Double Deceit
Page 34
It felt like I’d been in this confined space for hours, left to the mercy of my thoughts, which ranged from despair and despondency to tentative optimism for a good outcome. Dan had asserted he’d be able to gather the evidence against Mason & McGant and present it to the police as soon as possible. Meanwhile, I had no idea what was in store for me – more interrogations or perhaps an immediate transfer to the high-security prison.
I snapped to attention as I heard the noise of clattering keys coming from the hallway and spun around.
The door swung open and to my astonishment, there was Detective Armstrong standing in the doorway, his hands tucked casually in the pockets of his jeans.
“I have some good news for you, Mrs Smits. You are free to go.”
My jaw slackened. “What?” I asked, my head tilted.
“We’re releasing you from custody. You’re as free as a bird.”
“But what …” I stammered, shaking my head as if to make sure I wasn’t dreaming. “How’s that possible?”
“That boyfriend of yours brought us a pile of irrefutable evidence, giving us some fresh insights.” His gaze softened as he held out his hand to me. “We realise we’ve made a mistake, I’d like to offer you my sincere apologies. You have been fully exonerated.”
As the detective squeezed my extended limp hand, I was still feeling dazed. I couldn’t wrap my head around what was happening.
He let go of me and gave my shoulder a nudge. “Let’s head this way.”
I looked around searchingly, but the guard with the handcuffs was nowhere to be seen. I started walking, trying to catch up with the detective who was already ahead of me.
As we approached the end of the corridor, I laid eyes on Dan who was waiting for me, his hands folded across his chest and a big grin on his face.
The detective came to a halt and addressed me. “I hope you’ll make a swift recovery from your ordeal. We’ll be in touch,” he said, raising one hand in the air as a goodbye gesture before using it to open the door to another corridor. I stared after him as he briskly walked off until the door automatically closed and he vanished from view.
I turned around.
Dan uncoiled his arms and spread them open, his mouth grinning even wider. I leaped forward and hugged him, the comforting warmth of his body making my senses tingle with happiness.
Dan stroked the back of my head that rested against his chest, and we stood there for a moment, his familiar eau de cologne having a soothing effect on me. I gently moved back and looked up to Dan, his face a mere inches away. “I am so incredibly grateful to you,” I said softly. “What on earth have … ?” I shook my head. “How did you manage to get me out?”
Dan ran a hand through his hair. “I sat down with Detective Armstrong this morning and submitted to him all the evidence you and I collected – the sound recording you captured at the DFI, the overview that Oliver had already prepared months ago and the information I managed to extract from TelExact.” A laugh broke from his chest. “The icing on the cake was a string of transactions from a covert account held by Mason & McGant with a bank on the Cayman Islands, wired to that Joe guy, the scientist at the DFI.”
I was gobsmacked and impressed, and jabbed my fist in his chest. “So you’ve been pulling a few strings eh?” I said, laughing a hearty, genuine chortle.
He waved his hand airily. “Last night I reached out to one of the back-room boys in the finance department at our firm, who’s an old friend of mine. I knew I was taking a huge risk, but I figured I could trust him. After hours of digging through endless accounts and payments, we stumbled upon a transaction from one of the partners of Mason & McGant to the crook at the DFI. This enabled us to build the foundation of our case that the firm – or more precisely Roderick delaHaye – paid Joe de Smet at the DFI for his services.”
I looked away, letting the information sink in, noticing some guy with scruffy hair at the far end of the corridor screaming and hollering, the two guards holding him attempting to calm him down. My arms dropped to my sides as the corners of my lips rose in a light smile.
Dan held my hands. “The case is not yet a done deal, but Detective Armstrong intimated that they are going to turn Mason & McGant inside out. It’s just a matter of time before they indict Roderick.”
I sunk my teeth into my bottom lip and searched his face. “Do you think Roderick has been operating this scam by himself at Mason & McGant all this time, or would more partners have been involved?”
Dan wrinkled his nose. “I’m not sure, but you know what they say – one rotten apple spoils the whole barrel. In any case, it’s out of our hands now. The police are dedicating all of their resources to the investigation – I’m sure they’ll work out all the intricacies. But if you ask me, Roderick was the mastermind behind all the forgery and bribery. He must have discovered Oliver was on to him and lost his cool.”
“Yes, you’re probably right …” My voice trailed off, as my mind played back memories of the first time Detective Armstrong rang me and turned my world on its head. “But there’s one aspect we haven’t fully addressed yet. Remember I told you about the pair of red knickers Oliver was wearing when they found him?”
Dan lifted his shoulder in a half shrug.
“Those knickers belonged to Sandra. Roderick must have slipped them on Oliver after his death,” I said and winced as I visualised that bastard tugging on Oliver’s lifeless body, trying to cram his heavy, unyielding legs into a degrading garment. I ground my teeth and clenched my jaw so tight it hurt.
“Why do you think he would have done that?” Dan asked.
“I reckon Roderick must have found out by then that Oliver had been having an affair with his wife. Perhaps the knickers were a sign or a warning towards Sandra, or maybe he just wanted to leave a final act of disgrace on Oliver’s body.”
I felt tears welling up, but managed to subdue them and rolled my shoulders to ease the tension in the nape of my neck. “I can’t believe this nightmare is over,” I said, looking at Dan, breathing off an easy laugh.
He flicked a defiant lock of hair back from my face and fixed it behind my ear with a lopsided smile. “Yes it really is over. Detective Armstrong informed me right before releasing you that they have apprehended Roderick in his home and are about to interrogate him. So you have nothing left to worry about now, that man should be going behind bars for a very long time. And besides,” Dan said, flashing a cheeky grin as he slowly inched himself closer, “I’m here to protect you now,” he whispered before pressing his lips gently onto mine, releasing a thousand butterflies in my stomach. I leaned into his kiss, enjoying every spark it kindled, until he slowly retreated.
“Come on, I already got your handbag, let’s leave this miserable place behind,” Dan said jauntily and swivelled around, invitingly holding out an elbow.
I tucked my arm through his and together we ambled out of the building towards Dan’s car. As we got outside I came to a halt, tilted my head upwards, closed my eyes and breathed in the crisp fresh air. The light wind was rustling the leaves in the treetops overhead, birds cooing on the branches. I opened my eyes, my head still tilted up to the blue sky, mesmerised by a string of white clouds being swept forward. I let out a big sigh of bliss and looked down again, nudging Dan to indicate I was ready to continue.
As we got to his car, Dan opened the door me. “I’ll take you home.”
During the five-minute drive to my beloved neighbourhood, we remained silent, surrounded by the comforting hustle and bustle of the city, a symphony of clanging tram bells, flashy scooters shooting by and bikers yelling angrily at speeding cars. I smiled and stretched my legs – I couldn’t wait to hold Tim in my arms again. The thoughts in my mind were still all over the place and it would surely take me some time to lay the ghost of these troubling times to rest, but, all in all, the jumpy feeling I’d been suffering from slowly abated. I looked at Dan, whose eyes were on the road, and suddenly realised that I’d been vindicated with Dan’s aid
as well as by the chart that Oliver had made before his death. It seemed a bizarre twist of fate that these two men in my life had, together, contributed to my release.
When we arrived home, I rummaged through my purse, looking for my keys. Just before I opened the door I paused, the key hanging in the air, and I looked back at Dan a little uncertain. I didn’t know exactly how things stood between us, but I wanted to keep him with me. “Would you like to come inside?”
He nodded and flashed me one of his wonderful smiles. “I’d love to.”
After slipping out of our coats, I hung them on the rack and was about to lead the way to the living room, but noticed through the window that the house was far from empty. Tim jumped up from the couch, pointed his little finger to me and called out, “Mummy!” I dashed inside and as my little baby flew into my arms, I sank to my knees and held him tightly, the scent of freshly shampooed hair flowing into my nostrils. “Oh darling, I will never leave you again,” I whispered into his blond curls, as tears filled my eyes. Only now did I fully realise how different my life could have turned out if it weren’t for Dan’s help.
My little champ wiggled himself out of my arms – oblivious to the dire situation I’d been in – after which I cast a bewildered look around the room, the atmosphere thick with a solemn silence. My parents and my three girlfriends had formed a semi-circle around me, staring meekly at me. I threw my arms out, a bemused look on my face. “What are you all doing here? Is this a surprise party?” I joked, and the mood in the room instantly shifted to jolly and cheerful, chatter filling the air.
My mother held me in her arms for a while, stroking my hair. She released me, still keeping me close to her with a regretful look in her eyes. “Oh, darling, Dan filled us in yesterday on everything that’s happened. I can’t imagine the hell you’ve been through. Why didn’t you share all of this with your father and me?”
I sloughed off a lame shrug. “I’m not sure, Mum,” I said truthfully. “I didn’t want to bother you or put you in harm’s way – it was too complicated.”
She nodded and took a few steps back, making space for my friends to console me. “Hun, I’m so, so sorry for how I’ve let you down. When push came to shove, we weren’t there for you,” Lindsey said, squeezing my shoulder. “I can’t believe what a terrifying ordeal you must have been through. Dan told me the police have been giving you the third degree.” A mixture of ache and guilt flashed across her face as her voice broke.
Frederique stepped in. “I feel so awful about all of this – we dropped you like a rock when you needed us most. Can you please forgive us for not believing you and sticking up for you?”
Karen stood with slumped shoulders, her arms folded across her chest and bobbed her head.
I wrapped my arms around the three of them and gave them a group hug. “Of course,” I said, my voice muffled by Lindsey’s white blouse. “You are my darlings …” I released my grip and looked them in the eye, one by one. “All of you. I should apologise for my behaviour too. You were concerned for my safety and all I did was shoo you away.”
“Thank goodness for Dan who came to your rescue,” Frederique said, gesturing towards Dan, who was engaging in a lively conversation with my father. She leaned in and lowered her voice as she gave me a wink. “If I were you I’d make sure not to let that man walk – he’s a keeper.”
I smiled, let my hands glide off my friends’ shoulders and walked over to Dan. I laid a hand on his arm. “Dan, could you help me pour the drinks?”
“Sure.”
We popped into the kitchen, where we were out of hearing distance from the others. “How did you pull this off? All my family and friends are here,” I asked, bouncing on my toes.
He waved his hand airily. “Oh, it wasn’t that hard. I had your phone, remember? Your mother filled me in on all the important people in your life. I kept them updated on how everything was going and indicated I was hoping to get you back home today. Everyone was incredibly relieved and delighted and wanted to give you a warm welcome.”
I stepped closer and held his face in my hands, gazing into his beautiful, longing eyes. “Dan, you have done so much for me. How can I ever thank you for this?”
He gave me one of his gorgeous smiles. “Take me out for dinner?”
I chuckled and then gave a mock-serious face. “I will make a reservation at the best restaurant in Amsterdam.”
Dan slid his arms around my waist, pulled me gently towards him with a teasing look. I closed my eyes and tasted his warm lips on mine, my senses tingling. We’d been through so much together in such a short time that the intimacy felt intuitive and familiar.
I opened my eyes and gazed up at him, his firm hands still lingering on my hips. “Would you mind getting a bottle of Moët out of the wine cooler?”
He gave me a wink and released his hands. “Of course.”
As I heard the sounds of Dan rummaging around the kitchen, my gaze wandered through the room, filled with my loved ones chatting amiably while Tim scampered around between them, and it suddenly hit me how incredibly blessed I was to have all these wonderful, lovely people in my life. With a blissful smile on my face I sauntered to the mahogany cupboard, to fetch the crystal champagne glasses that Oliver and I had received as a wedding gift and always reserved for special occasions. Well, this is as special as it gets, I thought to myself, as I rejoined my family and friends, ready to toast my freedom and the next chapter of my life, with Dan by my side.
I really hope you enjoyed reading my book!
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Acknowledgements
I’d like to thank all my reviewers of the Dutch version of this book that helped shape the story, Elsbeth Hamberg, Emmy Troquete, Hanneke Verbiest and my lovely sisters Valerie and Fleur Brouwers.
My thanks to my dear neighbour Beth Hutchings for being the first reviewer of the book and connecting me with editor and translator Sarah Fencott. Beth, without your enthusiasm and willingness to help me move the book further, Double Deceipt would never have existed.
Finally, the friendly and professional, creative and skilful Sarah Fencott. Thank you so much for our collaboration. Without your help and input, I’d never have been able to finish Double Deceipt. I’ve learned ever so much from you and had a wonderful time working with you.
Finally my beloved husband Chris and our wonderful three kids. Thank you so much for supporting me in my endeavours.
About the Author
JULIENNE BROUWERS is married, has three children and lives in The Hague in the Netherlands. She has previously written two books in Dutch. This is her first thriller in English.
If you’d like to leave a message or get into my email list, please email to juliennebrouwers@gmail.com”
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