Hidden in the Shadows (18 page)

Ethan stood to follow her, but Jackie stopped him as he reached the dining room door. “Ethan, what’s wrong?”

He turned back to glance at her, then in the direction Beth had gone. “She’s okay, Jackie. I promise.” He sniffed the air and grimaced. “You might want to get rid of the coffee, though.”

There was total silence after he left, and then to Maria’s surprise, Jackie started laughing softly. “The coffee made her sick. Oh, my God. Richard?”

Looking around the table, Maria saw that she wasn’t the only one who was confused. Wyatt, however, was smiling, and so was Beth’s father.

“Why is it amusing that Beth is sick?” Chase asked with a frown.

Richard stood. “It isn’t, son. It’s the reason for the sickness that has us excited. I’ll check on the patient, you get rid of the coffee?” he asked Jackie.

Maria looked at Wyatt, who was still grinning. “Okay, what is it that you know that the rest of us don’t seem to?”

Gordon answered, “You think she’s pregnant, don’t you? And the smell of the coffee makes her sick.”

Wyatt nodded. “Yeah. But how did you guess?”

A shadow passed across Gordon’s face, and he shrugged. “I was married once.”

Jackie came back in from the kitchen and moved to the French doors at the end of the dining room. “Folks, it’s going to get a little nippy in here, I’m afraid. I just need to open the doors long enough to air out the smell.”

“Is that what’s causing her nausea, Mom? She’s pregnant?” Jason asked.

“I don’t know. But every time I was pregnant, I couldn’t stomach the smell, either. And we all know how much your sister loves coffee,” she said. “Just in case she isn’t, though, we probably shouldn’t say anything.” She excused herself to go check on Beth.

When everyone returned to the table a few minutes later, Beth apologized. “I didn’t mean to interrupt dinner.”

The apology was waved away. “Is there anything you’d like to tell us, sis?” Chase asked as she walked past his chair.

Stopping to ruffle his hair, she gave him a quick hug. “No, not just yet.”

He grinned. “Well, in that case, let me just say that I’ve never been so happy to see you battle the
flu
.”

As they resumed their seats, Ethan tried to steer the conversation back to the extortion. “Where were we?”

“Wyatt and Dad have received letters, and apparently no one saw fit to inform the rest of us,” Jason said. His arms were crossed, and from the set of his jaw, a blind man could see that he was furious.

“When did all this come about, Dad?” Chase asked.

“We received the letter at the office Friday, and I immediately contacted John. He advised me to call Wyatt, and that’s what I did.”

“Wednesday is when we found out something was going on, Jason,” Wyatt said. “I made the decision at that point to not involve anyone else in the department, aside from the people already involved. If you want to blame someone, blame me.”

Jason sighed. “I can accept that, but why didn’t you come to us, Dad? Mom?” He let his gaze rest on his father.

“Because I didn’t want any of you to think we were playing favorites. Ethan just happened to be there Friday.”

Ethan shrugged. “I couldn’t not tell Beth.”

Studying him, Jason visibly relaxed. “Well, you’ve always been the favorite son,” he told Ethan. Everyone laughed except Ethan and Beth, and Jason’s frown returned. “What’s wrong?”

“We’ve had a falling out with most of my family, including my parents,” Ethan said.

Jackie, who was sitting next to Ethan, reached over and laid a hand on his arm. “Oh, honey, surely not.”

Face grim, he explained. “You all know about the forum posting, right?” They all nodded. “Well, we decided to go to James’s birthday dinner yesterday. That was a mistake. Lina started in on us pretty much as soon as we walked in the door. She all but accused Beth of using me, said our marriage was a sham… brought up my drinking. And Mom backed her up. So needless to say, yesterday was not a good day. We actually spent the night in Madison at a hotel, just to get some space.”

“Damn, I’d like to get my hands on Lina. That little snotty bitch–” Jackie stopped abruptly. “I’m so sorry, honey. You don’t need me adding to your stress. Is there anything we can do?”

Everyone was staring at her, astonished. Jackie’s dislike of cursing was well-known, and Maria had often heard her children teasing one another about having to pay the infamous Swear Jar.

Ethan shook his head, and a tiny smile appeared at the corner of his mouth. “I think that’s the first time I’ve ever heard you curse. And we’ll be fine, thanks.”

Gordon tilted his head, and his gaze narrowed as he looked at Ethan and Beth. “That’s an awfully drastic reaction to a stupid post a blind man could see through. I thought you were close to your family?”

“So did we,” Beth said. “At least Stella and James. Lina’s never been my biggest fan. She’s just hidden it well until now.”

“Because of prom?” Annie asked.

“Yep.” Seeing the incredulous looks, Beth explained, “She thinks I stole her boyfriend in high school.”

“You aren’t serious?” Gordon’s face reflected his astonishment. “High school?”

“She’s very serious,” Annie said. “Lina was the head cheerleader her senior year, and Beth was a sophomore. Lina’s boyfriend broke up with her, and a week later, he asked Beth to the prom.” When all the men seemed confused, she rolled her eyes. “Lina’s senior prom. Hello?”

Chase was clearly struggling to understand. “And she’s held a grudge for what, ten years now?”

“Yes. Ten years,” Beth confirmed. “At least, that’s the only thing I can figure.”

Ethan drew in a sharp breath. “I’ll be damned. I’ll bet she blames you for getting pregnant.” As he spoke, he pulled out his wallet and handed Jackie a dollar for the Swear Jar. “Lina got pregnant the night of prom. That’s why she and Randy got married so quickly after graduation. If she’d broken up with her boyfriend shortly before that, I’ll bet she never intended Randy to be her date that night.”

Beth winced. “Ouch. I didn’t realize that.”

“It would certainly explain her bitterness,” Chase said.

“Yes, but it doesn’t explain your parents’ reactions,” Jackie said. “I’ll call Stella later this week, try to get to the bottom of things. If the two of you don’t mind, that is.”

“I’d appreciate the effort, but I wouldn’t get my hopes up that it will change things, Jackie,” Ethan said.

“On a positive note, that malicious post about Beth and Raven has finally been removed.” Maria took a sip of her tea, then saluted Chase. “Amazing what a letter from an irate attorney can accomplish.”

“The hosting provider agreed to leave the rest of the forum intact, though,” Chase said. “The owner, who they’re protecting, will be notified via email as to the circumstances regarding that particular post’s removal. We figured that the extortionist wouldn’t expect Beth to just sit back and take the punch. If she didn’t respond, especially given her background, it might look suspicious.”

“That’s solid reasoning,” Gordon said. “Extortionists tend to be narcissistic, so if nothing else happens to deter him, this guy might get cocky and slip up.”

“So what do we do to catch this person?” Beth asked. “Obviously, he’s wreaking havoc all over the place.”

“If it were me, I’d narrow things down to a common point or two,” Gordon said. “I’d start with who would be in the position to have the necessary knowledge to pull this off.”

 “We’ve tried that,” Wyatt told him. “There doesn’t appear to be any one thing the victims all have in common, other than the fact that they can all pay the demand if need be.”

Gordon frowned. “And the financial institutions, accountants, they don’t match?”

Wyatt shook his head. “No. Also, the only oddity that stands out is that Richard is the only person out of five who has gotten a letter where the accusation hasn’t been valid.”

Beth shifted in her seat so that her side rested against Ethan. “We all seem to keep calling this person ‘he’ and ‘him.’ Is that detrimental to the investigation, pigeonholing the suspect like that?”

“It’s human nature,” Gordon said. “Just keep in mind the possibility that it could be a woman, and you all will be fine.”

“You say ‘you all,’ Gordon, but I’m hoping you’ll lend us your expertise on this,” Wyatt said. “I know you don’t carry a badge anymore, but we could really use your help.”

“Of course. I’ll do whatever I can.”

“What does your gut tell you?” Chase asked.

Gordon picked up his knife and turned it end over end as he gathered his thoughts. “Well, like I said, he’s probably a narcissist. There’s obviously no compunction about using people’s secrets against them, and he seems to have an inside source for obtaining those secrets.” He paused when Jackie came back into the room with the tray of cookies and a pumpkin pie.

When his eyes lit up and he straightened in his chair, everyone laughed.

“You’re as bad as Chase with the sweet tooth,” Beth told him.

Gordon agreed with a grin that showed off his dimples. “Since I’ve moved here, I’ve gained ten pounds between Jackie’s cooking and Kathryn’s.”

Maria glanced at Stacy when he mentioned the other woman. Kathryn had recently become a partner in the Brown Bag, and she and Gordon had been friends for years. Though Stacy hid it well, Maria could tell her friend was uncomfortable with the mention of the curvaceous redhead.

“So what’s the extortionist’s objective here? Is it getting money, or is it something else entirely?” Ethan asked as he accepted a piece of pie.

“What’s the tone of the letters? Are they taunting, or are they straightforward demands?” Gordon asked.

“Oh, they’re very taunting,” Wyatt said. He stretched and put his arm around Maria, and she leaned against him. “They almost have a… tattletale attitude, if that makes sense. Like someone who would tell you ‘I told you so.’”

Rubbing a hand over his beard, Gordon shrugged. “This is just a guess, based on what’s been said here. The taunting letters, the inflammatory forum, for me they add up to create a picture of someone who has a deep-seated scorn or hatred for the people he’s blackmailing. Sure, the money’s part of it, but the vengeance is what drives him.”

“Okay, that makes sense,” Jason said. “But why did Dad get a letter if what he’s accused of isn’t true?”

“Either because the extortionist believes it’s true, or because he has a personal vendetta.” Gordon turned to Richard. “Is there anyone you can think of who resents you that much? Maybe a disgruntled employee or patient?”

“No. I mean, sure, I’ve had patients who’ve gotten upset over the years, but never anyone who stands out as being angry enough to do this. Honestly, if it hadn’t happened to other people, I’d tend to write it off as a really bad prank.”

“This person could be using you to throw us off,” Wyatt said. “I doubt it’s because they have the wrong information. Whoever is doing this, they’re too precise in hitting their targets. Too cautious. No, I’d put my money on someone with a grudge.”

Beth rested her arms on the table and leaned forward. “So where’s he getting his information? Unless this guy slips up, he’s going to be next to impossible to catch. The only way to do damage control, too, is to catch him before he has the chance to spread his tales. Even if he’s paid off, there’s nothing guaranteeing he won’t just release the secrets anyhow.”

“She’s right,” Ethan said. “So who would have access to all these secrets? It comes back to that.”

“That’s the question of the week,” Wyatt said.  “Tomorrow, I want you and Stacy to go back to the victims and grill them again. There’s a common thread; we just have to find it. Jason, I’m pulling you off patrol so you can sit down with Maria and go over all the incidents the forum postings seem to have spurred. Once that’s done, start interviewing the people involved. Find out who knew what they were fighting about before the storm broke.”

“Yes, sir. Glad to do it.”

“Good,” Wyatt said. “Ethan can help you if you need it. If anyone thinks of anything else that might help, and I mean anything at all, bring it to Maria. She’s compiling everything into a searchable database.”

“How about an extra set of eyes going over what you already have?” Gordon asked.

Maria looked at Wyatt.  “I could use him.”

“Okay, then. We’ll have to formalize it, make you a consultant. Come in tomorrow morning, and I’ll get you started on that.”

“Sounds good.”

Wyatt sighed. “One way or another, we’re going to track this guy down. I just hope we can do it sooner rather than later.”

Chapter Twenty Four

Monday found Wyatt in an unsettled mood. Though he had enjoyed most of the weekend, having spent it with Maria, his happiness was overshadowed by his anger and concern about the extortionist. He’d been particularly upset by the damage done to Ethan’s relationship with his family. Jason’s disappointment also weighed heavily on his mind. Both were things he’d discussed with Maria yesterday evening as they walked around his property.