Winner Cake All

by Denise Swanson

  “Speaking of that.” Frannie ticked off another item, then stared at him. “Exactly what law enforcement agency were you with back then?”

  “That’s irrelevant.” Alarm bells went off in Spencer’s head. All he needed was a reporter digging in to his undercover work. “I’m only willing to answer questions about myself as it is related to Yvi.” Under his breath he muttered, “And damn few of those.”

  “Be that way.” Frannie studied her notes, then asked, “What was Yvette’s explanation for cheating on you with your best friend?”

  As Spencer considered his answer, he heard a faint sound from near the sliding window and glanced over. Peering through the glass was Brock Ortiz. Or at least an appalling version of the Brock Ortiz that Spencer had known.

  Leaping to his feet, Spencer raced out the door. Brock stood frozen, guilt and another uninterpretable emotion warred for prominence in his troubled hazel eyes. His shoulder-length hair blew around his gaunt face, and his once ramrod straight back was bent.

  When his gaze locked on Spencer, he let out a whimper and slid to the ground. Concerned he was ill, Spencer rushed toward the man kneeling on the cement.

  Rocking back and forth, Brock moaned, “I’m so sorry. So, so sorry.”

  Spencer squatted down beside his ex-friend and put an arm around him. Brock reeked as if he hadn’t showered in weeks. The odor of cigarettes and alcohol surrounded him in a cloud of hopelessness.

  How had this man, a man who had once been a decorated firefighter, come to this? Was it his career-ending injury? Or was it the coldblooded woman who walked away and didn’t look back when she broke his heart?

  Drawing Brock to his feet, Spencer guided him inside. After settling him in a chair at the table, Spencer looked at Dani and asked, “Could you get him some tea? He’s shivering as if he’s freezing. I think he might be going into shock.”

  Granted it was chilly outside, but Brock’s coldness seemed to go beyond the actual temperature. He gave the impression that he was seconds away from hypothermia.

  “Right away.” Dani dashed toward the stove and turned the burner on under the kettle. “He smells as if he’s been drinking heavily for a while, which means he probably has been skipping meals. There’s a good chance that his blood sugar is low. See if you can get him to eat something.”

  Spencer nodded, but when he looked at his ex-friend’s vacant countenance, he didn’t think it was possible to make him accept food. He was clearly retreating further and further into himself.

  “Brock, talk to me, dude,” Spencer gently slapped his ex-friend’s cheek, and although he turned his head to look at Spencer, he remained mute.

  If something wasn’t done soon, he’d become totally unresponsive.

  Surprisingly, the annoying reporter had remained quiet and Spencer turned to her and snapped, “Shut off your phone’s recording app.”

  “Sure thing.” Frannie tapped the screen, then said, “You called him Brock. Is that Brock Ortiz?” Her eyes gleamed. “Your ex–best friend? The man Yvette cheated with while you two were married.”

  “It is.” There was no use denying it. Spencer sighed. “I don’t suppose you’ll leave us alone and forget you ever saw him here?”

  “No.” Frannie scrunched her face. “Dani could order me out, but I’d just wait at her property line.” The reporter gazed into space before adding, “And then my story would be based on speculation instead of fact.”

  Spencer felt helpless. Neither was the ideal option.

  But because Dani seemed to trust the reporter, Spencer muttered, “Then we’ll see how it goes.”

  A few minutes later, Dani placed a steaming cup of Earl Grey in front of Brock, took his hand, put it around the mug, and coaxed, “You’ll feel better if you take a sip.”

  Brock looked up at Dani, nodded, and whispered, “It’s nice and warm. I’m so cold.”

  “It will help take the chill away.” Dani pulled the tray of food closer and gestured to it. “A bite to eat might be a good thing too.”

  Once again Spencer was struck by her kindness. Instead of being disgusted by the sad shadow of a man sitting at her table, she was trying to comfort him. She didn’t seem repelled by his filthiness, just concerned that he wasn’t feeling well and needed her assistance.

  Brock slumped. “I’m sorry to be so much trouble. I remember when I used to be the one helping people, and now I’m just a pathetic loser.”

  “We all need support once in a while and that doesn’t make us less of a person and definitely not a loser.” Dani waited until he drank some of the tea and wolfed down a sandwich, then said, “You’ll probably feel a lot better if you tell us why you’re here and what happened.”

  Brock looked at Spencer who nodded and said, “Whatever you’ve done, I’m sure we can figure out the best course to take once we have the facts.”

  “I don’t know where to start.” Brock rubbed his eyes.

  “How about the beginning?” Spencer suggested.

  “But I probably shouldn’t talk without a lawyer or something.” Brock looked at all of three of them in turn. “Right?”

  “You might need one eventually,” Dani reassured him. “But right now, it’s probably just better to tell us what happened so we know the best way to help you.” She gestured across the table. “This is my friend Frannie. She’s reporter and can make sure your side is heard. You know the court of public opinion is important.”

  “I’d be happy to share your story with my readers,” Frannie said, a tad too eagerly for Spencer’s liking. “Maybe start with why you cheated with your best friend’s wife.”

  Both Dani and Spencer shot Frannie a dirty look, but Brock said, “Okay.” He took a deep breath and turned to Spencer. “I’m really sorry I went behind your back with Yvette, but she was always calling me when you were away. She’d claim that she was scared of her ex or needed my help with stuff, and then she’d tell me how lonely she was with you gone all the time. When she asked me to hold her, and then we…you know, I couldn’t say no to her. And after that one time, it felt like sort of a compulsion.”

  “I understand, bro. I fell for her damsel-in-distress act too. We both have that protect-and-serve gene and she used it against us.” Spencer thumped Brock’s shoulder, then jerked his chin at Dani. “And let’s face it, I ended up with the better deal.”

  Dani raised her brows but let his statement pass without comment.

  “So you had an affair with Yvette and she dumped Spencer for you.” Frannie frantically typed into her tablet, then glanced up and said, “How long before it all went south?”

  “Things were good, real good, for a while. At least until I was injured.” Brock glanced at his empty sleeve. “At first, I thought she’d stick by me, but then I recognized that a woman like Yvette could never be with half a man like me, so when she broke things off, I was okay, but that was before…”

  When Brock didn’t continue, Spencer asked, “What happened?”

  Brock thumped the table and snarled. “I found out that she’d been seeing Whittaker behind my back even before my accident. She’d been sneaking with him since she met him at some benefit dance we attended.”

  “Is that when you decided to kill her?” Spencer asked. “When you realized she’d been cheating on you while everything was still supposed to be good between you two?”

  “Kill her…” Brock stuttered, a look of confusion on his face. “I didn’t kill her.”

  “But you said you were so sorry.” Spencer wondered if he’d misheard.

  “Sorry that I betrayed you and our friendship.” Brock shook his head. “Over someone like Yvette.”

  “She was a hard woman to say no to,” Spencer said, then glanced at Dani, who met his gaze with a tiny smile of agreement.

  “All I wanted to do was make her feel as bad as me.” Brock shook his head again. “To
pay her back for what she did to both of us.”

  “So, you…” Spencer prodded.

  “I figured once a cheat always a cheat.” Pain etched the lines around Brock’s mouth even deeper. “Something I should have realized a lot earlier.”

  “Yep.” Spencer couldn’t keep himself from agreeing.

  “I started following Yvette.” Brock shrugged. “I might have gotten a bit obsessive about it. I abandoned everything, even foregoing getting my prosthetic arm. I spent all my time watching her. I knew that I’d eventually catch her screwing around. Then I’d tell Whittaker and he’d dump her like she dumped me.”

  Frannie pounced. “And of course you did catch her. When did you find out?”

  “I knew she’d been seeing someone, but I could never get a clear look at the guy or any kind of proof.” Brock’s nostrils flared. “She’d been really tricky until the night of her big engagement party. Then I saw her get into her car with this guy and I waited. She must’ve thought because the Mercedes windows were tinted no one would see her, but the front windshield wasn’t as dark and I had the perfect view of her and lover boy getting it on.

  “I took a video with my cell of them half-naked and of the guy exiting the back seat of her car with her right behind him. They both were smoothing out their clothes and hair. I didn’t get a good view of lover boy’s face, but I figured Whittaker would probably still be able to recognize him since I heard Yvette say something to the guy that made me think he was on the Korn Kings team. And even if the video of him nailing her was too dim to make out much, their disheveled appearances made it obvious what they’d been doing.”

  “Did you show it to Whittaker?” Spencer asked.

  If he believed Brock that he didn’t kill Yvette, maybe the billionaire murdered her in a jealous rage. Spencer could certainly see that happening.

  “I didn’t get a chance.” Brock’s voice broke into Spencer’s thoughts. “They were checking invitations at the entrance so it took me a while to slip into the tent.”

  “Then it collapsed before you had the chance, right?” Dani’s tone was sympathetic.

  “No, somebody beat me to the punch.” Brock scrubbed his eyes with his fist. “When I finally got inside and found Whittaker, this broad had him cornered and was telling him all about it.”

  Dani leaned over to Spencer and whispered in his ear, “That had to be the conversation that Henry Hunter overheard between Whittaker and the wedding planner.”

  Spencer nodded, then looked at Brock and asked, “What was Whittaker’s reaction?”

  “He laughed.” Brock wrinkled his brow. “I was kind of shocked about that. At least until—”

  “That’s all Whittaker did?” Frannie jumped back into the conversation.

  “No.” Brock lifted his chin. “He said that no one got away with making a fool of him and he’d make sure they regretted it.”

  “Both of them?” Frannie murmured licking her lips. “The guy too?”

  “Right.” Brock paused in assembling another sandwich from the tray of meats and cheeses Dani kept edging closer to him. “Whittaker said that when he found out who Yvette had been banging, he’d ruin the man.”

  “Then he didn’t know the guy’s identity,” Spencer muttered almost to himself.

  “No. But he said he’d get it out of Yvette even if he had to pay for the information.” Brock shrugged. “I was going to offer him the video that I took since if anyone deserved a payoff it was me, but Whittaker headed toward Yvette so fast that I was still trying to get through the crowd when the tent came down.”

  “So Yvette’s lover had the best motivation to want her permanently silenced?” Dani mused twisting a piece of her hair as she thought. “And I bet that’s who killed her.”

  “I agree.” Spencer studied Dani’s expression. It was clear that she was recalling bits and pieces and putting them together.

  Finally she said, “I think I know who it might be. I just need to see Brock’s video.”

  All eyes turned to Brock.

  “Do you have your cell phone with you?” Frannie demanded breathlessly.

  “Sure.” Brock dug in his pocket, swiped, and tapped, then handed it to Dani. “Take a look.”

  Chapter 24

  An hour later, Dani opened the mansion’s front door to Gray. As soon as she had verified that the man in Brock’s video was the same guy she’d suspected was the murderer, she’d contacted the detective.

  Although they had different reasons, none of the three individuals around her kitchen table were happy with her decision. Because of the notoriously bad relationship between journalists and police, Frannie worried that Gray would kick her out and she’d lose the story of the year. Brock was afraid Gray would arrest him for stalking Yvette and recording her without her permission. And Spencer’s objection seemed more reflex than motivated by a good reason.

  Dani had ignored the trio’s protests, picked up the phone, and dialed. As a result of that call, Gray was now striding down the hallway ahead of Dani, throwing questions over his shoulder as he headed into the kitchen.

  She wasn’t sure how he knew that’s where everyone was assembled. She hadn’t told him where they were gathered. Maybe his previous visits had helped him recognize her habit. Either that or he could smell the food.

  Walking through the doorway, Gray swept the room with a glance. Hurrying past him and heading toward the counter, Dani was just in time to see him narrow his eyes when he spotted Frannie.

  Although Dani had mentioned that Spencer and Brock were with her, she hadn’t said anything about the reporter’s presence at the mansion. She told herself she hadn’t included her name because Frannie’s presence wasn’t a key part of the story, but in truth it was probably because she didn’t want to deal with his opposition over the phone.

  However, there was no ducking the issue any longer. Not with Gray staring at Frannie as if she were a flesh-eating virus he’d found on his manhood.

  Trying to mitigate the inevitable hostilities, Dani quickly said, “When Mr. Ortiz showed up, Frannie was already here interviewing Spencer about his previous relationship with Yvette. She has promised to keep everything since Brock’s arrival off the record until you’ve made an arrest.”

  “Fine,” Gray said through gritted teeth. “Speaking of that, would you care to enlighten me on why you think you know who I should be arresting?”

  When Dani had phoned Gray, she had only told him that she knew the murderer’s identity and that Spencer’s friend had video proof to support her allegation. She’d refused to name her suspect because she wanted to be face-to-face when she explained her reasoning.

  Although the detective had pressed her for details, she’d maintained that it would be simpler to show him than try to describe the recording. With that, he’d finally given up, and agreed to drop what he was doing and drive to the mansion to meet with her.

  “I think’s it best if Spencer starts by introducing his friend who is the person who made the recording we’re going to show you.” Dani gestured to Brock, then waved Gray to the seat next to Frannie. Once he was settled, she asked, “Before I sit down, is anyone hungry or thirsty?”

  “I’d love a cup of your French roast. The swill at the station gives me heartburn.” Gray smiled at Dani for the first time since he’d arrived, and she felt the tension leave her shoulders.

  Hoping that the detective was beginning to adjust to being summoned to the mansion without being given any details, Dani said, “Coming right up.”

  “And since I’m guessing none of us are getting any supper,” Gray continued, “whatever you have to eat would probably be welcomed by us all.”

  Brock had polished off the charcuterie platter, so after handing Gray his coffee, Dani removed the tray and put it in the sink. Then she pulled out the leftover Thursday lunch-to-go entrées and desserts. These were the sandw
iches that had turned out less than perfect and desserts that hadn’t been a uniform size once they were cut. Putting them on serving dishes, she placed the food on the table, then brought out plates, silverware, and napkins.

  Once everyone had something to drink, Dani slid into the chair next to Spencer and concentrated on what he was telling Gray about Brock. While she’d been assembling their impromptu dinner, Spencer had explained who Brock was and how he’d ended up at Dani’s house.

  Now Gray looked at Brock and asked, “Why were you following Spencer?”

  “I knew he’d been looking for me since he spotted me Monday at the food pantry.” Brock rubbed his eyes. “When I saw him there, I wasn’t sure how to approach him so I ran away and hid out with an old firefighter buddy. He’d left the CFD and took a job in the private sector down here, so I was pretty sure no one would associate me with him.” Brock twitched his shoulders. “But while I’ve been laying low, I’ve been keeping an eye on Spencer. Finally, this afternoon, I got up my courage to face him.”

  “Why were you at the food pantry?” Gray asked as he loaded his plate from the trays in front of him.

  “For the free hot dinner.” Brock ducked his head, clearly embarrassed. “I sort of went crazy when Yvette left me. I dropped off the grid, so I haven’t had access to my disability pay.”

  “Then how did you find Spencer tonight?” Gray’s expression was skeptical and Dani could tell he was far from convinced that Brock hadn’t killed Yvette.

  “These past few days while I was watching him, I found out that he was the head of campus security, so I waited outside his office until he left,” Brock explained. “I followed him here, and once I saw how happy he was with Dani, I figured he’d be willing to accept my apology for screwing Yvette when they were still married.”