Battling Destiny (The Piper Anderson Series Book 6)

by Danielle Stewart

  “What do the two doctors have to do with each other at all?” Michael asked, shaking his head in confusion.

  “We didn’t know, which is why we went to pay a visit to Sans but he panicked, clearly hiding something, and tried to run.”

  “Did you catch him?” Jules asked, dropping her hands to her side? “Our doctor wants to talk to him.”

  “Lindsey’s knee must be pretty well healed because she chased his ass down and leveled him in a hurry. The problem was the information we came across was not obtained legally with a warrant. We are outside our jurisdiction so we couldn’t arrest the guy.”

  “What do we do now?” Michael asked, the wheels spinning in his head as he tried to think of a legal plan.

  “That’s why I’m here. I had to make a judgment call. He struck me as a runner, and the kind of guy who might disappear and have the means to stay that way. I restrained him. As a matter of fact he’s still restrained. Now I just need to know what you want me to do with him.”

  “You kidnapped him?” Michael asked incredulously, slapping his hand to his forehead.

  “You need to get him to talk,” Betty said flatly, cutting through everyone’s nerves in the room. “If he’s the go-between then he knows both of them. He struck me as a coward. I’d bet with some pressure you could get him to spill the beans and cooperate.”

  “I can’t interrogate him under these conditions and expect anything to hold up in court. I’m a cop. I know better.”

  “I ain’t,” Betty said with a shrug. “I’d be happy to find a way to get him to tell the truth. Then he can tell that same truth to the cops here.”

  “You aren’t trained in interrogation, Betty. This isn’t some kid who shoplifted a candy bar. He’s not going to just tell you what you want to hear because you ask him nicely.”

  “Nice has nothing to do with what I was thinking about.” Betty laughed.

  “No,” Michael cut in. “We need to handle this through legal channels. He’s not dumb. He’ll want immunity, and we need to find a way to get it for him if we want him to talk.”

  “You’re a lawyer, Michael, can’t you do that?” Jules asked.

  “No, but I know someone who may be able to help. Sans might be the key to all of this. If my mother was funneling money to the medical examiner then maybe my sister wasn’t guilty at all. Maybe he died from a heart attack and not the head injury.”

  “You can go, Michael,” Jules said as she walked up to him and kissed his cheek. “Frankie is in very good hands, and you’re only a phone call away. Go help your sister.”

  “I don’t want to be the guy who leaves you. I feel like I’ve already done that, and I never want to do it again.”

  “I fell in love with you because you’re the guy who helps people who need it. Helping your sister is the right thing to do. I’m only sorry I didn’t listen earlier to you about the kind of person your mother is. I can’t believe I ever defended her.”

  “You’re always looking for the good in people. That’s what’s special about you.” Michael winked.

  Betty broke them up with a shooing of her hand and interjection of her wisdom. “And she’s just a bitch, that’s what’s special about your mother. Now go get done what you need to and make sure she can’t hurt anyone anymore.”

  Chapter Thirty-One

  “Clara really came through,” Michael said as he walked back toward Bobby and Lindsey, who were leaning on the car they’d borrowed from Michael’s mother. They’d pulled into a field where they wouldn’t draw attention to themselves. “Apparently she was as motivated to have a big bust as we were. I don’t know what my mother did to her in the past, but it certainly worked in our favor. I’ve been involved in a lot of cases, but I’ve never seen people move so fast to issue warrants especially in the middle of the night.”

  Dr. Sans sat inside the car with wide terrified eyes, looking ready to wet his pants. “The district attorney will be here in a couple minutes to take your statement,” Michael explained. “If you cooperate fully and leave out the details of this little incident today, you should get full immunity. You’re just lucky the people you’re turning in are higher up on the food chain than you. Otherwise you’d never get this deal.”

  “Okay,” he said as his voice trembled. “I’ll tell her everything as long as they can protect me from your mother.”

  “That’s not part of the deal. You’re getting immunity. You can find your own way to protect yourself from my mother,” Michael retorted. “If you tell me everything now, I might be able to help you in that department. The sun’s about to come up, and I want to be there when they arrest my mother. I want to know what she did without waiting to hear it in court. I deserve that.”

  “I would, Mr. Cooper, but without other witnesses here I think you might kill me when you find out.” Sans shifted nervously in the car, inching away from Michael.

  “Why?” Michael asked, feeling a wave of heat roll over him. “What did you do that would make me want to kill you?”

  Just then a car with dark tinted windows pulled up and two agents stepped out, escorting Mary Salinger, the district attorney Michael was expecting.

  “I think I’ll wait and tell them.”

  Before Michael could push any further for answers, Mary was at his side introducing herself and beginning the process. “I’d like you to come back to my office, Dr. Sans, and we can take your statement. If the details of your story can be validated, you will be granted full immunity from any wrongdoing. My office is very motivated to address any issues of impropriety and crime, especially when they relate to those who see themselves above the law due to their financial standings. The calls I received on this matter made it clear it was top priority for many people. Apparently Mrs. Cooper has made some enemies over the years.”

  “I’m sure there’s a long list.” Michael stepped away from the car and let the agents lead the doctor away. It had been made very clear to him he would have no involvement with this case. He was too close to be in on the details of anything that happened after the district attorney got involved.

  “What’s the matter?” Lindsey asked, reading Michael’s grimace. “This sounds like good news, right?”

  “Immunity is a double-edged sword, and every now and then it slices you right open. We might have just let a guy who did something unspeakable off the hook. That’s the risk.”

  “So what do we do now?” Bobby asked, stretching his aching back. They’d pulled an all-nighter trying to keep things contained and contacting all the right people.

  “You guys go get us a hotel for tonight. Get a room for Josephine and her fiancé too. When this blows up we’ll want to be laying low. I’m going to go back to the house and get Piper and Josephine out of there before the cops come. I’ll get our bags and drop them off at whatever hotel you pick. Then I’m going to the hospital to be with Frankie. I can’t wait until all this is over and we’re on a plane back to Edenville.”

  “You got it. I’ll text you with the name of the hotel. Good luck.” Bobby slapped Michael’s back.

  “I couldn’t have done any of this without you two. Thank you for saving my ass. I owe you.”

  “You don’t owe me. You’ve done so much for me, and my family, this past year. Lindsey, on the other hand, will likely hold this over your head forever. She’ll be calling in favors for the next ten years,” Bobby joked.

  “Actually,” Lindsey said, looking up at the sky as if she were fighting a wave of emotion, “this is one of the few times in my career I felt like I was a part of something. I’ve always wanted to be a cop, but in Edenville, while things are better than they ever have been for me before, it’s still a struggle. People there genuinely see me as less than the guy next to me. It was really nice having people other than Bobby trust me.”

  “As far as I’m concerned you’re one of the best on that force. I’ve seen them all, and they can’t hold a candle to you. I’d be happy to pass that along to any of my contacts at the FBI if
you ever consider taking your career to the next level.” Michael left the offer hang there unanswered while he turned and jogged back toward his car in the big field where they had all parked.

  He turned the radio up for the short drive back to his mother’s house and let the music pump through him. There was finally some good news to let sink in. His mother would be snarled up in the web she’d been creating most of her life. His sister might just be proven innocent of causing her father’s death once the medical examiner was shown to have been bribed. His last text from Jules said Frankie was looking great and ate a good breakfast without getting sick. They were just waiting to hear back from the doctor. The idea of being on a plane back to Edenville was something he could finally envision again.

  He pulled up to the front of the house and hopped out of the car. People here weren’t used to anyone driving themselves, but Michael had ditched the chauffeur once he knew they’d be up all night. He slammed the car door behind him and tucked the keys in his pocket.

  “Don’t you want to leave those with me, sir?” the valet asked.

  “No, I’m not staying long,” Michael retorted as he hopped up the stairs toward the front door. He made his way to the nursery first to pack their things. When he walked in the door he saw Piper and Betty chatting.

  “What are you doing here?” he asked, shocked to see Betty away from the hospital.

  “Frankie woke up full of fireworks in her eyes and looking for something to keep her attention. That’s a good sign, but Jules wanted me to come here and get a few of her favorite little toys since nothing at the hospital was doing the trick. Now I just got a call from her saying they’re going to be released. They will be on their way back here in a little while.” Betty loaded her bag with a few more chirping and sparkling toys and then started for the door.

  “A car just left to pick them up,” Piper explained as she helped Betty straighten up the toys.

  “It’s not a great time for them to come back here. There is a lot going on. Give Bobby a call and see if he can meet up with Jules and head her off before coming here.”

  “Okay,” Piper said, clicking the keys on her phone. “I just sent him a text.”

  Michael’s phone rang with a local number that took a minute to register. “Clara?” he asked as he answered it, and he wondered why she’d be calling. She helped out tremendously with getting the ball rolling with the district attorney’s involvement in the case. She’d called in all sorts of favors. But what he didn’t expect was to hear from her again. They’d made it clear he’d be cut out of that.

  “Where are you, Michael? At the hospital with your daughter?” Clara asked and Michael took note of the fact that she’d paid attention to that part of their conversation last night. He couldn’t help but be touched.

  “No, I’m at my mother’s house gathering up our things.”

  “Michael, I’m sorry to be calling you but my friend at the DA’s office just phoned me. Normally I wouldn’t disclose anything as it could compromise the situation, but I feel obligated to tell you this since it could have some medical significance for your daughter.”

  “What is it?” Michael asked, bracing himself against the wall and drawing Betty and Piper’s eyes to him.

  “Sans stated on the record that he facilitated in the administration of drugs to make your daughter appear ill in an effort to keep you from leaving. Apparently the medications were put into her bottles and given orally. He also had the nanny put something in her ears to make it look as though her eardrums had burst. I’m having someone on my staff head to the hospital now to brief your daughter’s doctor on the types of medications and the doses so they can treat her properly. I’m so sorry to have to tell you this.”

  “My daughter has been discharged, but please still send someone so the doctor can inform us if there is anything else we need to do.” Michael took in a deep breath and tried to keep telling his legs to support his weight. “I can’t believe this. This was my mother? She was trying to make Frankie sick so I would stay here and keep her income intact? She poisoned my daughter?”

  “I’m afraid so. There is much more to the story that I can’t share but know that the doctor is spilling his guts, and your mother will pay. This was the only part I felt I had a responsibility to share with you since there may still be some danger to your daughter’s health.”

  “What about the medical examiner?”

  “I can’t share anything else, Michael. The police will be there to make arrests soon. I suggest you clear out now. Let them do their job.”

  “Like hell,” he said, more to himself than to Clara as he hung up the phone and launched it across the room with a roar. It smashed into pieces as Betty covered her mouth to silence her yelp.

  “She didn’t,” Piper said, clearly praying what she’d just heard wasn’t the truth. “No one is that desperate for money.”

  “She did. She paid the doctor to poison my daughter and now she’s going to answer to me.” Michael charged out of the room and down the hallway, calling out for his mother.

  “What’s going on?” Josephine asked as she stepped out of one of the rooms into the hallway, stopping Michael in his tracks.

  “Your mother hurt my child to protect her money. And now she’s going to see why that was such a bad idea.” Michael balled his hands into fists and tried to move past Josephine.

  “How do you know she did that?” she asked, planting her hands on his chest and slowing him down just long enough for Piper and Betty to catch up.

  “Because the informant at the DA’s office just gave her up.” Michael took her wrists and moved her aside.

  “Who, who gave her up?” Josephine asked with a quiver in her voice.

  “Michael, stop,” Piper yelled as she latched on to Michael’s bicep and tried to dig her heels in, but instead he just dragged her along.

  “Should I assume you’ve changed your mind and are ready to do what I tell you?” His mother’s voice echoed down the long hallway as she stepped out of her own study.

  “You can’t lay a finger on her. If you do you won’t be getting on a plane back to Edenville. We won’t be going back to our lives. Please don’t do this,” Piper begged as Michael inched closer to his mother, seething anger rolling across his face. “How long will you have to go before you can hold Frankie again if you do this? You’d be leaving them both again.”

  With those words Michael’s feet froze. He looked down at Piper’s pleading face and realized she was right.

  “Are you that southern and uncivilized now that you were resorting to violence?” Tabitha crossed her arms over her chest and looked down her nose at all of them.

  “Mother,” Josephine started in a frantic voice but was brushed aside by Betty who charged forward angrily.

  “Piper is right. We can’t lay a finger on her, so how ’bout a fist?” She cocked her arm back and with a loud thwacking noise made contact with Tabitha’s nose. The skin on the bridge of her cosmetically sculpted nose split open and began pouring blood. She stumbled backward to the ground and sat there in shock as she looked at the blood staining her pearly white satin shirt. “You best lay right there and not give me a reason to treat you like the greased pig you are.”

  “Listen you low country ignorant piece of garbage, you will pay for hitting me. I’ll make sure of it. To think I was actually nice to you and your ridiculous circus of trash. Your daughter was so desperate to have better than you’ve ever given her that she’d listen to anything I said. That’s what a low IQ will do.”

  “You think you’re a rich woman? You’re the poorest person I’ve ever had the displeasure of meeting. You’re not a person at all, you’re a pile of DNA that doesn’t deserve to breathe the air my daughter does. It is my job to defend my child and make sure no one hurts her, but I am a woman of God who believes that it is not my place to judge or punish a person. However,” Betty said, cracking her knuckles and letting her eyes bare down on Tabitha, “the only thing I am more of th
an a woman of God, is a grandma. I will beat your sorry ass black and blue for what you did to my grandbaby.” Betty leaned down and grabbed a handful of Tabitha’s hair and the collar of her shirt and began dragging her toward the front door.

  “Get off of me,” Tabitha shouted, but she couldn’t break free of Betty’s grip. “How do you know about Frankie?” she asked between yelps of pain.

  “Let her go,” Josephine yelled as she trailed behind Betty and a bloody Tabitha on their way to the front door. One of Tabitha’s expensive shoes came off, followed by an earring that hit the floor with a jingling noise.

  “I’m going to hand deliver her to the damn police.” Betty dragged her through the large foyer and let her go with a thump against the marble floor. “You better hope they lock you up and throw away the key because the only chance you got is if there are bars between you and me.”

  Michael looked on with astonishment as the blood continued to trail down his mother’s face and Betty seemed ready to pounce again.

  “I’m not getting arrested,” Tabitha said resolutely as she backed away from Betty but stayed on the floor.

  “Yes you are,” Piper said, peering out the window as the police cars began pulling in. “They know everything you did, and everyone you paid to do it.”

  “How could you do this? I’m your mother?” Tabitha asked through gritted teeth as she stared up at Michael.

  “You’re not my mother. She is,” he replied, looking over at Betty and letting the anger slide off his face. Betty had been a mother to him in every sense of the word since the moment he first sat at her table to eat. She’d cared for him. Told him when he was being a fool. Praised his accomplishments. Bragged about him to anyone who would listen. She fed him. She taught him, and she loved him.