Twin Peril (10 page)

“You told my assistant that you feared for your life. Is that true?”

“Yes, Ms. Simon. It’s true. I believe Anthony Caruso has already sent two hit men to kill me and I’m afraid he won’t stop until he’s succeeded.”

There was a brief pause. “All right, I’ll make time to meet you. But I’m warning you, if this is some sort of trick, I’ll bury you so deep in lawsuits you’ll never get out.”

Mallory was light-headed with relief. “Agreed. I promise I’m not a reporter. Where would you like to meet?”

“Crabapple Park, at the merry-go-round. It’s located about five miles northeast of our corporate office.”

Mallory scribbled down the directions. “Okay, I’ll see you there in thirty minutes.” She scooped her purse off the bed and ran out of the motel toward the office to request a taxi.

If Rachel Simon agreed to the meeting, that meant she knew something about how dangerous her ex-
husband was. Rachel hadn’t sounded too surprised to hear Mallory feared for her life. Mallory could only hope that her meeting was just as productive as Jonah’s.

And that she’d beat him back to the motel. It wasn’t until she was almost all the way to the park that she realized she should have left Jonah a note.

* * *

Jonah stared at the report detailing Claire Richmond’s investigation as Nick Butler downed the last of his coffee. The Chicago detective was in his late thirties and reminded Jonah far too much of Drew. He finished the report and sighed. “Just as I figured—he has the perfect alibi.”

“Yeah, we called every person on his list to validate his story,” Butler agreed. “We’re pretty certain he could be involved, but there’s been no way to prove it.”

“Would a second missing person help?” Jonah asked. He began to fold his copy of the report, as Butler had agreed that he could keep it.

“Depends on what information you’ve found in the course of your investigation. We had to tiptoe around Caruso the first time, because he’s a state senator.”

“I’m afraid I don’t have much,” Jonah confessed. Sensing Nick’s growing impatience with the one-sided flow of information, he decided to give him what he could. “But we believe Caruso may be involved in money laundering in addition to attempted murder. We have two dead men, Hugh Jefferson and Eric Holden, who were both huge financial contributors to Caruso’s last campaign. We have reason to believe they were involved in the money-laundering scheme, too. In fact, we think Caruso was the man in charge.”

“Really?” Nick Butler’s eyes had brightened with the news.

“I’m afraid I don’t have a lot more, other than what I have already told you. They had at least one dirty cop working for them, and all three died in a fire on Jefferson’s yacht. Just a few days before they all died, Mallory Roth went missing.”

Nick leaned closer. “Do you really think you have a dirty cop still working for Caruso?”

“Yeah, I do. I went searching for Mallory Roth and the only person I’d been in contact with was my boss. I told him I had found her, and suddenly our motel is set on fire, the doors locked from the outside.” Jonah didn’t even like thinking about how close they’d come to dying that night. “We made it out alive, but I’ve obviously cut off all communications with him.”

“Dirty cops make me sick,” Nick muttered with a scowl. “But you found Mallory Roth?”

“Yeah, but I want to keep that information low-key for now. At this point we only have her word against his.” Jonah wrote his new cell-phone number on a napkin and pushed it across the table. “If you find out anything else, will you call me? And I’ll keep you in the loop of my investigation, too.”

“Sure thing.” Butler stuffed the napkin in the front pocket of his shirt. “I wish you luck, Stewart. If we’re both right, Caruso’s a slippery one. It’s not going to be easy to take him down.”

“I know.” Jonah rose to his feet and held out his hand. “Take care.”

Jonah straddled his motorcycle and started the engine. He hoped the traffic wasn’t too bad—he was sure Mallory wouldn’t be happy that he was gone so long.

But the trip hadn’t been a total waste. For one thing, Nick had confirmed his suspicions that they’d considered Caruso a possible suspect. And that Caruso had been out of town in Washington D.C. during the twenty-four-hour time frame when Claire had disappeared.

So while he didn’t find out a lot of new information, he felt as if they were on the right track.

He made good time getting back to the motel. As he drove into the parking space right in front of their rooms, he frowned when he noticed Mallory’s window was dark. He could just make out the flickering light from the TV.

After parking his bike, he opened his door and pulled off his helmet as he strode to the open doorway between their rooms. “Mallory?”

No answer. He flipped on a light so he could see, even though it wasn’t quite dark outside yet. He poked his head in the bathroom. No sign of Mallory.

He stood in the middle of the room, sweeping his gaze over her belongings. The bags from her recent purchases were still scattered on her bed, but her purse was gone.

Helpless panic surged. Where was she? Had she left on her own? Or had Caruso found her after all?

He never should have left her alone. Never.

EIGHT

M
allory’s taxi driver dropped her off outside of Crabapple Park. She tipped him and asked for his card so she could call him when she was finished. Trying to look carefree, she ambled through the park, circling the merry-go-round twice before a woman dressed casually in jeans and a pink hoodie sweatshirt approached. “Are you Mallory Roth?”

Her heart sank as she turned to face the woman. She had blonde hair, but wasn’t dressed in the corporate suit she’d expect of a VP. Rachel Simon must have sent someone in her place. “Yes, I’m Mallory.”

There was a slight hesitation before the woman formally held out her hand. “I’m Rachel Simon. I believe you wanted to speak with me?”

Mallory stared at her for a moment, not sure if this woman was really Rachel or if this was some trick. “I’m sorry, but do you have your ID handy?”

There was a flash of annoyance, but Rachel obliged her. “I changed my clothes in case I was followed.”

Looking past the clothes, the woman did resemble the photo on the internet, so she decided to trust her. “I would like to speak with you. Could we sit down?”

“Of course.” Rachel Simon led the way over to an isolated park bench. She sat down at an angle so they could see each other as they spoke.

Now that she was face-to-face with Caruso’s ex-wife, Mallory wasn’t sure where to begin. She wished she’d waited for Jonah. What on earth made her think she could play detective? “I’m sorry, but I don’t know where to begin.”

“Why don’t you start by telling me why Anthony wants to kill you?” Rachel bluntly asked.

Okay, then. “Because I overheard him discussing how to cover up a murder,” Mallory admitted. “I was hoping you could explain why you divorced him.”

Rachel shrugged and glanced away. “Suffice it to say we didn’t want the same things out of life.”

Mallory narrowed her gaze, her mind racing. Clearly Caruso’s ex wasn’t going to give him up easily. “Look, Ms. Simon, I’m in trouble. Caruso has already tried to frame me for murder, and he’ll keep trying to kill me if I can’t come up with some proof to use against him in court. Proof that he’s involved in something illegal. So let’s be honest with each other, okay? Did you divorce him because of his involvement with money laundering?”

“Money laundering?” The surprise in Rachel’s dark eyes was all too real. She shook her head. “No, he must have gotten involved with that after we went our separate ways. Although I honestly can’t say that I’m surprised.”

A flicker of hope made her lean forward eagerly. “Why aren’t you surprised? Did you discover other illegal activities he was involved in?”

There was a long silence as Rachel Simon stared down at her clasped hands. “Yes, you could say that,” she finally admitted. “I discovered that some of the high-powered supporters of his campaign had connections with organized crime. When I confronted Anthony, he laughed and told me to mind my own business.”

“Did he try to hurt you?” Mallory asked, suspecting there was far more to the story than Rachel was letting on.

“I was afraid he might, so I went to my father’s lawyer, who helped me put together an agreement that Anthony couldn’t refuse. I’d stay silent about what I’d discovered if he’d grant me a divorce. Anthony wisely agreed to the terms.”

The flicker of hope died. “So you can’t help me.”

Rachel smoothed out a wrinkle in her jeans. “I’ve kept silent all these years but after that woman disappeared, I began to wonder if it was worth it.”

“You mean Claire Richmond?”

Rachel nodded. “One day, her body will be found but there won’t be a shred of evidence linking her death to Anthony.” Her tone was full of bitterness.

“How do you know he’s involved?” Mallory asked. “I mean, suspecting him is one thing, but you would have had to see something to know for certain.”

“I know because Anthony told me.” Rachel lifted her head and looked Mallory straight in the eye. “Once the media picked up on her disappearance, I received a bouquet of red roses. The card read, ‘If you ever break your promise, the same thing will happen to you and those you love.’”

Mallory sucked in a harsh breath. “He threatened you?”

“Oh, yes, he threatened me. And I believe him.” Rachel stared over at the merry-go-round, where kids were squealing with joy. “Marrying Anthony Caruso was the biggest mistake I’ve ever made in my life. And even though we’re divorced, I’ll never be free of him.
Never.
”

“That’s not true,” Mallory said as she reached over to lightly clasp Rachel’s arm. “You can be free of him. All we need to do is to find enough proof to get Caruso arrested. You need to work with us on this.”

“Us?” Rachel tore her arm away and jumped to her feet, her accusing gaze harsh. “I thought you were alone. You didn’t say anything about working with someone else.”

Recognizing the stark fear in Rachel’s eyes, she held out her hand in an effort to calm her down as she slowly rose to her feet. “I was saved from Caruso’s thug by a Milwaukee police detective named Jonah Stewart. But he’s not here now, and he doesn’t know I’m meeting with you. I promise you, he doesn’t know I’m here.”

“I shouldn’t have come,” Rachel muttered, running a hand through her hair. “I’m sorry, but I can’t help you.”

“Wait! Please don’t go. Don’t you realize there’s strength in numbers? Maybe you and I can’t take Caruso down by ourselves, but together we can do this.”

But Rachel was already shaking her head. “You don’t understand. We have a nine-year-old son, Joey. Even if I wanted to help you, I couldn’t. I’d never risk anything happening to my son. I’m afraid you’ll have to find your evidence against Anthony without me.”

“But—” Mallory watched helplessly as Rachel turned and began walking away. “Please, don’t go!”

Abruptly, Rachel stopped and turned back to face Mallory. “Whatever you decide to do, be careful. Anthony is ruthless. You were right when you said he’d keep after you until he succeeded. He is not a man to mess with. But know this—if you repeat any part of this conversation to the authorities, I’ll deny every word. I have staff members who will testify that I’ve been in a meeting with them during this exact time frame.”

Mallory’s shoulders slumped with dejection. Rachel might have agreed to meet with her out of pity, but she wasn’t going to allow herself to become involved. And after learning about her son, Mallory couldn’t really blame her.

Anthony hadn’t told her about his son.

“I understand, Rachel. But please, if you change your mind, call me. You have my number, right? I promise we would do everything possible to keep you and your son safe.”

“Don’t hold your breath,” Rachel advised before she turned and walked away.

Mallory let her go, her stomach knotted with despair. She’d probably blown the one chance they had to get the proof they needed to take down Caruso. And there was nothing she could do about it, except go back and tell Jonah what happened.

And hope he could find a way to forgive her.

* * *

The lights were blazing from her room as well as Jonah’s when the taxi driver let her out in front of the hotel. For a moment she was tempted to jump back in to go somewhere else—anywhere but here.

Reminding herself she wasn’t a coward, she paid the driver and then used her key to open the door. The minute she entered the room, Jonah came rushing through the open connecting doors, his eyes wild. “Are you okay? What happened? Where have you been?”

Knowing he was worried about her safety made her feel even worse. “I’m fine,” she hastened to reassure him. “I’m sorry I forgot to leave a note.”

Jonah raked a gaze over her, as if to check that she was really okay, before he crossed his arms about his chest and glared at her. “You shouldn’t have gone anywhere at all. What part of
being safe
don’t you understand, Mallory? Do you have any idea what I’ve been going through?”

“I already apologized,” she reminded him, keeping her tone even with an effort. “And yelling at me isn’t going to change what happened. If it makes you feel any better, I know I was wrong. And I won’t make the same mistake again.”

“What happened? You look upset.” Instantly, his anger turned to concern.

She dropped into a chair and sighed. “I went to meet with Caruso’s ex-wife. She knows he’s involved with something illegal, but she won’t help us.”

Jonah couldn’t have looked any more flabbergasted. “Caruso’s ex-wife? I didn’t even know he had an ex-wife!”

“He happened to mention his divorce, shortly after we first met,” she admitted. “And they’ve been divorced for a long time, almost ten years. Apparently she promised to keep his secret if he granted her a divorce.”

“And you expect me to believe Caruso went along with it?” Jonah scoffed. “I doubt it. He’d just silence her the way he has silenced everyone else who crossed him.”

“Her family is wealthy and powerful. He probably knew their word would carry a lot of credibility.”