by Curry, Edna
“How awful. Maggie told me Jean Minell spoiled him rotten, so I’m sure he was used to having plenty of spending money.” Candi ate a bite of steak, then buttered her roll and bit into it.
“Charles has admitted bribing several clerks for info on hotel guests.”
Candi couldn’t help smiling. “Jean will have a fit when she learns her darling son was involved.”
“No doubt,” Luke agreed with an answering grin.
“What a mess. Poor Jolene always did seem to find trouble. Or it found her.”
“Well, this time, she played a big part in helping us solve this case. If her letter hadn’t led us to that safety deposit box, we might never have found the evidence your dad compiled.”
Candi chewed her lip. “I’m glad you got it. It should help clear dad’s name. Lots of people think of him as just a habitual gambler.”
“I’m sure it will all come out in the papers. But it may be a bit unpleasant for all of you for a while. Reporters can be persistent,” Luke reminded her.
“I’m sure. Five minutes of fame is usually their limit, though, so we’ll survive. One thing you haven’t mentioned. Who was George’s boss? The leader of the whole gang?” She picked up her coffee and drank.
Luke shrugged. “His first name is John and the last varies with the criminal record. His fingerprints are tied to a dozen alias.’ He’s very slippery and usually stays in the background. Thanks to Bart’s records and George and Red’s testimony though, I’m pretty sure we’ve got him this time.”
“I’m glad,” Candi said.
The waiter appeared to offer more coffee and dessert. They refused both and he gave them a bill, took Luke’s credit card and left again.
“There’s one good thing to come out of this,” Luke said eyeing her over the rim of his coffee cup.
“Yes?”
“Harvey has implicated George in your father’s death and Red stated that George had ordered Harvey to kill Red. So I’m pretty sure George will be behind bars for a long time.”
Candi put down her fork and nodded. “That’s good, isn’t it?”
“Very good. It means he’s not going to be claiming custody of little Jessie,” Luke said with a smile.
“Oh, my God! Of course! No judge is going to say he’s a fit father now! Thank you, Luke! I’ll call the lawyer in the morning!” Candi smiled. Her heart felt as though a huge weight had been lifted off of it.
“I’ll be happy to talk to him or give him whatever info he needs for the hearing. Oh, and the key in Jolene’s purse I told you about?”
“Yes?”
“One of the Chicago PD guys identified it as a locker key. It fit a locker at the bus station. We’re guessing she stashed her suitcase there while she headed for a fast-food place down the street.”
“They found her suitcase? Was anything important inside?”
“No. Only clothes and cosmetics and a paperback novel.”
“Oh. At least we know what happened to it.”
“Right. All finished eating?”
“Yes.”
“Then come on,” Luke said, laying some money on the table to cover the bill. “Let’s go tell the good news to your mom and grandma.”
***
Jessie was asleep when they got to Amanda’s house, but Candi went to peek in on her anyway. She couldn’t believe how much she’d missed the little one. She leaned down to kiss her soft cheek, then headed back to the living room where Maggie and Amanda were already demanding answers to their questions.
She curled up in the corner of the sofa and listened while Luke went through the events of the past days and the news he’d given her earlier.
“I’m so glad!” Amanda exclaimed upon hearing her son had been a help to the police and FBI in capturing the jewelry gang. She broke down in tears when she heard they had identified the man who had caused Bart’s death.
“I always believed Bart was a good boy,” she said. “He could never have forgotten everything his father and I taught him about right and wrong.”
Maggie sat reading the copy of the letter he’d left in the safety deposit box over and over. “He says he did always love us,” she marveled, wiping away tears. “That’s such a comfort.”
Candi blinked back her own tears. “It sure is, Mom.”
They talked a while longer and then Maggie and Amanda said they needed to go to bed.
“We have to fly back to Florida tomorrow, Candi. Are you sure you’ll be okay with Jessie?” Maggie asked.
“I’ll be fine, Mom.”
Luke watched them walk arm in arm down the hall to the bedrooms. “I still have the apartment across the street,” he said. “I’ll sleep over there tonight.” He leaned down to kiss her and their kiss developed into much more.
If only her mom and grandma weren’t right down the hall. She sighed and asked, “Does that mean you want to sleep here tomorrow night?”
“Only if you want me to?”
“Definitely.”
“Actually,” he said, hesitated and stopped.
“Yes?”
“Actually, I’d like to sleep with you every night the rest of my life,” he blurted. “If you’ll have me?”
She stared at him, shocked. “Was that a proposal?”
He flushed bright red. “Yes. Not a proper one, I guess. But…yes, it was.”
Candi laughed and kissed him. “Then the answer is yes.”
“Really? Are you sure? I mean, you don’t mind my job?”
She shook her head.
Cautiously, he explained, “I’m gone a lot on the spur of the moment. My life is hectic sometimes. The Bureau tends to move agents around a lot. Could you live with that?”
“I think so. I’m a writer. I can work anywhere I can set up my computer. I love you, so it’ll be okay.”
“I love you, too. And little Jessie, too. I mean I’m nuts about the kid already. I’ll love being her daddy.”
“You’ll be a wonderful daddy,” she assured him.
The End.
###
About the author:
Edna Curry lives in MN and often sets her novels there among the lakes, evergreens and river valleys. She especially enjoys the Dalles area of the St. Croix Valley, gateway to the Wild River, which draws many tourists who give her story ideas. Besides non-fiction articles, she writes mystery, romance and romantic suspense novels.
Edna is married and is a member of the Romance Writers of America and four of its chapters: Midwest Fiction Writers, KOD, WISRWA and Northern Lights Writers.
Circle of Shadows (half of Deadly Duos #1) was a finalist in RWA's prestigious Golden Heart Contest.
Visit her webpage at http://www.ednacurry.com
Recent or upcoming books:
Mirror Image by Edna Curry
Traveling Bug by Edna Curry
Dead Man’s Image by Edna Curry
4/2010 Secret Daddy by Edna Curry Whiskey Creek Press
8/2010 Best Friends by Edna Curry Class Act Books
10/2010 Bear Trap by Edna Curry Class Act Books
7/2010 Runaway Mom by Edna Curry Red Rose Publishing
2/2011 Double Trouble by Edna Curry Class Act Books
5/2011 Dead in Bed by Edna Curry Whiskey Creek Press
8/2011 I’ll Always Find You by Edna Curry Whiskey Creek Press Torrid
10/2011 Never Love a Logger by Edna Curry Whiskey Creek Press
