Lethal Legacy

by Amanda McKinney

  Gripping the key, she grabbed her purse and walked inside.

  She glanced at the tellers and decided to go with the youngest one. Easiest to persuade, should the need arise.

  “Hello ma’am, how can I help you today?”

  “My name is Victoria Henry.” She laid the key on the counter. “I need to access my father’s safety deposit box.”

  The girl cocked her head and curiously looked at the small bronze key. “Um, are you sure you’re at the right bank?”

  Victoria hid her nerves as she confidently responded. “Yes. Is there a problem?”

  A look of embarrassment shown across the teller’s face. “Oh, no, ma’am. Uh, just, uh, I’ll be right back.”

  Damn it, Victoria thought.

  After two long minutes the girl returned with a short, pudgy balding man.

  The manager.

  “Hello, Mrs. Henry, how can I help you today?”

  “I need to access my father’s safety deposit box.”

  He glanced down at the key. “I think you may have the incorrect key, ma’am, our keys are silver.”

  “He must not have given me an updated key, Mr…”

  He cleared his throat. “Oh, I’m sorry. Blankenship. Tony Blankenship.”

  “Mr. Blankenship. Well then, if this is an old key, how can I access the box today?”

  “Let me look you up in the system, ma’am.”

  Her heart began to pound as he typed on the computer.

  “Ah, Charles Henry. Yes.”

  Click, click, click.

  “Yes, Victoria. He has you authorized. Great. Wow, this is one of the oldest boxes we have. Okay, if you can just show me your ID, I’ll take you back.”

  She handed him her driver’s license.

  “Thank you, please sign here.”

  Moments later, she was in a back room with hundreds of slots lining all four walls.

  “Here you go, ma’am.” He motioned to one of the bigger slots and handed her a key.

  “Thank you.”

  “There’s rooms in the back to look through the contents, if you choose.”

  “Thank you.”

  Victoria stared at the slot as the manager left the room. She looked down at the numbers on the key, and back up at the numbers on the slot. Perfect match.

  Her hand shaking, she inserted the key and the door popped open.

  After looking over her shoulder, she slid the box from its slot. It was heavy. Gripping it with both hands, she made her way to one of the back rooms.

  Taking a deep breath, she unlocked the box. Her heart pounded as she lifted the lid.

  A briefcase. A large, black briefcase.

  She lifted it out of the box, laid it on the table and took a step back. Did she want to open it? Did she really want to know what was inside? She closed her eyes and vividly remembered standing at the teller counter with her father holding a big, black briefcase in his hand.

  She jumped as the door to the back room opened, and several footsteps followed.

  Whether she was going to open it or not, this was not the place.

  She picked up the briefcase, box and key and walked back into the room. An elderly couple nodded to her in greeting. Returning the empty box in the correct slot, she left with the briefcase.

  Her nerves were shot by the time she started her car.

  Now what?

  She needed to get her stuff from the lake house and lock everything up. Then, she’d check into the Four Seasons and call Danny as she’d promised.

  Chapter 23

  “Two thirty-four Walnut Lane.”

  Danny stood up and grabbed his keys. “You’re sure?”

  “Yep, we picked up his cell signal. DNA from the knife and picture from the security camera matches to a Luis Cruz. He’s been using the alias Anthony Ramos for a while now. Has a long list of arrests including drug trafficking and domestic abuse. He’s currently on probation for the last one.”

  Danny felt the heat of anger rise to his face. Apparently, Anthony Ramos, aka Luis Cruz, had no problem hurting women.

  “Any connection to William at all?”

  “Not that I could find.”

  “Thanks, McAndrew.”

  “No prob. Let me know if you need anything else.”

  Click.

  Danny cradled his phone and jogged to his car. Once he got to him, Luis Cruz was going to wish he’d never been born.

  He plugged the address into his GPS and sped to the freeway. Taking several detours to avoid hitting five o’clock traffic, he finally pulled up to the rundown house at the end of a cul de sac.

  Danny jumped out of his car and jogged up the rotted steps.

  “Austin PD, open up.”

  No response.

  He knocked louder. “Open up!”

  He drew his gun, pushed the door open and stepped inside. Sweeping his gun from side to side, he heard the back door slam shut.

  “Damn it!” He sprinted through the house and burst out the back door. Luis scaled a chain link fence and took off at a sprint. Danny darted after him and pulled out his radio.

  “In pursuit of suspect, two thirty-four walnut lane, headed west into the woods.”

  A burst of adrenaline flooded his veins as he sprinted through an open field and into the heavily shaded woods. He lost sight of Luis and stopped to listen, tuning into his senses.

  A cold breeze swept over his skin, birds chirped in the trees above, and, a rustle of leaves to his left. He opened his eyes and sprinted in the direction of the rustling leaves. Luis jumped up from behind a bush and took off. Danny darted after him. Branches and brush sliced his shirt, pants and skin as he ran through the terrain.

  Suddenly, Luis stopped, turned on his heel and drew his gun.

  Pop! Pop!

  A bullet whizzed by Danny’s ear. He drew his weapon as he jumped behind a tree.

  Silence.

  Fuck this. He spun, jumped from behind the tree, and shot in the direction of Luis’s fire. Luis answered back with his own shots and took off through the trees

  Gritting his teeth, Danny pushed through the brush and ran after him. Faster, faster. He was gaining on him. He was so close he could hear Luis’s panting. One more step and Danny leapt onto his back.

  Both men tumbled to the ground. Danny maneuvered on top of him as Luis’s fist flew past his face, just missing him. For a moment, Danny thought of that fist slamming into Victoria’s face. Rage filled his veins as he punched Luis’s face once, twice, three times. On the third hit he heard a crunch of bone. Luis screamed in pain.

  “Whoa, whoa, whoa, Danny!” Two uniformed officers ran up to him, grabbing his arm. Danny pulled back and looked at Luis who was covered in blood and writhing in pain. “Whoa, man, you got him. You okay?”

  “Yeah, help me get this piece of shit handcuffed.” Together, they pulled him to his feet and handcuffed him.

  “Run him by the hospital emergency room and then take him to the station. Charge him with probation violation and first degree assault at the very least. I’ll be in shortly to question the son of a bitch.”

  “Yes, sir, Lieutenant.” The two men dragged Luis through the woods and stuffed him into the back seat of their squad car.

  Danny dusted himself off and took a few deep breaths to calm his pulse. He tucked his gun back into its holster on his belt and then realized his phone was ringing.

  “Wilson, you better have an update for me.”

  “Yes, sir.” Danny heard frantic shuffling in the background. “I just finished up scanning the numbers for the phone calls to the King house before the fire and you’ll never guess who called William.”

  “Who?”

  “John Mortin. That was the day before he died in the ravine.”

  Danny pushed a branch out of his face and began jogging to his car. “Good work. John Mortin knew something. I know he did. And, he was killed for it.”

  “I agree, sir. And, I thought you’d find this interesting…Anthony, er Lui
s, drives a black truck.”

  Danny clenched his fist. “Nice work, Wilson. See you shortly.”

  * * * *

  It was after six o’clock by the time Danny made it back to the station, thanks to evening rush hour traffic and a three-car pile-up that he stopped to assist with.

  He was pissed off, irritated and hungry. And, more than that, he hadn’t heard from Victoria all day, even after he called. Twice.

  He pushed through the front doors of the station.

  “Get Luis Cruz in an interview room, now.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  Danny stepped into his office, checked his messages and downed a can of Coke. Popping his knuckles, he made his way to the interview room when Wilson caught up to him.

  “Sir, thought you’d like to know…Anthony, I mean Luis Cruz, has a large knife wound on his back and fingernail scratches on his face. I’m assuming that’s not from you.”

  Danny nodded and walked into the room. Still handcuffed, Luis slumped over in his seat. They’d wiped the blood off of him and splinted his broken nose, but his face still looked like a smashed tomato. Danny almost smiled with satisfaction as he walked in. He took the seat across from Luis.

  “So, is it Anthony Ramos or Luis Cruz?”

  Luis responded with a snort.

  Danny flung his fist down on the table, cracking the center. Luis almost jumped out of his chair.

  “I don’t have time for this bullshit! You’ll answer every single one my questions, you piece of shit!” Danny’s face was red with rage.

  Startled, Luis sat up in his chair and cleared his throat. “It’s Luis Cruz.”

  Danny leaned forward. “Do you enjoy hitting women, Luis?”

  He paused, contemplating his answer. “Not particularly.”

  “Only when they deserve it, right?”

  He looked down.

  “Why did you hit Victoria Henry?”

  A look of surprise shone on his face. Apparently, he didn’t realize Danny knew. “I didn’t hit her.”

  “Don’t lie to me, asshole.”

  Silence.

  “Luis, do you understand this is your second parole violation?”

  “You can’t prove I hit Victoria Henry.”

  “The fuck I can’t, Luis, she’s here right now, willing to testify, and she’s got a hell of a bruised eye.”

  It was a lie that she was there, but Luis didn’t need to know that. “Why did you go after her?”

  “She had something I needed.”

  Acting on a hunch, Danny asked, “Don’t you mean she had something someone else needed? And you were just the middleman.”

  Danny saw a flicker in his eyes. Bingo.

  “Tell me who hired you to go after Victoria.”

  Silence.

  “Luis, you’ll get at least fifteen years’ jail time for everything you’ve got stacked against you at this point. If you give me some names, real names, I’ll get that time cut in half. And if you lie to me and give me fake names, I’ll make sure your jail time is doubled.”

  Luis contemplated for a moment. “How do I know you’ll do what you say?”

  “I don’t lie, fucker, and don’t ever imply otherwise.”

  The door behind Danny opened and Chief Mason walked in, who had been watching and listening from behind a two way mirror. “Luis, I’m Chief Mason, I can guarantee what Lieutenant Dabrowski has just promised.”

  Luis nodded, and seemed satisfied.

  “Give us names, Luis,” Danny said.

  He took a deep breath. “William King hired me.”

  Danny’s arms tingled as he heard the name. Bingo, again. Chief Mason’s eyes widened and Danny avoided his gaze.

  “Are you part of the CCO, Luis?”

  He snorted out a laugh. “What the hell is the CCO? No, I’m a gun for hire. Which is why I don’t give a fuck ratting William out.”

  “What did he hire you to do, exactly?”

  He paused. “Get a key Victoria has.”

  “A key to what?”

  “Fuck if I know.”

  He probably doesn’t know, Danny surmised. After all, why would William tell him anything? “Did you get the key?”

  He shook his head.

  “So, you failed.”

  He looked down.

  “Does the name Juan Martinez mean anything to you?”

  He thought for a moment. “Yep, he was with William when he and I met to discuss the details of my job.”

  “Are you aware Juan died in the King’s house fire?”

  “I heard that on the news, and honestly, it surprised me. It seemed like they were working together.”

  Chief Mason glanced at Danny.

  “Where is William, Luis?”

  “I don’t know.”

  Narrowing his eyes and clenching his fists, Danny leaned forward. “I’m not going to ask you again.”

  “I don’t know where he is right now. We met for the first time in an abandoned warehouse on the outskirts of town weeks ago. It was some old electrical manufacturing building.”

  Danny knew the exact one he was referring to. He’d send someone out later.

  Danny’s gut told him Luis knew exactly where William was right now, but wasn’t going to divulge that information. For now, he had something else to dig into.

  “What kind of vehicle do you drive, Luis?”

  “Why?”

  “I’m just curious, Luis. Can’t two guys talk cars?”

  Luis’s whole body tensed. The vein in his neck pulsated as sweat beaded on his forehead.

  Danny leaned in for the kill. “You drive a black truck, and you ran Natasha Watson off the road last night. You did it because you knew she saw you trying to break into the gallery, which we have pictures of. You assumed Victoria told her everything. You were tying up loose ends.”

  A moment of silence ticked by.

  “But I have one more question, Luis. Did William pay you to run John Mortin off the road?

  Luis slumped down in his chair and closed his eyes.

  “I’m willing to bet my life that the black paint on Natasha’s car will match the black paint on John’s truck. Am I right, Luis?”

  No response.

  “Why did William want John Mortin dead?”

  “I don’t know. I honestly don’t know.”

  Danny stood. “Luis Cruz, you’re under the arrest for first degree assault regarding Victoria Henry, attempted murder regarding Natasha Watson and first degree manslaughter regarding John Mortin.”

  Chief Mason stepped forward, placing his hand on Danny’s shoulder as if he knew that Danny was about to jump forward and break Luis’s neck with a single twist. “Lieutenant, I’ll take it from here.”

  “He needs to tell us where William is. William is behind everything.”

  The Chief nodded and motioned Danny to the door, to cool off for a moment.

  Giving one last deathly stare at Luis, Danny stood and walked out of the room. He was quickly intercepted by Wilson.

  “Danny…” Panting, he paused to catch his breath. “…you asked me to run Alek Volsky, the Williams’ bodyguard.”

  Danny stopped. Something in his gut twisted. “Go on…”

  “Well, somethings not right there. You said he’s the house bodyguard, and that’s true I guess. William does pay him, but the transactions are inconsistent. Not like someone you keep on staff. Large lump sums, randomly. Well, I cross referenced some of the payment dates with information we have on William, and, it seems he paid Alek on days of significant events.”

  “Get to the point, Wilson.”

  “For example, he paid Alek a large sum of money on his last trip to Mexico. Specifically, on the day one of the men he met with was killed, and another one went missing. He also deposited funds on the day of the house fire, possibly to help stage the house fire that took the life of Juan Martinez. Danny, it appears William pays Alek to handle his dirty work.” His voice raised an octave. “Sir, William just deposited twe
nty thousand dollars in an account in Alek’s name. And, I pinged his location using his cell. Sir, Alek is headed down highway forty-five, on the way to the lake.”

  Chapter 24

  It was early evening by the time Victoria pulled up to the lake house, with the briefcase sitting securely on the passenger seat. The sun had just set, casting eerie shadows across the stone walls.

  She grabbed the briefcase and stepped out of the car. Feeling uneasy, she glanced around.

  The evening was cold and still. Quiet.

  Inside, she laid the briefcase and key on the kitchen table, took a few steps back and stared at it. For whatever reason, she couldn’t bring herself to open it. Not yet, at least. She felt like it was Pandora’s Box. Once she opened it, it would change everything and she couldn’t go back.

  She knew she needed to get to town and call Danny. But, the last thing she wanted was to be dragged to the station to give a statement about Anthony. And she sure as hell wasn’t going to talk about the briefcase, or her father for that matter. She needed a moment to think.

  She needed a drink, something strong to calm her nerves. And a hot bath.

  After pouring herself a glass of whiskey, she melted into a hot bubble bath and closed her eyes.

  Something told her that the whole of her life led up to this moment. The briefcase. She knew deep in her heart that today would change everything. But how exactly, she wasn’t sure.

  Sinking deeper into the tub, she thought of her mother. The mother she’d never met. What had she been like? What would she do right now?

  Her father had always told her how strong her mother was, how nothing could stop her from getting what she wanted. Did Victoria have that strength? Or did she have her father’s greed and ambition? Was she just following in his footsteps?

  Then, a thought washed over her. She could end all of this, right now. End the twisted legacy of her father, which he’d passed on to her, so willingly. She could take the briefcase and the key, walk to the edge of the dock and throw it in the lake. She’d save her family from the doom that was inside it.

  She took a deep breath and sipped her ice cold whiskey.

  Creak.

  A chill ran up her spine. She lifted her head off the edge of the tub, listening intently.