Mistaken Identity Crisis: Death On The Cable Car (Braxton Campus Mysteries Book 4)

by James J Cudney

  “I spoke with my brother a few minutes ago. We've moved the meeting location. I don't trust you, and he's blinded by that vixen wife of yours.” Raquel approached the sofa opposite us and sat with her elbows on her knees and the gun aimed at a very precious part of my body. “We'll be seeing our loved ones in a little while. Don't worry, everything's been taken care of.”

  Raquel was eager to share the story of how she'd easily integrated herself into the life of several people I knew. In animated fashion, she covered her arrival in Braxton four months earlier right before Francesca had been kidnapped. “My family knew the Castiglianos had faked your wife's death, but we could never prove it. They kept her well-hidden and paid their employees top dollar to keep it secret. When Francesca flew here to stop you from trying to relocate, we had undeniable proof. A security worker at the airport had taken a photo of her and sent it to us. We know how to take care of people on our payroll too.”

  “I get it. Vincenzo and Cecilia are awful people. I agree with you, but I had nothing to do with whatever vendetta your families have against each another. You have the documents from the Castiglianos; just let Francesca go, and everything can move forward,” I said, hoping to find the rational side of Raquel. How had I missed picking up any clues while she'd been a student in my class?

  “It's not that easy anymore, Kellan. Let me finish telling my story. You have a habit of talking too much, and I feel it's my duty to advise you that you'll do better in life if you shut up sometimes.” Raquel told us that while Cristiano had focused on a plan to kidnap Francesca, she was responsible for collecting information and discovering secrets about the Ayrwicks and to blackmail people to do their bidding.

  On an early stop at the Pick-Me-Up Diner, Raquel had overheard that Manny, Eleanor's chef, was planning to visit Las Vegas. She followed him out there and got him drunk one night, then convinced him to get married. It gave her an excuse to hang around the diner without people being suspicious. She'd begged Manny not to tell too many people that they were married until she could work out a few personal things with her family. He was happy to comply and openly talked about Eleanor, me, and any of our friends that visited the diner. “Honestly, Manny is a good husband. Except, of course, we're not legally married. We never filed with the state of Nevada, and the guy who married us never had a proper license. He owed a favor to the Vargas family, and well, now it's been repaid.”

  “You've collected all this data about us, that's brilliant. How does Quint Crawford fit it?” I hadn't brought my phone with me and had no way to notify anyone what was going on. I glanced sideward at Krissy who seemed frozen in a trance. Fear had taken over her ability to do anything or work with me on an escape plan.

  “Quint liked to talk. I overheard him in the diner chatting to your brother, Gabriel. They were discussing all the jewelry Quint had stolen years ago, and Quint needed help to pay his mother's bills.”

  Raquel had offered money to Quint if he would spy on me and handle a few important tasks for her. Quint had watched Emma and me at the pet store, then purchased and delivered the puppy to the cottage the previous month. Apparently, Quint's slippery tentacles had invaded my entire life, and I'd been completely clueless for weeks. I had to hand it to Raquel; she was devious and cunning. I never realized Quint was pumping me for information the entire time I'd visited with him at the cable car. “Why did you kill him?”

  “Quint started to get too big for his britches. When I'd gotten everything I needed from him, I gave him a nice bonus and told him to forget we'd ever met. He tried to blackmail me, but unfortunately he learned a lesson the hard way.” Raquel tapped the gun against the coffee table when Krissy stirred and looked ready to bolt. “Stay where you are, sister. I'd prefer not to shoot you, but if I must, I must.”

  Raquel had known Quint was stealing jewelry again. She'd also discovered he was misleading Krissy and pining away for Imogene. Another of her goons had been following Quint to keep tabs on him. Raquel's henchman had seen Krissy sabotage the cable car renovation project and told his boss that someone might be trying to kill Quint. “When I went to the cable car station, Krissy had been running across the parking lot. I checked inside and saw Quint had passed out but was still alive. Krissy had placed a bouquet of black calla lilies she'd stolen while visiting the Paddington estate earlier that day near his unconscious body. After stealing one of the rubies from Quint, days earlier when he accidentally dropped one during our many secret meetings, I left it there in the cable car to implicate him and tie his death to all the robberies. I took immense pleasure in strangling my former snitch, watching the life and energy extinguish from a once supposedly clever and charming man. To hold something precious in your grip and be responsible for eliminating it from existence… there's nothing more I could ask for, to make my day complete. And voilà, my potential blackmail problem went away.” Raquel grinned maniacally, watching Krissy's expression change from fear to shock and anger.

  Krissy jumped across the table and punched Raquel. In the struggle, I tried to run, not because I didn't want to protect Krissy, but if I could escape, I might get to the phone to call 9-1-1. I didn't have enough time. Raquel swung the gun at Krissy and collided with her temple. Krissy flew to the floor and hit her head against the coffee table.

  Raquel aimed the gun at me as I reached the hallway. “Stop, or I'll blow your ass to pieces, even if it's quite a fine—”

  I backed into the room, turned around, and sheepishly said, “Okay. I think I'll stay put for now.” Something dawned on me as I walked closer to her. “You complained to Myriam about me. Why?”

  “Just causing trouble for you. I wanted you to feel attacked from all angles. It was my way to keep you off balance… unable to figure out what I was up to.” A menacing smile formed on her lips.

  “It almost worked.” I hadn't trusted her but also wasn't able to pinpoint the exact reason.

  Raquel instructed me to tie up Krissy with the wires from a piece of art that had been hanging on the wall—thick, coarse metal that was pliable but strong enough to hold someone at bay. I lifted Krissy, whispering in her ear that I'd do everything I could to save us. Raquel pointed to a nearby chair in the corner where I tied Krissy's hands to the back wooden rails and her ankles against its feet.

  While I was directed to stand in the corner, Raquel inspected my work. “It'll do for now. Krissy looks like she's about to pass out anyway.”

  As I stood there, it hit me. Raquel had been the woman who went to Bertha Crawford's house under the deceptive guise of wanting to spend one last moment in Quint's bedroom before saying goodbye. “You took the jewelry Quint had stolen and implicated my brother earlier today.”

  “Guilty. Quint had sold a bunch to pay for his mother's expenses, so he only had a few pieces remaining in his bedroom. I worried you were getting too suspicious, so I decided to keep your meddlesome mind focused elsewhere,” she confirmed, then waved the gun at me to march toward the front door. “Let's go. Someone else will come by soon to take care of Miss Stanton. We're due at the new meeting point in fifteen minutes.”

  “Wait,” I stalled, noticing it was nine thirty. April had to be worried that I hadn't shown up at the baseball field. She'd come looking for me soon, finding the cottage empty and my SUV still onsite. “What made you think I was getting close? I had no clue you were involved.”

  “You had a crime show. You asked too many questions. I was sure you'd figure out the connections in no time at all. Besides, Krissy was catching on and might have discovered it herself. She knew I'd been following her the last few days. I had someone call earlier to try and get her off the scent, but she told you about it anyway. She'll suffer later tonight when she takes a nice, long swim.”

  “Where are we going?” I demanded as she pushed me out the door with one hand and jammed the gun into my shoulder with the other. While it was possible I could overpower her, I couldn't take a chance that—given her diabolical mindset—she'd shoot me.

  “I fo
und a lovely place that should be relatively quiet this evening. In fact, Cristiano is there with Francesca and a couple of our bodyguards,” Raquel replied, directing me to shut the door. We walked across the lawn and through the gate as I had done earlier. Raquel truly had been watching my every move. “Oh, that's right,” she said, stopping me once we reached my front door. “You're probably familiar with the location. Tell me, Kellan, have you visited your mother's office at Braxton recently?”

  Emma! “No, please, we can't meet there.” My stomach plummeted to the floor in anticipation of disastrous consequences.

  “Go inside and get the signed contract. We can discuss it while you drive us there,” Raquel insisted. The sun had set, but the front porch light shined across her face. It was then I knew only one of us would survive that night. No one threatened my daughter and got away with it.

  I snatched the keys to my SUV and the agreement from the couch where I'd left it prior to rushing out of the cottage. I wanted to repeat the changed location aloud in case April's team had continued to listen in. “Does the new drop off point have to be Braxton's Admissions Hall? What about Diamond Hall in my office? No one's there, and it's even quieter.”

  “Aren't you cute? You should know my team destroyed that recording device Sheriff Montague planted earlier. Let me guess, when you heard that strange noise, you thought your little friend was obtaining the details?” Raquel took the key from me, shoved me out the front door, and followed closely behind.

  I finally understood the far-reaching tentacles of Las Vargas. I had little hope left other than to believe they would keep their word and not harm my daughter, mother, or Francesca. At this point, I'd give my own life to ensure Emma's safety. “Please, I'll do anything.”

  “Good, then as soon as we park the car, you will remove your glasses. Unfortunately, you need them to drive, otherwise I would've smashed them by now.” She waited, while I hopped into the SUV, before boarding and handing me the keys. “Yes, I know about the GPS device too. Drive.”

  Raquel ignored everything I said and held me at gunpoint while we drove to Braxton. I considered quickly jerking the steering wheel to throw her off balance, but the insane woman wouldn't think twice about taking control of the car and shooting me as soon as I made a sudden movement. I complied with her demands and parked in a nearby empty lot.

  “Give me those,” she said, thrusting my glasses to the street and crunching them with the heel of her red stilettos. “I'll be your eyes and navigate you to the building.”

  I thought I'd seen a dark car following us, but if I had, it was probably one of Raquel's bodyguards. Maybe campus security would drive by and wonder who was working late that night. Connor's replacement still hadn't been hired, and the college's security crew was lighter during summers, but I had hope someone would find us before long.

  After we walked to Admissions Hall, Raquel called Cristiano. We stood outside the front entrance until he verified it wasn't a trap and checked me for wires or bugs. As I entered, I focused on remembering the layout of the office. It was eerily quiet. Where was everyone?

  Raquel handed me over to Cristiano. “Kellan's been cooperating, but he's got quite an outlandish mouth on him. Are you sure I can't have a little fun teaching him a lesson tonight?”

  “No, hermana. We only hurt those who hurt us. For all intents and purposes, Kellan is an innocent bystander.” With his usual calm and collected tone, Cristiano addressed me next. “My sister tells me the only negative experience she's had these last few months on this mission was listening to you teach class. Raquel never was one for the movies; she much prefers being part of the action.”

  Without my glasses, my confidence was diminished. I felt disoriented from not knowing my surroundings, but I experienced adrenaline and fear coursing through my veins. “Where is my family?”

  “I'm very sorry it's come to this, Kellan,” Cristiano empathetically replied, then whispered something to Raquel, who quickly disappeared from the room. “Emma and your mother are currently sitting in an office with one of my employees. They're both fine, but I'll send him back for Krissy soon.”

  “And Francesca?”

  Footsteps shuffled behind me. “I'm right here, Kellan.”

  I turned around and reached my hands in the direction of her voice. My vision was so impaired, I could only see something if it were a foot from my eyes. Everything around me was a blur, amorphous shapes and colors, no facial distinction or depth perception. “Are you okay? Have you seen Emma?”

  “I'm fine. I saw them bring juice and cookies to her. Emma thinks it's a game. Your mother is with her, but they haven't seen me. I promise you,” Francesca said, grabbing my hands, “I won't let them hurt her.”

  “I'd give you two a moment alone, but I'm afraid we might not have a lot of time,” Cristiano said. His shadow crossed to the side of me, and he spoke to someone else. “Do you have the items he was supposed to deliver?”

  Raquel replied, “Yes. The agreement has been signed, and it's in my back pocket. I haven't checked the storage device. He and the sheriff were fiddling with it earlier. Do you have a computer?”

  “I'm sure Kellan's mother can help us with that,” Cristiano replied and directed someone else in the room to bring her out of the office.

  “I'm going to step away for a minute, Kellan. I don't want Emma to see me until we can talk to her together,” Francesca whispered in my ear.

  The room was beginning to feel hot, stealing the little oxygen I had remaining in my lungs. The air conditioning was always lowered at night, and there were too many of us standing in a small area without open windows and breezes. I felt grateful that Francesca was in a position to focus on protecting Emma, but what would occur when they checked the storage device? April was supposed to be here before that happened, but now, she had no idea where we were.

  Cristiano said, “Violet, darling, I'm going to need your assistance. Can you please log on to a computer, so that I can read the contents of this drive?”

  My mother managed to squeak out a yes before noticing me. “Kellan, Emma… Emma is okay. I can't believe Francesca—”

  “It's okay, Mom. Just do what they want, and everything will work out.” I wasn't sure whom I was convincing at that moment.

  While my mother assisted Cristiano with the files, and Raquel shoved the gun against my back, I heard a sound coming from a nearby office.

  “No, wait, you can't go out there,” a raspy voice shouted.

  Then, I heard Emma. “But I want to see Grandma. I don't understand this game anymore.”

  My panic intensified. I willed myself not to do anything rash. Emma must have seen me.

  “Daddy's here.” I heard tiny footsteps racing across the floor, but I couldn't do anything.

  “Emma, I thought you were going to be a good girl and listen to me,” Cristiano said.

  I couldn't tell for sure, but it looked like he'd grabbed her arm as she ran by to stop her from reaching me.

  “Who's that?” she asked, probably pointing at Raquel, given I didn't know everyone in the room.

  At that moment, everything happened so fast, I could barely understand what was going on. Francesca stepped back into the room and walked toward us. She bent down in front of me, no more than ten feet away, saying, “My precious, Emma. It's—”

  The door busted open, and two people rushed inside. I couldn't identify them at first, but I recognized their voices.

  The fury behind Vincenzo's words was alarming. “Your lookout guard has been disarmed and knocked out. We've had enough drama for tonight, Cristiano. It's about time we had a little discussion.”

  Raquel grabbed me and aimed the gun at my forehead.

  Emma and my mother both screamed. I saw a quick flurry of action in front of me and assumed either Cristiano or Francesca had picked up Emma.

  “Listen, old man, your family started this game when you invaded our territory and killed several of our finest employees,” Cristiano replied in a suave
yet chilling voice. “You were not supposed to arrive here tonight. How did you find us?”

  “We followed your sister and Kellan. We've been watching all night trying to figure out where the meetup was going to happen,” Cecilia announced. She must've also held a gun because I could hear her racking the slide into position.

  “Please, let me take Emma away from here,” my mother begged.

  “I'm frightened. I don't understand what's going on. Is that my mommy?” Emma's voice was strained. I knew my daughter. Her eyes were scrunched together as she clung to whoever held her, fighting to get free. Whenever she was scared, she ran and hid until I could protect her.

  I'd always blamed it on the shock she'd gone through upon learning her mother had died. No one else could comfort my baby when she felt abandoned, except for me. “She's only seven years old. Please, don't hurt her.”

  Francesca whimpered, helpless while her worlds collided in one giant mixing bowl of miscalculated rage. She wanted to comfort our daughter but must not have thought she could do anything to safely break the tension.

  “Kellan, nothing will happen to Emma. I'm holding and protecting her,” Cristiano advised. He sounded sincere, but the room was a powder keg, and I could do nothing to stop the potential explosion. He addressed the Castiglianos. “You've handed over the evidence and your company. It's time for you to leave, and I'll let Francesca go.”

  “Not so fast,” Cecilia sputtered, her words filled with an intense charge. She stood inches away from us. “There's one more piece of evidence we need to discuss.”

  “What's this all about?” Raquel's voice echoed in my ears, exponentially irritating me.

  Vincenzo tossed something to my mother. “Would you mind bringing up this video on the monitor? As always, it's lovely to see you, Violet. You haven't aged a bit.”

  Her hands still trembling, my mother managed to insert the drive into the USB slot on the laptop. A window popped up on the screen with a single file available to select. She double-clicked it, and a new window came to the forefront. I couldn't make out the words, but I knew the shapes.