Death in Her Eyes (A Mac Everett Mystery Book 1) (28 page)

“The lawyer from Ocean World told you he’d find the truth some day. I guess he’ll get his wish.”

“I couldn’t help it. I…”

“What was it Ashton?”

“She threatened to tell daddy about my gambling losses,” she whispered.

"Next was the blackmail,” I continued. “You needed more money, so you put a shakedown on your own father.”

“Mac listen to me. I…”

“We already covered how you tried to convince me you didn’t know Stephanie well because you lived in New York and how that was a lie. A friend told me about seeing you at Stephanie’s home when your brother was out of town. You even spent the night a few times.

“You can’t prove…”

“You know about that, don’t you? You’re right I didn’t think I could prove it so I was going to bluff my way on that one. My friend had pictures on her computer that would prove it, but she’s dead, and her computer is missing, so you’re right. I didn’t think I could prove anything at all, but do you know what my friend did? She emailed the pictures to me before you had her killed. You’re right in here,” I said pointing to my computer, “dozens of pictures of you. Maybe we’ll find Nancy Cameron in there too. Want to see some of them?”

“No, ah, get on with it,” she fretted. She’d turned a bit pale.

“You knew Greer and Stephanie were lovers. You knew the general would never stand for that, and you held it over Stephanie’s head. You forced her to help you. You put Stephanie up to sending those blackmail notes to your father.”

“What, no I didn’t. It wasn’t that way at all.”

“The cops will pick Greer up any time now. We don’t have much time to get ready for them. Give it to me fast and we can make up a story that’ll work!” I said. “Why did you hire me?”

“My father…”

“Cut the crap. We crossed that bridge earlier today at your father’s place!” I shouted as I slammed my fist on the desk.

Ashton jumped at the noise.

“Why’d you hire me,” I demanded.

“Nancy found out about the blackmail,” she said almost in a whisper. “Then Stephanie was killed and I thought Nancy was double-crossing me. I wanted protection. That’s why I hired you.”

“That’s more like it,” I replied. “It’s funny Sharon Greer wanted to hire me for protection too. I guess it was from you.”

That wasn’t what I’d expected. I thought Ashton and Stephanie were in it together. I had to think fast.

“What happened? What was the scam?” I demanded.

“It was Stephanie and Sharon, it was the two of them,” she assured me.

“What happened?”

She just looked at me.

“What happened,” I shouted.

“They were both into Luck for a bundle. They cooked up this idea to get money from daddy. Then Nancy gave Sharon some pictures of Cary with some woman. They showed them to Stephanie,” Ashton explained. “Stephanie only loved Cary for his money, but she wasn’t about to let someone else have him. Stephanie said she’d get Cary back no matter what and dumped Sharon. They had a terrible fight. Stephanie told me about their blackmail so she could cut Sharon out.”

“…and you told Nancy,” I clarified.

I’d been a dope. “You thought if Stephanie and Sharon pulled the scam you could get some of the money,” I said.

“Something like that,” she replied.

“Your father said Stephanie didn’t have the balls, but you sure as hell did.”

“Nancy got them back together and we planned to steal the money from them,” she continued. “When Stephanie was killed and Sharon dropped out of sight I assumed they’d had a lovers’ quarrel and she’d killed Stephanie.”

She wasn’t too far wrong. I had assumed the same thing. I’d guessed Sharon had killed Stephanie.

“Stephanie wasn’t the only Hunt that needed cash,” I said. “I doubt your father would be very happy about the gambling debts
you
had run up,” I said.

“How did you find out about that?” she demanded.

“A little birdie - oh hell, a guy I know called a guy who knows a guy with the New York syndicate. Owing six figures to certain a family doesn’t show up on your credit report, but it’s a heavy debt. If the State of Florida doesn’t get you for what you’ve done, the guys up north sure will. They hate a welsher, but they hate a player who brings them attention even more.”

“Mac, I can explain,” she said.

“Stephanie and Sharon had been partners in every sense of the word for years and cooked up a plan,” I explained. “Nancy or Stephanie told you the payout was for two million dollars. They’d demanded twenty-five million, and got it,” I said. “They didn’t tell you about the rest of the money, did they? That’s why you were so surprised this morning. That was a foolish move, Ashton. There is no honor among thieves.”

“I was shocked daddy paid anything,” she said.

She just stood there, but the lie was scrawled across her face.

“Cut it out. There’s no point in denying it. You don’t know where the money is, do you?” I asked.

Her lips moved ever so imperceptibly and said,
shit
. She took a step closer to protest and I held up one hand to stop her.

“Nancy Cameron had some beef with Greer. You two hatched a plan to screw Greer and Stephanie out of the money. Did she abduct Greer?”

The fear glowed in her eyes now. “How did you…OK, Mac. I knew Stephanie set up the blackmail and I was going to get some of the payoff, but I swear didn’t kill her or Luck Taylor,” she insisted.

Her eyes moved to the left. She was remembering facts. She hadn’t killed Stephanie or Luck Taylor. If she didn’t…

“It was all part of your plan,” I said.

“When I found out what Stephanie was doing, yes,” she said. “The part I didn’t plan was falling love with you,” Her voice turned soft. She ran her left hand over her breasts. “Don’t you want me?” she cooed. “Wanna see what I have on under this?” She took a few more steps toward me as she began to slip her arm out of the single strap. She peeled down her top exposing her breast and waited, “I don’t have…”

“Oh you’re good,” I chuckled, “very good.” It wasn’t going to work, not this time. “Don’t you want me?” I said, in a mocking falsetto.

“Please Mac, you have to believe me. I…”

“Now you’re just scraping the bottom of the pathetic barrel,” I snapped. “Why should I even listen to you? By the way, remember, I can see the truth in your words. You better shut up.”

“You offered to help with an alibi, didn’t you?”

“Yeah, but that was to get you talking. An interview technique, you know, establish rapport with the subject.”

I’d been an easy mark, a total sucker, but not anymore. She stared at me in disbelief as she slipped her strap back on and rearranged her goods in the skintight mini dress.

“Mac, I’ve built up a big bank roll. We can leave together, go tonight,” she said. Her voice had just the right inflection and broke with emotion in just the right spots. The way her body and her eyes moved told me it was a sham.

“I can share it, Mac. Maybe we got off to a bad start, but there’s plenty for us both. Think of it, the two of us could go to Bora Bora, maybe Brazil. We could do anything we wanted…lounge on the beach, party, anything, with no worries. We’d have plenty of time for us, for great sex. You and me in…”

“Really,” I said. “You’d do that. Won’t your partner have a problem with that?”

I noticed she mentioned places with no extradition.

“I love you Mac, oh Mac,” she begged. “You…”

“Shut up, will you?” I said. “Look, the cops will find Sharon Greer any time. When she talks, they’ll nail you. She’ll talk about you, the blackmail, the dummied up lawsuit, and how you stole the tetrodotoxin. Who told you Stephanie had double-crossed you? Was it Greer or Nancy? My money’s on the fact they were both trying to cut you out.”

A sound in the outer office triggered a queer sort of smile that washed across her beautiful face. It gave me a chill. Maybe I wasn’t as smart as I thought.

“Come on Ashton. The cops will have Greer soon. She’ll tell them how you manipulated everyone in this mess. We only have a few minutes to get our story straight. Give it to me fast and we can make up a story that’ll work!” I said.

“You’re a real pain in the ass,” she said.

I heard the noise again. She fumbled in her purse for a gun. I snatched the Beretta from the open drawer as I leapt to my feet. She’d been too slow. I had the drop on her. The smile went away from her face.

My old fears rose from the dark reaches of my brain. The sweat popped out on my forehead as I felt the ghosts of Iraq slipping their fingers into my mind. I had to defeat this demon, even if it was just this one time.

“Put the gun on the desk Ashton,” I said hoping my voice wouldn’t crack as I stood. I zeroed my Berretta on her lovely chest, centered on her rotten heart. She was startled to see my gun and froze with fear, but only for a moment. “Is that .45 from your father’s collection?” I said, my confidence returning.

“You can come in now,” she called out.

Suddenly I realized she’d played me again. Nancy Cameron, dressed all in black, was standing in the doorway pointing a piece at me. From the size of the barrel, it had to be a .45. Bright lights flashed in front of me as my anger rose. I had to hold it together.

“Hi, Mr. Everett, remember me?” she asked with a broad smile. The slim, athletic woman looked more like a dancer than an assassin, but that’s just what she was, a stone cold killer.

“How’s your head?”

“You did that?” I exclaimed.

“Yep, I work out, remember. I’m surprised you made it. It felt like I bent that damn tire iron.”

“It’s about time you got here,” Ashton said to her accomplice. “What took you so long?”

“I’ve been chatting with an old friend. Besides, I wanted to make out how much he knew.”

“A likely story, you were waiting until he shot me,” Ashton shot back.

“Oh, partner love, whatever gave you that idea?” she said with a wry smile. “He wasn’t going to shoot you. You’ve worked your magic on him.” Turning to face me, Nancy said, “How much of that line of crap I told you did you believe?”

“Not much,” I replied.

“You know, I almost felt guilty leading you on like that. You were so kind to me, but business is business,” she said, “How much of it did you tell the cops?”

I just smiled. Nothing I could say was going to save my ass.

She waited a few beats and when she saw I wasn’t going to answer she said, “Ah, don’t let me interrupt your conversation. Oh, Mr. Everett, toss the gun over there.”

She motioned toward the corner with her piece. I tossed the Berretta.

“Have a seat and put your forearms on the desk,” she said. “We don’t want you trying any heroics.”

“Look, the cops will pick Sharon Greer up any minute. She’ll talk about you two, the blackmail, how you stole the tetrodotoxin…”

“You want to tell him or shall I?” Nancy said.

“You break it to him,” she said replied, her confidence returning.

“I’ve taken care of Sharon Greer,” Nancy explained. “I snatched her right after I laid you out. We’ve had a long talk.”

“It took you long enough.” Ashton said then continued. “Daddy let it slip he suspected Stephanie was the one blackmailing him over Cary’s affair, but he didn’t think she was in it alone. I had to do something or it would lead back to me. Daddy is old, but he’s no fool. He would have found me out eventually.”

“Yep, I’d worked out a foolproof plan to screw Sharon, but I needed a lawyer. One landed right in my lap,” Nancy said. “I worked hard to get that job at the Perimeter Marine Institute. I got close to Sharon. I broke her and Stephanie up and then I set her up.”

I introduced Nancy to Stephanie,” Ashton said.

“Then Stephanie introduced me to Sharon,” Nancy said. “She thought she was getting a piece of me and of the action, but she was tying her own noose.”

“Which one of you killed Stephanie?” I asked.

“That was the most delicious part,” Nancy said. “Because I had her ear, I convinced Sharon that Stephanie was a threat. Stephanie was trying to get her husband back so Sharon already felt betrayed.”

“So Sharon killed Stephanie?” I asked.

“Who else?” Nancy shrugged.

“I guess so,” Ashton added. “Stephanie was out of the way and when they arrested my brother things couldn’t have worked out better.”

“So you figured if she threatened to give you up on the lawsuit scam, you could hold the murder over her head until you could eliminate her. Pretty slick,” I said. I was impressed.

“Mr. Everett, please keep your hands flat on the desk,” Nancy said, motioning with her gun. “Sharon killed her. Who else had access to the tetrodotoxin?”

“Mind if I have a smoke?” I asked.

“Sure, go ahead, but move slow. Don’t make me nervous,” Nancy warned.

“Why do you hate her so much?” I asked.

“Did,” she said, “why
did
I hate her?” she smiled a Cheshire cat smile. “I finished her off tonight. You should have seen her face when I told her who I was! That was right after she finally told me where she’d stashed the damn money.”