Submerged (23 page)

Chapter Thirty
-Three

Edmonton, AB – Saturday, June 15, 2013 – 5:17 PM

Marcus pulled up in front of Rebecca's house. Spotting the patrol car across the streets, he gave the uniformed officer a nod and made a beeline for him.

"Marcus Taylor?" the officer said, getting out of his car.

"Yes."

"You got ID?"

Marcus retrieved his wallet from his jacket pocket and flashed his driver's license.

The officer gave a nod
. "You're the guy who rescued them. Saw your picture plastered all over the news. Congrats, dude." The man smiled. "Way to go."

"Thanks." Marcus glanced at the house. "Anyone show up here?"

"No. Been dead quiet all day."

"Did Detective Zur say if there was any word on who did it?"

"You know Zur?"

"We go back a
ways."

"You an ex-cop
?"

"Former paramedic. We worked a few cases together."

The officer smiled. "Zur's one of the best. Last thing I heard they were checking out a videotape lead. Saw some guy on it in a truck like the one the victim saw."

"Rebecca."

"Pardon me?"

"The victim's name. Rebecca
Kingston."

"Oh, yeah.
"

"I'm here to pick up some things for Rebecca and the kids. I should be in and out
within fifteen minutes." Marcus took a step away, but then paused. "When's the next shift change?"

"Midnight."

"Be sure to check around back every now and then."

"Will do, Mr. Taylor."

Inside the house, Marcus stood in the foyer and got his bearings. Kitchen to the right. Living room and formal dining room to the left.
Open concept. No upper floor, so he guessed the bedrooms were at the far end of the house.

He headed
down the hallway, doing his best to ignore the family photos on the wall. Ones of a happy couple and their children.

He paused midway and stared at the man in the photo. Wesley
Kingston. Not a bad-looking fellow, midforties, maybe, with thinning hair.

"Did you do this?" Marcus muttered.

Of course, the photo didn't answer.

The first room he checked appeared to be a spare room. Nothing much personal in it
and didn't look as though it had gotten much use. He wondered if Wesley had slept there after Rebecca had discovered his infidelity, or if he'd been kicked out on his ass immediately as he deserved.

It w
asn't really Marcus's business, but still…

The next room he entered was Ella's—all pink and princesses. He found a pair of clean jeans and a flowered shirt, socks and underwear. Then he proceeded to the room
across the hall. Colton's. A typical boy's room, the décor was all in grays and blues, with action figures on shelves on the walls. Sports gear and dirty clothing were strewn across the floor.

He gathered a change of
clean clothing for the boy.

The third room he entered was the master suite. Tastefully decorated, it had an air of freshness, with its large windows and massive
en suite bathroom. The walk-in closet was a modest size, and he scrutinized the hangers, studying the clothing that hung there.

Two dozen or so empty hange
rs had been shoved to one side, and Marcus suspected the man had already transported most of his belongings to his own place. There were, however, three oversized T-shirts that were far too large to be Rebecca's. Marcus wondered if she slept in them, like Jane had often done.

It was odd to be here, in this woman's bedroom, looking at her clothes and pondering such intimacies, but he couldn't keep the thoughts from rushing his brain. Was she ready for this divorce? Was she ready to move on?

He'd known other women who had forgiven their partner's sexual transgressions. They'd been able to salvage their marriages. Would Rebecca want to try? Or was she done with Wesley?

Is he done with her?

He found a pair of jeans and a warm but loose blouse.
Those should do fine.

When he opened another drawer, he was faced with yet another dilemma—picking out a bra and a pair of panties. Everything was lace and pastels…silky.

Jesus, Marcus. They're clothes. Stop thinking like a pervert.

It was ridiculous really. Here he was, red-faced and sweating, sorting through Rebecca's intimate lingerie, and all he could think of was seeing her in them.

With a shake of his head, he grabbed a handful of lace and shoved them in the pile of kids' clothes. He left the closet, feeling like he should apologize. Luckily, there was no one there to witness his embarrassment.

He wandered
around the bedroom, taking in a small display of photos that sat atop a photo album. He picked up one photo. Rebecca and Wesley, arms wrapped around each other. It had been taken at Disneyland, pre-kids. They'd been happy. Once.

He moved the other framed pictures and picked up the hefty photo album. A voice in the back of his head
suggested he shouldn't, that he was now being plain nosy, but he ignored the voice. Flipping through the pages, he saw Rebecca's life flash before him. Photos from when she and Wesley had started dating. Wedding pictures. The births of Colton and Ella. Various parties and events she'd attended with her husband.

He studied one of the party photos. Rebecca looked so happy.
She was staring at Wesley with such pride. A crowd of people had gathered around them. Some were patting Wesley on the back.

Marcus's gaze swept across the faces in the crowd. What had Wesley
Kingston done to warrant such attention and approval?

A
silver-haired man in an expensive suit stood a few feet away from the happy couple. His expression wasn't one of admiration but of contempt. One of Wesley's debtors? The guy looked vaguely familiar.

Marcus
peeled back the clear cover and pried the photo from the page.

On the back, someone had written, "Summer party at
Kingston, Bentley and Coombs. Gave Wesley's dad the news about Ella."

Ah
-ha! Walter Eugene Kingston, the famed corporate lawyer.

That's who the older fellow was. Wesley's father. The man had his hand in all things mega-corporate. From the look on
his face in the photo, he wasn't happy about something.

If looks could kill…

Could it be that Daddy Kingston wanted Rebecca out of the picture for some reason? If so, what would be in it for him?

He slipped the photo into his pocket. He'd give it to John later.

His phone rang. When he answered it, he said, "Your ears burning, John?"

"I hope you're
saying good things about me," Zur said.

"Thinking them actually. So what's up?"

"We found the truck and the driver."

Marcus's heart raced. "You've got him in custody?"

"Not yet." Zur cleared his throat. "Guy's name is Rufus Delaney. Lots of priors and three outstanding warrants. Robbery, attempted rape and second-degree murder. Not the kind of guy you'd want your daughter dating."

"
Or anyone else I knew."

"
A patrol car brought in one of his known associates on another charge about five minutes ago. Guy cut a deal and gave up Delaney. Puts him at the Rosedale Hotel in downtown Edmonton. Edmonton Police are searching his room now. We've sent photos out to everyone at the hospital. Delaney won't get within two feet of Rebecca's room. I'll let you know when we find him.
And
if we figure out who hired him. Whoever did probably knows what Delaney is capable of."

Rape and murder. That could have been Rebecca's future.

Thank God Delaney had decided to run her off the road instead.

Marcus went downstairs to the kitchen and found a plastic bag. Stuffing the clothing into it, he left the house, waved at the officer outside and hurried to his car.
With Delaney on the loose, Marcus wanted nothing more than to be back at the hospital. He stepped on the gas pedal and sped off, praying he wouldn't get pulled over for speeding.

Chapter Thirty-Four

Hi
nton, AB – Saturday, June 15, 2013 – 5:19 PM

When Kelly arrived at the hospital, Rebecca broke down in huge gulping sobs. "I can't believe you're here. I'm so glad to see you."

"Can I hug you?" her sister asked, tears leaking from her eyes.

"You'd better."

Kelly wrapped her arms around her, ever so gently. "I
'm afraid I'll hurt you."

"You won't. I'm stronger than I look."

Kelly arched a brow.

"That's what everyone keeps telling me," Rebecca explained. "That I'm stronger than I look."

"And here you are, crying like a big wussy baby."

"Yup. That's me."

Kelly's smile faded. "Seriously, Rebecca, you almost died. You and the kids."

"But we're all safe now."

"Thanks to that 911 operator."

Rebecca grinned. "Marcus was pretty fantabulous."

Kelly studied her face as if looking for some sign of insanity. "So what is this guy—sixty-five and bald?"

Rebecca gave her a wry look. "Uh, no."

"So he's seventy and bald?"

"I
doubt he's much older than me. And he's not bald."

"You kinda like him
," Kelly said in a singsong voice. "You think he's sexy."

"Oh, stop it."

Kelly perched on the edge of the bed. "You'll be happy to know Steve's mom has kidnapped my kids. So Ella and Colton won't be exposed to measles."

Rebecca snorted. "You make it sound like the plague."

"I swear it is. Between the crying, scratching, puking, picking, bathing and whining, I haven't had a second to brush my hair, much less pee by myself. You were lucky, Sis. Neither Colton nor Ella ever had measles."

"No. They had Wesley."

Kelly pursed her lips. "He's quite the bastard."

"And then some."

"I hope his balls rot off," Kelly muttered.

"Gross."

Kelly shrugged. "It's what he deserves."

"Thanks
for driving down here, Sis."

"Hey, what are sisters for?"

"When I get out of here, I'm going to owe you. Big-time."

Kelly grinned. "I'm counting on that. Steve and I need a weekend away. Alone, no kids. So guess where they'll be staying?"

"Anytime."

Kelly hugged her. "I'm going to go grab us a bite to eat from the cafeteria. What do you want?
"

"If you can find me a sandwich that doesn't look like it'll walk away on its own, get me one
."

Ten minutes after Kelly left,
Rebecca had another visitor. Wesley.

She swallowed hard at the sight of him standing in the doorway to her room. A police officer stood next to him.

"Mr. Kingston," the officer said, "you cannot go into the room."

"But she's my wife, for Christ's sake."

The guard looked at Rebecca.

"It's okay
," she said. "You can both come inside."

She wasn't stupid. The police were looking into
Wesley's connections. Though she prayed they were wrong and that he wasn't involved, she wasn't willing to risk her life.

"Becca," Wesley said, approaching the bed
, a red rose in one hand.

"That's far enough." She held up a hand. "Whatever you have to say to me can be said from where you're standing."

"I-I couldn't believe it when I heard." Wesley's face was pale, his eyes filled with concern. "The kids?" His voice cracked.

"They're okay. I'm okay too."

"Oh my God. When I think of how you all could've died…it makes me sick."

He sounded sincere. But he'd deceived her before.

"You know they think you had something to do with this," she said.

"Rebecca,"
Wesley said with a moan, "you can't believe I'd do something like this. I'd never hurt you—or the kids. I know things suck between us right now, but I'd hoped that you'd—"

"What? Forgive you? Let you move back in with us?" She shook her head. "That'll never happen."

"I swear to you, I did not have
anything
to do with what happened to you."

"Not intentionally maybe. But your actions…"
She shrugged.

"I
'm sorry," Wesley snapped. "But this is not my fault."

"I guess we'll see, won't we?"

When she looked at Wesley, all she felt was contempt. For his gambling, his apparent lack of judgment, even his poor attempt at an apology. He'd gotten mixed up in something that was bigger than either of them. And it had almost cost them everything.

Wesley ran a hand through his hair and glanced at the officer. "Can I see my kids?"

The officer nodded. "Same rules apply though. No contact."

"Can I come back and see you?" Wesley asked her.

Rebecca glanced at the officer. "Is Detective Zur going to question Wesley?"

"Yeah. He's on his way."

Relief washed over her. "Let's see what happens, Wesley."

"I'm glad you
're all right." He handed the rose to the guard.

After the door closed behind him and she was alone again, Rebecca broke down. She cried for everything she had lost—her marriage, her faith in love. Then she cried for everything she'd almost lost—Ella and Colton. If their father had anything to do with them being run off the road, she had no idea how she would explain it to them.