Shane agreed and showered quickly. He found a pair of slippers, a fresh pair of underwear in his size, and a robe waiting for him in the shower room. He figured he would beat Kate to the viewing room, as he was ready so quickly. He was surprised to see her waiting for him, with drinks, when he got to the top of stairs. As he reached the comfy over-stuffed leather chairs in the viewing room, Kate handed him another lemon drop, and continued with her account.
“The investigation had been long and complicated, involving thousands of documents which were the individual building blocks that put the entire case together. Your dad kept the master case file copy in a secure place known only to him, while he worked from one of two working copies we now know existed.”
“The final piece of the puzzle was follow-up investigation provided him by Craig Robinson and William Conrad, who had worked together as a team in Mayfield’s task force. Your dad reviewed that piece in a little over a week. We believe that your dad made the recommendation for prosecution about a week before his death, in a document that broke down a synopsis of the case, identifying all the suspects, witnesses, and evidence. It also recommended specific charges for each defendant.”
“Your father completed a flow chart showing the suspect companies and corporations, the identity of the suspects who controlled them, a detailed account of how everything interacted, and an explanation of how the government contracts were delivered to the suspect companies. Among those identified as targets for prosecution, were a dozen state legislators, five local officials of large cities, three United States Senators, six United States House of Representatives Congressmen, and dozens of corporate executives...some of whom were known or suspected crime figures. In short, the case had become the largest public corruption case in American history…or so we believe.”
“The final typed draft of the completed Investigation and Recommendations for Prosecution was delivered to your father for review, as he ordered, just prior to the date he was scheduled to deliver it to Scott Mayfield. By then, the task force had begun to focus on identifying corrupt law enforcement officers involved on the periphery of the case, and organized crime figures involved in dummy corporations.”
“The day after your dad received the final draft report, my dad left for Nevada to work out the final bid rewrites on the Yucca Mountain nuclear waste project.” My grandfather elected to stay at home, and work on cleaning up loose ends with the project. He has never really forgiven himself for that decision, allowing his son to make the trip with an assistant.”
Shane had been patient and captivated by Kate’s story, but couldn’t resist knowing the answer to one burning question. He knew part of this story from the intelligence reports he had read when he had taken this case. He was in an undercover role and he now knew he was the only one out of the loop. He could stand it no more.
He almost pleaded with Kate. “Why didn’t I know all this, and how and when did you discover it?”
Kate slowly lifted her gaze to meet Shane’s, and said reassuringly, “I didn’t know either until much later, after your Uncle Pete contacted my grandfather. They came up with a plan to protect us both, as best they could, and give us as normal a life as we could have, until they could learn the details surrounding our families’ deaths.” Shane frowned and Kate read his mind.
“Patience, my dear, and all will become clear,” she said, confidently.
The double doors opened and the young lady delivered more drinks, an iced pitcher of lemon water, and an iced pitcher of martini refills. Turning to greet her, Kate said, “Delores, this is Shane, and we thank you. I know it’s very late, and this is all we need tonight. Please get some sleep, and good luck on your test tomorrow.”
Delores thanked Kate, said it was nice meeting Shane, and promised Kate she would tell her the results of her test as soon as possible. Delores left the way she had come. As she did, Shane cocked his head for a better view and followed her with his eyes, appreciating that she, too, was very attractive. Maybe Puerto Rican he thought.
Shane glanced at Kate, and realized she had been watching him watch Delores. He was a little embarrassed that he might have looked too hard and too long at this attractive woman. Kate laughed, and said, “Down, boy, remember who you’re with tonight, and at least for this evening, you’re taken.”
Realizing he had been exposed, he smiled meekly, as he made a feeble attempt to change the subject. “Test?” Shane inquired.
Kate refilled Shane’s martini glass, and answered. “Good attempt save! Delores takes her real estate associate broker’s test tomorrow at noon. She is a family friend’s niece, and has worked for our family while she attended college. She decided to go into real estate, and will continue to work for our family, once she is licensed.
“Your family owns a real estate company?” Shane inquired. Kate refilled her own glass, while sending him a stern look, indicating that she wanted get back to the story.
“Yes, we do own and manage a great deal of real estate. My great-uncle, grandfather, and dad became very wealthy through shrewd and honest business dealings, and by keeping their employees happy and loyal. You’ll hear more of that later, though. No more interruptions now,” Kate said, as she shook a finger at Shane, pretending to scold him.
Shane couldn’t resist one more interruption, just to see that pretty, annoyed look once more. He blurted out, “And George/Walter is the wealthy grandfather in the story?”
She returned the appropriate, and expected, cute, yet irritated, look and said, “Stop! You know he is…now no more!” Kate locked on to Shane with a glare that told him to push no further, at least for now, and he yielded, immediately sipping the martini as he shot her a smile.
“Whenever my grandfather, great uncle and dad could, they promoted friends and helped friends along, to strengthen those loyal to our family. They made many people very successful over the years, some very wealthy. We have generations of families that work in our companies. My grandfather knows the names of all his employees, and most of their children. Most of them consider us friends, as well as employers. Delores will be moved into our real estate division, and will have a good life working with us. She’s very bright and very nice.”
Shane nodded and raised his eyebrows. Kate added, “You’ll be invited to her wedding soon. She and I have been friends for a long time. I’m her maid of honor, and you will be my escort, right?” Kate cocked her head up at Shane inquiringly, looking for reassurance. He was taking this well for now, but she didn’t want to risk losing him.
“I wouldn’t miss another date with you for all the money or all the women in the world,” Shane said emphatically.
“That’s a great relief, Shane. I don’t think you could manage what we did tonight with all the women in the world,” Kate laughed.
She continued, “You already have enough money, Mr. Beckett, but we are getting ahead of the story there.” Kate refilled both water glasses, noting that Shane had already gone through half the pitcher of water. “Save me some water, or you’re getting the next refill,” she quipped playfully. “Now no more interruptions, please!”
Shane was wondering how Kate knew how much money he had, and how that little bit of cash he did have could be enough, and if it were enough, what was it enough for? He suspected, however, that he would be wise not to interrupt and question her at this point.
Shane leaned in and kissed Kate passionately, broke the kiss off suddenly, and then leaned back, smiling widely. “Okay, Kate, have it your way,” he taunted, in a poor attempt at looking hard-to-get.
“I didn’t know you were going to be this difficult,” Kate said, actually relieved at his playfulness. Her worry about Shane accepting the facts of their lives had all but vanished. She knew he was wondering what she meant about money, which he did not have very much of, on his own. But, she pressed on with the rest of the story he would hear this evening…about the case.
Kate looked down into her glass, taking on a determined look that Shane found irr
esistibly attractive, and continued. “My dad was murdered…officially, disappeared, while he was in Nevada working on the Yucca Mountain project, preparing the final bid. The bidder against him was Franky Magadinno, the Magadinno crime boss, who remains the obvious suspect in the case.” Shane had already put all this together before Kate made the statement, but he wasn’t prepared for what came next.
Kate’s eyes conveyed the sadness of the facts that followed. “The week after my dad disappeared, Attorney General Scott Mayfield died of an apparent heart attack. He was a health nut, jogged at least five miles every day and was in top physical shape. My dad was athletic, but Scott beat him at racquetball nearly every game they played.”
“His remains were released to a mortuary by the medical examiner before an autopsy could be performed, and accidentally ordered cremated. The cremation was stopped by Mayfield’s family, but the medical examiner later refused an autopsy. Scott was the only person in his office we know of, who had knowledge of the existence of the task force, the identities of those working in the task force, and the fact that there was a special prosecutor.”
“The remaining work of the task force was assigned back to the California Department of Justice by the FBI, and then shut down permanently a month later. The surviving working copies of the case, flow chart, and planned prosecution were removed from the task force office by unknown persons and haven’t been seen since. We have never been able to find your dad’s master copy case file. The last person we know to have had hands on the working file was a California DOJ investigator named Brian Grant, who is now the Carson City Undersheriff.”
Shane leaned back in his soft chair, took a long swallow, draining the remnants of the drink, and looked down in thought. Kate paused, allowing Shane time to digest and examine what she had told him. She knew that every detail she gave him led to a hundred questions. She had planned this conversation for a long time, and the anticipation and planning had exacted an emotional toll.
Realizing her mouth was dry from both stress and talking, she took several long refreshing swallows of the lemon water, and then sipped her martini. The liquid replenished her spirit, giving her strength and a renewed spirit to continue. Kate glanced at Shane, who was looking at her intently, and knew he was running through these questions in his mind, looking for answers. She remained silent for more than a minute, allowing him to collect his thoughts. She freshened both their drinks.
Shane continued to watch Kate, as she continued. “When Attorney General Mayfield died, your mother and father rushed you to your Uncle Pete’s, and he took you to a friend’s mountain cabin in the Sierra Nevada range, near Markleeville, California. The plan was simply to lay low, while your dad planned his next move. You must remember that, because the very next day your mom and dad were killed in a traffic accident.” Shane looked down, as tears filled his eyes. He was barely able to nod his head.
Kate continued, as her voice, cracked with emotion. “A week later, Bill Conrad’s wife was murdered, and he was found dead next to her, with the murder weapon in his hand. The investigation quickly concluded it was a murder-suicide. By the way, Bill Conrad’s family, and his wife’s family, never believed the results of the investigation. After trying to get pregnant for years, it turns out the couple had discovered they were pregnant…and with twins. They had only told their families, and they were all so excited about the news, they could hardly wait for the births. They had planned a multi-family reunion around the births.”
“Craig Robinson just disappeared, and is still listed as a missing person. His wife and daughters believe, to this day, that he was kidnapped and murdered. But the DOJ continues to refuse to assign any manpower to the case. You see where this is leading…don’t you, Shane?”
Shane nodded, continuing to look down. He dried what were left of the tears in his eyes, and suddenly struggled to get back in control. He downed an entire glass of lemon water, and tried to shake off the emotion.
Kate continued. “Pete began his own investigation into these coincidental deaths and disappearances. After several months, he felt all leads pointed to some type of connection between my father’s disappearance, the Yucca Mountain project, Franky Magadinno’s corporation who won the project bid, and your parent’s murders. But Pete could locate no one who would talk or knew anything about the evidence that had been collected by the task force. He only knew your father was working with the task force, and hypothetical connections your father had related to him. But he didn’t know identities of the task force members. He didn’t even know specifics about past murders, disappearances, and suspects. And no one he spoke to wanted to open an investigation.”
“A few weeks later, Pete contacted my grandfather. At their first meeting, Pete explained what he knew, and told Grandfather that your parents had called him just before they were killed. They told him they were driving to meet with a United States Department of Justice attorney that your dad knew and trusted. That was the trip they were on when they died in the fiery car crash you know about.”
“Everything was lost in the car, which exploded and burst into flames when they collided with a semi hauling a gasoline tanker trailer. No bodies, no evidence, nothing was ever recovered. Everything was lost.”
The words, “everything was lost,” echoed in Shane’s mind. He squeezed his eyes closed as hard as he could to keep the tears from falling again. He and Pete had never spoken of the details of the crash. It was just too difficult for him to think about. His parents were killed, and he became an orphan in an instant. He had thought he and his brother Heath were just on a camping trip with his uncle when it happened. He didn’t even learn of his parent’s deaths until a week later.
“Pete had then taken Shane and Heath to Alabama for a brief time, to stay with Pete’s dad, while the family estate was handled and their home sold. Shane had never thought anything about the house. He didn’t want to go back to an empty house full of memories anyway. Now 16 years later, it was as painful as though it were just yesterday, but it all made a lot more sense now. Anger surged in Shane. If he only knew for sure who was responsible, justice would prevail, one way or another, he thought. He and Heath had lost everything, just as Kate had.
Kate sensed the anger growing in Shane and squeezed his hand. She continued the story. “My grandfather used his influence and wealth to investigate my dad’s death for more than three months, with little success. Even your dad’s law firm had no idea that your dad was working on this case for the Attorney General. Our private investigator met with Pete, and Pete connected the dots from your parents to our family. The meeting with my grandfather and Pete followed. Pete asked to continue the investigation with my grandfather. They have been close personal friends ever since.”
“Together, they managed our lives for us, as much as they could, anyway. They agreed to keep us apart for as long as possible, under the assumption that whoever killed our parents knew about their connection, and we may put each other in danger. That’s why I never got my next date, with that older boy I had a crush on when I was 12, until now.”
Kate paused to test Shane’s response, to make sure he was all right for her to continue. He said nothing. She studied him intently. There was no ‘Shane smile’ that lit up her heart. In the last moments, the man Kate was falling in love with, had lost the self-assured confidence, the little boy charm, and possibly the deep concern he had shown for her. It was all gone from his mind and body, as Shane slipped deeper and deeper into anger and hatred for those responsible for his pain and loss.
Kate’s heart began to ache, as she thought she might have said too much, too soon. She wondered if Shane was angry with her. She couldn’t bear to believe that he might hate her, for telling him the truth. Then, in an instant, Shane looked up at Kate, with tears in his eyes and said, quietly, “I will never allow anyone to hurt you or take you from me. I love you, Kate.”
Kate released her own bottled up emotions in quiet sobs, as Shane drew her close and smothered her w
ith tender kisses, first on the cheek, then on her nose, and finally on her lips. They held each other for a long time, as calm finally returned to both aching hearts. Kate stood up slowly and pulled Shane, who followed willingly. They grabbed their towels in silence and went to the dressing room and dressed in their separate bathrooms.
They met and returned to the viewing room long enough to refill their drinks. Kate excused herself to make a phone call, and asked Shane to wait in the loveseat by the fire. Shane did as she asked, amazed that he was suddenly re-energized. He didn’t feel tired in the least. He knew he wasn’t dreaming, and was both sad and happy at the same time.
He wondered who Kate was calling so late, or early, as it may be. Shane had lost track of time, which he now considered his enemy. He didn’t want this night to end, even with the pain he just relived. But he had obligations the next day. He had to change apartments. Details began to race through his mind as his thoughts returned to his job.
Kate returned and leapt into the loveseat, folding her legs beneath her prior to landing, and facing Shane when she landed. He smiled, “You’re going to have to teach me that maneuver. I wouldn’t have believed it possible, if I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes.”
Kate laughed, took a sip of her martini, and began again. “I know you have a lot of questions, and I have a few more answers. I hope and pray this is okay with you. I can’t go back to just being your friend from afar, pining away for you. I’m not 12 anymore, and we both now have a timeline and a case to rebuild!”
The way Kate phrased the statement shocked Shane, but Kate gave him no time to respond. “Shane, your Uncle Pete not only took on the job of raising you and mentoring you through college, he was the contact for all the security that surrounded you for the first few years after your parents’ murders.”
Shane looked stunned. “Security, what security?” he snapped. “Patience, Shane Beckett,” Kate chided, wagging her finger at him again.
The Case Page 11
