The McKays Box Set - To Kill For, Blood Sport, Hard Time & Gang Land

by A. J. Carella

  “What about my nephew, and Kyle and the prisoner, Alex? What’s going to happen to them?”

  “All in good time, Miss McKay,” she replied, frowning at her. “But I think it’s safe to say that no one is going to come out of this unscathed. Now,” she said, nodding over at one of her agents, “I understand we found your car in one of the prison garages. We don’t need it for evidence so you can take it and get yourself home.”

  Shaw turned her back on Kat, indicating that as far as she was concerned, that was the end of the conversation. God, that woman was infuriating! Kat fumed as she walked over to the agent waiting for her who then escorted her to her car. She had a spare key that she always carried on her bunch of house keys just in case she ever lost hers, so she climbed in and got the car started before driving past the police cars and out onto the main highway.

  Switching on the hands-free on her phone, she called Jamie and filled her in and telling her that she was headed to the hospital. If agent Shaw thought she was just going to go home and wait, she had another thing coming. If she wanted to talk to her, she could come and find her at the hospital. It was her fault Kyle was hurt and she wasn’t about to leave him there on his own.

  Forty-Three

  The cabin had never looked so good. Since making the decision to look for his son, he’d felt much calmer. It felt as though he was taking control rather than letting things just happen to him, which had pretty much been his life for the past few months. He was glad he’d unburdened himself to James; not only had it felt great to actually talk about it but he’d found someone to help him. He’d made some calls and for the last couple of days, they’d been waiting for some of the feelers he’d put out to come up with something. It had meant that he’d had all the time in the world to work on the cabin, rather than just do the essential maintenance.

  They’d slipped into a routine of eating at each other’s cabins and tonight it was his turn to cook. The weather was not as nice today as it had been in recent days, the sky cloudy. It looked likely that rain may well roll in by nightfall so he’d decided to cook inside. Beef and fish had been their staple diet for the past few days so tonight he was making pasta for a change.

  He was just chopping tomatoes for the sauce when the door burst open and Max ran in, closely followed by his dad.

  “Looks like the weather’s turning,” James said as he came and stood next to him in the kitchen, looking over his shoulder at the pot. “Smells good.”

  “Yeh, that’s why I thought we’d eat inside tonight, just in case. I remember what the storms are like up here and they can hit pretty fast.”

  “Max, why don’t you go in my room? There’s a chest in there filled with board games. See if you can find something you like,” Finn told Max, waiting until he was out of the room before turning to James.

  “Any news?”

  “Actually, yes.” He took the beer that Finn handed him from the fridge. “I heard back from one of my old law school buddies this afternoon. He’s a big entertainment lawyer now. From what he was saying, I think I should have done that instead of probate.”

  Finn was practically hopping from foot to foot as he took a sip from his beer, taking his time. “And?”

  “Sorry. Well, they’re a big firm and they have offices all around L.A. and its surrounding areas and guess what? One of their offices dealt with the adoption. He got the file sent over to him and he gave me the results this afternoon.”

  Finn felt like he was standing at the edge of a precipice. With his next sentence, his son would go from being a nameless, faceless entity to something much more. “Tell me.”

  James smiled. “Your son was adopted by a young couple who weren’t able to have children themselves. I can’t tell you where they are now. You’d probably have more luck with that than me, but here’s their old address.” He held out a slip of paper. “They called him Drake, Drake Driscoll.”

  Finn took the paper gently and held it as if it were a priceless piece of ancient papyrus. Drake.

  “I don’t know how to ever thank you for this,” he whispered as he stared at it.

  James beamed and punched him in the shoulder. “No problem, I just hope it all works out. Now, are you gonna feed us or do we have to get it ourselves?” He pointed to the pan which was just about to boil over.

  Forty-Four

  They’d said their goodbyes after dinner, promising to keep in touch, and Finn had spent the rest of the evening getting the cabin ready for him to leave at first light.

  He’d made good time and it was still quite early when he pulled up outside the station. The piece of paper was burning a hole in his pocket and he hadn’t even bothered to go home first, not wanting to waste any time. He walked up the steps and pushed open the door, hoping the office would be empty, but luck wasn’t on his side. Going into the squad room, he sighed as he spotted Carter sat at his desk doing paperwork. He briefly thought about turning around and leaving again before he spotted him, but it was too late.

  “Boss! I didn’t know you were due back today. How was your trip?”

  “It was great, thanks. Just what I needed.” He looked over Carter’s head at his office and the computer sitting on his desk. It would have to wait now. “Anything to report?” He would get a full run-down from Phil later but if there was anything important to report Carter would know about it.

  “Actually, yes. It’s all been very exciting here. Turns out that Miss McKay was hiding her brother after all and that there was some sort of murder for hire thing going on up at the prison. The warden’s been arrested.”

  He said all this smiling, clearly pleased to be the one to fill him in. “What? Why didn’t anyone contact me?” He couldn’t believe all this had been going on while he’d been fishing.

  “We tried, Chief, but your cell just wouldn’t connect. The FBI are handling it, anyway, so we haven’t been involved.”

  He was furious. What on earth had she been thinking? And why hadn’t she called him if she needed help? Well, he didn’t need to go far for the answer to that one; clearly the man he’d seen her in town with was giving her all the help she needed. “Who’s handling it at the FBI?”

  “Agent Callahan. Well, his boss, actually, but it’s been him we’ve been dealing with.”

  “Okay, thanks, Carter. Can you get to Phil and tell him I’m back?”

  “Will do, Chief.” Carter turned back to his paperwork and Finn went to his office, resisting the temptation to slam the door behind him. He sat behind his desk and looked at his computer. It would have to wait. He needed to get up to speed on this first. Picking up the phone, he dialed Callahan’s cell.

  “Hey,” he said when he answered. “It’s Finn. You just can’t stay away from our little town can you?” he asked. “I’ve just gotten back and heard that it’s been fun and games up at the McKays. Care to fill me in?”

  He listened as he brought him up to speed. “So who is this guy, Kyle?”

  “Some old friend of hers from way back, a P.I. would you believe.”

  “I saw her in town a few days ago with a guy. What does he look like?” Finn listened to the description and was confident it was the man he’d seen her with. He didn’t know why, but it made him feel slightly better.

  “Sounds like him. I guess your date with her will have to wait until this case is over.”

  “If there is a date.”

  Finn’s ears pricked up at this but he didn’t delve any further. “So, do you need my department for anything or have you got it all in check?”

  “It’s all under control. I’ll give you a call if we need anything from your end, Finn. I’ll keep you up to date with what’s going on, in any case.”

  After promising to catch up soon for a beer, Finn put the phone down. He knew he should go and see Kat. They were supposed to be friends now, after all, but if she’d wanted him involved she would have told him and he wasn’t about to insert himself somewhere he clearly wasn’t wanted. Besides, he had plenty on his
plate himself at the moment.

  Firing up the computer in front of him, he took the piece of paper with Drake’s address on it out of his pocket and smoothed it out on his desk. He paused for a moment before inputting the information. It was a big step, and he knew that once he’d taken it there would be no going back. Who am I kidding? he thought as he started tapping the keys. He’d stopped being able to walk away from this the moment he’d made up his mind to find him. Taking a deep breath, he hit enter and waited for the results.

  Forty-Five

  The hospital was the same one that Daniel had been brought to and had been treated at. As she stood in the parking lot looking up at the imposing building, it brought it all back. Going through the main doors, she got Kyle’s room number from the lady at reception and made her way to his room. She heard him before she got there, his raised voice unmistakable as he argued with a nurse.

  “You can’t keep me here. I’m fine and I’m leaving,” he was saying as she walked into the room where he stood, hands on his hips, facing a nurse with a face like thunder.

  “You are not fine and you need to stay here overnight for observation,” the nurse said through clenched teeth.

  Kyle looked up and noticed her standing in the doorway. “Tell her, will you? I’m fine.”

  Kat held up her hands in mock surrender. “Don’t drag me into this. If the nurse says you need to stay overnight then you need to listen to her.”

  At that, the nurse turned to Kyle with a look of triumph on her face. “If you won’t listen to me, will you listen to your friend, at least?”

  Kyle threw his hands up in the air. “Fine! One night only, though.”

  “Thank you,” the nurse said to her as she turned and left the room, closing the door behind her.

  “Still a terrible patient, I see.” Kat chuckled as she sat in the chair next to the bed. She’d been in the situation more than once with Kyle when they were working together and he’d always been the same.

  “They’re always overcautious. I’m absolutely fine. How is Alex? Have you been to see him yet?”

  “No, I came straight in to see you. He looked in a bad way. What happened in there?”

  She sat quietly as he told her everything that had happened since they’d lost contact. “I still can’t believe it. What was he doing it for? Money?”

  Kyle nodded. “From what he said in the basement, he’s given the targets and when the job is done, the warden gets paid handsomely. He wouldn’t say who chose the targets, though.”

  “Well, the FBI have got him now and I’m sure they’ll get him to talk. Agent Shaw has made it very clear that we’re to stay out of her way from now on, though. I think we’re probably going to be facing charges.” She tried to keep her voice light but she failed miserably. She’d known what she was doing going in, but now that she was faced with it, she was feeling a lot less brave than she had.

  “Well, there’s no point worrying about it until we know what we’re dealing with, Kat. There’s something else I want to do right now.”

  “I’ve just told you that Agent Shaw has told us to stay out of it, Kyle. I don’t want to make it any worse than it is.”

  Kyle shook his head. “This isn’t about with this case, Kat. This is about Alex. He told me all about his conviction while we were together and I think that’s he’s innocent. I don’t think he should be in prison at all.”

  Kat laughed out loud. “Kyle, I’m surprised at you. You know as well as I do that all prisoners are innocent.”

  Kyle looked irritated. “No, I mean it Kat. I really do think that he didn’t do it and I want to prove it.”

  Kat stopped laughing and looked at him as if he had just told her that he’d turned vegetarian. “You can’t be serious. Have you any idea how much trouble we might be in just now?”

  “I know exactly, but I believe that an innocent man is serving a life sentence for a murder he didn’t commit and that his daughter is growing up without a father because of it. I’m not walking away from that.”

  She could tell that he’d already made up his mind and she couldn’t help but think of Daniel growing up without his parents, and knew he was right. He was an incredibly good judge of character and if he said he was innocent, she trusted his judgment.

  She sighed, resigned. “Okay, what do you need me to do?”

  He shook his head. “No, Kat, you’ve got enough to deal with, with the fallout from this.”

  “No way, I dragged you into this. It’s because of me that you met Alex. If you’re going poking around where you shouldn’t, you’re not doing it on your own.”

  He looked at her hard and she met his gaze, refusing to look away. “Don’t try and do this on your own, Kyle. Remember last time? London?”

  “Thanks, Kat.” He smiled. “Hopefully, this time we won’t be breaking any laws. The first thing we need to do is get in and see Alex. He’s under guard at the moment because he’s still a prisoner. Do you think you can charm your way in?”

  “Need you ask?”

  “Good. What we need is to find out as much as we can about what happened. I’ve got the broad outline but we need specifics. I want to go to the original crime scene and take a look around, too, so we’ll need an address.”

  Kat nodded. “Okay, I’ll see what I can do. On one condition.”

  “What?” He frowned.

  “You stop giving the nurses a hard time. Try and relax tonight and get some rest.”

  “Agreed.”

  ***

  Kat didn’t know where Alex’s room was, so she approached the nurses’ station just outside Kyle’s room. They were busy and short-staffed so didn’t question why she wanted the room number and just gave it to her. She’d been expecting to have to lie to get it; after all, he wasn’t just a normal patient, and was pleased she didn’t have to.

  The room was located on the next floor up, so Kat found the stairs and made her way up. It was obvious which room it was as soon as she opened the door. About half way up the corridor, there was a prison guard sat on a chair with a bored expression on his face. Ducking into the nearest bathroom, she checked her appearance in the glass. She straightened her hair and applied a fresh coat of lipstick from her purse and took a deep breath. Here goes.

  Walking towards him, she made sure that she looked confident and entitled to be there. He looked up as she approached, his bored expression never wavering and not bothering to stand. “I’m here to see the prisoner,” she said as she went to walk past and into Alex’s room.

  “Whoa.” The guard stood up. “And who might you be?”

  “Agent Daniels.” It was the best she could come up with on short notice. She smiled at him, giving him the full benefit of her smile. “You mean to say you haven’t heard of me?” She batted her lashes a little, making herself feel sick in the process.

  It seemed to be working, though, as the guard grinned at her. “I haven’t, but I’d like to know more.”

  Kat giggled. Oh. My. God. She’d actually just giggled. “Well, maybe when I’m off duty we can have a cup of coffee or something.” She frowned and checked her watch. “But it’s not looking good. If I don’t get this interview done soon my boss will have me doing overtime for the rest of the week.”

  It worked. He glanced around before jerking his head toward the door. “Go on. I’ll grab your number on your way out.” He winked.

  Turning away quickly before the smile slipped from her face, she opened the door and went in. It was a risk; they didn’t even know if he was well enough to talk to her but Kyle had said that the doctors wouldn’t tell him anything.

  She needn’t have worried. The back was raised on the hospital bed and Alex lay there propped up, eyes open, watching her curiously.

  “Not a pretty sight, I’m guessing,” he said matter- of-factly.

  Her eyes must have reflected the shock she felt at the sight of his severely beaten face. “Gosh, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to stare.” She dragged her eyes away from
his wounds, embarrassed. “I’m Kat, a friend of Kyle’s.”

  Now it was his turn to look surprised. “Oh, I assumed you were a doctor.”

  She shook her head. “No, Kyle asked me to come and see you. I haven’t got long because I’m not supposed to be in here, but Kyle believes you’re innocent and he wants to help you.”

  Alex shook his head, the movement making him wince in pain. “No, you tell him from me, he’s done enough. If it wasn’t for him, I’d still be living that nightmare. I know I’m going to spend the rest of my life in prison, but at least I won’t be murdering people.”

  “Have you actually met Kyle? Look, he’s going to do this anyway, with or without your help, it would just be much easier with it.” She shrugged. “What have you got to lose?”

  He paused for a couple of beats before nodding. “I don’t know who you people are or where you came from, but thank you. Just tell me what you need.”

  Smiling, Kat pulled up a chair next to his bed, pulled a pad and pen out of her purse and got started.

  Forty-Six

  “So what do we have?” Kyle was impatient to get started. They’d only just arrived back at the house from the hospital. Despite himself, he’d fallen asleep early and had slept soundly through the night until the nurses had woken him at six a.m. to check on him. That was it, though. Once he was awake, he counted the minutes until he was discharged and Kat had come to pick him up and bring him home.

  He’d suffered no serious damage, as he’d repeatedly told them, but he had to admit his head was pounding. He’d been told this was to be expected and the painkillers they’d given him this morning were clearly wearing off so he’d asked Kat for some more. Swallowing them now with a glass of water, he waited for Kat to answer.

  “Quite a bit, actually. It was covered fairly extensively in the news at the time so I found quite a lot of information on the internet. That, combined with what Alex told me, gives quite a comprehensive picture.”