by Phil Edwards
Abram walked forward to Jake. Jake tried to prevent a mental image from popping up.
“Abram, how did this happen? How did you and Sheryl…”
“Make love? Well Jake, it’s very simple. First, we—”
“No.” Jake put his hand up. “I don’t want to know…that. But how did you…start seeing one another.”
He walked over to Sheryl and stroked her neck with his hand.
“Yesterday, she came into my room in tears. She said a true romantic had broken her heart. And so we sat on the couch.”
Gary blushed as Abram spoke.
“We started to realize how much we had in common. We’d both lost the people we loved. And so I sat closer next to her and placed my arm on her thigh. Then—”
“OK, I get it.” Jake raised his hand again. “Unfortunately, we have more important things to talk about.”
Abram dropped his arm and frowned.
“Now Jake, what’s the meaning of this?”
“We know what happened to Charlotte.”
“What do you mean?”
“We know who killed her.”
“Was it the environmentalists?”
“Sort of.” He clutched the duck close to his chest. “But it’s more complicated than that.”
“I don’t understand.”
“You will.”
Sheryl started to turn and walk toward the table. Her purse was at the far end. Jake grabbed her arm gently.
“Where are you going?”
“I just need a Kleenex.”
“Or are you trying to get your phone?”
“Abram, make him let go of me.”
Abram walked up to Jake and grabbed his arm.
“Let her go.”
“Listen, we can’t let her call anyone. They’ve already tried to kill me.”
He winced.
“She just needs a tissue.”
“Abram, help us. For Charlotte’s sake.”
Sheryl reached out and grabbed Abram’s arm. The three of them were linked together in a triangle. Abram grabbed Sheryl’s hand with the tips of his fingers. They all waited to see what he would say.
“Sheryl, I know you didn’t do anything wrong. But let’s at least hear what the man has to say.”
“I didn’t do anything at all!”
“That’s what we’ll figure out,” Gary said. He sat down at the table first. Jake sat next, then Abram. Sheryl looked at her purse at the far end. It was unzipped and open. But she didn’t walk to it. She sat down beside Abram and leaned into his shoulder. Then Gary shouted.
“So, you made love?”
Abram nodded.
“Enough,” Jake said. “No more information.”
“Then what is this about?” Sheryl asked. She tried to sound angry, but they could all tell she was simply scared. Slowly, Jake unscrewed the neck of the duck. He took out all the papers and rolled them flat onto the table. Abram chuckled.
“I was wondering why you had her duck. I didn’t know it was hollowed out like that though.”
Sheryl stayed silent. She strained to see what was written on the pages, but she didn’t seem close enough to make them out.
“What are all those papers?”
“We’ll get to them later. First, I want to talk about the changes you made to the community’s charitable donations. I finally know why you chose the Saving Tomorrow Initiative.”
“I told you, we just chose something at random.”
“I don’t think that’s true.”
Jake got out his notebook and double-checked. He was ready to call her on it. To be aggressive.
“Last year, you advocated the redistribution of a significant amount of money. It went from a lifetime charity to a relative unknown.”
“It was for the wetlands.”
“So was your old charity. You see, Sheryl, that was always the problem. It never made sense for you to switch all of that money in the first place.”
“I told you—”
“Let me finish.” He breathed out and calmed down. He’d get through it. But he wouldn’t bully her. “It made even less sense when we started seeing the group you chose do terrible things. Airing radical commercials that didn’t make sense. Making threats to people who got too close to the truth. Do you see the bruises on my body? Those are fresh.”
“I don’t know anything about it.”
Abram grabbed her arm and brushed it with his hand. She pulled away. Jake continued.
“And I know that the Saving Tomorrow Initiative killed Charlotte Ward. They took her from her home and kept her from her medication. They left her to die. Now, why would you give money to an organization like that, Sheryl?”
“I told you.” She was whispering and her accent was gone. He pressed on.
“Here’s the difference between when you told me that before, and when you’re telling me it now.”
“What’s the difference?”
He looked at Gary and then at the pages on the table.
“This time, I know why you did it.”
CHAPTER 46:
Jake smoothed out every wrinkle and fold on the pages in front of him. He had the most important page laid out. It was the weekly schedule for bridge.
“Sheryl, you like bridge, don’t you?”
“I told you, I have a game tonight. I need to get ready.”
“You’ve been playing a lot lately, haven’t you?”
“I always do.”
“She does,” Abram said. “I don’t understand.”
Before Jake could continue, Gary shouted.
“The jig is up!”
Jake sighed.
“They don’t know what the jig is yet. Let me tell them.”
“It’s up! That’s what the jig is!”
“Gary,” he said and waited. Gary stood up and left the room. Jake went on without him. “Now Sheryl, I noticed that until very recently, you only played bridge once a week in this common room.”
“How do you know that?”
“Because Charlotte saved the schedule.”
He waved the pages in front of her. She tried to grab them but he didn’t let her.
“And the schedule shows that every Monday you played a game here.”
“So?”
She was still whispering.
“So, I also know that you don’t control the times for the common room. Mel does. She decides who gets the room and when they get it. Apparently you would squabble too much about it.”
“Right. And that’s the time she gave us.”
“I know that. But then you changed the funding for the community’s charity.”
“Yes, we did.”
She was staring at the aqua tablecloth.
“That’s interesting. Because at that same time, your bridge schedule changed too.”
Abram leaned forward.
“It did?”
“Oh, it did. From one night a week to two. Sheryl got an extra night to do whatever she wanted in the common room. Mel happened to mention to me last week about your switching nights at will, being able to use them whenever you wanted. A surprising amount of power, Sheryl. Now, correct me if I’m wrong. But it sounds like you got paid off for giving the Saving Tomorrow Initiative money.”
She didn’t even bother whispering this time. She was silent. Abram tried to say something.
“It doesn’t make sense…”
Jake continued.
“So the question is, who would be able to trade you more bridge nights for switching the community’s donations? Now, it doesn’t make sense that an environmental group would have the power to give you time in the common room.”
Abram finished the thought, his voice rough as gravel.
“But Rothschild could change the schedule. Mel could.”
Sheryl turned her head and spoke.
“I didn’t know that anyone would get hurt.” Her voice was hard. She wasn’t going to cry today. “I didn’t know they’d do something to Charlotte. They told me that if I s
witched the money to this harmless group, I’d get another night for bridge. Everyone wanted it instead of movie night. Everyone. I just made it happen.”
She breathed out. Gary came back in the room.
“The jig is up,” he whispered.
Jake pulled him down to his seat.
“Sheryl, who told you about the deal? Who presented the offer?” He choked before the next part. “Was it…Mel?”
Sheryl stared at him. She thought for a moment. Then she shook her head.
“A man named Conrad called me. He said that I’d get more time for bridge if I convinced everyone to donate to the Initiative. All I had to do was keep it secret. He sounded so…harmless.”
“Who’s Conrad?” Abram asked.
“He’s Rothschild’s assistant.”
“So this was all Rothschild’s doing?”
“Yes.” Jake tapped his pen on the table quickly. It left dark blue dots on the fabric. “Simeon Rothschild was behind the entire thing. He’s the man behind the Saving Tomorrow Initiative.”
Just as he said it, Mel opened the door.
“What’s happening here?”
Jake turned to Sheryl.
“How did you call her?”
“No Jacob,” Gary said. “I did.”
“Why?”
Mel sat down beside Jake. He looked at her quickly and covered his notebook. Gary reached out toward Mel.
“Jacob, I know you are trying to be careful. But you have to trust Mel. When I left the room, I found a telephone and called her. She needs to know what happened. You know you can trust her. I’m positive she didn’t have a part in any of this.”
Jake wasn’t so sure. He looked in her eyes as she waited for him to talk. He told her everything that had happened. As she listened, her eyes widened. Then they started to shine, wet with tears.
“I don’t understand.” She was calm at least. “I’m guilty too, aren’t I?”
“How?” Abram asked.
“I gave Sheryl the extra nights. I run the schedules. I’m a part of it.”
“Did you know what the extra nights were for?”
“He just told me what to do.”
“Who did?”
“Simeon. He just told me to give Sheryl an extra night each week. And I can’t argue with him, you know that.”
“I know.” Jake put his arm around her and held her close. He could feel her heart beating as she shook. It could be an aggressive thing to believe in somebody. As she calmed down, Abram took off his hat.
“But I don’t understand. Why would Rothschild help an environmentalist group that was campaigning against the Development Proposition? Why would he kill…”
Jake didn’t make him say her name.
“Charlotte was learning too much about the Saving Tomorrow Initiative. She started investigating bridge when Sheryl kicked her out. Then she realized there must be a reason that Sheryl had gotten more days, so she started investigating everything Sheryl had done. Including the group. Eventually, she traced them back to Rothschild. Maybe she had already threatened him. And that would have ruined everything: all the money, all the investment, and all of his plans for the group. She made too many calls and learned too much.”
Mel sighed and brushed her hair back. She looked good, despite having cried a few minutes before. Jake wiped a tear off her cheek. She smiled faintly. She was whispering too.
“How did you know? How did you figure it out?”
“I didn’t, at first. I had to wait for it to hit me over the head.”
“What do you mean?”
“I didn’t realize until I found out that Mr. Rothschild owned my apartment building. I saw Javier working there today.”
“How did that help?”
“Because there weren’t any marks on my door the day I was attacked. That’s because they didn’t have to break in. They just used their copies of my key.”
“And that’s why the girl was in your building!” Gary shouted.
Mel looked at Jake sideways. He mumbled an answer.
“They installed someone in the apartment next to me. Since Rothschild owned the building, that was easy. And they paid her to tip them off to my whereabouts. Once I realized that Rothschild was behind that, I knew there had to be a connection to what happened at Sunset Cove.”
Sheryl interrupted.
“And then you looked at the bridge schedule.”
Her accent was back and she sounded tough. Her fists were on the table, clenched. Abram had his jaw shut tight, and Mel was biting her nails.
“Now,” Sheryl said, “I don’t know if you can trust me. But I swear I had no idea. I want to get him for this. I don’t want him to get away with what he did.”
“Oh he won’t,” Gary said. “The jig—”
“Is up,” Jake finished. He had to be aggressive. Firm with her. “Sheryl, you can’t be a part of this. You’ve done enough already.”
She put her head in her hands. Abram shouted.
“It still doesn’t make sense. Didn’t Rothschild want to develop on the wetlands? Why would he support a group that was fighting for people to vote against him on the Development Proposition?”
“I think I know why,” Jake said. Mel looked at him, surprised. He continued. “But we have to make sure that anything we accuse him of sticks. I have a plan to catch him on this. He can’t get away with it any longer.”
“But why did he do it?” Abram asked. Jake clapped his hands together.
“The best way to find out is to ask him in person.”
CHAPTER 47:
The next day, the view was still impressive. Rothschild’s office was as clean as the first time Jake had visited. The leather-bound books sat in back, drowning in sunlight. The blobs of color on his paintings looked more like stains than art. And then there was Rothschild, meticulous in a black suit, his white hair gently tousled, and his chin raised up.
The plan was set. He’d go in and talk to Rothschild while recording the conversation. Then Mel would rush past the secretary and burst in, leading Gary, who’d be there to photograph everything. They’d have a fully documented confession. Jake smiled when he entered the room. Rothschild didn’t.
“Mr. Russo. I’ve been expecting you.”
Jake looked in his eyes. They were darker than his suit. They both stayed standing.
“Good. I’ve been looking forward to talking to you.”
Rothschild leaned back on the desk, barely raising his feet. Then he laughed.
“Mr. Russo, have you gained weight?”
Jake looked down at his shirt. Today it was blue with a Hawaiian print. Gary liked bright colors.
“I haven’t been able to get to my apartment. I borrowed this shirt from a friend.”
Rothschild nodded and moved on quickly.
“So what are you here to talk about today? My favorite ice cream topping? If it will save you some time, I like vanilla.”
“Mr. Rothschild—”
“Simeon.”
“Mr. Rothschild.” He gritted his teeth. “I’m here to talk about something else. I know you’re behind the Saving Tomorrow Initiative. And I know you ordered Charlotte Ward’s murder.”
Rothschild hardly reacted. His black eyes got wider. Then he snapped his fingers. Slowly, the bookcase behind him opened. A man with long red hair emerged, his teeth bared. Conrad. He wasn’t part of the plan. He waved with a bandaged hand. Rothschild flicked his hand forward toward Jake.
“Conrad, will you secure Mr. Russo? I believe you’ve done this before.”
Jake didn’t bother resisting. Conrad sat him down in a leather chair and then bound his hands with elastic cord. Jake glared at Rothschild.
“Your other henchman used tape.”
Conrad finished binding Jake’s hands and secured his legs to the chair. He took his phone and turned it off. No contact with the outside world now. He didn’t struggle, but the binding was tight enough. He couldn’t have moved if he wanted to. Conrad grabbed Jake’s
hands and smashed them on the arm of the chair.
“This is for slamming my hand in your apartment door.”
Jake bit his lip hard enough to draw blood. Rothschild stood next to him. He brushed Jake’s shirt and tapped a flower with his finger. Then he punched it.
“I must say, I’m actually a little surprised. Did you think you could just waltz in here and accuse me of murder? Haven’t you concluded by now that I’m a dangerous man?”
He punched again. Not in the shoulder. Jake felt blood trickle from his nose down to his lips. That wasn’t part of the plan.
“I know what you did.”
“Of course you do,” Rothschild said. Conrad went to the back of the room and stood silently. “I know that you’ve been toying with me from the beginning.”
Jake focused on the pain. He didn’t want to disagree.
“Do you think I didn’t notice, Mr. Russo? Do you think I didn’t notice that you were going to my properties twice a week for no reason? There was no conceivable story except for the one that you were working on. The one that you were going to use to take me down.”
Twice a week. Apparently, Rothschild didn’t know that Mel had been his reason for visiting Sunset Cove. Jake let him keep talking.
“And then, Mr. Russo, I put someone in the apartment next door to yours. I admit you’re quite clever. Telling her nothing. Acting like you’re so insecure. It’s the type of cunning I’d expect in, well, myself.”
He stepped forward. He flicked a bruise with his index finger. Then he hit Jake in the stomach. Something cracked. He tried to release himself but couldn’t. Rothschild reached forward and unbuttoned Gary’s Hawaiian shirt. The tape recorder was bound around Jake’s stomach. He ripped it off and handed it to Conrad.
“I thought you only used a notebook.” Rothschild hit him again, before he had time to scream.
“And then I take the time to do an interview with you and you pretend not to know anything. Very cunning of you, Russo. Very cunning. I was impressed. Asking me questions about my favorite colors! You were toying with me. Taunting me. Asking me who I’d marry!”
Jake looked up, his head wobbling.
“I asked you who you’d hook up with. Not who you’d marry.”
Rothschild hit him again and Jake grunted. The man brushed his hand on his suit pant.
