by Mark Stone
“It was a pretty big check,” I said, thinking back to that day to all the cameras and the way it changed my entire life.
Mia got off the hood of the truck and started looking through the letters again. “You’re sure this is your handwriting?” she asked.
“It’s a damn good forgery,” I answered.
“None of this makes sense,” she said as I hopped off the hood of the car and stood beside her. “These letters talk about us loving each other and wanting to be together, but that doesn’t explain why we’d want to kill George. If I actually were in a relationship with him and I wanted to leave him for you, why wouldn’t I just do it?”
“Maybe you didn’t think you could,” I answered. “Maybe he threatened you or something. He did seem a bit on the abusive side.” I grabbed half of the stack of letters in her hand and started going through them, hoping to cut her workload in half. With any luck, we’d find something in here.”
“Please,” Mia scoffed. “I’m no shrinking violet. I was never afraid of George Jensen a day in my life, and everyone knew that. Besides, that wouldn’t explain why I’d ever want to hurt Jack.” Her eyes went glassy and her voice immediately started to tremble. “I love that kid more than anything in the world. He’s Alexis’s son, but he really belongs to all of us, if that makes any sense.”
“He’s a good kid,” I said, nodding as I came across the one paper in the stack that wasn’t in my faux handwriting. It was in typed letters with a big letterhead at the top, letting me know this was a legal document.
“He’s the best kid, which is why I could never even dream of hurting his feelings, let alone doing anything to actually harm him,” she said.
“I think I might have the answer to that,” I said, reading over the typed letter as my eyes grew wider. “Apparently, you and Jack are the beneficiaries of a half-million-dollar life insurance policy. Wanna guess who the policy is on?”
“What?” Mia asked, her nostrils flaring as she jerked the paper from my hand. “This isn’t true. This is insane. Why in the world would George make me the beneficiary of a half-million-dollar policy?”
“He wouldn’t,” I said. “And he didn’t. This is your motive. This is the reason you wanted to kill George Jensen, and it’s also the reason you wanted to do away with his son. You wanted the money all to yourself, and for that to happen, both George and Jack had to be dead.”
“But you have seventy million dollars,” Mia said. “If we were in love and in a relationship, why would I go through all that for half a million dollars when you have so much?”
“I have the answer to that, too, I’m afraid,” I said, looking at the next paper, which once again, was in my handwriting. I took a deep breath before I read it. “You can’t come into this with nothing. I’m a millionaire. No. I’m a multimillionaire. I can’t just have you walking in off the street with your hand out, expecting me to fill it. How would I ever know that you really cared about me? How would I know you weren’t just with me for the money? No. You’re going to have to think of something. You’re going to have to prove it to me somehow. You’re going to have to pay a toll if you want me.”
“A toll of blood and insurance money,” Mia said, her hand going to her mouth. “My God. This is all so intricate. It’s all so planned out.”
“And I’ll bet you my bank account against yours that the insurance policy is real,” I said.
“You think?” Mia asked, looking up in horror.
“In the sense that it’s probably active,” I answered. “This isn’t a love letter. Relationships aren’t as easily proven in a court of law as an insurance policy would be.”
“Who could do that?” she asked. “Who could forge an insurance policy?”
“Someone with connections,” I answered. “You said you’d seen my handwriting on my police report. The sheriff would be able to see that, too, right? He’d also have the kind of connections necessary to forge an insurance policy.”
“Sheriff Jensen is a hard man, and he’s no one I’d want to go on a cross-country road trip with, but he wouldn’t kill his son, and he sure as hell wouldn’t hurt his grandson.”
“You said it yourself,” I answered. “You said the person who did this would have to have access to my handwriting. What about the other one? What about his wannabe foster son?”
“What are you even talking about? Why do you keep saying that? I have no idea who you mean,” Mia responded, throwing her hands out at her sides.
“Charlie Westerbrook,” I said. “The guy the sheriff took in after his father left.”
“Sheriff Jensen wouldn’t take in a stray cat if it limped up to his porch, much less an entire human being,” Mia answered. “What’s more, Charlie Westerbrook’s father lives two houses down from him. They have dinner together every Sunday night. He didn’t leave his son. Who told you that?”
“What?” I asked as the beating of my heart started to pick up steam. “Parker told me that. Why would he lie to me?”
“Are you sure you didn’t misunderstand?” Mia asked. “Because it sounds a lot like what happened to him. After his father left, he—”
“His father didn’t leave,” I said, cutting her off. “I just met him at that beach house when Jack was taken.”
“You met Alexis’s father,” Mia said.
“They’re twins, for God’s sake. How could they not have the same father?” I balked.
“They’re twins in the same way Alexis and I are sisters,” Mia said. “We were all friends when we were kids. They happened to be born on the same day. Parker’s mom got sick, and after she died, his dad couldn’t handle the pressure. He dropped him off on Alexis’s father’s doorstep and hit the road. They took him in and Alexis started thinking of him as a brother. Since they were born on the same day, she started thinking of him as a—”
“Twin brother,” I finished, my mouth going dry as the pieces began to click into place, like a puzzle finally taking shape inside my head. “Alexis, would my lawyer have access to my statement to the police?”
“Yes. Your lawyer would have access to anything you did in the police station. Why?” she asked.
“Parker was supposedly out scuba diving the night Jack was taken the first time,” I said. “He’s the one who told me about love letters between you and George. He put that in my head. I think he knew I would come here tonight. I think he was trying to set us up. I think . . . I think Parker might be behind all of this.” My mouth dropped, my eyes widened, and my heart halted almost completely as I realized the worst part. “And he’s with Jack and Alexis right now!”
“Wait,” Mia said as I started toward the driver’s seat of my car. “Why would Parker want to do any of this? It doesn’t make any sense.”
“I don’t know,” I admitted. “But he did. He had to. It’s the only thing that makes sense. He must have already known about the evidence planted in my house because he put it there, and then we walked it right over to him. We handed it to him and let him know we were on to him.” I shook my head. “I have to go. I have to get over there before it’s too—”
Sirens cut through the air, silencing me. Looking forward, I saw two police cars squeal up to a stop in front of us. Sheriff Jensen stepped out, his face hard against the glowing of the red and blue lights. “John Lucky and Mia White, you’re both under arrest.”
Chapter 27
“You have to listen to me,” I said, holding my hands out in front of me for the sheriff and the officer who got out of the car beside him. It was Charlie. An intense sensation of anger ran through me when I saw him, but I had to check that. The truth was, I didn’t know anything about Charlie. All I had been told about him was a lie. In truth, Parker was behind all of this. My anger should have been directed at him, and if I could get out of this and get to Alexis’s house, that’s exactly where it was going to go.
“Put your hands above your head,” the sheriff said, pulling out his handcuffs. “You’re both under arrest for the murder of Georg
e Jensen and the kidnapping and attempted murder of Jack Jenson. You have the right to remain silent. Anything—”
“We didn’t do this!” I said loudly.
“So much for remaining silent,” he said. “Put your hands together. I’m going to cuff you. Normally, I would ask you not to resist, but I kind of want to beat your ass. So, I’m begging that you don’t let this happen the easy way.”
Unfortunately, I wasn’t going to be able to let it happen the easy way. If the sheriff wasn’t going to listen to me, to listen to reason, then I was going to have to force my way out of this situation. Parker was there with Jack, Alexis, and Davey. I couldn’t let him hurt them. I wouldn’t.
“Sheriff Jensen, please,” I said, swallowing hard. “I swear to you, this isn’t what you think it is. We’re not responsible for what happened to your son, but I think I know who is, and if you don’t listen to me, I’m afraid the same thing will happen to your grandson.”
“You’re a real piece of work,” Sheriff Jensen scoffed. “You think you can just spout lies at me and I’ll believe it? We didn’t come here lightly. We have the murder weapon. We have the gun you used to kill my boy, and it’s got your and your friend’s DNA all over it! So, don’t stand here and tell me this isn’t you, and don’t you dare threaten my grandson. You’ll never get close enough to hurt him ever again.”
“Of course, you got the murder weapon, Sheriff,” I said frantically. “You got it because after we found it, we gave it to Parker. Don’t you get it? Parker’s behind all of this.”
“If you do not exercise that right, anything you say can and will be held against you in a court of law,” Sheriff Jensen said, diving right back into the Miranda Rights he had been throwing at me before I stopped him. He nodded at Charlie Westerbrook and the man started toward me.
“Please don’t make me do this,” I muttered, realizing that if I was right, neither of these men had done anything wrong. In fact, they thought that what they were doing was the ultimate right. They were bringing a couple of killers to justice. The only thing they didn’t realize was that we weren’t killers, and hauling us into jail, no questions asked, would almost certainly condemn Jack to death. I took a deep breath as Charlie came toward me. “Fine,” I murmured under my breath. “Have it your way.”
As he neared me, I jumped into action. My hands were already over my head, so I brought an elbow down to meet his forehead. I knew Sheriff Jensen would be quick to react, and since he had a gun and I didn’t, I needed to neutralize that threat.
Now, Sheriff Jensen had been kind of an ass to me since I got here, but that didn’t mean I wanted to hit him. In fact, quite to the contrary. He was an older guy, and more than that, he was a law enforcement officer. Not only was laying hands on him morally repugnant and a felony, but the truth was, I kind of respected the dude. He was doing his job. He was obviously pretty good at his job and had an ‘I don’t take crap from anyone’ attitude that I could really get behind. Still, I had to do what I had to do, and that meant getting out of here.
Turning to the man, who I saw was reaching for his firearm, I hit him with a right hook and then a punch right to the chest, which sent him winding backward. He had the gun in his hand. He must have grabbed it while I was attacking. I swiped it from him as he stumbled backward, landing on his ass against the pavement.
Turning back around, I headbutted the sheriff quickly, leveling another blow against his forehead. The poor guy was going to have a headache tomorrow. That much was for sure.
He reached for his head with one hand but went for his gun with the other. I knocked his hand away and snatched it. Now, in the blink of an eye, I’d gone from having no weapons on me to having two.
Of course, nothing good ever lasts forever. I should have taken that into consideration when I felt a pull on my legs sharp enough to send me to the ground.
Remembering the way Mia’s gun had gone off when she fell, I quickly tossed my weapons away from me, hoping that would at least send whatever bullets went flying in a direction where no one would be hurt.
I hit hard against the pavement, pain shooting through my face as my nose slapped against the ground. Seeing stars, I felt arms on my back. They spun me around forcefully, and I saw Sheriff Jensen on top of me, rearing back to punch me.
“You know, for an old dude, you can really move,” I said. “But so can I.” I moved my head just in time for the guy to punch the pavement at full force. He yelped, and I pushed him off me. Stumbling to my feet, I saw Charlie barreling toward me. I braced myself, ready to the brunt of his weight. Instead, the sounds of two shots filled the air, stealing all of our attention and forcing Charlie to stop where he was.
Mia stood there, gun in both hands and a look on her face that cut away any idea that she wasn’t the most badass person here.
“Everyone stop,” she said through clenched teeth.
“Mia,” Sheriff Jensen said from behind me. “I’m not sure what this man has talked you into, and I’m not sure what trouble he’s involved you in, but I know you. I know you’re a damn fine detective and a good woman. That’ll mean a lot when all of this comes to a head. My good word, it could be the difference between spending the rest of your life in jail or not.”
“Mia,” I said, running a hand through my hair nervously. “There’s no time. You know what I have to do.”
“You’re a police officer, Mia!” Sheriff Jensen said. “You enforce the law. It’s who you are. It’s the truth of who you are, and the truth always comes out in the end.”
She looked at me, then at the sheriff, and then back at me. “Let it come out, then,” she growled. “Do what you need to do,” she told me. “These two aren’t moving anytime soon. She cocked her guns and nodded at me.
“Thank you,” I said, and then I got into my car and sped off, hoping against hope that I would make it in time, that I might live up to my name and be lucky enough to be able to save everyone.
Chapter 28
“Come on, Davey!” I yelled into the phone as I tried for the fourth time since starting toward Alexis’s house to reach him. Once again, it went straight to voicemail, something that seriously rattled me. I had known Davey for long enough to know that the man took his phone with him everywhere. I’d had conversations with him while he was in the shower, for God’s sake. He would have taken it to war with him if we’d have had any service in that damn desert. That was why the idea of his not having his phone with him right now was enough to tie worried knots in my stomach.
I took a couple of deep breaths, trying to calm down. I was going as fast as I could, driving like a lunatic through red lights, blazing through stop signs, the whole nine yards. Normally, I’d have been nervous about attracting the attention of the police. Driving like a crazy person will certainly get that for you, and since I was quite literally in the middle of being arrested for murder charges, maybe I should have kept my head down. But I couldn’t. Part of me wanted to see the police. If they got after me, maybe they’d follow me all the way to Alexis’s house. Maybe they’d help me put a stop to whatever horrors were going on inside. And if after that, they wanted to lock me up for assaulting two police officers, I could understand that.
As it turned out, the police must have all been busy or something, because regardless of how dangerous my driving was, I never saw hide nor hair of the boys in blue.
“Screw it,” I muttered as I pulled into Alexis’s driveway. “I’ll do it without them.”
As I flung the door of my car open and got out, I realized how stupid I had been not to grab one of the guns Mia had in her hands before I left. Here I was again, about to face down someone with evil intentions, and I didn’t have anything to defend myself with.
I shook my head, dislodging the thought and tossing it out on the ground. It couldn’t help me. I had faced enough people without a weapon before. All I could do was pretend it was one of those times. I had gotten out of all of them relatively unscathed. Hell, I even won the lottery after one
of ‘em. Maybe after this, they’ll give me the Nobel Peace Prize or something. Of course, there was also the possibility that I was going to get myself killed and doom everyone else to death also, but it was better not to think about such things right now.
Running toward the front door, a lump formed in my throat when I saw it was ajar. I don’t know what it is about terrible situations, but television and movies have taught me that if you walk up to a house and the door is open, you’re about to find yourself in one. Bad guys must really hate the idea of enclosed spaces.
Cautiously, I pushed the already open door enough to be able to see inside. Or, at least enough until I saw a pair of legs stretched across the floor. I recognized the thick boots as belonging to none other than my best friend, Davey.
Throwing caution away in favor of concern, I rushed through the doorway. Davey lay flat on his back across the floor with Alexis lying right next to him. Horror filled me as I realized his eyes were open. God, I was too late. Parker had killed him. Parker had killed them both, and now all I could do was hope I had gotten here in time to save Jack. Still, he and Parker were nowhere to be seen, and my eyes were glassy behind quickly filling tears.
“My God!” I yelled instinctively as I rushed toward the pair and crumpled beside them. I knew I needed to get up. I knew I couldn’t waste time with them, even if they had deserved so much more than this. I needed to find Jack, to save him. But I couldn’t leave them here just yet. I couldn’t leave my friend.
A groan sounded. It was light and weak, but it was there. Shocked, I pulled back, looking at Davey.
“Drugged . . . us,” Davey said weakly. “Some . . . thing . . . in the wine,” he said. I looked over and saw shards of glass on the floor and red wine spilled against the tile.
“Dammit,” I muttered, though honestly, I was more than a little relieved. Drugged was better than dead any day of the week. Checking his pulse and then Alexis’s, I saw that they were strong enough.
