Fatal Fraud: A Fatal Series Novel

by Marie Force

  “Of course I do. And I know you really want a dog. Dad and I are thinking about it. That’s the best I can do for right now.”

  “We’ve had a lot going on with Gramps dying and everything. I don’t want you to think I’m being selfish.”

  “Buddy… Make room for your mother.”

  Rolling his eyes, he moved some of the papers so she could sit close enough to hug him as tightly as she could. “You don’t have a selfish bone in your body, and the number one reason why you don’t already have a dog is because we have to resist the urge to give you everything you want the second you ask for it. We’re trying to do this parenting thing right, and not giving you everything you want is apparently how we keep you from being completely spoiled.”

  His snort of laughter was muffled by the tight hold she had on him. He pulled back to look at her. “Did you read that on some how-to-be-a-good-mom website?”

  She play-punched him in the arm. “What if I did?”

  “You’re funny. I promise if you get me a dog, I won’t turn into a spoiled brat.”

  “That’s good to know, and it’s not lost on us that you never ask for anything, which makes you the best kid ever.”

  “Could I ask you something kind of weird?”

  “Anything you want. We specialize in weird around here.”

  Once again, Nick laughed behind her.

  “What does it mean when people ask if you’re going to have ‘real’ kids?”

  Chapter Four

  Sam felt like she’d been sucker-punched. “Where… where did you hear that?”

  “At school. Someone said they asked if you were having real kids, and I didn’t know what that meant. I think it means babies, but I wasn’t entirely sure.”

  Sam wanted to weep and wail and throat-punch the insensitive reporter who’d asked that question at a recent briefing. “What it means is that people are stupid.”

  “Well, I already knew that much,” Scotty said with the cheeky grin she loved so much. It was very similar to Nick’s.

  “A reporter asked me if Dad and I were going to have kids of our own, and I went off on her, letting her know I already have three kids of my own who I love with all my heart.”

  “So she meant babies are real kids?”

  “Who knows?”

  He gave her the withering look that was her trademark. Apparently, he was borrowing from both their playbooks. “They meant babies that you would have, right?”

  “Yeah, I guess.”

  “For what it’s worth, pal,” Nick said, “I lost my shit with that reporter’s boss and let them know how offensive we found that question. You, Alden, Aubrey and Elijah are our family, our kids, the only kids we need, and we love you all very much. You know that.” Elijah, a sophomore at Princeton, was the twins’ older brother and legal guardian, but Sam and Nick had let him know he had a family in them now that his father and stepmother were gone.

  “I do. Of course I do. We all know that. But, if you want to have babies too, that’d be cool.”

  “That’s kind of a tough subject for us. Have you heard the word infertility before?”

  “Isn’t that what your speech was about that time?”

  “Yeah, it was. I have trouble getting pregnant and staying pregnant.” Sam really hoped she wasn’t giving him more information than he needed, but it was important to her to tell him the truth—always.

  “Oh, so like you can’t have babies?”

  “Right. I would if I could, but it just hasn’t happened.”

  “And that’s why you adopted me.”

  “No! We adopted you because we fell madly in love with you and needed you in our family. It had nothing to do with whether we could have babies. It was entirely about you.”

  “Mom is right,” Nick said. “From the first time I met you, I couldn’t stop thinking about you or wanting to see you again. Making you part of our family was the best thing we ever did. You made us a family, buddy.”

  “That’s really nice of you to say.”

  “You know I mean it,” Nick said. “We love you, Scotty. We have from the very beginning. Please tell me you know that.”

  “I do.”

  “People say the most insensitive things sometimes,” Sam said. “Making it sound like adopted children aren’t our own is the most insensitive thing anyone could say to someone who has adopted children. I wanted to stab her.”

  “With your rusty steak knife?”

  “Yes! With the rustiest steak knife ever.”

  Scotty laughed. “I’ll bet you were pissed.”

  “You have no idea.”

  “We both were,” Nick said. “I went ballistic when I saw that. Her network got an irate phone call from the vice president.”

  “That must’ve made their day.”

  “I’m pretty sure it made their day very shitty, which is exactly what they deserved,” Nick said. “There was a lot of outrage over it, not just from us. People wrote op-eds in the Post and the Star about the importance of adoption and the need to respect the sanctity of families, however they’re composed.”

  “I think our family is pretty cool,” Scotty said. “It’s not just us and the twins, it’s also Elijah and Shelby and Avery and Noah and the grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, not to mention all the friends, like Graham and Laine, who’re like extra grandparents. And then there’s my biological father…” Since meeting the man who’d fathered him, Scotty had maintained contact with him and saw him occasionally.

  “That’s right,” Sam said. “Our family is the coolest. I’m going to be honest with you about something really big. Are you ready for this?”

  Scotty glanced at Nick. “Is it normal to be afraid when she says something like that?”

  “Completely normal. You never know what she’s going to say.”

  “I can hear you two,” Sam said, amused as always by them. “Before you joined us, my most pressing need was to have a baby. It was all I thought about. I’ve had a lot of disappointments in that regard.” The statement glossed over years of infertility, miscarriages and heartbreak her son didn’t need to know about. “But after you came to live with us, and I got to be your mom, that stuff doesn’t hurt me the way it once did. I’m still sad about the fact that I can’t seem to do what comes so easily to other women, but I’m not heartbroken anymore, and that’s because of you.” She placed her hand on his face and looked him in the eyes. “You made me a mom, and you’re the realest and bestest kid I’ve ever known. I wouldn’t want any other boy in the world to be my son but you.”

  His lips lifted into a small smile. “Bestest isn’t a word.”

  “I say it is, and you are the very bestest.”

  “So are you. Thanks for telling me all that gross stuff about babies.”

  “It’s certainly not for a lack of trying on our part.”

  “Stop it right now.”

  Sam lost it laughing at his look of complete horror, and when she hugged him again, he let her.

  “Can we talk about something else?” Nick asked as he stepped into the room.

  Scotty gave him a wary look. “Something bad?”

  “No, buddy. I think it’s actually good news. I’ve decided I’m not going to run for president.”

  “Oh. Really?”

  “Yeah.”

  “How come?”

  “Because I’d much rather be here with you, your mom and the twins than on the road campaigning for more than a year.”

  Scotty appeared to give that careful thought. “Are you sure? Because I read on NPR’s website that you’re, like, the most likely candidate to be elected if the election were tomorrow.”

  “You’re reading NPR?” Nick asked, seeming amazed.

  “I keep track of what’s going on,” Scotty said with a huff of indignance that made his parents laugh. “And I thought it’d be kind of cool to live in the White House.”

  “I think it’s one of those things that sounds good on paper, but it occurred to me that i
f I ran and somehow managed to win—”

  “You’d so win,” Scotty said.

  “Thanks for your vote, but it occurred to me that if I did win, you’d live in the White House the whole time you’re in high school, and that might begin to feel a bit confining for you.”

  “Hmm, yeah, that might kinda suck after a while.”

  “That’s my fear. One of them, anyway.”

  “And Mom would hate it.”

  “That too.”

  “That’s not true!” Sam said. “I’d do it for you.”

  “And you’d hate it,” Scotty and Nick said together before laughing at their own joke and sharing a high five.

  “If you two are finished…”

  “I hear what you’re saying,” Scotty said, “and I get why you’re saying it, but I wouldn’t want to be the reason you don’t run.”

  “Me either,” Sam said.

  “You’re not the reason, but you’re both part of it. I waited all my life to have a family, and now that I do, the last thing in the world I want to do is be separated from you guys for any reason. It’s enough that I have to travel as VP, but campaigning would be an eighteen-month grind of primaries and then the general election. I just don’t want to do that. I don’t want the job badly enough to put any of us through that, not to mention the scrutiny, the security, the attention and nonstop media coverage. Ack, just no. Being VP has been more than enough for me.”

  “As long as it’s not because of me, then I support your decision,” Scotty said.

  “I appreciate that,” Nick said, clearly amused by his intelligent comment. “Do me a favor and don’t mention it to anyone until I can talk to Graham?”

  “I won’t say anything.”

  “Appreciate it, buddy.”

  “And with that,” Sam said, “we’re outta here. Finish your homework and go to bed.”

  “Did you get that line from the mother website too?”

  “Nope, that one’s all mine.” She kissed the top of his head. “If anyone gives you shit about anything at school, let me know. I’ll make sure they get arrested and sent to juvie.”

  “You can’t do that,” he said, his tone dripping with disdain.

  “They don’t know that. I could make them sweat, and I’d do it for you in a red-hot second.”

  He rolled his eyes, which was another trait of hers. “It might be better for all of us if I take care of the middle school nonsense while you worry about the killers.”

  “You’re a wise young man, Scott Cappuano,” Nick said. “And we love you.”

  “Love you too. Go away so I can finish this nightmare called homework.”

  “Don’t stay up too late,” Nick said.

  “I won’t.”

  Sam got up to leave the room, giving Nick a murderous look that she knew he’d understand. That they’d even had to have a conversation with Scotty about “real kids” made her crazy.

  “You guys?”

  They turned back to him.

  “I’m thankful all the time that you came to Richmond that day and we met each other. I just wanted you to know that.”

  “That was one of the best days of my entire life,” Nick said.

  “Better than becoming VP?”

  “A thousand, million, bazillion times better. See you in the morning.”

  Smiling, Scotty said, “Night.”

  Nick let Sam go ahead of him, closed Scotty’s door and followed her into their bedroom, where she whirled around to face him.

  “I want to kill that woman.”

  “Don’t do that, babe. Think of the paperwork…”

  “I’m going to call her and let her know what her dumbass, ignorant, what-the-ever-loving-fuck-is-wrong-with-her question led to.”

  He smiled at her choice of words. “That might not be a bad idea.”

  “It’s the best idea I ever had. In fact, maybe I’ll go there and have it out with her in person and really make her day.”

  “Uh, well…”

  “Don’t tell me not to protect my kid, Nick. Please don’t do that.”

  “I’d never tell you not to do that, but you tend to shy away from the kind of publicity a confrontation like that is apt to generate.”

  “In this case, I don’t care.” She glanced up at him. “Unless it’ll cause heartburn for you.”

  “I couldn’t care less about that.”

  “Maybe,” Sam said, giving him her best diabolical smile, “we should go together.”

  “A date with my beautiful wife in the middle of a workday? Sign me up.”

  “Only you would see it as a date.”

  He closed the distance between them, placed his hands on her hips and kissed her. “Any minute I get to spend with you is the best date I’ve ever been on.”

  “I’m so mad.”

  “Me too, babe.”

  “Let’s do something about it.”

  “I’m with you.”

  “This idea makes me giddy.”

  “Giddy is a good look on you.” He kissed her again. “What you said to Scotty about it not being for a lack of trying on our part was classic. The look on his face…”

  Sam flashed a big grin. “Right? I was rather pleased with that myself.”

  “The poor kid,” Nick said, chuckling. “He’s going to need PTSD therapy by the time we’re done with him.”

  “No, he won’t. He’s our masterpiece. He’s going to make us so proud. I know it.”

  “I tend to agree. He’ll make us proud despite us.”

  “No, because of us. He thinks we’re so gross with the kissing and stuff, but we’ve shown him what to aspire to when it comes to love and marriage and happily ever after.”

  “That’s true,” Nick said. “I can’t wait to see him fall madly in love so I can tease him mercilessly.”

  “Same.”

  “But until the day comes when we can mock and torture our son, I’d like to focus on my own happily ever after.”

  Sam put her arms around him. “Is that right?”

  He kissed her neck and seemed to breathe her in. “Uh-huh.”

  “What did you have in mind?” She needed to spend time online, digging into the life of her latest victim and finding out more about the scheme that’d probably gotten her killed. But with her husband hot and hard and talking about happily ever after, the case would have to wait a little while longer.

  “What I have in mind will require full nudity.”

  “Your plans usually do.”

  “Only the ones that involve you.”

  “Well, that’s a relief.”

  His low laugh echoed through his big, muscular body. She loved to make him laugh, to make him smile, to make him happy. Whatever it took, she was there for it, even if it meant putting work on hold for a bit.

  Once upon a time, before he came back into her life, the idea of putting work on hold for anything never would’ve occurred to her. Now, she did it regularly, because she’d learned there was nothing more important than him or their family. She gave her job everything she had for eight to ten hours a day, plus weekends, holidays, vacations… She’d learned that allowing a minute or two for herself in the midst of an investigation made it so she could continue to fight for justice for her victims.

  And the minutes she allowed herself to have with Nick were the best of her entire life.

  Being naked in bed with him was one of her favorite things in the world, and after the long, emotionally charged day with Gonzo and the new case, not to mention the conversation with Scotty, she felt the tension leave her body when he wrapped his arms around her and held her close to him in bed.

  “This is the best thing ever.”

  “The absolute best thing.”

  For the longest time, they did nothing more than cuddle and touch and kiss, which was more than enough for her. It was so relaxing, in fact, that they both dozed off after a while, and because it was so rare for him to actually sleep, Sam had to sneak out of bed an hour later so she woul
dn’t disturb him.

  He’d left his laptop on the dresser, and after she put on Nick’s discarded T-shirt, she retrieved the computer and brought it back to bed, moving carefully, hoping he’d stay asleep.

  She checked her email to see if there was anything from Lindsey, which there wasn’t, but there was a message from Detective Cameron Green.

  LT,

  Took the liberty of a deep dive into the case against Virginia McLeod and summarized the details for you below. I also made a very LONG list of the people we need to speak with. I figure we can maybe divide and conquer tomorrow? Hope this helps.

  Cam

  “God bless you, Cameron Green,” she whispered as she scrolled down to read the details of the scheme Ginny had perpetrated against her family and friends.

  The gist, Cameron had written, was that she got them to invest in properties, such as old warehouses and run-down apartment buildings, that would be rehabbed and sold at a profit, though many of the properties didn’t even exist. She used photos of properties located in different parts of the country to build detailed prospectuses about the possibilities for each one, along with projections for profitability for each development. Working with a local Realtor, she’d shown potential investors properties similar to the ones she had in mind for rehab. And the money came pouring in, to the tune of twenty-two million dollars from four hundred and eighty high-end investors.

  Ugh, Sam thought. That gave them four hundred and eighty people with motive to kill.

  The scheme was uncovered, Cameron wrote, when the FBI was tipped off by one of the investors, named Brett Haverson, who’d spotted some cracks in the scheme and asked an FBI agent friend to check it out for him. That had led to a full-blown investigation by the FBI and IRS that found Ginny was collecting the money, living large, not paying taxes and not rehabbing anything.

  Sam composed an email to Cam.

  This is fantastic work! Thank you so much for getting a jump on it. You saved me a ton of time. Questions:

  How do people think they will get away with this stuff?!?

  Don’t they know that eventually the investors are going to be asking for progress reports on the properties?