“Did he?”
“He drove all the way over to her apartment and threatened to take her home and never let her leave the house.”
“He drove over from where?”
“From here,” she said easily. “Our parents are really good friends.”
“So Elaine’s father lives in Rock Ridge?”
“He’s devastated by her death. He hasn’t left the house since, or so my dad told me.”
“Marcy, when I asked you if Elaine had any enemies, why didn’t you mention her father?”
“Why would I? It’s not like anyone can blame him for flipping out. Any father would go berserk if he discovered his daughter was a drug-addicted prostitute.”
It was a valid point, but Kate’s gut was telling her that Elaine’s father didn’t just disapprove of his daughter’s risky lifestyle, so she asked, “What does he do for a living?”
Marcy rolled her eyes, saying, “The same thing my dad does. He’s a surgeon.”
Suddenly, Kate’s chest felt tight, and urgently she asked, “Was he at the fundraiser the other night?”
“If he was, my dad would kill him for not supporting Celia.”
He could’ve been there anyhow, thought Kate. Maybe he was supporting Dean privately or maybe, just maybe, he had wormed his way into the benefit for no other reason than to get rid of the daughter he couldn’t control.
Marcy was staring at her and finally said, “Whoa, you can’t think that Elaine’s dad killed her?”
Kate locked eyes with her and said, “That’s exactly what I think. Tell me his name.”
Chapter Eleven
Sitting in her idling truck, she watched the hospital’s entrance doors whoosh open, as a nurse hurried inside. Kate blew on her steaming cup of coffee and took a sip. The morning sun was glaring through the parking lot so she flipped the visor down and wondered whether or not she was crazy.
She hadn’t told Scott about Marcy Clapton’s unexpected admission last night mainly because it disturbed her far too much. This was the second instance of a parent murdering their own child to spare themselves from embarrassment, and she just couldn’t stand it. What was becoming of the world?
Elaine’s father would’ve had the money and resources to get his daughter real help if he was so concerned. She could’ve gone to rehab. She could’ve cleaned up her life if she had the means. Why kill her instead?
Maybe Elaine had come to like the life she was leading. Not everyone working in the sex industry had been strong-armed or coerced into the life. It’s possible that Elaine could’ve enjoyed it. Perhaps she’d been in denial about her drug addiction and thought it wasn’t that bad. But even if that had been her mentality, it didn’t mean she wouldn’t have eventually hit rock bottom and want to change. Nothing was set in stone, after all.
And Kate’s own life was a prime example of that. Sure, being a handy woman wasn’t a health risk like shooting heroin was, but she now felt ready to move on from her fix-it lifestyle and perhaps try something entirely new. And Elaine could’ve very well done the same.
Kate leaned back against her seat, drinking her coffee and wondering about her own options. The fact that Scott had suggested that she work as an informant was certainly appealing. But at the same time, Kate had never been one to follow the rules. If she worked with the police, she’d definitely be expected to do just that. Would she want to sign up for that type of dynamic?
Competing with the option of working as an informant was the possibility of being voted in as mayor of Rock Ridge. She knew it was unlikely but couldn’t stop fantasizing about it. If she were mayor, would she be able to improve the economy? Could she balance the budget? Could she run this town in a way that satisfied the residents?
She really wasn’t sure. However, the notion of becoming mayor was so appealing that she had often found herself daydreaming about giving speeches and making arguments in the debate.
She wouldn’t want to do that to Dean, though. She had always considered him a close friend, and he would be crushed to find her running against him.
Did he already know that her name had been added to the ballot?
She cringed and hoped not. If he heard it from anyone, it should be her.
It would be nice, however, to knock Celia Demblowski down a notch or two, but that wasn’t a good enough reason to launch headlong into a well-planned campaign.
Kate shook off her daydreaming and focused on the hospital.
Last night, Marcy had told her that Elaine’s father was a surgeon named Gerald Benson. After a quick Google search, she had learned that Gerald had moved his family to Rock Ridge from Milwaukee when Elaine was only five years old. He vacationed in the Bahamas and went to several conferences throughout the world. Kate had researched the type of surgery he did, and according to his expertise, she had no doubt in her mind that Gerald had dragged Elaine into the coat room that night and stabbed her with a lethal dose of her favorite drug.
The problem Kate did have, however, was that she hadn’t formulated a good enough excuse to approach the doctor. She had to assume he would be busy, rushing around the hospital and saving lives. What could she possibly tell the front desk to gain access to Gerald’s specific wing of the hospital?
Though she had no idea, she climbed out of her truck anyway, set her empty coffee cup into the cup holder on the dash, and after locking up, made her way through the sliding glass door.
She approached the front desk with caution, brainstorming as she went for what to say.
“Can I help you?” asked the woman behind the counter.
“I hope so,” she said, fumbling for her ID. “I heard Gerald Benson is one of the best for knee replacement surgery.”
“He is,” said the woman without affect. “Do you have an appointment?”
“You know,” said Kate. “I thought I did. I used the hospital website, but I think the confirmation email went straight into my spam.”
“I can look you up,” she offered. “What’s the name?”
“Uh...” She knew this wasn’t going to work, but she said, “Kate Flaherty,” anyway.
After typing the name into her computer system, the nurse began shaking her head. “I’m sorry, no. We don’t have you.”
“Oh, you know what? Try York, that’s my married name.”
“Kate York?” she confirmed before typing, and then again apologized.
“I’m no good at the internet,” Kate said. “Is there anyway I can see the doctor?”
“I can’t guarantee when he’ll be available,” she said. “But I’ll call up to his office and let them know you’re on your way. He’s on the third floor and the elevators are straight back.”
“Thanks,” said Kate, feeling a rush of adrenaline.
She found the elevators easily and rode one to the third floor, which appeared to be where the majority of the doctors’ offices were.
After trailing down the hallway, she came to a door with Gerald Benson’s name on it and entered quietly. There was a receptionist seated behind a desk, but Kate didn’t approach right away. Instead, she glanced up the hall to see if Gerald happened to be floating through.
A woman stepped out into the hall and turned as she said, “Thank you so much, Dr. Benson.”
As the woman walked toward the desk, nearing Kate, she saw an older man in a white coat step into the hall, his face buried in a patient chart.
Kate stepped aside as the other woman exited out of the office. She then watched Gerald set the patient chart on the desk and say, “I need some air.”
“Yes, doctor,” said the receptionist, who immediately began typing the notes from the patient chart into her computer.
Gerald passed Kate, walking out into the hallway.
She watched him over her shoulder and when he turned the corner, she quietly traipsed behind him. As she rounded the corner after him, she saw a stairwell door drift shut.
She caught it before it could make a sound in the doorjamb and slipped ont
o the landing.
She could hear Gerald trekking down the stairs. Being as quiet as possible, she followed him, and then paused at the sound of the basement door whooshing open.
Again, she caught the door as Gerald walked briskly through the hospital’s second parking area in the sub-basement.
She peered out and watched as the man neared a nurse, who seemed to be waiting.
“Hans is out on bail,” said the nurse.
“Try not to panic. We knew he would be.”
“I heard the police are still investigating,” she said sounding worried.
“Elaine had dozens of terrible friends. All that the police are going to think is that one of them killed her.”
“How can you be so sure?” she asked, grabbing his collar.
For a hot second, Kate thought the nurse was going to hit Gerald, but she buried her face in his chest instead and began crying.
When she lifted her face again, she pleaded, “You have to make this go away. I don’t care how you do it. I can’t sleep.”
“I’m telling you, Roxanne. Everything is going to work out. All you have to do is remain calm and go about your business.”
“You say that like it’s easy,” she cried.
As their voices lowered, Kate scanned the parking lot. If there was a cement pillar, she could scurry up behind it and get closer. But there wasn’t one.
Obviously, Gerald had killed his daughter, and this poor nurse was riddled with guilt because of it. What Kate needed was proof—hard evidence that she could take to Scott and put this entire investigation to bed once and for all.
Thinking fast on her feet, she pulled her cellphone from her pocket and cued up the recorder app. When she lifted her eyes, she saw Gerald and the nurse kissing.
She needed them to start talking again and they were in the throes of making out. She cursed under her breath, racking her brain for what to do next.
She would bluff.
It was her only shot.
Though she felt anything but, she confidently strode out through the parking lot, which caused them to startle, and she locked eyes with Gerald Benson as she lifted her cell phone.
“You killed her,” she stated. “I recorded your entire conversation.”
The nurse’s mouth dropped open, but Gerald didn’t seem rattled.
Kate continued, saying, “You were at that event. You followed Elaine into the coatroom or dragged her there. You killed your own daughter because she was an embarrassment.”
“I’m going to call my attorney,” he announced.
But the nurse said, “That won’t be necessary.”
From the corner of her eye, Kate saw the nurse thrust her hand up, but it wasn’t until she felt the prick of a needle sinking into the side of her neck that she understood what the woman had intended.
And it wasn’t a second later that Kate went limp and fell into Gerald’s arms.
Chapter Twelve
When Kate woke, she had no concept of whether minutes had passed or hours. A bright light was shining in her face and a moment later, she realized that she was strapped to a table.
She was in some kind of hospital room, but it was quiet, too quiet to be in the actual hospital.
As her eyes adjusted to the glare, she sensed she wasn’t alone.
“I know who you are,” said a woman, who Kate quickly identified as the nurse from the basement. “You’re the Police Chief’s wife.”
“Let me go.”
“I think we both know that’s not going to happen,” she said as she circled Kate.
“Why are you covering for him?” Kate demanded. “I could see how upset you were that he killed his daughter.”
“He didn’t,” said the nurse.
Before she could go on, Kate remembered her name and blurted out, “Roxanne, he’s lying to you.”
“No, he isn’t. He’s protecting me.”
It took a long moment for the ugly truth to dawn on Kate, but when it did, she asked, “It was you? You killed Elaine? Why?”
“Because my husband didn’t have the balls,” she said frankly. “Do you have any idea what it’s like to watch your own daughter destroy herself? To watch her sell her body? Do you know what it feels like to desperately try to stop her, and nothing works because she likes her life and sees nothing wrong with it? I couldn’t take it anymore!”
Roxanne plucked a syringe off of a nearby tray and squirted liquid.
“She should’ve stayed in New York,” she went on. “She shouldn’t have come back here. You think I wanted to kill her?”
“Don’t,” said Kate, as Roxanne brought the needle to her neck.
“Oh, don’t worry,” she said. “This isn’t a sedative. If you’re anything like Elaine, you’ll thank me.”
“Elaine didn’t thank you for killing her.”
“She thanked me for killing her with a heroin overdose,” she countered.
“I doubt that,” Kate said, spitting through her teeth at the vile woman. “You’re sick.”
“And you’re all alone,” she said, leaning over Kate. “No one will hear you scream. No one will know what happened. When they find your body in a dumpster, and the medical examiner runs tests, everyone will think you died of a heroin overdose. And there will be no investigation.”
“You’re out of your mind,” she yelled, twisting under the straps that braced her to the table.
Roxanne cooed, “Hold still, now,” and brought the needle to her neck once again.
But just as Kate felt the cool metal prick against her skin, the door banged open and Gerald burst into the room.
Roxanne straightened up in shock.
“You can’t do this,” he insisted.
“It’s as good as done.”
Before Kate knew what was happening, Gerald lunged at the nurse and wrestled the syringe out of her hand.
“We can make this go away!” Roxanne shrieked. “Let me kill her!”
“She’s not the only one who knows!” he yelled. “It’s all over, Roxanne!”
“It’s not!”
Gerald braced her on the ground, pinning her hands over her head. “It is. I called the police.”
“You what?” she exclaimed, writhing beneath him.
In an exhausted voice, he said, “I’m sorry.”
As Roxanne began screaming and writhing beneath him, Kate turned her head toward the open doorway just as Scott and a cluster of police officers were racing into the room.
The uniformed officers swarmed Roxanne and handcuffed her as Scott rushed to Kate’s side and began tearing the straps off of her. “What were you thinking?” he asked quietly and without a shred of anger.
“I only wanted to confront Gerald.”
“Well, Gerald didn’t do it. His wife did.”
“Yeah,” she said, sitting upright. “I got that.”
She tried to stand from the table, but Scott wouldn’t let her.
“Let’s get you to a hospital,” he said.
“Isn’t that where we are?”
It wasn’t until the medics arrived, helped Kate into a wheelchair, and rolled her outside as Scott trailed behind that Kate realized she had been in a house.
As they neared the ambulance, Scott took her hand and said, “I’ve given it a lot of thought, and I’d rather you be mayor of Rock Ridge than an informant who’s constantly in harms way.”
“You heard?”
He smiled down at her and said, “Word travels fast in Rock Ridge.”
Chapter Thirteen
A week later, Kate stood beside Scott at the front of the town hall. The lights were bright and the room was filled with residents. Maxwell was seated in the front row, holding Josie on his lap. Celia Demblowski, who was sitting off to the wayside and looking sour, unfolded her arms and feigned a congratulatory smile at Kate.
Well, it was something.
Hans Geoffrey had flown back to Sweden, and Taylor Rheingold had returned to Norway, giving Kate a sense that corrup
tion no longer threatened her town.
From the podium, Dean Wentworth expelled a heavy a sigh, glanced out at the crowd, and said, “Ladies and gentlemen of Rock Ridge, your new mayor, Kate York!” The room broke out in applause.
Kate couldn’t believe it. She had spent the week debating against both Celia and her good friend Dean. She wasn’t used to making political arguments and often she had garbled her words, but still, her views on the various issues had shined through and, ultimately, the residents had voted her into office. And she had managed her busy week by juggling a slew of fix-it jobs so that her long-standing customers wouldn’t have to go without.
This was the start of something very new and completely unexpected, she thought as she walked across the stage toward Dean.
He handed her the keys to the city, and they posed, holding still and smiling, while cameras flashed.
Dean gestured for her to step forward and take the floor. She rested her hands on the podium and smiled. She had dreamed of this moment and couldn’t quite grasp that it was finally here.
She kept her acceptance speech short and sweet, assuring the residents that she would do everything in her power to keep the economy healthy and Rock Ridge safe. As she wrapped it up, she saw Carly seated beside Larry in the crowd. Her friends were smiling proudly at her.
At least some things would never change.
As she stepped aside, Dean took the stand and reminded everyone about the election party at the amusement park later in the evening. With his retirement, Dean was going to pour his heart and soul into the park and also resume his post at Wentworth Contractors. And he had also agreed to take on Kate’s customers so that they could get their repairs done at fair prices.
Kate stepped down from the stage as the residents began filtering out the back.
Scott pulled her in for a big hug, saying, “I’m so proud of you,” before giving her a kiss.
When she turned, she found Carly and Larry approaching, but it was Celia who reached her first.
The older woman said, “I really am happy for you, Kate.”
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