Random Acts of Deceit (Holly Anna Paladin Mysteries Book 2)

by Christy Barritt

  People began rushing through the doors. Chase and I stood near the presents, watching everyone hurry by. Panic tinged the air and made us nearly invisible to everyone. Well, almost everyone.

  Mom stopped beside me, her cheeks flushed.

  “What is going on?” She sounded exasperated, and rightfully so. Only a jerk would ruin someone’s wedding . . . or someone who was desperate to save the people she loved.

  “Hopefully the fire department can tell us.” I patted her shoulder.

  She shook her head and wagged her index finger at me. “You and I need to have a long talk when we get home, young lady.”

  And, at once, I was ten years old again. “Yes, Mother.”

  “Well, are you coming?” She took a step away.

  I nodded. “I’ll be there in a minute.”

  Ralph gave me an odd look before leading Mom away.

  Most of the crowds had scrambled outside. But I looked behind me and saw Alex standing there. She shook her head, her claws out, and her teeth close to being bared.

  “How could you?” she seethed.

  “Alex—”

  “No, don’t try to explain this.” Her eyes were crazy wide as she stared at me. “You’re mad because I’m wearing this dress, aren’t you? That’s why you’re acting like this.”

  My eyebrows shot up. “You think this is because of the dress?”

  “I know you’ve always wanted to wear it. That obviously won’t be happening unless your measurements change between now and whenever.”

  “Alex, you’re being irrational.” I tried to calm her, but I wasn’t sure how successful I’d be at this point.

  “My wedding is ruined!” Alex continued. William tried to nudge her away, but she wouldn’t budge.

  “Alex, you should get out of here,” I encouraged.

  “There’s no fire, is there?”

  “I can explain—”

  “There might be,” a new voice said.

  I slowly turned. Brandon stood behind me, an oddly vacant look in his eyes. Gone was the clueless man who’d intruded into my life, acting under the assumed identity of Benjamin Radcliff. All of that had been an act—and a good one at that. He’d obviously even had a fake driver’s license made. This man looked calculating, too smart for his own good, and like he was coming unhinged.

  He had something in his hand. Probably a detonator, I realized with fear.

  “Brandon?” Alex whispered. Her disbelief was evident in her parted lips, her wide eyes, and her hoarse voice.

  “Who’s Brandon?” William asked, looking earnestly confused.

  Alex ignored the question and stepped back, her hand going over her heart, before glancing quickly at William, as if Brandon’s presence betrayed him. “I didn’t invite you.”

  “I noticed.”

  “What is that?” Alex nodded at his hand and took another step back.

  I glanced around me. Thankfully, Mom had gotten out. But William, Alex, Chase, and I still remained.

  “It’s a bomb. It’s going to explode in”—he glanced at his watch—“eight minutes and twenty-one seconds. Sooner if you upset me.”

  “Why . . . why would you do that?” Alex stuttered.

  “If I can’t have you, no one can.”

  Everyone was silent when Brandon started laughing—a cackling, maddening laugh.

  “You don’t think I’m serious, do you? That would be pathetic. This is about justice, about an eye for an eye, about people who couldn’t care less about the lives they ruin.”

  “What are you talking about?” Alex said.

  I peeked at Chase and saw him surveying the area, trying to formulate a plan to get us all out of this. He could tackle Brandon, but that act could set the detonator off.

  Things clicked in my mind, the pieces fitting together more and more easily. “You moved here for a job, didn’t you?” I asked. “That’s where you met Tom Picket. The cameras that were found in his place sounded just like the ones you hid in my house.”

  “There were cameras hidden in your house?” Alex asked.

  “And yours, and Ralph’s, and Chase’s.”

  “Why would you do that, Brandon?” Alex asked.

  “You wouldn’t understand. You destroy lives all the time without a thought about how your decisions will affect other people.”

  “You wanted a job with the government,” I said. “Tom Picket told everyone you were crazy, so you didn’t get the position. You have a record of instability. You decided to get revenge on him by murdering his wife and framing him. But Alex didn’t buy it that Tom was guilty, and that brought back all the hard feelings you’ve been trying to swallow. You wanted Tom to pay for what he did to you. So you killed him yourself.”

  Brandon glared. “I’d spent my life developing these products, and then one person ruined it all. I came back here, and I was going to really make a name for myself. Maybe win Alex back in the process. But she was already engaged, and I didn’t get the job. The government had no faith in my projects. In fact, they’re now trying to copy what I created.”

  “You mean the ability to remotely control cars while someone else is supposedly driving?” Chase said. That must have been what he’d discovered, which had brought him to the wedding.

  Pride glimmered in Brandon’s eyes. “Exactly. Heather was the perfect test dummy. And she kept me informed of all the bridal activities so I could wreak my havoc.”

  I shook my head. “You’re the friend who invented a way of tapping into cell phones and using them to eavesdrop, aren’t you?”

  His smile deepened. “How do you think I overheard so much? Isn’t it brilliant? Can you believe the CIA didn’t want to use that kind of technology?”

  “That’s . . . amazingly invasive.”

  “No more invasive than all these people who spy on others via the cameras on their computers. It’s just smart business in today’s world.”

  “Why did you murder Mark Reynolds?” I asked. I really hoped Chase was formulating a plan as I kept the man talking.

  “Murder?” Alex said with a gasp. William pulled her closer.

  “If you had talked to him, you would have gotten too many answers, and I would never have been able to pull this off. I needed all of you in one place. I had the whole plan worked out, and I couldn’t let you ruin it.”

  “Why in the world did you tell me I had to break up with Chase?” Maybe my timing wasn’t right, but I wanted to know. I needed to know.

  “You had to break up with him so you could bring me as your date to the wedding. But that fell apart, and that’s led me to this moment.” Sweat lined his upper lip. His hair was standing on end, and he had a strange scent, some kind of pheromone or something. He looked like he was coming undone. But his eyes brightened with pride. “I fooled you good, didn’t I? That whole bumbling, no-social-graces routine? You fell for it. You had no idea it was me.”

  “I didn’t.” Because you’re a psychopath.

  “I knew you were the best way to get to Alex,” he continued. “I played on your loyalty, and it almost worked. I didn’t quite anticipate that you’d follow me to my fake office. It was a good thing I did my research and took on a real person’s name. It bought me a little more time.”

  “This is a little drastic, don’t you think?” Chase asked. “There are better ways to try and get revenge on an ex-girlfriend and someone who lost you a job.”

  “That’s part of the fun.” He cackled before coughing and turning practically demonic again. “Don’t you see? I have nothing else to lose.”

  “You need help, Brandon,” Alex said. “You’re not yourself. You’re a brilliant man. Maybe your brilliance has driven you off the deep end.”

  “I’ve never seen life so clearly!” His eyes held a dangerous gleam.

  Facts continued to collide and solidify in my mind. “You’re targeting all of us, Brandon. Why?” I asked.

  Brandon’s gaze swung toward me. “Very good, Holly. You always were the unassuming
one. You used to look so innocent as you apologized for kicking my shins. Everyone else bought your little act, but I knew the truth. You hated me.”

  “Hated is such a strong word. But that’s not enough reason to pull me into this. What did I have to do with this?”

  “Don’t you see? This wasn’t just about you. It was about your whole family. You all ruined my life by keeping Alex and me apart. The years since then have been difficult. Yet I look at all of you, and my heartache hasn’t even affected you at all. You’ve all gone on your merry way.”

  “So you wanted to get revenge on all of us?” I repeated.

  “Exactly! I knew I had to hit you each where it would hurt the most. Holly, it’s always been about relationships with you, so making you deceive the people you love was an easy choice. With Alex, I knew all I had to do was distract her so she wouldn’t be on her game during one of the biggest trials of her career. For Ralph, it was about his reputation. Henry was such a willing and easy participant.”

  “And my mom?” I asked.

  “It was the pain of seeing her children hurt, of course.”

  The man was almost diabolical in his actions. He’d planned every moment of our suffering, and he’d enjoyed it.

  “There’s no need to let a bomb explode, Brandon,” Chase said. “You need to think this all through.”

  Something flickered in his eyes, and my stomach dropped. He didn’t care anymore, I realized. He was beyond reason.

  I glanced at the clock on the wall behind us. We were down to three minutes. We needed people to clear out of the parking lot. Who knew how big this bomb was? How much damage it could do?

  Sirens sounded outside, and I glanced back. Sure enough, I could see the crowds in the parking lot through the glass doors.

  Somehow, we had to think of a way to get out of this, but how?

  “You’ve always been the one I wanted to marry, Brandon.” Alex stepped toward him.

  What?

  Brandon let his guard down for a moment. His shoulders relaxed, and he flinched with surprise.

  “I always knew you were the one. My family didn’t want us to get married, though.”

  I glanced toward the door and saw Jamie standing there. I motioned at her to go, praying my gestures would somehow communicate that everyone should move far away from the fiasco.

  She stared another moment, and I waved my hand behind my back even harder. Brandon seemed distracted by Alex and didn’t notice. Thankfully, Jamie seemed to get the message, and she began ushering people away from the building.

  “I’ve always loved you, Alex,” Brandon said.

  Just then, Chase tackled him. The detonator flew from his hands. I lunged across the room and grabbed it while Chase pinned Brandon to the floor.

  “We have only two minutes!” I shouted.

  “You’ll never get out in time,” Brandon shouted. “You won’t get far enough away.”

  William scooped Alex into his arms and dashed toward the door.

  Chase pulled Brandon to his feet. “Let’s get out of here.”

  As soon as Brandon had the chance, he darted toward the sanctuary. Chase started to go after him, but I grabbed his arm.

  “We’ve got to go, Chase.”

  He took one more glance at the double doors leading inside. Finally, he nodded. He grabbed my hand, and we sprinted outside. Just as we reached the grass beyond the parking lot, a loud explosion boomed behind us. Chase threw himself over me as debris rained around us.

  When I felt Chase shift on top of me, I lifted my head and looked around. It appeared all the guests were safe across the street. Flames darted from the church’s roof and windows. Brandon . . . had he died inside?

  I looked at Chase. Neither of us had to say a word to express our thoughts at the moment. We’d survived. Thank God, we’d survived.

  EPILOGUE

  Alex and William didn’t have the wedding of their dreams. Most of the guests had rushed home. But the few who’d remained were able to enjoy a simple ceremony held in the garden in the backyard of Mom’s house.

  The afternoon wedding had turned into an evening wedding, thanks to the intensive investigation and interrogation by the police.

  Alex had ditched her veil and her high heels. I’d long since lost my bridal bouquet. There were no flowers draped down the aisle or fancy music. I thought the insects chirping around us and the scent of honeysuckle were a nice replacement, though.

  The reception band had stuck around, and they played unplugged on the deck.

  Sarah and Mom had strung up some lights to give the area some atmosphere, and the caterer had mercifully scrounged up some finger foods.

  All in all, I thought this version of Alex’s wedding was much better than the stressful, overly fancy version she’d planned.

  Best of all, for me at least, was the fact that Chase was here.

  In fact, I was in his arms right now, and we swayed back and forth to “I Only Have Eyes for You” by The Flamingos. The patio wasn’t the best dance floor, but it would do. The evening had turned chilly, so Chase draped his coat over my shoulders. It drowned me, but I didn’t care.

  “It’s a good thing you pulled that fire alarm. If you hadn’t, I can’t imagine everyone would have gotten out in time.”

  “A girl’s gotta do what a girl’s gotta do,” I said. “I even think Alex has forgiven me. She did some pretty quick thinking there at the end also, distracting Brandon and all.”

  Investigators had found his body in the church. He’d also left a note at his house explaining where Deborah Picket’s body was and taking credit for all his devious deeds. He’d obviously planned on dying today. It made me sad to think someone was that desperate.

  “You keep finding yourself in these precarious situations,” Chase said. “How is that?”

  I shook my head, craning my neck up so I could look into his eyes. “I’m not sure. I seem to have a knack for it.”

  “Well, I wish you had a knack for other things, like staying safe.”

  “Even when we pass through the waters, God is with us. If nothing else, this whole ordeal has confirmed to me that God is beside me, whatever’s happening.”

  “There you go again, always looking on the bright side. It’s just one more thing to love about you.”

  “Being positive doesn’t always change our situations, but sometimes it changes us, you know?”

  His arms tightened around me, so I rested my head against his chest as we swayed to the music.

  Somehow, I knew that everything was going to work out. Alex had gotten her wedding. She’d eventually get her honeymoon, and now she wouldn’t be so distracted during the trial. With this new evidence, Ralph’s name should be cleared in the whole Henry-gate fiasco. I was back with Chase. And because all her kids were happy, Mom was happy.

  “Holly?” Chase murmured.

  “Yes?”

  “I love you,” he whispered.

  I froze and jerked my gaze toward him. “What?”

  “I love you,” he repeated with a soft smile. “I’ve known that I loved you for a while, but then you broke up with me and everything.” His lip curled upward as his grin widened.

  “Oh, Chase.”

  He paused. “Is that a good ‘oh, Chase’ or a bad ‘oh, Chase’?”

  I laughed. “It’s a great ‘oh, Chase.’ If this ordeal has proven nothing else, it’s shown me beyond a doubt that I’m totally, completely, and 100 percent in love with you also.”

  He pulled me closer. “Now, those are words that can make a guy’s day. You have no idea what it does to me to hear that, Holly. When I thought I’d lost you, I realized I’d lost the best thing in my life. You make me a better person.”

  “I think you’re already a pretty great person.” I shrugged innocently.

  “You just did that thing again.”

  “What thing?”

  “That thing you do. Your hip bumps out and your head tilts and you look coy.”

  I grinned.
“You bring out a sassy side of me. What can I say?”

  “I look forward to the adventures that life will hand us in the future,” Chase said. “Everything’s more bearable with you by my side.”

  My heart swelled with love for this man. I nestled my head against his chest again and fully engaged in enjoying each moment, because sometimes the moment was all we had.

  ###

  Coming soon: Random Acts of Malice!

  Did you miss Random Acts of Murder, the first book in the Holly Anna Paladin Mystery series?

  When Holly Anna Paladin is given a year to live, she embraces her final days doing what she loves most—random acts of kindness. But one of her extreme good deeds goes horribly wrong, implicating Holly in a string of murders. Holly is suddenly in a different kind of fight for her life.

  Only two other people know Holly was at the site of the murder, and one of them is the killer. Making matters stickier is the fact that the detective assigned to the case is her old high school crush and present-day nemesis.

  The clock is ticking as Holly is forced to play a dangerous game. Will Holly find the killer before he ruins what’s left of her life? Or will she spend her final days alone and behind bars?

  If you enjoyed this book, you might also enjoy the Squeaky Clean series:

  Hazardous Duty (Book 1)

  On her way to completing a degree in forensic science, Gabby St. Claire drops out of school and starts her own crime-scene cleaning business. When a routine cleaning job uncovers a murder weapon the police overlooked, she realizes that the wrong person is in jail. But the owner of the weapon is a powerful foe . . . and willing to do anything to keep Gabby quiet. With the help of her new neighbor, Riley Thomas, a man whose life and faith fascinate her, Gabby seeks to find the killer before another murder occurs.

  Suspicious Minds (Book 2)

  In this smart and suspenseful sequel to Hazardous Duty, crime-scene cleaner Gabby St. Claire finds herself stuck doing mold remediation to pay the bills. Her first day on the job, she uncovers a surprise in the crawlspace of a dilapidated home: Elvis, dead as a doornail and still wearing his blue-suede shoes. How could she possibly keep her nose out of a case like this?