Battling Destiny (The Piper Anderson Series Book 6) (22 page)

“Have you heard from Bobby? Has he made any progress in helping your sister?” Jules bit nervously at her nails as she continued to pace the room. This full disclosure thing was new for Michael. Normally he’d have tried to handle his sister’s situation much more quietly. The lawyer in him wanted to make sure his wife had some plausible deniability should she ever be asked about the situation. But he knew if he wanted to start rebuilding complete trust with his wife, something she deserved was the constant truth. And Betty, well she was just there and the right kind of nosy to find anything out anyway, so he’d told her too.

“I called and left them voicemails earlier in the day, letting them know how Frankie was doing, but I haven’t heard back. It’s getting late; I’m sure they’ll be checking in soon.” Michael glanced down at his watch and did the math in his head. His mother had given him twenty-four hours to make his decision, and he had about twelve of those left. His sister had called a couple times throughout the day to check on Frankie and melt sadly on the other end of the phone about her situation and the fear it was causing. He just had to put his faith in his friends.

A quiet knock on the door had them all turning quickly, expecting to see the doctor with some results. Instead it was Bobby peering in the room cautiously and then perking up when he saw Frankie looking alert and with more color in her cheeks.

“Sorry to barge in, guys, but I need Michael.” Bobby waved at Jules who gave a small wave back but then went straight back to biting her nails.

“I can’t leave, Bobby. I want to stay here with Frankie. Can we just step out into the hallway and talk?”

“We have somewhat of a situation. It’s time sensitive. I just want to get your opinion before we move forward,” Bobby explained.

“Out with it,” Betty called, narrowing her eyes at Bobby. “We already know the whole story. No need to step into the hallway. I want answers too.”

“This might be something that would be better if you didn’t know about it. Less chance you’ll get in trouble,” Bobby pressed.

“Out with it,” Betty repeated loudly and gestured for him to start talking.

Bobby looked over at Michael who nodded that it would be fine to disclose anything in front of them. “Suit yourself. Lindsey and I found a money trail between your mother and the medical examiner. It’s complicated, though, because there was a pass through. She used Dr. Sans to funnel the money to the medical examiner. Fifty thousand dollars over the last week. She has it marked as payment for the home visits over the last couple of days, but it doesn’t make any sense. The dates don’t even match up. It’s a cover-up and a lousy one.”

“What do the two doctors have to do with each other at all?” Michael asked, shaking his head in confusion.

“We didn’t know, which is why we went to pay a visit to Sans but he panicked, clearly hiding something, and tried to run.”

“Did you catch him?” Jules asked, dropping her hands to her side? “Our doctor wants to talk to him.”

“Lindsey’s knee must be pretty well healed because she chased his ass down and leveled him in a hurry. The problem was the information we came across was not obtained legally with a warrant. We are outside our jurisdiction so we couldn’t arrest the guy.”

“What do we do now?” Michael asked, the wheels spinning in his head as he tried to think of a legal plan.

“That’s why I’m here. I had to make a judgment call. He struck me as a runner, and the kind of guy who might disappear and have the means to stay that way. I restrained him. As a matter of fact he’s still restrained. Now I just need to know what you want me to do with him.”

“You kidnapped him?” Michael asked incredulously, slapping his hand to his forehead.

“You need to get him to talk,” Betty said flatly, cutting through everyone’s nerves in the room. “If he’s the go-between then he knows both of them. He struck me as a coward. I’d bet with some pressure you could get him to spill the beans and cooperate.”

“I can’t interrogate him under these conditions and expect anything to hold up in court. I’m a cop. I know better.”

“I ain’t,” Betty said with a shrug. “I’d be happy to find a way to get him to tell the truth. Then he can tell that same truth to the cops here.”

“You aren’t trained in interrogation, Betty. This isn’t some kid who shoplifted a candy bar. He’s not going to just tell you what you want to hear because you ask him nicely.”

“Nice has nothing to do with what I was thinking about.” Betty laughed.

“No,” Michael cut in. “We need to handle this through legal channels. He’s not dumb. He’ll want immunity, and we need to find a way to get it for him if we want him to talk.”

“You’re a lawyer, Michael, can’t you do that?” Jules asked.

“No, but I know someone who may be able to help. Sans might be the key to all of this. If my mother was funneling money to the medical examiner then maybe my sister wasn’t guilty at all. Maybe he died from a heart attack and not the head injury.”

“You can go, Michael,” Jules said as she walked up to him and kissed his cheek. “Frankie is in very good hands, and you’re only a phone call away. Go help your sister.”

“I don’t want to be the guy who leaves you. I feel like I’ve already done that, and I never want to do it again.”

“I fell in love with you because you’re the guy who helps people who need it. Helping your sister is the right thing to do. I’m only sorry I didn’t listen earlier to you about the kind of person your mother is. I can’t believe I ever defended her.”

“You’re always looking for the good in people. That’s what’s special about you.” Michael winked.

Betty broke them up with a shooing of her hand and interjection of her wisdom. “And she’s just a bitch, that’s what’s special about your mother. Now go get done what you need to and make sure she can’t hurt anyone anymore.”

“Clara really came through,” Michael said as he walked back toward Bobby and Lindsey, who were leaning on the car they’d
borrowed
from Michael’s mother. They’d pulled into a field where they wouldn’t draw attention to themselves. “Apparently she was as motivated to have a big bust as we were. I don’t know what my mother did to her in the past, but it certainly worked in our favor. I’ve been involved in a lot of cases, but I’ve never seen people move so fast to issue warrants especially in the middle of the night.”

Dr. Sans sat inside the car with wide terrified eyes, looking ready to wet his pants. “The district attorney will be here in a couple minutes to take your statement,” Michael explained. “If you cooperate fully and leave out the details of this little incident today, you should get full immunity. You’re just lucky the people you’re turning in are higher up on the food chain than you. Otherwise you’d never get this deal.”

“Okay,” he said as his voice trembled. “I’ll tell her everything as long as they can protect me from your mother.”

“That’s not part of the deal. You’re getting immunity. You can find your own way to protect yourself from my mother,” Michael retorted. “If you tell me everything now, I might be able to help you in that department. The sun’s about to come up, and I want to be there when they arrest my mother. I want to know what she did without waiting to hear it in court. I deserve that.”

“I would, Mr. Cooper, but without other witnesses here I think you might kill me when you find out.” Sans shifted nervously in the car, inching away from Michael.

“Why?” Michael asked, feeling a wave of heat roll over him. “What did you do that would make me want to kill you?”

Just then a car with dark tinted windows pulled up and two agents stepped out, escorting Mary Salinger, the district attorney Michael was expecting.

“I think I’ll wait and tell them.”

Before Michael could push any further for answers, Mary was at his side introducing herself and beginning the process. “I’d like you to come back to my office, Dr. Sans, and we can take your statement. If the details of your story can be validated, you will be granted full immunity from any wrongdoing. My office is very motivated to address any issues of impropriety and crime, especially when they relate to those who see themselves above the law due to their financial standings. The calls I received on this matter made it clear it was top priority for many people. Apparently Mrs. Cooper has made some enemies over the years.”

“I’m sure there’s a long list.” Michael stepped away from the car and let the agents lead the doctor away. It had been made very clear to him he would have no involvement with this case. He was too close to be in on the details of anything that happened after the district attorney got involved.

“What’s the matter?” Lindsey asked, reading Michael’s grimace. “This sounds like good news, right?”

“Immunity is a double-edged sword, and every now and then it slices you right open. We might have just let a guy who did something unspeakable off the hook. That’s the risk.”

“So what do we do now?” Bobby asked, stretching his aching back. They’d pulled an all-nighter trying to keep things contained and contacting all the right people.

“You guys go get us a hotel for tonight. Get a room for Josephine and her fiancé too. When this blows up we’ll want to be laying low. I’m going to go back to the house and get Piper and Josephine out of there before the cops come. I’ll get our bags and drop them off at whatever hotel you pick. Then I’m going to the hospital to be with Frankie. I can’t wait until all this is over and we’re on a plane back to Edenville.”

“You got it. I’ll text you with the name of the hotel. Good luck.” Bobby slapped Michael’s back.

“I couldn’t have done any of this without you two. Thank you for saving my ass. I owe you.”

“You don’t owe me. You’ve done so much for me, and my family, this past year. Lindsey, on the other hand, will likely hold this over your head forever. She’ll be calling in favors for the next ten years,” Bobby joked.

“Actually,” Lindsey said, looking up at the sky as if she were fighting a wave of emotion, “this is one of the few times in my career I felt like I was a part of something. I’ve always wanted to be a cop, but in Edenville, while things are better than they ever have been for me before, it’s still a struggle. People there genuinely see me as less than the guy next to me. It was really nice having people other than Bobby trust me.”

“As far as I’m concerned you’re one of the best on that force. I’ve seen them all, and they can’t hold a candle to you. I’d be happy to pass that along to any of my contacts at the FBI if you ever consider taking your career to the next level.” Michael left the offer hang there unanswered while he turned and jogged back toward his car in the big field where they had all parked.

He turned the radio up for the short drive back to his mother’s house and let the music pump through him. There was finally some good news to let sink in. His mother would be snarled up in the web she’d been creating most of her life. His sister might just be proven innocent of causing her father’s death once the medical examiner was shown to have been bribed. His last text from Jules said Frankie was looking great and ate a good breakfast without getting sick. They were just waiting to hear back from the doctor. The idea of being on a plane back to Edenville was something he could finally envision again.

He pulled up to the front of the house and hopped out of the car. People here weren’t used to anyone driving themselves, but Michael had ditched the chauffeur once he knew they’d be up all night. He slammed the car door behind him and tucked the keys in his pocket.

“Don’t you want to leave those with me, sir?” the valet asked.

“No, I’m not staying long,” Michael retorted as he hopped up the stairs toward the front door. He made his way to the nursery first to pack their things. When he walked in the door he saw Piper and Betty chatting.

“What are you doing here?” he asked, shocked to see Betty away from the hospital.

“Frankie woke up full of fireworks in her eyes and looking for something to keep her attention. That’s a good sign, but Jules wanted me to come here and get a few of her favorite little toys since nothing at the hospital was doing the trick. Now I just got a call from her saying they’re going to be released. They will be on their way back here in a little while.” Betty loaded her bag with a few more chirping and sparkling toys and then started for the door.

“A car just left to pick them up,” Piper explained as she helped Betty straighten up the toys.

“It’s not a great time for them to come back here. There is a lot going on. Give Bobby a call and see if he can meet up with Jules and head her off before coming here.”

“Okay,” Piper said, clicking the keys on her phone. “I just sent him a text.”

Michael’s phone rang with a local number that took a minute to register. “Clara?” he asked as he answered it, and he wondered why she’d be calling. She helped out tremendously with getting the ball rolling with the district attorney’s involvement in the case. She’d called in all sorts of favors. But what he didn’t expect was to hear from her again. They’d made it clear he’d be cut out of that.

“Where are you, Michael? At the hospital with your daughter?” Clara asked and Michael took note of the fact that she’d paid attention to that part of their conversation last night. He couldn’t help but be touched.

“No, I’m at my mother’s house gathering up our things.”