Last Resort

by Amber Malloy

  “Why can I do for you, Mr. Scott?”

  Levi dug in his pocket and pulled out two keys. “These are to the storage facility. I’m going to need a couple of your guys go into two units. One morning shift around 10:00 AM, another at 6:00 PM, and a last one around 11:00 PM. I’ll pay overtime for the late shift.”

  “Will they be getting anything out?”

  “The first crew needs to drop off a piano from my house, the second group a couch.”

  Fernando took the key, a bit confused, but he nodded his head with each instruction.

  “The guys can take some boxes, but every shift must go into the second unit.” He then gave him the other key. “I need them to take pictures of the contents from different angles, but that’s it.”

  “Okay, it’s slow enough for me to spare a few guys. Do you mind me asking why the pictures in the second unit?”

  “It’s just to verify to the owner that we’ve been there,” he lied. “If the guys have any trouble, call me immediately.”

  “Okay.” Fernando shrugged, clearly confused, but he didn’t ask any more questions.

  Levi headed to the main entrance. With all the chaos, he wanted to check things out around the property.

  Once he got past the construction and down the field, he rounded the corner smack dab into the mayor’s council. They stood huddled outside the resort entrance.

  “Levi,” Taylor said, breaking away from the group, “I’m glad I found you.” She ran on her functional heels to catch up with him.

  Since he couldn’t say the same, he smiled politely. “What’s up?”

  “We’re here for the mayor’s council meeting,” she explained, falling in line with his steps to the parking lot. “And the girl at the desk said the conference room was booked.”

  Indefinitely, Levi wanted to tell her. “We have a lot going on. We called your office to tell them we could no longer accommodate the meetings.” Levi conveniently left off the part about stomping Dale a new mud hole if saw him anywhere near his property, again.

  “We never got that phone call.” She tried to maintain her professionalism, but a vein in her forehead showed him different. “This is very disappointing.” Taking out her phone, she punched at her screen.

  “Sorry.” He threw out the halfhearted apology before he made a move to his truck.

  “Is there another room we can use? Maybe comp us a suite? This is your screw-up, after all.”

  “Everything is booked,” he lied. “Maybe you guys can try the coffee shop, or Betty’s Bakery … it’s usually dead around this time of day.”

  Wes stepped out of the front entrance, surrounded by his groomsmen as Dale stalked out of the double doors behind them. Shoving the wedding party aside, he pointed at Levi.

  “What’s your problem?” The over-manicured idiot’s face twisted in rage. In way above his head with the rest of the town, a petition made the rounds to relieve Dale of his contract with the city. The moron must have needed someone to take out the brunt of his frustration on.

  Happy to oblige, Levi waited for him to get closer.

  “From where I’m standing, I don’t have one.” Levi chuckled. “But you, on the other hand, I heard it’s not looking so good…” It may have been childish to poke at him, but he didn’t care.

  “Tell me to my face.”

  “Don’t threaten me with a good time.” He rolled up his sleeves, in anticipation of beating Dale Neman to a pulp.

  “Hey, hey!” Greg tried to get between them, but Dale slipped past him and swung. Levi dodged his fist and came back with a right hook to Dale’s face.

  When he moved in with his left, Greg stepped in front of him. “Get out of the way,” he hissed at one of his oldest friends.

  “Shit, man!” Levi itched to hit the smug son of a bitch again.

  “It was a cheap shot,” Dale growled. “This isn’t over.” He cradled his chin before he shrugged off any help.

  “What the hell’s gotten into you?” Greg glared at him with disgust before he and the rest of his team followed behind the town’s stand-in mayor.

  In the long run, it may cost him money, but Levi didn’t feel bad about hitting Dale.

  “You’ve got some balls, man.” Wes stepped in next to him.

  “Nah, wish fulfilment, that’s all. What are you guys up to?”

  “We’re looking to get into something. Got any suggestions?”

  In need to blow off steam, the light bulb went off in his head. “What do you think about ATVs?”

  A strong chorus of cheers from the groomsmen agreed with his pick. He jerked his thumb toward the garage. “Follow me.”

  ****

  Goosebay Lake’s property gave them the opportunity to shoot up and down the hillside of the underdeveloped part of their land with no interference.

  A good rush, Levi used the speed of the machine to clear his mind. Miles from the main resort, he pulled over and took in the hilltop view of St. Geneva. The day slipped away at a quick clip. Light twinkles from downtown stores shone beneath the fog.

  “This place is great. Cayden’s description didn’t do it justice.” Wes joined him on the edge of the hill.

  “Shouldn’t you be spending this time with your fiancée?”

  “Yeah, Cayden’s kinda got her on lockdown.”

  “How does that work?”

  “Deny’s publicist has been taking advantage of her, so Cayden’s trying to work it out.”

  “Think she can?” Levi asked, as he ran his hand over the dry brush.

  “Business wise, I believe in all things Cayden.” Wes stepped down the hill. “They were both raised by their grandparents but in completely different ways. After their parents died in a plane crash, Deny and her brother were spoiled beyond belief. Cayden, on the other hand, was treated like a miniature adult.”

  Levi knew very little about how Cayden grew up. Bits and pieces but nothing concrete. He waited for him to continue.

  “Teddy and Deny were a handful. Too old to keep them in line, their grandparents shipped them to boarding school. It didn’t help much … they got kicked out more than they attended.”

  “Bad seeds?” he asked. Between Mom and Dad, he never got the chance try that crap.

  “Yeah, but in a good-hearted, naughty way. Cayden, on the other hand, was at the opposite end of the spectrum.” Not sure where the tech guru wanted to go, Levi followed him over a mound. “Her grandfather kept her close. Cayden spent almost all of her childhood in an office. He taught her everything, even how to fire the employees she had grown to love as family.”

  “Shit,” Levi muttered. He had no clue what she went through. That damn near bordered on child abuse.

  “Yeah. She got a little reprieve with the twins in the summer, but not much.”

  “I guess that’s why Cayden picked Chesterfield, huh? She wanted the same experience?” Levi inquired.

  “Maybe. They were like the three musketeers, but even now, she’s the only adult.” Wes skidded to a stop. “I thought that’s what I saw…”

  Levi joined him and glanced over the edge. His missing black and white pony lay on its side, covered in flies. Blood stained the ground near the animal’s throat. From where he stood, it appeared to be cut, but he couldn’t be positive until he got a closer look.

  “Did it get out of the barn?” Wes asked.

  The smell of death touched his nose. It probably would have hit him a lot sooner, but the breeze drifted in the opposite direction. “Not by herself, no,” Levi admitted. “Do me a favor and don’t mention this to Cayden.”

  “She won’t hear it from me,” Wes promised before they got closer. “If nothing else, this place is exciting.”

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Clouds covered the full moon. Cayden couldn’t remember the last time she saw the sun that day. After two dozen calls, she finally got close to fixing Deny’s mess. Tomorrow they had the wedding, which meant she only had Wes’s tech knowledge at her disposal for a little longer.
With such a short window, she would have to make the best of it.

  As she walked into the game room, Wes worked on his laptop.

  The pool table sat in the center of the room, while four arcade games ran along the walls. Plush leather seats were placed in front of the TV screen for movie night if guests wanted to enjoy something from the media library.

  “How’s my bride-to-be?” Wes asked. The meager files she had on Shana were laid out next to him.

  “Sleeping, and don’t get any ideas.” Cayden pointed at him.

  “You’re the boss.” He smirked before he went back to typing away on the keyboard.

  “Did someone order a doctor?” Teddy stepped into the game room with two bottles of wine, shaggy, wooly hair, and an infectious smile.

  “I hope you know this guy and I didn’t just give my liquor over to a vagrant,” Levi said, trailing after him with the glasses.

  “Brother,” Wes cheered, “glad you could make it!” He stood to give him a half hug in welcome. Away in Syria, Teddy worked with Doctors Without Borders. Surprised he made it back in enough time for the wedding, Cayden smiled.

  “Yeah, thankfully your partner here didn’t call the police when he saw me… Hey, beautiful.” He rushed over to Cayden. “Long time no see.”

  “Someone’s been saving the world.”

  “Trust me when I say that sleep and shower on the plane was the best I’ve ever had. How’s our diva?” He shrugged out of his hoodie. Thinner than the last time they saw each other, Cayden wondered how life on the other side of the world treated him.

  “Asleep, and that’s how we’re going to keep it.”

  “Tyrant,” he playfully muttered. “Do we at least have some good news?”

  Cayden turned on the big screen TV that hung from the wall and changed the channel. She flipped around all the news stations until she found it.

  Handcuffed and escorted by the police to the cruiser, a short woman with glasses declared her innocence. “I’ve worked tirelessly for my client’s best interest. If that’s wrong then I should be arrested!” she screamed into the microphone before they shoved her into the car.

  “Stella Jean, publicist for the stars, has been arrested on fraud. According to the prosecutor, more charges are pending,” the news anchor announced.

  “Wow, remind me to stay on your good side,” Wes said. “What about the deals she struck on Deny’s behalf?”

  “My office took care of it. We’ve rearranged media exclusives in different areas of her life … tours, dinner at home with Deny and Wes.”

  “Great, thanks,” he muttered. Private with his personal and business life, Cayden always wondered what drew Wes to the shiniest light in the room, a pop star. “At least this way her reputation won’t be trashed.”

  Levi poured three glasses of wine and passed them out. “Good job,” he whispered once he got close. Cayden resisted the urge to reach out and touch the dark shadow on his face. They hadn’t seen much of each other since the wedding party arrived and it made her anxious.

  “Don’t judge my sister too harshly. Trust just comes a little too easy.” Teddy fell back on to the plush leather chairs and took a sip of his wine with a groan. “This is good. I haven’t had wine in forever.”

  “And don’t judge Teddy too harshly … since he couldn’t save his parents he thinks he should save everyone else,” Wes threw out there.

  “Figured me out, huh?” Teddy saluted Wes with his glass. “Yep, my drug of choice is compassion. That’s why Cayden oversees all of our money from the trust and investment. If not, we would have lost it ten times over by now.”

  “And to prove my gratitude,” Wes said while he held his hand out for the TV remote. Cayden passed it to him, and he changed the settings and pulled up police files from his laptop, “here’s what St. Geneva’s coroner has on Shana Waters.” Written in gibberish, the dead girl’s autopsy filled the screen.

  Teddy got up and examined the report. “She was beaten and asphyxiated. It appears a sexual assault may have been attempted, but it was either interrupted or the assailant was unable to go through with it.”

  “Is that it?”

  “Yeah, it’s pretty meager on facts. There’s no ligature marks but plenty of defensive wounds. She probably knew the guy. Need anything else from me?”

  “Nope.”

  “Good, then where the hell is my bed? I’m beat.”

  Cayden dug in her pocket and tossed him the room key. Levi refused to switch to key cards, claiming they were too easy to hack. “Suite 304, and don’t try to sneak in to see Deny.”

  “Lucky that your sexy smartness overrides the bossy aspect of your personality.” Teddy wagged his finger at her on his way out of the door and grabbed a whole bottle of Chardonnay. “I need help sleeping. You guys don’t mind, right?” Without waiting for an answer, he left.

  “Here are the criminal records… You’re up, Levi.”

  Cayden sipped her wine while he got up to check out the screen. A rich blend tickled her tongue. Surprised the cheapskate shared the good stuff, she threw back the rest of it.

  Levi studied the screen and swiped his finger from left to right. “Next page.” Wes clicked his mouse. After a few minutes, he gave off a grunt or two before he indicated that Wes should scroll down. Once they got to the autopsy portion of the statement, it ended.

  He rubbed his hand over the shadow of his beard. “They didn’t investigate,” he said. “There’s a couple of notes from an administrator at Chesterfield, but none from the student body. They only liked the teacher for it because he went missing.”

  “That’s it? That’s everything?” she asked, amazed that St. Geneva’s police were that incompetent.

  “Chesterfield had money and influence, and the police were ill-equipped to deal with that wall of silence,” Wes said before he switched the screen back to the news.

  “There is one good thing,” Levi offered when he turned to them. “The teacher, Ray Donahue, was married.”

  “On it.” Wes’s fingers flew across his keyboard and read out her info.

  Cayden looked at Levi and he nodded. They silently agreed to visit the teacher’s wife. She hoped the woman wouldn’t resent them for ripping the scab off an almost thirteen-year-old wound.

  ****

  Cayden pulled the strings on the blinds. As they parted, the sunlight brightened the gorgeous suite. Deny’s wedding dressed sparkled on the mannequin in the middle of the room.

  Stepping to the bed, where Deny was sleeping sweet and sound, Cayden shoved her curly head of hair up and down. “Hey.”

  The pop star swiped at her, but she dodged her attempts.

  “Wake up.”

  She groaned and tried to pull the sheet over her head.

  Anticipating her next move, Cayden yanked the comforter back. “We don’t have long, so get up.”

  “Wes sent you to soften the blow … the wedding is called off, isn’t it?” She peeked her eye open.

  “No, the wedding is still on.”

  “Oh.” Her mouth fell. “Then where is everyone … my assistant, hair, and makeup?” She scooted up in the bed and her wild hair went everywhere.

  “Fired.”

  “What? How? Who?”

  “Stella paid them to spy on you. They were selling stories to the tabloids. We confiscated their phones and let them go. Another team will be here in an hour.”

  “What about my bridesmaids?” She looked around in confusion. Various B-list actors and singers made up the roster of her wedding party.

  “They also worked for Stella, so they didn’t show up when they realized no check was coming.”

  “But, but, but—” Fat tears slipped down her makeup-free face. Always a people pleaser, Cayden knew Deny needed to believe those delinquents truly loved her. Too bad she insisted on mistreating the people who didn’t make her work for it.

  “Tilda Lorne is here from that soap opera, and that chick we graduated from NYU with…”

  Den
y screwed up her face but knew better than to complain.

  “Look, I managed to fix everything this time but I can’t come running to the rescue anymore.”

  “But we’re best friends, and—”

  Cayden held up her hand. “Grow up. You’re getting married and I doubt he’ll think cleaning up after the pop star is cute for very much longer.”

  Her bottom lip trembled. “You were built for this! I only have Teddy, and even he’s not here,” she whined. “Not for nothing, and you may not have had a childhood, but you’re killing it as an adult. I wasn’t built for this.”

  “Hmm … I’ve got news for you. I’m in love with a man who wants me out of his life, which sucks because I can’t get a good night’s sleep without him. Oh, and I solve crimes that I probably should leave well enough alone.” Cayden sat on the edge of the bed. “All I’m saying is everyone has their own shit. I came back here to deal with mine, now it’s your turn. Grow up!”

  The diva act slipped away, and Deny’s face crumpled. For the first time in a long while, the singer seemed sincere.

  Embracing her best friend, she would allow her five minutes to fall apart … or at least until the makeup team arrived.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Soft chords from the five-string orchestra swirled around the resort. Gold and red-colored leaves painted the trees around the resort, giving the whole scene a majestic feel. As the wedding started, Levi waited near the barn. He had the perfect view of the ceremony below.

  “Hey, boss,” Fernando greeted him.

  One by one, the bridesmaids and groomsmen worked their way down the aisle to the center of the garden. Later, the reception would be held under the wooden gazebo the construction crew barely finished an hour ago.

  “Good news, bad news, or worst?”

  “Give me easy, then mosey it on down from there,” Levi told him.

  The bridesmaids wore floor-length dresses that showed an inordinate amount of side boob.

  “Good news, we’re ready to bury Lucy on your say so.” Fernando began.