Devil She Became (Devil's Angels Book 1) (19 page)

11:00 a.m.

Harrison stood gazing down onto the coffin that held the remains of his dead wife. Outside, throngs of people waited to attend Lisa’s funeral and pay their final respects to a wonderful mother and a pillar of their community. Many of Harrison’s legal colleagues were there, as were, of course, both their extended families. Dozens and dozens of flowers lined the sanctuary along with two huge sprays of red and white roses with banners. One banner read “Beloved Mother” and the other read “Beloved Wife”. A huge portrait of Lisa was posed next to the casket and decorated with two bracelets; a bracelet the girls had made for her and a white gold heart-shaped locket with both the girls’ pictures inside it. Slowly, he placed his hand atop the bronze casket.

“Hey, Harry. Are you ready?” Mike gently placed his hand on Harrison’s shoulder.

“Yeah, I’m ready.” Harrison sighed deeply and took his seat in the front pew. Harrison’s parents and Mike and Jessica, along with the girls, sat next to him. Lisa’s parents sat on the other side with their family and friends behind them. After the family was seated, hundreds of people began filling the pews. Harrison turned and recognized many of them including colleagues, old college friends, and Reese. Reese! He had ordered Reese specifically not to attend, yet there she was all the way in the back. She looked beautiful in her wonderfully appropriate black Chanel suit, her long blonde hair swept back from her face, which crumpled when she saw him and he gave her a weak smile.

Suddenly, the lights dimmed a bit. A woman appeared on the podium and started singing one of Lisa’s favorite songs, the haunting melody of Bette Midler’s “The Rose”. As the song played on, accompanied by a single piano playing, Harrison broke down along with his and Lisa’s families. Alaina sobbed into his shoulder, and Olivia sat on Jessica’s lap crying. Why did he choose this song? Looking at his girls crying, Harrison’s heart was breaking. He shook harder than he ever had. He felt so sick. All he could remember was Lisa laying on the cold slab, her face melted off, what was left of her skin crisp and black… for two million dollars. He fought the strongest urge to run from the church, but his girls kept him there. Sensing his extreme distress, Mike put his arm around him. As the song ended, Harrison dried his eyes. Turning to his daughters, he dried their tears as well. One more song he thought. Another one of Lisa’s favorite songs was now being sung by the same young woman. It was even harder when a slideshow of her life started playing on a screen over the podium. Snapshots of her as a baby, a toddler, a young girl, a teenager, and finally, as a young woman. Pictures of her and Harrison when they’d first met, pictures of their wedding… Lisa looking beautiful in her wedding gown… Lisa shoving cake in Harrison’s face. Everyone chuckled at that one. The two of them on the beach in Tahiti on their honeymoon. Finally, pictures of the girls… Alaina as a baby… Lisa holding Alaina up to the camera… Lisa pregnant with Olivia and Alaina hugging her pregnant belly… the girls growing up… crawling… learning to walk… Lisa smiling with them on family trips… Christmas… The girls on Santa’s lap… All four of them together on Thanksgiving… Lastly, pictures of them in California on their very last family trip… Lisa looking radiant holding the girls’ hands at Disneyland… Harrison choked up and nearly vomited on the carpet. Mike grabbed him and held him up. The girls were pointing at their pictures on the screen. His and Lisa’s parents were sobbing openly. Looking back, Harrison could see there wasn’t a dry eye in the room. He glimpsed Reese. She was crying with her makeup running in muddy streams down her face, holding a lace handkerchief to her eyes.

Taking a deep breath, Harrison turned back to the screen to see a picture of the four of them last Christmas… Lisa and him holding hands…

The best things in life are always free…

Finally, he stood up and collapsed.

********

Waking up in sumptuous surroundings, Harrison couldn’t remember how he had gotten there. The bed looked so familiar, yet it wasn’t his own. He rolled over and felt soft blonde hair next to him.

“Reese?” He turned to the female next to him.

“You’re awake!” Reese turned over and kissed him. “I have been so worried about you!”

“What happened? The last thing I remember was being at the funeral.”

Reese shook her head. “Honey, the funeral was a week ago. You fell and hit your head and passed out. You had a terrible concussion and went to the hospital.”

“You picked me up from the hospital?”

Reese nodded. “You called me and I came and got you last night.”

Harrison was alarmed. “What about my kids? Where are they?”

“They are with Lisa’s parents right now.”

“Where is Mike? He’s probably worried about me being discharged…”

“You called him and told him you were going to a hotel until you bought another house.”

Harrison vaguely recalled doing what Reese said he had done. It was starting to come back to him now.

“Baby, are you okay? Here, you are supposed to take these pills.” Reese got up and handed him some painkillers and a glass of water.

Harrison took the medicine from her. “God, my head feels like it was crushed. What happened at the funeral?”

“After you fell, they called an ambulance to take you to the hospital. Your parents went with you. Your brother and Lisa’s parents kept the children. You were unconscious for a few days.”

“Did you come see me at the hospital?”

Reese smiled. “Of course. I waited until everyone had left and I slipped in to see you. Don’t you remember?”

Harrison rubbed his head. “Yeah, a little bit.”

Reese sat down beside him. “Harrison, I’ve been thinking. We have to start a new life for ourselves. This is a terrible thing that we did, but we have to go on.”

Harrison agreed. “Yes, it is, and I am ready to let the past go and move on with you.” Harrison gave Reese a deep, slow, hot kiss.

Reese smiled as his hands roamed to her breasts. “Now, now, big boy, you aren’t in any kind of condition for that kind of stuff… not yet. Doctor’s orders.”

Harrison pouted. “Actually, I think that’s just what I need,” he said, pulling Reese to him and tugging on her bra.

Reese pulled away and slapped his hands. “No. Not yet.” With that, she sashayed out of the room.

Smoke clouded the cramped room. Looking through a folder, Detective McCallister took a long drag on a cigarette.

“So what do you make of this Grantham guy?”

Annoyed, the other man, Detective Hoffman, fanned the smoke out of his face. He was tired of these fucking young punks sucking on these cigarettes and blowing smoke in his face. Damned room was like being inside a fireplace.

“I talked to him the day we found his wife. I don’t know. He seemed extremely distraught at her funeral.”

“Yeah, the guy passed out in front of everyone.”

Hoffman shrugged. “So? The guy’s wife had just burned to death in a terrible fire. Seems to me he should be pretty upset.

McCallister nodded. “Yeah, I get that, but what about the pill bottle found at the scene? That seemed staged to me. The coroner’s report also indicated that there were cuts to her wrists.”

“Yes, but only we know that. That information is not being released to the public. Perhaps she was attempting suicide and a fire broke out.”

McCallister ground his cigarette in the ashtray. “Are you kidding me? Who would want to burn to death in their own house? Would that really be a suicide?”

Hoffman rolled his eyes. “Of course, it could be. She was getting older, not so attractive anymore, she’s on antidepressants and they’re not working. So when her husband is out of town she starts thinking about how her life isn’t what she thought it would be. She pops a bunch of pills, gets in the bathtub and an electrical short causes a fire. Boom. There you have it. An accidental suicide.” He folded his arms across his chest.

McCallister snorted. “Are you serious?
Accidental
suicide?”

The older detective nodded. “Sure. Look, the guy had nothing to gain by killing his wife or torching his home. The insurance policy on Lisa was only $500,000.00. The home was worth twelve million. Harrison Grantham is worth a billion. He didn’t need to kill her or burn his house for that amount of money. Besides, the insurance company reported he hasn’t even called to collect.”

McCallister tapped his head with a pen. “Yes, I know, but maybe he wanted her out of the way for some reason.”

Hoffman became annoyed. “What reason?”

The young detective shrugged. “I’m not sure yet. I think there’s more to it though. Perhaps we should look into Mr. Grantham a bit more.”

“McCallister, you are a young detective. You can’t just grab theories out of your ass and launch a full-scale investigation based on them.”

“Well, Detective Hoffman, you tell me then. You have a fabulously wealthy, good-looking man and a not-so-pretty wife. What do you think a man of his age might be looking for?”

McCallister leaned forward to stare at him.

Hoffman sighed. “I don’t know, McCallister. What I do know is that Mr. Grantham has a lot of connections in this department and in the prosecutor’s office. He’s one of the last people you should be harassing. Got it?”

McCallister shook his head, looking at the reports in front of him. “I still say there’s more to this woman’s death than just faulty wiring.”

Hoffman stood up. “Listen, as your superior, I am telling you to back off Grantham. There’s nothing there. Man lost his wife to a tragic fire. Leave him alone.”

McCallister lit another cigarette. “Fine, okay. But if something comes up, don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

Hoffman leaned over, grabbing the cigarette out of his hand. “And another thing, I am sick of you guys smoking in here! Can’t you read? The sign says NO smoking.” He threw the burning cigarette into McCallister’s coffee cup.

Asshole
, McCallister thought.

Six months passed. Harrison’s guilt and sadness over his wife’s death quickly faded as he and Reese began to shop for a home together. They had narrowed down their choices to a few multimillion-dollar properties on the Gold Coast. As for the girls, Lisa’s parents had requested that they go back to New York with them for a while until the publicity surrounding Lisa’s death abated, so Harrison flew to see them every weekend. He had not yet introduced Reese to them or his family. Reese was delighted with the prospect of living with Harrison full-time. Meanwhile, they had been going out to the most expensive restaurants in Chicago and traveling to Vegas and LA for short getaways. Reese felt just like Cinderella living the high-life with the man she’d always dreamed of marrying.

One afternoon, while Harrison was at work, Reese was scheduled to meet with a decorator to discuss what color scheme she might like in one of the two homes they’d selected.

Reese was swiping mascara on her lashes when she heard a knock at her door. Thinking it was the decorators, she casually pulled her hair into a ponytail as she went to open it.

Two men wearing dark suits stood in her doorway.

“Can I help you?” she asked in a friendly voice, thinking they were lost or something.

“Are you Reese Vogel?”

“Yes, I am. Why?” She was puzzled.

“Ms. Vogel, I am Detective McCallister and this is Detective Wilson. We are with the police department. We would like to come in and ask you a few questions.”

Reese stepped backward. She felt faint.

“What is this regarding?”

“We have a few questions for you regarding your relationship with Harrison Grantham.”

The two men stood there, and one of them had a thick folder in his hands.

“I’m sorry, you must be mistaken. I don’t know anyone by that name.” Reese started to shut the door.

McCallister shoved his foot in the door. “I think you do, Ms. Vogel.” With that, Wilson pulled out several photos of the two of them together at several Chicago restaurants. It was abundantly clear that it was, indeed, her in the pictures with Harrison.

Reese froze. She then stepped back and allowed them in.

She led them to a long table in the study. “Have a seat.”

The two men sat down. McCallister was the more attractive of the two with short dark hair and green eyes. He had a muscular build like he worked out a lot during his time off. He appeared to be in his mid-to-late thirties. Wilson was older, mid-forties with a thin build. Both men wore dark-blue suits with ties.

McCallister passed her several pictures of Harrison and her together. “Ms. Vogel, how long have you known Mr. Grantham?”

“A while.” Harrison had instructed her not to speak to any law enforcement, or to give very vague answers if any.

“Why do you want to know?” Reese asked, picking at her pink cashmere sweater.

“Well, I think you know Mr. Grantham quite well. What is your relationship to him?” Wilson asked.

“We are old college friends. That’s all. I heard his wife had passed and met him for a drink.”

“I see.” Wilson nodded.

McCallister leaned forward. “So you went to Harvard then, Ms. Vogel? Quite a feat for a former Teasers bikini model and Miss California Sun.” He tossed several of her bikini pictures and one of her calendars at her.

Pursing her lips, she gazed down at the photos. “So, are you saying I can’t be beautiful and smart? Pretty sexist, don’t you think?” She cocked her eyebrow at him.

“Maybe, but I’m not interested in rehashing the women’s rights movement. What I am interested in is getting to the truth.”

“I am telling you the truth.”

McCallister smirked. “No, Ms. Vogel, you are not. I happen to know you went to Northwestern where you majored in marketing. You also have an MBA from them as well.”

“So if you know all this why are you asking me?” Reese felt fury burning in her chest.

“You are aware that Mr. Grantham’s wife was found dead six months ago?”

“Yes, I am.”

“Well, we would like to talk with you further, Ms. Vogel, about your involvement with Mr. Grantham. Maybe you could come down to the station with us.”

“Why? Did Mr. Grantham do something? Did I?”

“We didn’t say that. We are just attempting to sort a few things out.” Wilson answered.

Reese stood up. “Look, I haven’t done anything wrong. I will not answer any more questions without my attorney.”

McCallister smirked at her. “Are you sure, Ms. Vogel? We have been watching you and Mr. Grantham for a long time. I know exactly what I need to know about both of you. Make this easy on yourself and just answer a few questions.”

Reese nearly fainted. “I want you both to leave now. Unless you have a warrant, then you have no right to be here.”

“Looks like Blondie here has done her homework.” McCallister smirked at Wilson. Standing up, they gathered their paperwork.

“Ok, Ms. Vogel. Have it your way.”

Reese walked the officers to the door.

“Here’s my card, Ms. Vogel. If you think of anything, call me. I’m sure we will see each other again soon.” McCallister gave her a sarcastic smile.

As soon as they left, Reese texted Harrison.

Get over here asap. It’s an emergency.

What is it?

I need to see you now. It’s an emergency, please hurry.

Ok. Be there in 15.

Twenty minutes later, Harrison burst through the door. “What? What is it?”

He found Reese sitting on the bed, crying.

“What’s wrong? What happened?”

Silently, Reese handed him the detective’s card.

“What the fuck is this?” Harrison scanned the card and tossed it onto the counter.

“They wanted to know about us. Our relationship. They had photos of us together at restaurants, at O’Hare getting off the airplane… everything, Harrison. They know where you went to school. They had my old modeling pictures. Oh, God, oh, God… what do we do?”

Harrison breathed deeply. “What did you tell them?”

“I just said you were an old friend from college. I was vague, but they knew we didn’t go to college together. Finally, I asked them to leave.”

Harrison nodded. “Good. Never talk to them without an attorney present.”

“What does this mean, Harrison? Why did they ask me first and not you?”

“Because they were hoping you would crack before I would. Look, if they had anything, they would’ve had warrants. It’s bullshit.”

Reese took his hands and held them to her chest. “Please promise me it will be okay. Things were going so well.”

Harrison kissed her hands. “It will be, baby. I meant to tell you, I put an offer in on that house on Greenview Avenue.”

“Really?” Reese squealed with delight. She threw herself onto his lap and flooded his face with kisses.

“Yep. It was a very generous offer, and my agent tells me that it should be accepted soon. So we will be moving within a few months!”

Reese jumped around and squealed with joy. “I’m so excited, Harrison! You are making my dreams come true!”

Harrison loved the sparkle in her eyes. “Let’s go to dinner tonight to celebrate.”

Reese nodded. “Sounds fantastic! Where?”

Harrison pulled her close to him. “How about the Greek Islands?”

Stunned, Reese embraced him closely. “Oh, my God! Are you serious?”

Harrison nodded, beaming. “It’s time that we get away from all the doom and gloom. I have taken the liberty of booking us a private jet.”

Reese’s mouth fell open.

“And I have another little something for you.”

Just then, Reese’s doorbell rang.

“Go see.”

Tickled with pleasure, Reese ran to the door.

“Delivery for Ms. Vogel.” The driver held out a slip for her to sign.

It was several huge boxes.

Tearing open the boxes, she discovered a new set of Louis Vuitton luggage.

“Oh, my God, Harrison, these are beautiful!”

Harrison took her hand. “But don’t bother to pack, my love. We will fill them while we are in Europe.”

Reese swooned. “Europe? How long? When?”

Harrison chuckled at her enthusiasm. “Yes. However long we want. I was thinking about a month. We leave now.”

Reese smothered Harrison with kisses. “This is unbelievable!”

Harrison called the concierge to retrieve their bags as he swept Reese up into his strong arms. He carried her out into an awaiting limo as opposed to his Aston Martin.

Already, a fine bottle of Dom Perignon was chilling in a silver bucket when they slid into the opulent, stretch limousine.

“Oh, Harrison, this is perfect! Absolutely perfect!”

Pouring her a glass, he turned to her. “Well, I think we just need to relax and enjoy ourselves. We have got to get away from all this. You haven’t been to Europe or the Greek Islands before, so I thought this trip was long overdue.”

Sipping her champagne, Reese crossed her long tanned legs. Running her hands over the rich black leather, squeezed tightly against Harrison, she had never felt more like a princess.

She ran her hands through his hair and kissed him on the neck. “Baby, I hate to bring this up, but what about all this nonsense with the police?”

Harrison waved her concerns away. “It’s not a big deal. I will handle that when we get back. Now, let’s just relax and get ready for the most romantic adventure of our lives.”

Reese smiled as he ran his hands up her skirt. “Nothing underneath?”

“Of course not, handsome. I’m always ready for you.”

Harrison moaned as he began rubbing her bare wetness. She groaned with pleasure. “Oh, baby, keep doing that.” She rolled her head back exposing her long graceful neck. Harrison slowly ran his tongue across her neck to her collarbone, kissing her atop her cleavage. Unzipping her dress, he buried his face in her ample cleavage, his lips seeking out her nipples beneath her lacy bra.

Slowly, the limo pulled to a stop. The driver opened their door and they both nearly fell out. The top half of Reese’s dress was unzipped to her waist and her bra was off. Harrison was laying upon her. They both looked up surprised.

“Oh, I am sorry, Mr. Grantham, but we are at the airport.” The young male driver blushed deeply.

Scrambling for her bra, Reese managed to pull the top of her dress up.

“Sure. Just give us a few. Can you start unloading the bags, please?” The young driver shut the door.

Reese pulled on her clothing as Harrison laughed. “Now we gave him something to think about. Seeing you all undone like that will give him fantasies for weeks.”

Reese smiled, “Shut up, Harrison. You are so bad.”