever evidence Harry comes up with and, if it’s in our favor, which it has to be, then he’ll be the media’s darling for a few days when word gets out that he’s released an innocent woman and found the real killer. Forget that he is the person responsible for locking Tessa up. He is a manipulator for sure, but I feel good about this.”

  Tessa began to object to the assumption seemingly being made that the real killer was Joel but held her tongue. Instead, she asked, “Can we go?”

  Then she said, “Rachelle . . .” Tessa never thought in a million years she would say what she was about to say, but she swallowed her past doubts about the woman, and asked, “Why don’t you come back to the house with us? Sam can make us lunch. He makes omelets to die for.”

  “That’s a great idea,” Lee said. “I’ll let you know how Rosa’s polygraph turns out. Phil Dormands is the best polygrapher in the state. He should be here soon. I’m sure Cal is tired of babysitting Rosa in the lunchroom.”

  “You mean he’s still with her?” Tessa asked in amazement.

  “He is,” Lee said.

  “Rachelle, are you coming with us?” Sam asked. “We’ll give you a ride.”

  Rachelle seemed to be considering the idea but shook her head. “I appreciate the invitation, but I’ll stay at my hotel. It’s just down the block. I don’t want anyone to feel obligated to . . . manage me.”

  “I am sincere,” Tessa said. “I don’t believe you could be managed even if I wanted to, which I don’t.”

  “Thank you, Tessa, but I want to go back and rest. Maybe another time?”

  “All right, but do you mind if I ask you a question before you go?”

  “Not at all.”

  “Why aren’t you staying at Liam’s condo?”

  “Honey, Liam’s place burned to the ground, along with ten other units at Charter Ridge. It happened about a week after the girls and whoever the adult male was were killed.”

  “My God, was anyone . . . hurt?”

  “One elderly gentleman died, I believe. He was wheelchair-bound upstairs. The elevators stopped working. It was on the news . . . Of course, you wouldn’t have known about this as you were locked up at the time.” Rachelle sighed. “I am so sorry.”

  Blinded with grief then and now, she wanted to add, but refrained. What else did I not know? It seems that large parts of my life weren’t exactly as I had imagined.

  “I didn’t know,” was the only response she could come up with.

  “That’s why I’m staying at a hotel. I’ll be in town a few days longer. I want to find out if there’s any DNA connection to me.”

  Honest, Tessa thought. She really didn’t know this woman. All these years, she had built up such hatred for her. In another time and place, they could have been friends. She wasn’t that much older, maybe early sixties now. She couldn’t remember her age, and it was of no importance anyway.

  “Of course,” Tessa said, still shocked that Liam’s condo had burned to the ground. “I’m sure Lee will stay in touch, let you know the results when they come in. The man is a true miracle worker.”

  “Good luck,” Rachelle said, and Tessa was one hundred percent sure that she meant exactly what she said.

  Chapter 27

  The gentle people of the press were nowhere to be found when the Mercedes carrying Sam and Tessa turned onto Dolphin Drive.

  “Thank God,” Tessa said. “I feel like I’m being spied on.”

  “I’m sure someone else is about to feel that way, too,” Sam said as Dave pulled the car into the garage.

  “I hope it’s not for the same reason,” she replied, trying to remember how to use sarcasm. She had spent most of her life being dictated to in one way or another. Free for the moment to say what she pleased, she knew deep down inside that her sense of humor and spirit would return if she would just let go. And she would. Now that it seemed pretty certain that she was to remain free, she was going to try to be her best. Not as she had been when she and Joel were married, not the girl who’d been tossed in and out of foster homes, and not the little girl who’d been whisked out of class, only to learn her mother had died of a heroin overdose. No, Tessa would just be herself. Whatever that was, she would go with it.

  “Dave, you’re free to go. If I need a lift, I’ll call,” Sam said to Dave, who had remained in the driver’s seat.

  “Anytime, my friend.” Dave gave Sam a two-fingered salute and backed out of the garage.

  They went in through the door that led to the kitchen, the same way she had done in the past. She stopped dead in her tracks. “Sam!”

  “What in the hell?” Sam said as he removed his cell phone from his shirt pocket. “Tess, stay where you are.”

  “Lee, it’s me. Looks like there’s been a break-in at Tessa’s. I’m going to call the police unless you tell me not to.”

  Tessa waited outside the doorway.

  “I’ll call them now, then.” He hung up and dialed 911.

  The blue dishes that Darlene had picked out for the house were scattered all across the kitchen floor, in pieces. The Keurig coffee machine was completely smashed up. The garbage bin had been dumped out onto the bar area. Cans of soda had been opened and dumped all over the floor. The silverware was crammed into the garbage disposal, and from the looks of it, whoever did this had turned the disposal on. A low humming sound was coming from inside the sink. The disposal’s motor was fried.

  “I don’t get this,” Sam said. “I’ve got security watching the house, plus the
alarm was on when we left. How could anyone get inside and stay long enough to do all this damage? You stay here while I go around to the back. I want to come in through the glass doors. See if this bastard destroyed anything else.”

  “Okay,” Tessa said. She didn’t like being left alone even if it was still early in the day, and Sam was just a shout away. This didn’t feel right. She was brought back to the Sunday that she had returned from San Maribel. She had used this exact entrance, and though the kitchen had been remodeled, the layout was still the same. She had gone upstairs to search for the girls, for Joel. Of course, she had had the shock of her life, and now, she wasn’t sure if the sheer fright of that day would ever leave her. But perhaps she could go back to that dark place where she had hidden the images of their slain bodies without having a full-blown panic attack. Prison took the fear out of you; she knew that firsthand.

  Sirens wailed in the distance, and by the time she opened the garage door, three squad cars, with sirens blaring, were parking in front of her house. She put her hands over her ears, wondering how one ever got used to the noise. They must have seen her because the sirens all went silent at the same time.

  “Ma’am, you called nine-one-one?” a tall African-American officer asked her.

  “Uh, yes . . . Sam called.”

  “Sam? Is he your husband?” the officer asked.

  Sam chose that moment to appear from the side of the house. “I’m the one who called,” he shouted before the four other officers pointed their drawn handguns at him.

  “Guys, back off,” the African-American officer said. Tessa looked at his bright gold name tag. Officer Ray Waterman.

  “The place is trashed,” Sam said to her and the other four police officers.

  “Okay, sir. We’ll need to secure the inside for the crime-scene techs. You two good with hanging out here for a while?”

  Tessa spoke first. “I want to see the inside. You can follow me around. I won’t touch a thing. I promise. I’ve been through something like this before,” she added before starting to enter the house.

  Officer Waterman clicked then. “You’re the woman who allegedly killed her twins, right? We were talking about you a couple days ago. Saw where you’re getting a new trial.”

  “You’re not here to discuss Ms. Jamison’s past, Officer Waterman. The place has been vandalized. You and your men do whatever you have to do, but do not discuss Ms. Jamison’s past in my presence.”

  “Man, don’t be so hard on us. No one, at least no one that I know, believes she killed her children or the husband.”

  “Really,” Tessa interjected herself into the conversation.

  “No, ma’am. No mother in her right mind could do that to her children. I’ve seen a few husbands get what they deserve in my line of work, but no child deserves to go out that way.” He shook his head from side to side. “I’m sorry for your loss, Ms. Jamison.”

  “Thank you, Officer Waterman. That means more to me than you know.” And it truly did matter to her. She was not just being polite. She had adapted to the belief that she would be branded a murderer for the rest of her life, so when she came in contact with anyone who believed in her innocence, she would tell them it meant something to her. If she was to remain a free woman, she vowed to always acknowledge those who’d believed in her. During the trial and afterward, during her more than ten years in prison, she had never cared, but now that she had the chance for a new start, she would not jinx herself with negativity just yet.

  “Glad to, ma’am. Now, if you’ll excuse us.” Officer Waterman took charge of his men while Tessa waited for the go-ahead before entering her house.

  Twenty minutes later, Lee arrived. Tessa was still waiting outside with Sam.

  “Any idea who did this?” Succinct, that was Lee.

  “No clue. The crime scene techs just got here. Said it will take them a few hours to process the scene,” Sam explained. “Fingerprints, fibers, the usual laundry list of procedures they have to follow.”

  “They allow you inside?” he asked Tessa.

  “Not yet.”

  “Tessa, I can arrange for you to stay someplace else. A hotel, a friend’s house. It will be a while before they let you inside. What about Jill? Do you think she would let you stay with her for the night?”

  Why didn’t I think of that? And wasn’t Jill supposed to call me? “Yes, I can stay with her, but first I’d like to call and make sure she doesn’t have other plans.” Tessa knew that Jill had planned on staying at Tessa’s house tonight. She was supposed to call after her scheduled client left. Obviously, she had either forgotten or called the house while they were still at Lee’s office. And Tessa did not have a cell phone. “Sam, can I use your phone?”

  “Sure thing.” He handed her the phone, and she dialed Jill’s office number because she knew that Jill left her cell-phone number on her answering-machine message for her clients, and Tessa had no clue what her cell-phone number was. She listened to the recorded message, then motioned to Sam for a pen. He removed a pen from the pocket of one of the police cars and handed it to her. Tessa scribbled the number on the palm of her hand and tossed the pen back to Sam, nodding toward the car. Meaning put the damned pen back where you found it.

  After six rings, Jill’s voice mail picked up, asking the caller to leave a short and sweet message. “Hey, Jill, it’s me. I need to stay at your place tonight. Just giving you a heads-up.” She ended the call and returned the phone to Sam.

  “You didn’t tell her your place had been trashed, did you?”

  “No, it would only cause her to worry. I’ll tell her later. She said she was going to call when she finished up with her client. It’s possible she’s still at her office. Let me try calling again.” Sam tossed his cell phone back to her.

  She repeated the call but instead of hanging up, she left a message. “Jill, it’s me. If you can pick up the phone, do so; it’s important.” She waited for a clicking sound, something to indicate that Jill was picking up the phone, but she heard nothing.

  “Okay, she isn’t at her office or at home. I’ll get a hotel. Where is Rachelle staying? Maybe she and I can have coffee or dinner, get to know one another.” Given the intense hatred she had felt for the woman ever since finding the bodies in the pool, the words coming from her mouth sounded so strange. Her past intense hatred. Tessa felt sure, even though it opened up the door to so many other possibilities, that Rachelle absolutely believed that Liam was dead. And after learning that Liam’s condo had been burned to the ground, she was beginning to think that Rachelle might be right and Liam really was dead. And, she suddenly realized, putting two and two together, that’s what Harry, Lee, Sam, and even Michael Chen thought. They thought that the bones that had been dug up were Liam’s and that the DNA taken from Rachelle would prove it. And if Liam’s body had been buried, then either Joel or the other man (his twin?) was the killer. Oh my God!

  Chapter 28

  The crime-scene unit gave Tessa and Sam the all-clear four hours after its arrival. Knowing what the kitchen looked like, Tessa went straight to her new bedroom. It, too, had been trashed, but there really weren’t any personal items she cared about, so it was no loss to her, only to Darlene, who’d spent hours purchasing things for Tessa. Next, she entered the room across the hall that Sam had converted into a library.

  When she stepped fully into the room, she gasped. All of her books had been knocked off the shelves, some with pages ripped out. “Who in the hell does this kind of thing?” she asked of no one in particular. She began putting the books back on the shelves, and those with torn pages off to the side. It sickened her that her college textbooks with the pages torn out of them were tossed around like garbage. Those were the only books with any type of sentimental value. And that’s when she remembered the boxes upstairs in the master bedroom.

  She raced down the hall and up the stairs. She stopped outside the master bedroom before going inside. Now these things in here were personal, mostly things that belo
nged to Joel, but a thief could get a nice payout if they found Joel’s expensive wristwatches and gold jewelry. She had a few pieces that were expensive, but she really didn’t care about them one way or the other. Entering the room, she saw more of the same. Boxes torn open, the contents scattered all over the floor.

  “Tess,” Sam said. “Are you okay?”

  “No, I’m not okay. Who in the world would do this? How did they get inside? Just look at this.” She gestured to the floor.

  “The police seem to think that whoever was here was searching for something.”

  “Isn’t that obvious? The entire place has been destroyed.”

  “They didn’t take your televisions, the laptop in the guest bedroom, things that burglars usually steal. Whoever was in here was not only looking for something, but they wanted to leave a message, and they want you to know it.”

  She shook her head. “Who?” Then it suddenly occurred to her. “Lara!”

  “No, I know for a fact it wasn’t her. That was my first thought, too. I called Lee right after he left. He says Lara has been in jail for the past forty-eight hours. Prostitution.”

  “What?”

  “You heard it right. Prostitution. I can’t believe she couldn’t wait a few days. Damned girl needs to learn a lesson. I told Lee not to bail her out. I hope you’re okay with that?”

  Am I?

  She knew what it was like to be locked away, to have your freedom taken. While there was no love lost between her and Lara, she was her only living relative. “I’m not okay with this, Sam. Call Lee and tell him to post her bond, but only on this condition: She has to stay with me. Or you, I suppose, if by some cruel trick of the lousy criminal justice system, I end up back in prison. Not live with you. I wouldn’t put that burden on your shoulders.” She stopped.

  “I have burdened you with her for years. Why am I just now realizing this? I take back what I said. Let her stay there a few days, then I’ll bail her out. Can she even be bailed out? I guess I should have asked that first. It’s not like I don’t have any experience in this area.” Tessa rubbed her eyes, not caring that she had smeared her mascara. “My life is just one giant mess.”