There was so much that could go wrong here. Fear coursed through me. I had to just get this over with. Do what I needed to do and get out of here.
When I reached the bottom of the stairs, I turned on the light.
What I saw blew my mind.
Before me were tables with various kinds of lab equipment. There were flasks and burners and beakers. In the corner, boxes were stacked high.
Moving quickly, I hurried across the room and peeked inside. I pulled out a bag filled with a white powder. Cena.
My theory was right.
Rex’s brother had come up with a formula for these wildly popular synthetic drugs. He’d sold them to pay off his gambling debts, an addiction he never got over.
The man probably had killed himself, but I wondered if it was a planned action or if he’d overdosed. I bet Rex was first on the scene. He’d discovered his brother’s body; he’d discovered his brother’s creations.
And he’d seen the opportunity to make money. A lot of money. Enough money to eventually fund his campaign.
He’d covered up the crime, reported his brother’s death as a suicide, and then set to work on his own evil plan. This had been years in the making.
I pulled out my phone and snapped some pictures—just the evidence we needed—and emailed them to Chase and Jamie. This was the proof we’d been looking for.
“I can’t believe you’d stoop this low,” someone said behind me.
I turned and saw T.J., his gun raised and pointed at me.
I gasped, wondering if I’d had the wrong bad guy all along.
CHAPTER 44
“What do you think you’re doing?” T.J. demanded.
“I’m discovering the evidence you failed to find.” I looked behind him, swallowing hard. He blocked my only way out of the room.
T.J. glanced around the room. “This is quite the operation.”
“I would have never guessed you were behind it,” I muttered. “I knew you were a jerk, but I didn’t think you were a criminal.”
He tightened his face in surprise. “You think I’m the guilty one?”
“I know you bought a mop and bucket.”
He squinted. “I was confirming that you’d purchased them at that very store.”
“Why didn’t you tell Chase, then?” I asked.
“Because I didn’t think I could trust him. I thought he could be working with you.”
I took another step back, still not totally believing his story. “But you’re here now. This is your headquarters, isn’t it?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about. I’ve never been here before in my life.”
“Why are you here now, then? With your gun raised?” I asked. Just then, my cell phone vibrated in my purse. Had Chase and Jamie gotten my messages?
“Because I followed you,” he snarled. “My gun is raised because I’m still not sure what side of the law you’re on. You just broke into someone’s house. Someone else’s house.”
“This is Rex’s brother’s house.”
Some of the arrogance left his face. “His brother is dead.”
“Exactly. This is Rex’s now. It’s also the focal point of drug operations. Orion was just a cover-up. Rex is the real bad guy.”
He shook his head, rebellion in his gaze, a refusal to see the truth. “I don’t believe that. Rex was a good cop.”
“Rex knows how to charm people,” I said.
T.J. still didn’t budge. “I’ve called in backup. They’ll be here soon to arrest you.”
“I think you’re both trespassing,” a new voice added.
My head jerked upward. Rex slowly, confidently made his way down the stairs, a gun in his hands.
T.J. turned toward the sound, his weapon still aimed. “Rex.”
I held my breath, waiting to see how things would play out.
Rex, looking cool and unruffled, reached the bottom level and stared at me. “I underestimated you. I should have offed you while I had the chance.”
“Tell me this isn’t true, Rex,” T.J. pleaded.
I could see the truth washing over his features.
“There are people trespassing on my property. I can’t have that happen,” Rex said. “I have the right to defend my property.”
“Is that right, Caligula?” I said, trying to keep him talking, trying to buy some time.
He smiled, and my bones suddenly felt brittle. I was looking at pure evil. This man didn’t seem to have a soul.
“No one sees Caligula and lives. No one,” he muttered, pacing the room.
“Tell me this isn’t true, Rex. Tell me you’re not behind all of this,” T.J. said.
He sighed. “I’ll have to make sure your body isn’t found until after tomorrow’s election. Can’t have your brother getting the sympathy vote. Now, out to the woods. Both of you.”
“Rex, don’t do this,” T.J. urged. “I don’t want to take you down.”
“You won’t have to.” Rex suddenly pulled the trigger. Three times.
T.J. dropped to the ground.
I gasped in horror, disbelief filling me. Rex had just shot his friend. There was no doubt he’d do the same for me.
“Now, you. Get outside. I was really hoping not to have to do that in here. It’s much harder to move the body.”
“I’m going,” I mumbled. I started up the steps, my hands raised.
My mind raced. Visions of the future filled my head. Images of a future with Chase. Of a full, happy life.
Those pictures were followed by smiling portraits of all of the kids I’d helped so far in my career. All the families I still had to help. I had to fight, I realized.
Rex shoved me through the kitchen, toward the back door. My chances of escape were diminishing quickly.
“You couldn’t leave well enough alone, could you?” Rex muttered.
“I just can’t believe you’re such a hypocrite. Preaching the evil of drugs while manufacturing them.”
“You know what’s not fair? Losing an election because you don’t have the funding. The rich can’t always win. It’s not fair for the rest of us.”
“You framed the one person who helped you with funding. Sounds like a dumb move on your part.”
“He had it coming. Orion was so twisted he had no hope.”
“Let me guess—you caught him doing something illegal, then held it over him as leverage.”
He snorted. “You’re a smart one, Holly Anna. Not entirely the optimist I’d hoped you’d be.”
I turned to face him, praying he’d see me as a person. “You’ll never get away with this.”
“Wrong. When I’m in office, I’ll have even more power to bury this whole thing.”
“You obviously don’t know my family that well. Besides, I already sent the evidence that implicates you to the media. You’re done, Rex. You’re never winning this election.”
The first real sign of emotion flashed across his face. Anger.
“Outside. Now!” He shoved me out the door.
“One more question,” I started, desperate to buy time. “How’d you know about the secret cubbyhole in my attic? You left the buckets and mops at my house and then stole them again.”
“Oh, that’s easy. When I left the buckets there, I installed a camera so I could see how you reacted. I also saw where you hid them, which worked out quite nicely, wouldn’t you say?”
“Why do I have a feeling you didn’t do any of that? You had your people do the work for you, didn’t you?”
“Only the minor stuff, like breaking and entering, switching out bath salts, shooting at you and framing that poor Frank Jenkins. There was only one person I could trust with the major tasks, and that was myself.”
We reached the woods. I tried to slow my steps, but he kept pushing me along. “Your connection to the city and therefore the police station was Evan,” I muttered. “Who works for the mayor.”
He chuckled. “Very good. I got Evan to schmooze with Katrina. She was starting t
o ask too many questions and needed a distraction. They started dating. He let her use his very nice car, gave her a necklace. Women can be bought, I don’t care what anyone says.”
I nearly stumbled over a root, but he pulled me back up by my hair. I yelped in pain, but tried to rein myself in. “Jamie couldn’t be bought. Sorry you were so wrong about her.”
“She is quite beautiful and also easy to charm. I wanted an inside scoop on you—for both underworld and political reasons.”
I was about to chide him for being so shallow. Before I could, someone rushed from around the oak tree in front of us, tackling Rex. They both fell onto the ground.
Chase. It was Chase.
“You should have stayed out of this,” Rex muttered.
Chase swung at Rex’s gun, trying to knock it out of his hands.
A bang ripped through the air.
Pain sliced into my shoulder.
And it was with complete clarity that I realized I didn’t want to die. From a gunshot wound or cancer.
I had way too much to fight for.
But just as the thought entered my mind—just as I saw Chase pin Rex to the ground—I blacked out.
CHAPTER 45
I woke up in the hospital. Was this the end? Now that doctors were doing all these tests on me, would they discover that the cancer had spread? Wasn’t that the real reason I’d avoided the doctor’s appointments? I didn’t want to face reality.
Chase was beside me, leaning over my bed with worry in his eyes. “Holly, you’re awake.”
“What are you doing in here?”
He shrugged. “They let me stay, but only in an official police capacity. I have to take your statement, and such. Plus, I had ulterior motives. Everyone’s anxiously waiting outside for you, though.”
I couldn’t help but smile.
Chase wiped my hair back from my face, his eyes tender and soft. “Are you okay? You gave me a good scare.”
“I don’t know. Am I okay?”
“The doctor said your shoulder should heal fine. The bullet just skimmed it, but you lost quite a bit of blood.”
I nodded. “That’s good news.”
“In other news, you’re never allowed to do that again. You scared me to death.”
I squeezed his hand. “How’d you get there so quickly?”
“You’re not the only one good at reading people. I got suspicious when you slipped away. I figured you might want to be a martyr. I stepped outside just as you pulled out of the driveway. I lost you . . . initially. But then I got your text. Luckily, I wasn’t that far away.”
“It’s a good thing you were around.”
“And it’s a good thing for the city that you were around.”
My smile slipped. “What happened to Rex?”
“He’s in jail. There was more than enough evidence to nail him. Orion finally confessed that Rex pulled him over for driving under the influence. It was his third offense. He would have gone to jail. Rex said he would let him off the hook if Orion would do him a favor. He had no idea that Rex was Caligula.”
“Did he really shoot all of those people?”
Chase sighed, long and hard. “He had people helping him. He seemed to be the master of holding leverage over people, including your friend Little T. Little T—also known as Arthur McGinnis—owned up to everything.”
Another life wasted, I realized. I hated to see it. “And T.J.? Is he okay?”
“He was wearing a bulletproof vest. He’s going to be just fine.” Chase pulled back. “You have a lot of family members who’d really love to see you. You up for it?”
I nodded. “Send them in.”
My family and Jamie flooded into the room. I answered all of their initial questions and insisted I was okay and defended what I’d done. My mom stood at my bedside, tears in her eyes. I knew we needed to talk later.
Ralph turned to Chase. “How about you? Are you still on the squad?”
Chase nodded. “I am. The chief actually looked pretty impressed, probably because his wife’s favorite employee was involved.”
“Former employee. I quit. Besides, you’re still on the squad because they see what a good detective you are. Without you, they would have never nailed Caligula. Or, Rex, I should say.”
Alex shook her head, pushing her glasses higher. “What are you doing for a job now?”
I shook my head. “I have no idea, but I’m sure something will come up.”
“You can always come work for me. I think Rex is officially disqualified for this senate race,” Ralphie offered.
“I’ll keep that in mind. Now, don’t you need to get back to your election headquarters? It is election day.”
He glanced at his watch. “I still have some time.”
“What happened with Brian?” I asked.
“Besides the fact that I fired him?” Ralph said. “He claimed he found out about your . . . condition because he stopped by the hospital to visit you and overheard a conversation between you and your doctor.”
“And I found out why he was visiting Desiree,” Jamie added. “He claims he was campaigning in the neighborhood.”
“And John?”
Jamie grinned, practically beaming. “He came back home last night when he heard that Rex had been arrested. He was lying low, trying not to be discovered. I should apologize because he stole the key to your place, the one you gave me when your family went on vacation last year and I watered your plants.”
“That’s great news. I’m glad John is okay.”
Silence fell for a minute.
Finally, my mom shook her head. “You should have told us.”
Regret pressed on me. “I know. And I’m sorry. I just didn’t want to ruin anyone’s big moment. The election. The wedding.”
“You’re always thinking of other people. That’s what we love about you, Holly. But sometimes, people have to think of you, too,” Alex said.
Chase squeezed my shoulder.
I nodded. “I know. I’m going to do just that. I promise.”
If there was one thing I’d learned as I’d faced an even more imminent death, it was that I wasn’t ready to leave my loved ones yet.
***
Everyone dealt with loss in different ways, I realized. I dealt with the potential of losing my life by living in denial and doing crazy things I would otherwise never do.
Ralph dealt with losing Melinda by pouring himself into his work.
Chase had dealt with losing his brother by drinking.
Rex had dealt with the loss of his brother by carrying on his legacy.
It was time that I found a better way to deal with my circumstances, though.
Chase stopped me before we walked into the doctor’s office. “The election’s over,” he reminded me.
“I realize that.” I smiled.
“You know what that means, right?”
“That Ralph is now our state senator?” I teased.
“I think there’s something else on your bucket list you’re going to be able to cross off. Let’s go to the justice of the peace. Today.”
“You would really do that?”
He nodded. “With you? I’d do anything. Even almost lose my career.”
I ran my hand down the edge of his jaw, soaking in every inch of his face. I pushed away the doubts that wanted to emerge. Getting married after less than seven days in a whirlwind romance? It was crazy. But I didn’t have time to do the typical date-a-year/be-engaged-for-six-months thing.
I had to stop overthinking things. The stress caused by my experience with Rex had probably diminished the time I had left on earth even more. “Yes, let’s do it.”
He grinned and covered my lips with his. “Now, let’s go see what the doctor has to say.”
I was taken back for my appointment almost as soon as I walked inside. I introduced Chase to William as we sat across from him, the desk between us.
“I wish you’d come to me earlier, Holly,” William started.
&nb
sp; “It wouldn’t have made a difference,” I told him.
“It would have. Holly, you don’t have cancer,” William said.
I blinked, certain I hadn’t heard him correctly. “How can you say that? My doctor said—”
“I don’t care what he said. You were misdiagnosed. I mean, I still have more tests to run. But your doctor based very affirmative results on very subjective tests.”
“How could that happen? There were multiple tests run.”
“There have been instances of people who’ve been diagnosed with this disease undergoing chemo and actually dying from treatments, only in the end to find out they didn’t have this disease. Sometimes, doctors want to make a name for themselves by being on the threshold of treating a new disease. I happen to know of two other people who’ve been diagnosed with this disease. They have your same doctor.”
My mouth dropped open. “So I’m healthy? Why am I so tired, then? What about my skin?”
“I think you have panniculitis. That’s the inflammation of the subcutaneous adipose.”
I stared at him. “What?”
“I’ll get to the bottom line. It’s curable. Very curable.”
My mouth gaped open. “Are you serious?”
“I wouldn’t joke about something like this, Holly.” There was no hint of amusement in his gaze.
I gasped and looked at Chase. He threw his arms around me. “That’s great news.”
I nodded. “It is.”
“Like I said, I still want to do more tests. But Holly, your doctor had it wrong. I’m certain of that.”
And now, I was out of a job, I’d given away most of my savings, and I’d almost been arrested.
I closed my eyes as I realized the implications.
Chase seemed to read my thoughts and squeezed my hand.
“Talk to my nurse. We’ll line up the rest of the tests. I know a specialist you can see.”
I smiled. “Thanks, William.”
“Anything for my future sister-in-law.”
Chase and I were silent as we walked from the doctor’s office. It seemed like we should be rejoicing, but instead both of us seemed to be in shock.
“Chase—”
“Holly—”
We both started at the same time.
“You first,” I said.
Random Acts of Murder: A Holly Anna Paladin Mystery, Book 1 (Holly Anna Paladin Mysteries) Page 24
