“When do you think they did it, Dylan? When did it happen?”
But Tanya didn’t give him a chance to answer. Tired to the bone, she spoke up and said, “May, Mother’s Day. It was a Sunday. I had that day off. That’s when she disappeared, Baylee.”
Dylan held out his arms to take Sarah, and she grabbed on to his shirt. “Karen said the last time she talked to your mother it was Mother’s Day. So, I’m thinking it was sometime after she put you to bed that night.”
“I came to work the next morning at seven. You were distraught, upset. You thought you’d had a bad dream. You told me someone pushed your mama down the stairs. Child, I thought you’d had a bad dream. I swear I did.”
“My God, Tanya. Did you know? Did you know then what they’d done and didn’t say anything either?”
“How could you think that? Of course not. I suspected something bad had happened, yes, that’s true. Because I knew your mama. I knew she wouldn’t have just up and run off like they said she did. But I didn’t know what exactly had happened. I knew William had affairs. And I knew that Alana was one of the women he wouldn’t stop seeing because that woman called the house night and day sometimes. And I suspected Jessica Boyd was another one he saw frequently. But I didn’t have proof about anything, just my suspicions. I never thought your mama left with that Luc fellow. Not in a million years.
“For years I listened to that man rant and go on about what ‘those two women’ did to his Sarah. But it was always during times he’d been drowning himself in a bottle or two of whiskey. Then he’d get the shakes, pass out, and then the next day when I’d ask him about what he’d said, he’d claim he didn’t remember a thing about his ranting and raving. But I knew your father acted guilty about something. I just didn’t know what it was.
“But there’s something I want you to keep in mind about that night, the night those two women hurt your mother. They left a three-year-old child alone in that house all night long by herself. Those two women didn’t have the maternal instincts of an alley cat between them, if you ask me.”
Disgusted, Baylee stared at Tanya. “You got there that morning. I’d been hiding under the bed. And together we went looking for her all over the house. We searched the entire grounds for hours and hours. I remember how I cried and cried. Oh, Tanya. What kind of evil would make those two women kill her like that? They took my mother from me. And my father helped them lie about it.”
“I wasn’t sure what happened between your father and Alana. But I do know she stopped calling about six months after. That would have been around Christmastime. Your father’s drinking got worse then, Baylee. During those days he never brought women home with him, but he stayed away for weeks at a time, like he didn’t want to be in that house.
“I would have quit, Baylee-girl, if not for you. But I just couldn’t leave my baby for William to raise when I knew all the man would do is hire some stranger in off the street to take care of you. I couldn’t do that.”
Tanya broke down then and Baylee went to her, wrapped her up.
Dylan simply let them cry it out because he’d never seen a situation as sad as this one. And when she was ready, he made sure he held on to Baylee as if his life depended on it.
Because he was beginning to think it did.
Getting Reese involved was the best idea he’d had in days. Reese handled all the calls, all the details so that by noon the wheels were already in motion. While Dylan and Jake waited outside William’s room in the hallway Reese was inside with Max St. John and Dan Holloway taking the old guy’s statement. It was no surprise that William had hired Reese, especially since Tanya had mentioned he’d fired Taylor Geller.
When the door finally opened and Reese emerged with the two detectives, Reese motioned for his friends to follow them down the hall to the waiting room.
“I’m pretty sure you have enough to get a search warrant,” Reese said to Max.
Max nodded in agreement. “I’ll make the call to the DA. Getting a court order from a judge is the next step.”
“Lots of luck with that. You’ll have to find a judge that isn’t in their back pocket.”
“Cynicism there, Mr. Brennan?”
“Maybe. But I’ve been up against them in court; I know what they’re capable of. Where are you in the rest of this?”
Max bristled at the implication. “I’m doing my job, counselor. You let me take care of it. I’ll work on finding a judge if I have to go through a dozen to do it. If I can get the court order today, I’ll have the cadaver dogs in there first thing in the morning to search all sixty-five acres.”
“So William couldn’t be more specific than that?” Dylan asked.
Max shook his head. “No. And there’s the problem. He thinks Jessica told him the bodies were either buried next to the reflecting pool near the main cabana, or where the old pool house used to be. He isn’t exactly sure. To make matters worse, he claims he hasn’t been on the property for over twenty years. His memory isn’t all that good.”
“Do you think he’s lying?” Jake asked. “Trying to cover up his part in all of this?”
“That’s something that will have to be determined, to be checked out. Later. He’s agreed to talk to us again tomorrow. We’re taking advantage of that before…”
“If he’s able you mean. Do you think he has that long?” Reese asked. “The man looks like he’s on his last leg.”
Dan chimed in, “We’ll see. I’m headed now to talk to his doctors.”
“There’s always a chance that Jessica could have been lying about where they buried the bodies in the first place,” Dylan pointed out. He gave Reese and Jake a tight look. “Why do I get the feeling Jessica and Alana were probably lying to him?”
“From what I’ve discovered about the two women, I’d say that’s very likely,” Max agreed. “But we’ll start in the direction he gave us and spread out from there.”
Holloway threw in, “It really doesn’t matter if they were lying. We’ll know soon enough when the dogs go over every inch of the place. There are no less than seven main houses and four guest bungalows near the cliffs. We’ll leave no stone unturned.”
And Max added, “I hope you know this is going to take some time. Don’t expect miracles, people. This process is slow. Don’t expect answers any time soon. It’s a very large estate, a lot of ground to cover.”
“That’s what I was afraid of,” Dylan said miserably.
CHAPTER 23 Book 2
“What the fuck is this?” Connor railed, as Max St. John handed him a piece of paper. When he realized it was a search warrant, he ran his hand through his hair and stared hard at the detective. “You have no right to come in here and do this. This is bullshit. I’ll have your badge for this, you son of a bitch. I’ll make sure your retirement comes next week. I’ll get a judge to quash this before you’ve gone thirty feet.”
“Are you finished, Mr. Boyd? Because until you do all of those things, we’re going to turn this place on its end.”
“Just what the fuck do you think you’ll find?” Cade demanded.
“Read the warrant. We’re looking for two bodies.”
“Bodies? Are you fucking nuts?” Collin fumed, as he stood flanked by his brothers. “You won’t find bodies here. This isn’t a cemetery for chrissakes.”
“Then you have nothing to worry about,” Max insisted. He motioned for the uniformed officers to get the cadaver dogs ready. “All of you will need to find another place to stay until we’re done.”
“And when exactly will that be?” Connor demanded.
“Until we’re done. We’ll also search every house on the grounds, which includes the one you’re now standing in.” Max turned back to his search team, shouted out orders. “Start with the cabana house and then move on to where Mr. Scott indicated near the reflecting pool. And try to locate the groundskeeper. He may be able to provide us with additional information as to how long these buildings have been here.”
“Old man Scott did all this? You�
��d believe anything that doddering old fool told you?” Connor accused.
“He’s implicated your mother in a double murder. You’re an attorney, Mr. Boyd, all of you are. You know how this works. This is a legal, court-sanctioned search.”
“We’ll see about that,” Connor said before warning, “My mother is fucking dead. Or have you forgotten that, you stupid bastard? It may be legal, but someone’s going to pay for this.”
Max watched the three brothers as they stormed off in the general direction of the circular driveway out front. “Those are several pissed off people. We better hurry this along. They might make good on their threat to find the right judge to squash this thing. Let’s get to work, people. Let’s make every minute count while we have the chance.”
Inside William’s hospital room, Baylee hadn’t left his bedside for almost twelve continuous hours. During that time, the man’s condition had deteriorated. His blood pressure had dropped, his pulse was weak. William hadn’t uttered another word since his deadly revelation to Dylan and then went through it all again for Reese’s benefit, as well as, the two detectives.
They’d recorded and transcribed William’s statement officially. Reese had agreed to make the changes to his will effective immediately, which seem to please the old guy. But because he’d slipped into a coma, the last hours had dragged by without any more shocking disclosures.
Quinn had been darting in and out all day, checking on Baylee and Sarah whenever time permitted, whenever she wasn’t tending to people in the ER. Kit and Jake had just left to go grab a shower and a meal at Gloria’s and had promised to come back to look after Sarah while Tanya took a breather.
Everyone had been keeping vigil by Baylee’s side, but it was starting to grow wearisome and tedious for all of them. She didn’t like hospitals and didn’t see how Quinn literally lived in one.
Concerned for her well-being and trying to be supportive, Dylan watched Baylee like a hawk. She had to be exhausted from the entire ordeal. Not only did she have to deal with William’s slow slide into death, she was now awaiting word about her mother’s remains.
As William’s lawyer now, Reese had made the trip to The Enclave so he’d be on site just in case there was any news to pass along. The last time he’d called he’d told them the cadaver dogs had gotten a hit near the cabana house. But that had been hours ago.
“You look tired.”
“I guess I am a little,” she declared, as she rubbed the back of her neck.
Eyeing the droop to her shoulders, Dylan moved behind her chair and started rubbing her aching muscles.
“Mmmm, you have magic fingers, Surfer Boy. If you ever wanted to give up software code and make a living as a masseur, you could hire on to one of those cruise ships, change your name to Alejandro, and set up shop.”
For the first time in two days, he busted out laughing. “Now there’s an idea. But don’t forget how terrific I am at coloring hair. I’d hate to give up my hairdresser’s license.”
And for the first time in as many days, Baylee laughed as well. She almost blurted out how much she loved him, but at that moment, Dylan’s cell phone rang.
He looked down at the display and recognized Reese’s number. “Anything yet?”
“Jackpot. But you aren’t going to believe this. They didn’t find two bodies near the cabana house William described but three human skulls along with some tattered clothing, some denim jeans, something that looks like an old athletic sweatshirt, and various shoes. The remains weren’t really buried all that deep down, maybe three feet at the most. There’s no way to ID the bones yet with what we have though. I’ll know more later. The coroner’s here. The bones are headed to the morgue. Everything’s down to a crawl. They’ve brought in a forensics team, including a couple of anthropologists to look for more bones. I’ll keep you posted.”
Dylan tried to ignore the fervor he heard in Reese’s voice and disconnected. He turned back to Baylee, saw the stricken look on her face, and knew he didn’t need to say a word. Baylee did it for him. Tears ran down her cheeks. “They found her, didn’t they?”
“They found three skeletal remains, Baylee.”
“Three?”
“Yeah. It’s too early to tell who they were. I’m sorry, baby. It’ll take another couple of days at least before they get any kind of answers. It might not even be your mother.” But as he wrapped his arms around her, held her, he was pretty sure the forensic team had just discovered Sarah Moreland and Luc Delaine’s final resting place.
When Tanya came through the door with the baby, she looked ready to drop. “Sarah’s getting fussy, needs to nurse, I think.”
“Give her to me. Come here to Mama, baby.”
“How about I go get us some coffee?” Dylan asked, rubbing his tired eyes. “I could use the caffeine.”
“I could use a sandwich and a glass of milk,” Baylee said, as Sarah started to nurse.
“I think I’ll go along with Dylan, and get me a bite to eat as well. I could use the exercise,” Tanya said.
“You could both use the break,” Baylee pointed out as they both turned to leave.
“I’ll be back in ten minutes, Baylee,” Dylan promised. “And Quinn’s shift ends in less than two hours. She’ll be up here to hover. And Jake phoned earlier. He and Kit are making preparations to get Ben Griffin over here within the week. As soon as they grab a quick bite they’ll be back within the hour. And Gloria’s on her way, too. She and Kit want to sit with William for a bit to relieve you so you can get some rest.”
“That’s fine, Dylan. Get some food into Tanya first. She looks like she’s about to drop.”
If she were honest with herself, she enjoyed the peace and quiet spending a little alone time with Sarah. The past couple of days had been brutal. She’d waited twenty-two years for an answer to what had happened to her mother. She could wait another day or two, maybe even a couple of weeks, if that’s what it took to get the answers.
She had provided St. John with a DNA sample for comparison to anything the forensic team might find. Getting swabbed had brought a chilling reality full circle. All those times she’d visited The Enclave with Kit, only to learn now her mother may have been buried within yards of where she’d eaten birthday cake and ice cream during a party for ten-year-olds. That was truly disturbing.
How could her father have kept that awful secret and let her attend a social event at the Boyds’ year after year? For Baylee, the depth of her father’s secret wasn’t just heartbreak, but broken trust. Her father had betrayed the memory of her mother, never once attempting to set the record straight. How could she forgive him for that even at death’s door?
For the first time in years, she realized that tonight she could go to sleep knowing her mother had not abandoned her but had been cruelly taken from her by two evil creatures that didn’t have a heart or a soul between them.
Baylee gazed down at the miracle in her arms. Watching Sarah nurse, she realized how lucky she was. She had named her daughter Sarah in spite of the fact that she’d spent years bitterly angry believing her mother had abandoned her in favor of a tennis pro, believing William’s story unconditionally.
His lies, she thought now, had covered two decades. How many times had he repeated that lie?
Even with that, when it had come down to naming her baby daughter, she’d gone with her heart. Sarah Moreland would live on through her namesake, her granddaughter.
All at once, the door burst open. Connor Boyd stepped inside William’s room. The heavy hospital door banged hard against the wall. The noise startled Sarah. She puckered her lips and began to cry. Baylee quickly tried to button her shirt, but Connor closed the distance and got right in her face. “You bitch. You should have told me I had a daughter.”
“What…are you talking about?”
He grabbed the front of her blouse, jerking her up and out of the chair. “Don’t even try denying it. I know she was born December sixteenth, one day shy of exactly nine months from t
he night we slept together. Her birth certificate was amended two weeks ago. You think I’m stupid? Think again. She’s mine.”
He tried to wrestle Sarah out of her arms, but Baylee held on for dear life, struggling, fighting him with everything she had while the baby wailed in protest.
“What are you doing? Connor, she’s just a little baby. Don’t do this, Connor. You’re wrong. Sarah belongs to Dylan.”
“We’ll see about that, won’t we?” He hauled off and slapped Baylee across the face. Despite the blow, she tried to fight back. With fists clenched, one hand clutching Sarah, she repeatedly hit him in the arm, in the chest, anywhere she could land a blow. But at five-three, she was no match for a man several inches taller with a longer reach. The second slap sent her reeling. And so did the punch he threw to her mouth. The jab knocked her to the floor.
As she fell backward, Connor quickly snatched Sarah out of her arms. He used that moment to rush out of the room with the baby bawling at the top of her lungs.
By the time Connor reached the elevator, Trevor had come up to stand behind him as if he were just another visitor waiting for the door to ding open. Once the elevator car slid apart, Connor stepped inside. Trevor followed. Trevor waited until Connor hit the button to ground level before turning to eye the terrified infant. As the car began to rumble downward, Trevor looked over, stared at the screaming child. His heart broke a little. But he had to stay centered.
A nervous Connor told him, “She’s hungry. She’ll calm down when I take her to her mother.”
“Right,” Trevor retorted as if unimpressed. He calmly asked, “How old?”
“Six months.”
“Cute little thing.”
“Yeah.”
“Funny, she must look like her mother. She doesn’t look a thing like you.”
Irritation flitted across Connor’s face for about two seconds, but then he nodded his head a fraction toward Trevor and said nothing else.
Once the elevator door opened at ground level, Connor bumped his way past other visitors, increasing his pace, rushing to the bank of elevators in the lobby that led down to the parking garage.
Evil Secrets Trilogy Boxed Set Page 72
