His gaze looked especially heavy. Was it just this case? I decided to ask. “Is something else wrong?”
He shoved his fork into his rice and leaned back. “My problems seem to be mounting. I also found out this morning that one of our competitors is releasing a proprietary coffee flavor that we’ve worked on developing. They’re hitting us a week before our big debut.”
“Coffee flavors can be proprietary?” I muttered, before shaking my head. “Never mind. I guess, even for a company that’s globally minded, this is a big deal.”
“Without good business sense, we can’t make as big of an impact with our charities. We’ve got to make the money in order to spend it on building the wells in third world countries.”
I nodded. “I see. How did this happen?”
“Someone got a hand on one of our formulas. They’re beating us to the punch.”
“But people who like your coffee are still going to buy it. Right?”
He stared at me. “This is a big deal, Gabby. We’re going to lose money. A lot of money.”
I hardly heard him. My mind started racing. I stood, pacing to keep up with my thoughts.
Garrett stopped talking. That’s when I realized that he had still been talking. “What is it, Gabby?”
“I know why your father was killed.” I closed my eyes as more facts began coming together. Everything was finally making sense. “And why he had that cash and the passports stored away.”
“Please share then.”
I kept pacing with my eyes closed, pinching the skin between them as I sorted out my thoughts. I remembered his dad’s resume. I remembered my suspicions about the pharmaceutical company being the source of this somehow.
“Gabby, please. The suspense is killing me.”
I held up a finger. I just needed one more minute to make sure this made sense before I spouted off my theory.
I had it, I realized. I knew what had happened.
I paused, swallowed and looked at Garrett. “Your dad was a corporate spy.”
His eyes widened. “What?”
I nodded. “That would explain why his resume was the way it was. Your dad was desperate to be on top. I’d bet you anything that his former company was paying him, off the books, for him to give them the scoop on what was being developed at this company.”
Garrett nodded as he considered my words. “Pharmaceuticals are a highly competitive field. But there are clauses, papers that you sign before you start working there.”
“That won’t stop some people. Your dad was probably making a lot of money from the deal. Maybe enough that he finally felt like he could compete with the money your mom already had from her upbringing. You said your dad was a proud man. He didn’t want his wife to have more money than he did. It took away from his manhood. That’s why he worked so hard. It was one of the reasons, at least.”
Garrett stood now and looked into the distance. “I suppose that would explain why we moved so suddenly when my dad had seemed so happy at his former company. He also asked us not to talk about that job. I always thought it was because it ended poorly or something. But maybe he just didn’t want anyone to know that he’d worked there.”
“I think someone figured out what he was doing. I think they confronted him. Wimbledon Pharmaceuticals probably stood to lose millions of dollars.”
He shook his head. “But there are patents and processes. I’m not sure how easy it would have been.”
“But if one company doesn’t dominate the market, then the prices have to be competitive. Garrett, you have to admit that it would be reason enough for some people to murder.”
“Then who? Vic Newport?” he asked.
I shook my head. “I don’t think so. But it was someone inside the company who was angry with your father. Someone knew he was the traitor. Just like someone at your company is a traitor now. I don’t think that is a coincidence, either.”
“You think I unknowingly hired a corporate spy?”
“What makes them a spy is the fact that they’re so good at what they do. They’re slick. They’re sly. They’re not obvious.”
He shook his head. “I can’t imagine anyone under me doing this.”
“You need to keep thinking then.” I sucked in a deep breath as more clues clicked in my mind. “How could I not have seen this before?”
“Seen what?” Garrett asked.
I reached into my purse and pulled out the picture Cassidy had on her dresser. Winnie was in that picture. Winnie was also in that picture with Vic Newport. I showed Garrett. “Imagine Winnie with different hair, thinner, more stylish. Plastic surgery.”
He squinted. “Okay.”
“Garrett, Winnie Wimbledon is Lyndsey. Your assistant.”
His eyes widened. “No …”
I nodded. “She’s been the one behind this.”
Garrett ran a hand over his face. “This is going to take a while to sink in. I just can’t believe it.”
“This is huge.”
“How could Lyndsey do this to me?” He rubbed his temples.
“Some people might have asked the same questions about your father.”
He shook his head. “Greed. I always vowed I wouldn’t be like my father. I wouldn’t let money rule my life. Maybe the love of money is the root of all evil.”
“What I don’t understand is how she’s always a step ahead of us, even while here in Cincinnati. That’s what doesn’t make any sense to me. Unless …”
His brows furrowed together. “Unless what?”
I pointed to his watch. “You never go anywhere without that, do you?”
“No, it was my father’s.” His face went slack. “I had Lyndsey take it into the shop to be repaired a few months ago. Do you think … ?”
“Money can do a lot of things. Like put bugs into watches so the other side can hear every word we’re saying.”
He pulled off the watch and threw it across the room. “I hate being duped.”
“I need to call the police, Garrett.” And I had to do it quickly. Because if my theory was right and that watch was bugged then—
The front door burst open.
The first thing I saw was a gun. Pointed right at us.
CHAPTER 33
“Not so fast,” Lyndsey muttered.
She closed the door behind her and stepped inside with the grace of a cheetah. A deadly cheetah.
“Lyndsey, why don’t you put the gun down? We can talk this through,” Garrett started.
The look in her eyes was steady. And lethal. And that was the scariest thing of all.
“I knew it was just a matter of time before you’d put everything together.” She stepped closer. “You want to know what happened on the night your family died? Why don’t we reenact it, right here, right now.”
“Lyndsey?” Garrett started to approach her, then seemed to think twice and stopped. “You were the one behind all of this? How could you?”
She sneered. “I’d hoped it wouldn’t come to this. I’d hoped you would just forget about what had happened and move on. That this would be a terrible tragedy. That you’d accept there were no answers.”
“One doesn’t easily forget about the murders of their family.” Garrett’s face—slack just a few minutes ago—now looked tight and angry.
Lyndsey shook her head. “In the meantime, I was going to give you what you deserved.”
“What did I deserve, Lyndsey?”
I couldn’t help but think that might not be the best question. No need to put any more ideas into her head.
She laughed, but it sounded empty. “You didn’t even recognize me, Garrett. You hired me without blinking. Oh, I suppose you said I looked vaguely familiar. But suddenly you noticed me. All of those years I tried to get you to even look my way, and you never did.”
“Lyndsey, I was a different person back then.” He raised his hands, those expressive green eyes coming in handy now as he silently pleaded with her.
“Ha!” The word cam
e out a little too forcefully. “You were shallow. Into the pretty girls. Ignoring the one who’d give up everything to be with you.”
She was getting closer to Garrett and the vengeance in her voice was growing. I had to step in.
“Did you kill his family?” I tried to reconcile in my mind teenage Lyndsey as a mass murderer. I had trouble seeing it.
She snorted, swinging the gun toward me. “Are you kidding? I was sixteen when his family died.”
“You’re picking up where your father left off,” I filled in. “Everything was on the line for him. Edward Mercer nearly took down his company. He would have lost everything.”
“Exactly! One more way the Mercers could ruin my life. He only intended to kill your father. He had no idea anyone else would be home. Too bad you weren’t there.” She glared at Garrett.
“So you’re fulfilling your father’s dying wish?”
She nodded. “I was more than happy to help. Family loyalty means everything.”
“Why pull your cousin Skip into this?” I asked.
“He accidentally killed that lady on vacation, didn’t he?” Garrett whispered. “He was probably messing with the chlorine tanks. I seem to remember he wanted to be a lifeguard.”
Lyndsey smiled. “I’m impressed. I was the only one who saw him do it. I’ve been holding it over his head for years. Only he never knew it was me. I reminded him that if anyone found out what he’d done, who would take care of his mom? She’s still in the mental institution, you know. She’s crazy.”
“You must have inherited the trait,” Garrett mumbled.
Did the man have no idea how to talk to a homicidal, crazy woman? Obviously not!
For once, I was the one reining the conversation in. “Brilliant on your part, Lyndsey,” I offered. “You threatened to turn him in. You knew what he’d done. He, in return, became the Watcher. He did your dirty work.”
“Then you got a job with me so you could really keep an eye on things,” Garrett said.
Great. He was talking again. Not a good thing.
The woman shot daggers at him with her eyes every time he opened his mouth.
“Another brilliant move,” I started. “You rented the car for me. You knew my cell number, my basic schedule. You even had someone follow me, didn’t you?”
“I was hoping they might scare you off. You’re tougher than I thought you’d be.”
“We’re both tough women.” Again, I tried to appeal to her ego, tried to make her feel like we could relate. “How’d you know about Perkins?”
“He called my brother asking some questions about a drug that was taken off the market. I just happened to be in the office when he got the call. Wimbledon Pharmaceuticals developed the drug, but the patent hadn’t gone through yet. Then Edward Mercer sold the proprietary formula to another company. My father confronted him about it, and Edward didn’t care. My father knew what was going to happen. Edward was about to split with all the money he’d made selling our secrets.”
“Then your father snapped,” I filled in. “He killed the Mercers. When he realized what he’d done, he took the drug out of production, doctoring the paperwork and convincing the board it wasn’t safe. He was afraid the police might make the connection.”
“You got it. Thankfully, Pittsburgh was only a five-hour drive away. I convinced Skip to take action.”
“Your plan almost worked, except that Skip somehow got his conscience back and started talking too much.”
Lyndsey sneered again. “I had to take care of him. Just like I have to take care of you now.” She nodded behind her. “You’re going to walk calmly to my car. We’re going to take a little drive.”
A car. Not a car.
I’d seen the writing on the wall with that one. Death by car seemed a little too obvious to me.
“Cars really aren’t a great idea. Too many people might see us,” I offered.
Garrett’s head swerved toward me, an incredulous look in his eyes. I shrugged and mouthed, “Long story.”
“What do you suggest, Shirleylock?” She rolled her eyes. “Yes, I had to listen to every disgusting moment of him flirting with you. You’re a smart girl for turning him down. It’s about time someone said no to the man. He’s been handed everything on a silver platter.”
And Lyndsey hadn’t? I kept my mouth shut on that one.
“I don’t suppose going down to the police station is an option right now?” My idea sounded feeble to my own ears.
“At this point, I have no choice. You’re both going to die.” She raised her gun.
“You always have a choice,” I insisted, not that my voice of reason would do much good right now. But I needed to keep her talking. The more she talked, the less likely she would pull that trigger. And the more opportunity I had to reach my purse and grab my own gun.
Justice, mercy, humility.
How could I bring all three of those things into play right now?
Lyndsey shook her head a little too violently. “It’s too late.”
If this woman would kill her own flesh and blood, she wouldn’t hesitate to end my life or Garrett’s life.
I crept closer to my purse.
“Why don’t you put the gun down?” Garrett urged. “We can talk about this like two rational people.”
Lyndsey laughed, the sound on the verge of madness. “You got your father’s gift of business and cleverness. It’s gotten you far. You’re the type who’ll do whatever it takes to get ahead.”
“That’s not true, Winnie.”
She let out a laugh, but it sounded crazy and uneven.
The woman was spiraling into lunacy. “Your father cost the company millions. Millions. My dad had to lay off workers. New drug production was put on the back burner because we couldn’t afford it. The company put millions into that drug. And your father stole it.”
“He should have gone to jail for doing that, Lyndsey,” I started, again trying to get the focus off of Garrett. “You have every right to be upset.”
Make her think you’re on her side. Don’t let her emotions escalate any more.
“All your dad cared about was matching his wife’s wealth.” Vengeance gleamed in her eyes.
“Some people never seem to have enough. It’s called greed,” I said, stepping closer to my purse.
She scoffed. “It’s more than greed. It’s backstabbing. It’s disloyalty. It’s betrayal.”
“My father wasn’t right in doing that, Lyndsey,” Garrett pleaded, his hands raised. “But two wrongs don’t make a right. Isn’t that the saying?”
I nodded slowly, calmly and took another shuffle toward my purse. “What happened to Smith?”
The smirk returned. “He’s fine. Just locked away at our father’s old place. I figured the police would want to talk to him. I didn’t want anyone putting the pieces together yet.” She stepped closer to Garrett and ran a finger down his chest. “Back when we were teens, you wouldn’t give me the time of day, you know.” She jabbed him in the chest.
“I had no idea, Lyndsey. I was young.”
“You broke my heart. Made me feel not good enough. Not pretty enough. When I came of age, I begged for a nose job. Colored my hair. Had vision-correcting surgery. Hired a personal trainer. I essentially became a new person.”
“The changes were … impressive,” Garrett muttered.
I wanted to roll my eyes. This was no time for Garrett to show his shallow side.
“We all have to pay the consequences for our actions,” Lyndsey continued. “And pay for the actions of our families, as well.” She raised her gun. “Now, let’s get this over with.”
I raised a hand to stop her. “Not to sound cliché here, but you’re never going to get away with this. You might as well give up now.”
“I’ve gotten away with it already. I have a plan for this one, too. Murder suicide. We might as well do it here in the apartment rather than at the house, although your old house would be more poetic. You’ve been talking too
much and we’ve been running out of time. You couldn’t take the pain of your family’s death anymore, Garrett.”
“Anyone who knows me won’t believe that.”
Lyndsey lunged forward and grabbed me. She put the gun to my head with one hand and tossed something to Garrett with the other. “Take those pills or she dies.”
Garrett stared at the medication in his hands. “What is this?”
“The drug your father sold us out with. You’re going to overdose on them. After you supposedly shoot your little girlfriend.”
“There’s got to be another way, Lyndsey,” Garrett said.
He knew what I did: If he swallowed those pills, neither of us would stand a chance.
“Take it!”
Garrett raised his hands and glanced at me. I saw the agony in his eyes. “Okay. Okay. I just need some water.”
“Try anything and I’ll shoot her. You know I will.”
“I’m going. I’m going.” He slowly walked to the kitchen and got a glass of water. Then he opened the packet and raised it. “Should I take them all at once?”
“What do I look like? A life coach? Do whatever you want. Just take them.”
“Okay, okay.” Garrett swirled his water around before raising his glass. “Here goes.”
He popped the pills in his mouth.
If he swallowed that stuff, our fate would be sealed.
“Garrett, no!” I grabbed Lyndsey’s arm, bent forward, and pulled her over my shoulder. Her gun sounded, and I heard a cry of agony.
I just wasn’t sure whom the sound had come from.
It could have even been me.
CHAPTER 34
Garrett hit the ground, glass shattered, and the front door flew open.
Detective Morrison charged inside, his gun drawn. Officers flooded in behind him and handcuffed Lyndsey Wimbledon.
I pulled myself off the floor and dashed toward Garrett. From across the room, I spotted the blood. On his sleeve, I realized.
Thankfully, the wound wasn’t fatal.
I knelt beside him. “Are you okay?”
“I think I’ll recover quite nicely, especially if I can hire you to be my nurse.” His eyes hadn’t lost their sparkle. That was a good thing.
Christy Barritt - Squeaky Clean 07 - Mucky Streak Page 23
