She felt a huge weight lifted after the lawyer had visited. The next thing on the agenda had been to speed up her move to Oklahoma. The lawyer had been confident of things being wrapped up by Thanksgiving. She was determined to have the children away from the city and safe by then.
Nicky was amazing. She was patient with both of the small children and her calm demeanor helped to settle them into a routine with Emma. Her parenting experience was also huge benefit in showing Emma how to become a parent herself. Nicky was such a support when it came to the frequent meltdowns they were experiencing from a very emotional Adie. She always knew the right thing to say whenever the situation got the best of Emma.
Leo was so small that apart from being unsettled and fussy for a few days, he was soon into a different routine and much happier. Mainly thanks to the constant reassurance and attention he had from both Emma and her mom. The child therapist that had been assigned to them to help with the bereavement was working closely with Nicky to reaffirm how to deal with the emotional issues, and with time they hoped that Adie would be much better.
Emma had done very little work during the week following Lily’s death. She had been in daily touch with Jennie and kept an eye on things from a distance. Both of the children were now settling well with her mom. Her dad was due in later that evening and whilst her Mom was bathing the kids and settling them to bed, she decided to have a look through some of the files she had in her briefcase.
As she opened it and took out her laptop, the mysterious brown package caught her attention. She remembered how strange it was when she received it so late on a Friday. Still, it couldn’t have been anything important because she hadn’t heard anything from Jennie to state that they were missing any documents. Taking it in her hands, she checked it over again and noticed that it was inconspicuous.
Carefully ripping the seal down the side of the document holder, she pulled out the paperwork, but wasn’t quite ready for what she uncovered. She shook as she saw photographs and copies of emails and texts relating directly to Gary. She froze when she realized just what she was holding. It was evidence that Lily and Gary’s deaths weren’t a random incident. They were targeted and the series of events leading up to their deaths were outlined in the texts and emails she was staring at. Suddenly she realized that she needed to contact the police and immediately rang the number that Sergeant Davis had given her. It rang out for a few seconds before the stern voice answered, “Pete Davis speaking, how can I help you?”
Emma waivered before she spoke, “Hello, Officer Davis? It’s Emma McKellan here.”
“Miss McKellan, well, I wasn’t expecting to hear from you.” The surprise was evident in his voice. “What can I help you with, ma’am?”
“I think you need to see something. I was handed an envelope when I left the office on Friday, and with everything that has gone on, I had totally forgotten that I’d just put in in my bag. I’ve just found it and opened it. I honestly thought it was a work delivery and so didn’t think twice. It’s a file of papers with photographs and emails implicating Gary in something illegal, I think. Well, this on top of the strange texts and calls I’d been having from Lily the week prior to her… well, you know…” Emma faltered fighting back a fresh wave of tears. “I think this might be important.”
“Okay, Miss McKellan, here’s what I want you to do. I’m on my way. I can be with you within half an hour. Please try not to touch anything more than you have to, and if you can find a clean plastic bag, could you put what you have inside it, please? We might need it for evidence,” he told her with a tone of authority.
“I’ll see what I can find, and thank you for taking the time to talk to me.”
“Not a problem, ma’am. I’ll be with you as soon as I can.” He disconnected the call.
Emma leapt up from the couch and found a large plastic Ziploc bag in the kitchen and she placed the file of papers inside. She made herself a coffee and waited for the officer to arrive. After a matter of minutes, Sergeant Davis arrived accompanied by a rather annoyed-looking Officer Walters. They exchanged pleasantries and Emma offered drinks to the two officers, but they were keen to get down to business. Within a few moments of them taking a look at the contents of the file and adding them to an evidence bag, they both looked extremely enthusiastic at what they appeared to have found.
A barrage of questions followed from the officers about the strange texts and Lily’s behavior over the last weeks prior to her death. Even though a flood of fresh emotion flowed through her, Emma answered patiently and gave them full access to her cell phone. The more they probed, the more she realized that Lily knew exactly what had been happening with Gary. So the wills and guardianship papers she had prepared weren’t just an insurance policy, but Lily’s way of making sure the kids safety wasn’t affected by Gary’s choices. It broke Emma’s heart to think that Lily had sacrificed herself and Gary to save the kids. That made her all the more determined to do the best she could for them.
“Ma’am, I am so grateful for all of your assistance in this. I’m glad that we have this and although a lot of this isn’t going to be admissible in a court of law, it still gives us a huge lead as to what has happened. We can now allocate more manpower to find the perpetrators. I think it’s safe to say, you’ve just found us the evidence we need to make this a murder hunt.” Sergeant Davis’ words sent a chill up her spine. She hoped justice could now be served and they could all have closure.
“Thank you, officers, and I’m just sorry I didn’t look sooner. I feel partly responsible. If I hadn’t been in such a hurry and just opened the envelope…” Tears pricked behind her eyes as they moistened. As the week had progressed she had been getting better at fighting her grief. She was cut off buy a firm Sergeant Davis.
“Ma’am, you can’t think like that. And knowing what we do about these crimes and the people involved, it would have taken far more than this to prevent what happened, so please do not blame yourself for anything. Just remember you’re now responsible for helping to bring these criminals to justice. That should be your focus, as well as looking out for those two children. We will be in touch if we need anything else. I ask that you contact us as soon as you can if you find anything else or you see or hear anything suspicious. I don’t think that you or the two children will be in any danger. The gangs we are dealing with aren’t known for targeting minors, especially those so young,” he tried to reassure her.
“Thanks, officer, and I will.” She showed them both to the door and after taking a few minute to process the latest news, she headed to her laptop for a distraction and managed to clear through a mountain of emails. As she was about to turn off and head in to the bedroom for a long soak and an early night, her cell beeped.
BRUCE J: Just wanted to say hi, and wondered if it is a good time to call? It’s about an idea I’ve had that I want to put to you, but it’s not urgent. B
She welcomed the diversion. So she picked up her cell and dialed his number. He picked up within seconds, “Emma, thanks for calling me. How’s everything? Those kids doing okay? I’ve not wanted to call in case it’s not a good time, but Lou and I are thinking of you.”
“Hey Bruce, we’re doing as well as can be expected. Had a strange turn of events tonight that I’m still trying to get my head around, though. I was handed an envelope of papers last week as I left the office to meet you guys, and I put them in my briefcase, thinking they were work-related. I only remembered about them tonight. It was a file of papers that someone had sent to me implicating Gary and Lily in something pretty awful. I’ve just spent two hours with the NYPD again. They’re sure that it’s murder.”
“Oh, Emma, are you okay? Do you need us to come round?”
“No, I’m not okay, but it would be nice to see you both. Is Lou with you?” she asked, hoping that they would come round and ease the tension she was feeling.
“No, he’s at home, but I’m about to leave the office, and I’ll get him to meet me at your place in about h
alf an hour, if that’s good. I’ve got something I want to ask you and I think tonight would be a great time to discuss it,” he replied, sounding excited at the prospect.
“Of course. It’d be lovely to see you guys. My dad is due in tonight and he and my mom are booked into a hotel for the weekend so it would be nice to have the company. Mom is just helping settle the kids and then heading out to meet him. I don’t know whether it’s more to give me a bit of space or that she’s missed him so much.” She pulled a face and laughed as she explained to Bruce.
“Emma, they are your parents!” Bruce retorted, laughing out loud at her remark.
“I know, I know, and now I can’t bleach my memory of that thought.” She joined in and laughed harder than she had in a few days at least, and it felt good. Wiping her eyes on the sleeve of her sweater, she continued, “but it will be good to see you both, too.”
“See you in a while.” She smiled as he hung up, the weight of the evening lifting a bit at the prospect of some nice company.
As she put her cell phone down, her mom emerged from the spare room, overnight bag in hand.
“Emma, honey, your dad’s flight is due in soon, so I think I’ll head out and grab a cab. Are you sure you are going to be okay on your own? I feel bad leaving you, but if your dad can get to see the potential client on Monday morning it could be pretty big for his business. We’ll be back by the evening which leaves us plenty of time for being here to help you with the funeral arrangements, so don’t worry.”
Emma stood and took her mom in a warm hug, kissing her cheek, she said, “Thanks, Mom. I don’t know what I’d have done without you. And, yes, I will be fine. In fact that was Bruce. He and Lou are on their way over. I’m just sorry I can’t come with you. I can’t wait to see Dad. Give him a hug from me and tell him we can catch up properly on Monday.”
“Oh, and who were the two men who were here earlier? You looked deep in conversation with them. I thought it was Bruce and Lou at first but I didn’t recognize them.”
“They were the NYPD. It looks like Lily and Gary were murdered.” The emotion was thick in her voice as Emma repeated the explanation she gave to Bruce just moments earlier.
“Goodness me. What does that mean? Are the kids safe? What about you?” Nicky almost shouted as she clutched her hands to her chest.
“Shh, Mom, don’t wake the kids,” Emma interjected before explaining, “and, yes, they seem to think we are all okay and safe. I got the feeling Lil has maybe died to keep them safe. It’s breaking my heart all over again.”
“I know. If that’s what has happened it’s truly heart breaking. Will you be okay?” Nicky then took Emma into another hug and looked her right in the eyes. “You have my number of you need me, honey. I told Adie I’ll be back on Monday when she is asleep and she asked me if was going to die, too. Oh, it tore me apart, but I guess all we can do is reassure her that we hope we aren’t going anywhere soon. She’s a bright little button, and I already love them both to pieces. I’m so glad you’re doing this, honey, and so incredibly proud of you. I know it’s going to be hard, but they have a family here for them and we will love them like they are our own,” she admitted out loud as they continued to hold each other.
Emma knew her mom would be a perfect grandma, although this wasn’t the way she had ever envisioned things turning out. Having such unwavering support from her mom was overwhelming. Hearing her mom accept the situation as if it were the most natural thing in the world made her decision all the more perfect, for both her and the children.
“I know, Mom, they are both pretty special, aren’t they? I just hope I can be the mom and dad they need.”
“You already are, and Lily knew you’d be the best choice. Like I said, I’m proud of you, Emma, and when you finally bring them home, it will be perfect.” Kissing her daughter on the forehead and releasing her from the embrace “See you in a couple of days. My cab is waiting downstairs and your dad will be in soon so I’d better get moving. Love you, honey, take care of those treasures for me,” she said as she placed another kiss on Emma’s cheek. She then walked over to the small bag and headed out to meet Mike.
By the time Emma had showered and tidied up the living area, Bruce and Lou were arriving, both carrying bags from M’s Place. “Evenin’, darlin’,” Lou greeted her with a kiss to her cheek.
Bruce followed swiftly and took her into a big hug as he greeted her warmly, “You look like you needed that. How you bearing up?”
“I’m good, well, as much as I can be, really. Tonight was harsh, but I’m getting over the tears now, I think. I just want whoever did this to get what’s coming to them and then move on.” She sighed, and then turned to look at the bags that Lou was taking over to the kitchen. As she breathed in deeply her stomach rumbled. “Something smells good, I’m actually starving.”
“Jeez, darlin’, we guessed you wouldn’t have had time to eat much, but I didn’t think it was that bad! Eat now or you’ll be waking the kids,” Lou joked.
They all sat at the dining table and devoured a hearty meal. They guys had brought a little of everything she liked and she found out eventually that a little birdy in the shape of George had let them in on that secret.
As Lou cleared away the now empty plates and set to the washing the dirty dishes, Bruce took a moment to have a quiet chat. “I know it may be a bad time and all, but I wanted to talk to you about work before finalize your plans for going home,” he started looking a little sheepish as he cleared his throat.
“Okay, I’m going to need to get things sorted pretty quickly, though. I want to get the kids settled and now with everything, I am unsure as to how I’m going to be able to work like Bill needs me to. Everything is still up in the air but I’m hoping to speak to the firm I worked at when I was younger and see if they maybe have anything part time for me initially. With my savings, I’ll be able to buy a small house outright, enough at least for the three of us and still be able to live comfortably for a while,” Emma thought out loud.
“Well, hear me out. My father wants to branch out and create a branding specific arm of the business, one with me at the helm. So I’ve been talking to him at length today and he agrees we need a second person on board to help. We are looking for someone who has the expertise to deal with the background legal stuff. At first the workload won’t be huge, but it is definitely something you… err… they could do from home,” Bruce quickly corrected himself and threw Emma a hopeful look. “It would be a new entity and I’d be looking for a business partner to come into it with me?” He paused and glanced at Emma.
Her mouth fell open and she was temporarily stunned as she considered what he had just said to her. “What? Me? Going into partnership with you? Even with everything happening right now you’d seriously consider that?” Emma said with a mixture of disbelief and happiness. An opportunity to partner with the country’s leading agency was an amazing break and to be working with Bruce was just the icing on the cake.
“Yes, Emma, you!” Bruce laughed. “I’ve also been speaking with Bill off the record, and he seems to think a partnership between you and me could offer him a lot, too, and he believes it could plug the gap when you leave. He is willing to train Jennie to deal with the basic office based work the firm would still need to field, but he’s happy to take us on as consultants for the more complicated stuff. So, what do you think?”
“I’m speechless,” she replied. “But it could work, especially if I can be home based. In fact, it’s almost perfect. And I don’t need to feel bad about letting Bill down, either. Wow.” She had been worried about Bill and the fact she had to consider leaving the firm to concentrate on the kids. Working with Bruce to slowly build up a business that included Bill was an opportunity she couldn’t pass up. She loved her old job and didn’t want to leave Bill in the lurch and this way everyone was happy.
“Okay, well, you don’t have to decide today, but if you’re interested, then let’s go with it! Talk to Bill and Jennie. I’d jus
t like to say, I’d love to work with you, Emma, and even better to have you as my partner,.” Bruce said.
She hesitated before breaking into a huge grin. This could be the answer to all of her current issues and it was becoming more appealing by the minute. “Thanks Bruce, I am so grateful for everything you and Lou have done recently.”
“Our pleasure, darlin’, and I guess you haven’t told him no. He’s still smilin’.” Lou winked and flashed Emma a smile as he approached, having waited for them to finish their chat.
The trio retired to the sofa and embarked on a movie evening, allowing Emma to be able to go see to the baby when he woke for his feeds. They finished watching a couple of films and chatted idly, putting the world to rights in more ways than one. They laughed and argued and debated well into the evening, but kept the mood light. It had been a refreshing change, which Emma welcomed.
Chapter Twenty-Two
The rest of the weekend flew by for Emma, a mixture of playing with, consoling, then soothing the two orphaned babies in her care. It had been difficult at times. Adie was beginning to realize that her mommy and daddy weren’t coming home again. She had been reassured that things would get easier. With Nicky’s ever-present support in New York, Emma had managed to juggle her newly acquired role as surrogate parent to the two of them over the last week. Now that her mom was away for a few days, the enormity of everything had hit her.
She found it was going to be pretty easy to finalize most of the leasehold paperwork for her apartment. That coupled with the immense support she had from her work colleagues and the daily help she had from Bruce and Lou as well as her devoted parents, she was finally ready and packed to make the move back to Oklahoma.
The order appointing her as of the children’s sole guardian was a formality. The judge presiding over their case had already given her dispensation to leave New York whilst the final paperwork was put into place. She saw no need for her to remain in the area when it would be beneficial for everyone to settle in to a new life as soon a possible.
Steeling My Haart Page 16
