Scarred Surrender (Scarred Series Book 6)

by Jackie Williams

  “She thought she was going back to the house after the will was read. She really thought it was all going to be hers. She hadn’t bothered before because she’s so arrogant that she didn’t think she needed to hurry. She thought she had all the time in the world to get rid of the pills! But Adam didn’t leave her a damn thing. He knew what she was doing all along and was gathering evidence to call her out on her activities. I bet Saskia wanted that awful social services woman to swap them back when she realized that there was no way she could get in the house herself, but that didn’t work either because I refused to be intimidated by you all and wouldn’t let you search the place without a warrant.” He glanced through the letters. There were at least ten of them. Pictures of more than ten men in varying states of undress and in extremely compromising positions, accompanied the letters. Maybe Adam hadn’t had chance to speak to all of the men, or hadn’t been able to persuade them to sign a full disclosure document.

  “So what do we do now? I bet that she has something in place that will make sure these pictures are shown everywhere if she’s ever arrested, and I’m not just thinking of myself in this. Everyone she’s got her claws into will suffer.” Marsh groaned as he noticed another compromising picture of himself. “Damn, she got me twice. I don’t ever recall seeing that woman I’m with before, and I didn’t know she had this other picture. Look, there’s another one of you too,” he fumed as he picked up the photograph and handed it to his colleague.

  James didn’t look. He was beyond revolted already.

  “Jesus, I hope you two have been to the sexual health clinic since all of this.”

  Lincoln buried his head in his hands.

  “And to think I was going to pay her five grand for that other picture on top of getting the money off you. I thought that would be the end of it.”

  James shook his head in despair.

  “You should know that blackmailers never stop, but I do have a plan that might just help you both.”

  Marsh looked up hopefully.

  “I’m not letting her get away with murder, if that’s what you’re thinking. That’s a step too far.” He pressed his lips together determinedly.

  James nodded.

  “I agree with you. I’d see a thousand of you blokes humiliated before she gets away with killing my friend. Listen up. This is what we have to do.”

  Chapter Sixteen

  “So you’re officially off the hook?” Alex looked across at his friend as they drove away from the hospital the next morning. “And you’re really well enough to go home?”

  James nodded.

  “Yes, I’m fine.”

  “And that bitch is going down? For murder or manslaughter?”

  James nodded again.

  “Manslaughter probably, but she’ll get a long sentence either way. She swapped those pills. She was the only one who had the opportunity and the motive for doing it. As the girls were going to get Adam’s money anyway, they had no reason to get rid of him and I didn’t know anything about my role before the will was read. Adam’s solicitor can testify to that. Saskia said that Adam had changed his will in her favour in front of about twenty people at the funeral. That awful Trout woman from social services admitted that Saskia had offered her a hundred thousand pounds if she proved me to be a child molester and unfit to administer the trust. She was also meant to swap the pills back around or get rid of them when searching the house, but with no warrant that didn’t work either. Marsh said that the chemist swore it was Saskia who picked up the antibiotics, and both Crystal and Emily can testify that Saskia was there most of the last two weeks of Adam’s life. She was handing out his dosage while she pretended to be his loving and devoted girlfriend.”

  Alex stopped the car outside Crystal and Emily’s house and wiped his hand over his brow.

  “I knew that there was something fishy going on. I was going to ask you about it after that stuff with pictures of you and Emily, but I hadn’t considered that you might take the damn pills yourself. God! I wonder if Adam guessed what she was doing to him? It doesn’t bear thinking about.”

  James had wondered the exact same thing.

  “He must have known that he wasn’t getting any better. He knew that a chest infection could kill him. I wish he’d had time to realize what she was doing.”

  Alex leaned his head back.

  “What a nightmare! But how did you persuade Trout to confess that she was paid? And how on earth are the police going to get a conviction to stick? I bet a decent lawyer could get Saskia off. The evidence is too scanty.”

  James laughed.

  “Nope, it’s cast iron for manslaughter at least. The swapped pills were still in the bottles. Trout confessed and broke down when she realized that she could be charged for murder as an accomplice, and I thought of something that will get a conviction for Saskia, while Marsh and Lincoln were at the hospital yesterday afternoon.” He looked pleased with himself. “There were a few tablets left in both bottles. Those bottle tops are really small. To swap the pills you would have to put them in a couple at a time, not tip them in. Saskia’s fingerprints were the only ones on the shiny coating of both sets of the tablets.”

  Alex looked at him.

  “And that’s conclusive enough? I doubt it. She could say that she spilled them and put them back. Or that Adam dropped the bottles and she helped him put them away.”

  James shook his head.

  “Yes, but if Adam knew about that, why would she have put the two switched bottles in the upstairs cupboard? He hadn’t been upstairs since he was confined to a wheelchair so he couldn’t have medicated himself. His medicine cupboard is in his suite downstairs. The two bottles should have been there too but Saskia was probably worried that he would check on the antibiotics as his throat infection wasn’t getting any better, so she hid them upstairs and just gave him the tablets when he was meant to take them so he wouldn’t become suspicious. He probably didn’t think about it until he was too ill to move.”

  Alex let out a groan.

  “Poor bugger didn’t stand a chance once he had that money. Gawd, I hope the police aren’t going to muck it up. Are Marsh and Lincoln going to say anything about the blackmail?”

  James nodded.

  “They’re hoping to keep it quiet, but they have been to see their Chief Inspector already. They’re not involved in the murder investigation any longer because of the conflict of interest, but that’s fine so long as someone gets that bitch. I can’t believe what some people would do to get their hands on money.”

  Alex agreed.

  “It makes you wonder what Crystal and Emily might go through. Thanks to the newspapers, everyone knows that they are loaded. Have you given any thought to Emily’s safety while she’s away at university?”

  James looked out of the car window towards the house.

  “Not yet, but I’ve been thinking about it. We’ll have to set up something.”

  “And what about Crystal? Have you thought about that? She might be vulnerable even though she’s living in France. You could always offer to be her personal bodyguard.” Alex goaded him.

  James spun back to his friend.

  “Don’t. You know I can’t.”

  Alex tilted his head enquiringly.

  “What’s holding you back? Emily is going to be eighteen soon. You might be her guardian until then but you don’t have to be afterwards.”

  James closed his eyes briefly.

  “The will says I have to be about until she’s twenty-five or she doesn’t get her trust fund. Look, I don’t want to talk about it. There’s really nothing to say anyway. Crystal is with Jules. He’ll be loads better for her than I could ever be.”

  Confusion covered Alex’s features.

  “Jules? Really? I don’t know why you think that. He’s become a good friend of hers, but I don’t get the feeling that there’s anything else going on.”

  James opened the car door.

  “Like I said, I don’t want to talk abo
ut it. I just want to go indoors, have a shower and a beer, and forget about everything for a few hours.”

  “And are you going to tell the girls what’s been going on?”

  James shrugged.

  “I don’t think I’ll have to. They had to go to the police station to make statements. I don’t suppose they’ll be back until later. Jules was going to bring them home.” He climbed out of the car and shut the door, waving Alex off as he made his way up the path to the front door.

  The silence surrounded him as soon as he walked through the door. Several boxes stacked against the wall made walking down the hallway far more awkward than it should be. He opened one up and peered inside. Crystal’s delicate perfume assaulted him. He immediately shut the lid and walked around them, up the stairs and to her bedroom. The door stood open and he looked inside. Only her bed and a few furnishings remained.

  His heart lurched as he realized that she had packed all her belongings and virtually moved out. Somehow it hadn’t hit him before, not like this. While her things still remained there was always the chance that she would change her mind and come home, but now he knew there was no chance at all.

  He closed her bedroom door, unable to bear the sight of all that emptiness, and made his way to the bathroom. He stripped his clothes and removed his legs as he sat on the chair. For a moment he wondered why he hadn’t used Adam’s bathroom. It would be easier than kneeling in the cubicle up here, but Crystal had never suggested it and he hadn’t liked to ask why. Maybe she thought her father’s rooms were too personal, although she had mentioned getting the suite reconverted.

  He grabbed the faucet and held it away from him until the water temperature warmed and then he let it run over him, taking away the clinical smell of the hospital. A good soap up and shampoo helped him feel a little more like himself although he had noticed the pains in his legs again already. Weariness swept over him. It had been a tense few days.

  He wrapped a towel around his hips and re-fitted his legs for the short walk back to his bedroom. His mobile phone buzzed on his bedside table and he opened the message from Emily.

  ‘Staying with Lara. See you in the morning.’ He closed the message and sat down. Emily hadn’t mentioned her sister. Crystal was probably going back to the hotel with Jules. His stomach churned at the thought.

  Laying back, his eyes swept over the painting of the woman he loved, and not for the first time he wished that he’d never taken her out to the château in France. If it had only been about the rehabilitation centre he might have been able to accept her decision, but with Jules on the scene the whole situation had changed. He couldn’t compete with a God. Wasn’t sure he would have been able to even if he’d been whole. He wasn’t scared of a challenge, but he didn’t want to upset Crystal. It was her choice after all. If only he could stop thinking about her.

  He rolled over, turning his back to the painting and noticed his wardrobe door stood open. He groaned as he saw that his suit jacket hung lopsidedly from its hanger. Crystal couldn’t have missed the picture, but he was too tired and in too much pain to worry about what she had thought of him having it so prominently displayed in his room. He reached out to his bedside table and picked up the squash ball he always left there. He squeezed it hard and put everything inside it. His pain, his jealousy, and the ache in his broken heart.

  Crystal squeezed past the boxes lining the hallway. Joe and David had spent the previous day helping her pack her belongings. She was a little surprised at how many boxes they had filled and was grateful that David had found one of the château’s guests would be able to transport them when they came for their holiday the following week. She couldn’t wait to move her belongings into the house she had rented only a few minutes away from the rehabilitation centre. Having fallen in love with the cottage from the moment she set eyes on it, she was thrilled to discover that she could rent it while going through the process of buying it.

  She climbed the stairs wearily and walked quietly along the hallway. She passed James’ door and was about to move onto her own when she heard a soft groan. Standing quietly, she listened at his door. The groaning happened again, this time followed by a whimper.

  She waited for a moment longer but when the sounds seemed to quieten, she carried on to the bathroom.

  It had been a trying day. Devastated by the news that her father had been as good as murdered, she had wanted nothing more than to curl into a ball and let the whole world carry on without her, but Emily had been distraught as well, and James was still in hospital recovering from the allergic reaction. Andrew had needed a therapy session and Jules had been busy attempting to organize their flights home again. Adding the police interview, as well as Patrick, Paul and Gemma constantly calling her for updates on what was happening, she hadn’t had a moment to herself. The shower beckoned.

  She scooped up shampoo and lathered her hair before rinsing and then taking up the bottle of her favourite body wash. The familiar scent calmed her riotous thoughts. She was going back to France the next day. Her whole body ached with the thoughts of leaving her sister and James, but there was nothing she could do about it. She knew that the men in the rehabilitation centre needed her and she also knew that she would never be fulfilled opening a simple therapy centre now.

  The soap bubbles drained away and she turned off the shower. Wrapping her towel around her, she was about to go to her bedroom when she turned her head back towards James’ door and listened as she thought she heard movement. A pained moan suddenly rent the air and she hurried to his door. Turning the door handle, she peered inside. Moonlight flooded the room through the open curtains, illuminating James’ rippling skin as he thrashed in the bed. She rushed to his side.

  “James. It’s me, Crystal. Shh... It’s just a dream.” Smoothing her palm over his sweat-covered forehead, she smiled as he instantly became calm again. She sat on the edge of the bed as his breathing slowed. “There, just a dream.” She whispered again as she gazed down at his toned torso, so beautiful in the silver light shining in through the window.

  A frown lined his forehead and his lips parted in another agonized groan. His arm swept across his stomach and she noticed a sliver of rubber ball clutched in his tightly gripped fist. His knuckles had turned white with stress and the muscles in his forearm corded with tension.

  ‘I want her back! I need her!’ His words were so shallow that she almost believed she had imagined them.

  She took hold of his hand and rubbed the back of it with her thumb. Not quite sure what to do, she began massaging his forearm, spreading her fingers over his damp flesh and stroking his skin with a gentle but firm pressure.

  “And I thought you would be fine. What a fool.” Her voice sounded hollow and she gulped back a choked sob. “I should never have left you and now it’s too late. I have to go back.” She leaned down and pressed her lips to the back of his hand. It felt ice cold and she leaned her cheek into it to warm it. “Let it go!” she intoned.

  His knuckles released a little as she kissed them again and she looked back up at his face, hoping that the frown would be gone. She dropped his hand as she saw his silver grey eyes watching her.

  “Crystal? What are you doing here?” His voice sounded husky with sleep.

  She began to stand but he suddenly dropped the squash ball and grabbed a hold of her wrist, stopping her from leaving the bed. She didn’t struggle against his hold as she watched the curious frown pass across his features.

  “You were moaning. I came in to see if you needed anything.” She hesitated and glanced at the ball that now sat on his flat stomach. “It’s not working then?”

  He shrugged.

  “Sometimes, but not every time. Not when I’ve just been through the stress of the last couple of days.”

  She gave out a grim laugh.

  “No, that would take some mind control and probably a massage too.” She cleared her throat. “Would you like one now? I don’t have my special oils, but there’s some lotion I can...
”

  He shook his head before she could finish.

  “No,” he breathed out slowly, knowing he was on dangerous ground but finding that he hadn’t the willpower to stop himself.

  The pain had overtaken his dream. It was if the splinters of bone that had driven straight through his skin were snagging in the sheets, and while somewhere deep in his consciousness he knew that the pain wasn’t from real injuries, he couldn’t control the terror that consumed him. Until he had suddenly sensed something cool and delicately fragranced.

  The dream instantly turned into something so much more. He was there, lying on the therapy bed in the château, Crystal’s delicate hands working their magic on every part of his body, even in the areas that she had never touched before.

  And then she was gone. The pain lanced through him instantly. He squeezed the ball as hard as he could. I want her back, I need her! His weakness nearly broke him. He clenched his teeth as hard as he clenched the ball, crushed it harder. He was going to break his own hand if he didn’t stop.

  Something with heaven’s touch pressed against the back of his hand, a soft brush of velvet against his rough skin. Nothing could be that warm, that gentle. Nothing but the touch of Crystal’s lips felt that silken. His heart lurched violently in his chest and he opened his eyes.

  Her damp hair curled over her naked shoulders. His eyes dipped lower. A fluffy towel just covered her from her breasts to the top of her thighs. The moonlight made her glow with an ethereal quality that belied the warmth of her skin, and he was lost. So lost that when she spoke he had no thoughts but to touch her, to feel her body pressed against his, to pull her beneath him and make love to her until they were both too spent to move.

  A massage? She was offering him a massage? It wasn’t enough, nowhere near enough. He shook his head.

  “No.” He lifted his head from the pillow, reached out as he sat forward and threaded his fingers through the moist tendrils of hair. He leaned in close and pressed his nose to the soft skin below her ear, drawing in breath as though he had been drowning only seconds before.