The Chain of Lies

CHAPTER 22



In the crisp, cool autumn air, Emily leaned against a pillar near the main entrance of the hospital, tugging her cropped black-leather jacket closed. She raked her fingers through her curls in aggravation at Delia stopping her from pulling a confession out of the man she suspected of murdering her husband.

She dug her phone out of her jacket pocket and dialed Isabel’s number.

“Hey, Emily, what’s up?”

“You told me last night you were going to stop by the hospital and see Jerry Banderas this morning. I was wondering when you were planning to do that.”

“Let’s see.” Isabel paused and Emily imagined she was looking at her watch. “It’s almost eleven. I can be there in about thirty minutes. Are you there?”

“I am.”

“But I told you I want to talk to him alone.”

“I’m not asking to go in with you. I already warmed him up for you.”

“Tell me you didn’t.”

“Actually, I was doing a pretty good job of it, too, if it hadn’t been for Delia walking in and ordering me out of his room.”

“Oh, boy. I’d like to have seen that.” Isabel chuckled at the thought. “You really think you warmed him up for me?”

“Yes. He wanted to talk, but Delia put the kibosh on that. So we’ll need to put our heads together and come up with a plan to keep her out of his room while you sneak in and talk to him.”

“She’s a pretty sharp cookie. It’ll have to be plausible.”

“I have an idea. Let me call Colin and get him over here. Can you arrange for one of those fancy hidden cameras to record his confession?”

“I believe so. Give me a few minutes to make a quick call to line that up.”

~*~

Colin came as soon as Emily called, meeting her and Isabel in the agreed-upon spot—the hospital gift shop.

Emily pointed to the elevators through the wall of glass that faced the hospital foyer. “We’ve been watching the elevators from here and—”

“Delia came down about ten minutes ago,” Isabel finished.

“I called her, like you asked. When she gets to my office and I’m not there, she’s going to be pissed.” Colin looked to Emily and then to Isabel.

“That’s the plan.” Emily said.

“A guy from the FBI should be here any minute to bring me a brooch with a hidden camera and mic in it. He’ll monitor the recording from his vehicle.” Isabel looked through the wall of glass, searching for the man. “Here he comes.”

A young man, no more than twenty-five, with closely cropped red hair, dressed in a polo shirt and khakis, strolled into the gift shop with something under his arm that looked like a small laptop. He glanced around and made a beeline to Isabel as soon as he spotted her. “Hey, Izzy.”

“Emily, Colin, this is Buzz. He’s a wizard with technology.”

They exchanged pleasantries and Buzz helped Isabel pin the daisy-shaped brooch in place on the jacket of her navy blue pantsuit at an angle that would most advantageously capture Jerry’s position in bed. “To turn it on, just twist the stem of the daisy to the right.”

“Let’s test it.” Isabel twisted the stem and walked around the store, commenting on different items, and Buzz watched and listened on the monitor.

“Good?” Isabel asked.

“Roger that. Twist it back the other way to turn it off,” Buzz instructed as she walked back toward him. “I’ll be out in my van waiting to see it come on.”

He tucked the monitor under his arm again and began to walk away. Stopping short, he spun back around. “Oh, by the way, Izzy,” he said, shaking his pointer finger at her, “I was supposed to tell you something. Guess your phone’s been off ’cause of the hospital, but Benson’s been trying to reach you. The fingerprint results are back. Give him a call.” With a light wave of his hand, Buzz ambled out of the building.

“Let me step outside and call him. It’ll just take a sec.” Isabel hurried out as the front doors whooshed open.

“That was fast,” Colin said.

Emily slung her bulky handbag over her shoulder and moved toward the door. “I wonder what they found.”

Colin followed her out into the foyer. “We’ll know in a minute.” He gestured toward Isabel putting her phone away as she walked back inside.

“Well?” Emily asked impatiently.

“The gun belongs to Jerry Banderas.” Isabel turned and went to the row of elevators.

“According to the note Evan left in the safe deposit box, Jerry had to have been the one who attempted to kill him that night, not very long after we moved to Paradise Valley. If Evan hadn’t wrestled the gun away from him, Jerry certainly would have shot him to death back then.” Emily nervously shifted her purse and ran her fingers through one side of her curly mane. “He’s probably the one who eventually did murder Evan.”

“Looks that way.” Colin reached over and pushed the up arrow for one of the elevators.

“Isabel, you need to put the screws to that man,” Emily ordered, grabbing her friend’s arm. “We need him on tape admitting what he did.”

Colin glanced at Isabel and she met his gaze, mirroring his look of puzzlement and concern at Emily’s stress level.

“Don’t worry, Em.” Isabel patted her hand, then pried Emily’s fingers off her arm. “I’ll do my best.”

“I want to go in with you.” Emily’s voice took on a nervous intensity. “I’m afraid you’ll go too easy on him. He’s been your friend for a long time and he’s dying, so how can you be expected to treat him like any other murder suspect?”

“I will. I promise.”

“Let her do her job.” Colin wrapped an arm loosely around Emily’s shoulders. “Jerry may be her friend, but Evan was her friend, too. You’re going to have to trust her.”

Emily looked into Isabel’s deadly serious face, searching her dark eyes. Isabel stared back and nodded at Emily, reaching out and taking her friend’s trembling hand. “I won’t let you down, Em.”

Emily paused, processing Isabel’s response. “We’re in agreement then. Isabel will be the only one to go inside Jerry’s room—that is, until she signals us to come in.”

The elevator tone dinged and one set of doors slid open. “After you, ladies.”

They boarded the elevator and rode it up to the fourth floor. Stepping off, they all turned to the right and marched down the corridor, stopping right before reaching Jerry’s room.

Isabel turned the stem of her daisy pin to the right. “Buzz, I’m on,” she said, dipping her chin toward her lapel as she spoke. Her eyes flashed to Emily and Colin. “Wish me luck, guys.” She stood up straight, pulled in a quick breath, and gently pushed the door open.

~*~

“Good morning, Jerry,” Isabel said in a light and friendly voice.

“Isabel.” Jerry tried to pull himself up on his pillows. “Is this a social call? Or—”

“Some of both. How are you feeling this morning?” Isabel moved to the foot of his bed, making sure she had a good angle for the camera.

“A little better.”

“You look better. What do the doctors say?”

“Oh, you know doctors. I could have a month, I could have a year. All I know is I can’t beat it.”

“I really am sorry to hear that. We’ve been friends for a long time, Jerry.”

“Going on fifteen years, but I don’t think you stopped by to take a walk with me down memory lane. What’s on your mind?”

“Remember the gun Emily talked to you about the night we stopped by her place together?”

“You mean the hypothetical one?”

“Only I knew you didn’t believe it was only hypothetical. You kept pressing me to see it.”

“So now you’re saying the gun is no longer hypothetical?”

“That’s right, it’s no longer hypothetical. It’s a Beretta 92FS pistol.”

Jerry’s eyes narrowed a bit at the description.

“I had that gun run through the system this morning and turns out it belongs to you.”

“Damn!”

“You’ve been searching Emily’s house for it, haven’t you?”

“Maybe.”

“Have you been tailing her?”

“Why do you ask?”

“Why are you being so evasive, Jerry? We’re not going to charge you with breaking and entering—with you being so sick, I mean. What would be the point?”

“Then why are you pressing the issue?” He crossed his arms and glared at her.

“I merely want to know, and I want to be able to put Emily’s mind at ease. With the gun located, we won’t be seeing any more of that behavior, will we?”

“All right, you’ve got me. I was just trying to get that freakin’ gun back—I didn’t want it connected to me. Guess I’m getting too old, too rusty to work undetected. It sucks to get old, Isabel.”

“I have to agree with you there. So, now that we have that mystery resolved, let’s move on to why this gun was so important.”

“What do you want to know?”

“Because we’re friends, Jerry, I’m going to give you the chance to tell me what happened. You can ask for a lawyer to be present, that’s certainly your right, but since you don’t have long to live, it isn’t likely you’d ever be held accountable for any of it. It wouldn’t be financially prudent to pursue a case against you. I’d simply like to know what happened to David Gerard before you’re no longer able to tell me.”

Jerry turned his head and stared out the window, biting on his upper lip.

Isabel wondered if he was thinking over his options.

He turned back and met her gaze. “Okay, I’ll tell you.”

“Everything?”

“I might as well. What do I have to lose at this point?”

“I just want to make sure you understand that you’re telling me all of this under no duress whatsoever, that no one is pressuring you to do it.”

“No, none.”

“Do you want a glass of water before you start?”

“No, I’m good.”

“Okay, then. Tell me what happened to David Gerard.”

“All right.” Jerry cleared his throat. “I was working in DC about seven years ago and got word my daughter, Natalia, had been killed in France. She’d been going to school there. An accidental shooting I was told. I never could really get a straight answer. Then, a couple of years later, a friend of mine in the CIA told me he’d read a report that said she had been killed in a shoot out between David Gerard and an enemy spy. She and David had been seeing each other and an operative from one of the unfriendly countries opened fire on them.”

“So you think it was David’s fault your daughter was killed?”

“I know it was,” he snapped.

“Even if he didn’t pull the trigger or purposely put her in harm’s way?”

“David Gerard was a CIA operative. He had no business getting involved with a civilian and putting her life in danger. He should have known better, instead of letting his Johnson make his decisions for him.”

“So you decided to do something about it? Avenge your daughter’s death?”

“By the time I found out the truth, he’d left the CIA and moved west with his new wife, but I didn’t know where.”

“Then how’d you find him?”

“I was here in town visiting someone, thinking of retiring here. I went to lunch with a colleague from the FBI’s Boise office and saw Gerard eating on the patio of a restaurant with his wife, laughing and enjoying the fresh air.” He shook his head. “While my Natalia lay cold in her grave, he was laughing and enjoying the sunshine with somebody new. It wasn’t fair.”

Isabel noticed her ailing friend’s eyes fill with tears at the mention of his daughter’s name.

He wiped his hand across his eyes and drew in a deep breath. “I don’t know what’s wrong with me. Must be allergies.”

“You had two daughters, as I recall.”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“Is Delia McCall your other daughter?”

“Why are you bringing her into this?”

“Just wondering. She did hire David to work for her.”

“Yeah, but she only knew him as Evan. Do you want to hear my story or not?” He seemed to bristle at her questions about his older daughter.

“Sorry, Jerry. Go on, please.”

“Like I said, I saw him at the restaurant and I followed him back to his office. I sat in my car for a long time, wondering what my next move should be. I had plans for dinner with Delia, so I decided to keep an eye on him and wait for an opportunity to confront him.”

“Then what happened?”

“A few nights later, I was driving by his office and noticed him through the lit window. I parked my car around the corner and snuck into his building. I opened his office door just enough to see him and stick the nose of my gun in. I took a shot, but the phone rang and he turned away toward the darn thing. The bullet must have whizzed past his head. Before I knew it, he slammed the door on the gun and my hand and wrestled it away from me. He fired a few shots at me, hitting me in the shoulder.”

“So he shot you with your own gun?”

“You don’t have to remind me. I ducked behind the next building and raced to my car. I phoned Delia to come to my hotel room and help me.”

“Why didn’t you go to her house?”

“She had that good-for-nothin’, pretty-boy husband. She didn’t want him or the housekeeper knowing anything about the gunshot. The bullet went through and through, so she brought all the medical supplies she needed to patch me up—and some painkillers, to boot.”

“But David had your gun.”

He nodded. “Afraid so.”

“Did you tell Delia what happened? Why you were there? That you had tried to kill David and he was defending himself?”

“Well, I tried not to involve her. I wasn’t a very good father when she and Natalia were growing up. Travelled a lot with the job, you know how that is.”

“Yeah, I know.”

“She’s a good girl and she’s all I’ve got left in the world. I didn’t want to burden her with the sordid side of my life. She deserves to be happy.”

“So you’re saying you never told Delia that Natalia died because of David Gerard?”

“What good would it have done, Isabel?”

“All right, let’s move on. So what did you do then?”

“After holing up in my hotel room for a week or so, I had to get back to Washington, back to work. I’d had my chance to avenge Natalia’s death and I blew it, so I high-tailed it back to DC, hoping David would never find out who the gun belonged to.”

“So tell me about David’s murder a year ago. Did you decide to come back and give it another try?”

“You think I killed David Gerard?”

There was a knock at the door before it swung open. Colin popped his head in and told Isabel he had some news.

Isabel turned her face toward the door, consciously keeping her chest pointed at Jerry.

“The lab said the ballistics are in on the second gun and they’re a match. The fingerprint results will be back within the hour. Just thought you’d like to know that.”

She thanked him and he left.

“Wow, did you hear that?” Isabel studied the man’s facial expression for any tells. However, as a seasoned agent, he had been trained to keep his feelings and outward expressions under control—his face remained still as stone.

“What second gun?” he asked in an emotionless tone. “A match to what?”

“A Ruger P345 pistol that was found on the riverbank Saturday night.” Again, she watched his expression, particularly his eyes, for even the most subtle hint. She thought she saw a flicker in his eyes, for the briefest moment, so she pressed him. “The gun that killed Evan Parker. Sorry, I mean David Gerard. Is there something you want to tell me about that gun?”

“Like what?”

“Jerry…are we going to find your prints? Did you kill David Gerard?”

He did not answer, his face twisted into a snarl. “Whatever he got he had coming to him.”

“Let me remind you we have the ballistics proving it’s the murder weapon, and confirmation of the prints will be in soon. If you admit it right now, I’ll see that you don’t go to prison for this. You don’t have much time left. Wouldn’t you rather spend it with Delia?”

“Delia.” He spoke her name and blankly looked off in the distance—Isabel imagined he was seeing Delia in his mind, perhaps as a happy little girl running into his arms.

“So, I’ll ask you again, did you kill David Gerard?”

He paused and stared at her with laser intensity, as if his glare could bore right through her. “Yes, Isabel.” His words were slow and calculated. “I killed David Gerard. I went to his office and shot him for what he did to my daughter.”

“Tell me exactly, step by step, what happened the night David Gerard died.” Isabel stood motionless at the foot of his bed, capturing the entire confession on video.

After drawing in a deep breath, Jerry took her through each action, how he set David up, how he shot him, and why.

“What’s going on in here?” Delia burst through the door.

“Your father has just confessed to murdering David Gerard. You knew him as Evan Parker.”

“Oh, Dad, no!” Her head shook violently as tears sprang to her eyes.

“I’m afraid so, Princess.” His eyes were brimming with tears, as well, and he reached out to his daughter. She rushed to the side of his bed and grabbed his hand, leaning over to rest her head on his chest. He stroked her long, dark hair.

Colin and Emily silently slipped just inside the door. Isabel turned away from Jerry and Delia and stepped over to her friends. She bent her head down toward the brooch and whispered, “I’m turning it off for now, Buzz, but stand by. I’ll be back on in a few.” She raised her head and looked to Colin. “You’re up.”

He moved closer to Jerry’s bedside. “Delia, I’m sorry I didn’t get back to my office in time to meet with you, but I—”

“You asked me to come to your office so Isabel could get in here and talk to my father, didn’t you?” Her normally refined manner had melted under pressure, exposing the raw anger seething below it. “I want you all out of here! Now!”

“Whoa, lady. You’re not in a position to be giving orders. I still need to talk with you, preferably down at the station.” Colin rolled his wrist and read his watch. “Let’s say in one hour?”

“I have nothing to say.” She spoke slowly, through clenched teeth, looking Colin in the eye.

“Then why so defensive, Delia?” Emily crossed her arms and glared at the woman whom she had once considered a friend. Now she was more of an enemy combatant.

“My father is dying and I don’t want to leave him.” A knot seemed to catch in her throat and she swallowed hard.

“Delia, go with the man,” her father encouraged. “I’ll be fine.”

“No, I don’t want to leave you.”

“It’s okay, go.”

“Should I bring an attorney?” Delia asked.

“Only if you have something to hide,” Colin replied.

Delia glared at Colin, then her eyes narrowed as she pinched her lips together. “All right, Dad, I’ll go,” she said, turning her gaze back to her ailing father. “But I’m coming back just as soon as we’re done. Okay?”

“Okay, sweetheart.” Jerry closed his eyes. “Now, if you all don’t mind, I’d like to get some shuteye.”

Delia stalked out of the room first and stomped down the hallway as Isabel stood with Colin and Emily in the hall, right outside the door.

“Where’s she off to in such a hurry?” Colin asked.

“She probably didn’t want to get stuck in the elevator with the rest of us.” Emily remarked. “I’ve never seen her so ruffled.”

“That’s a good thing,” Colin remarked. “She’ll be more likely to blurt out the truth under pressure. I’m going to give ADA Laraway a call and bring her up to speed on what’s happening.”

“Give her my regards,” Emily muttered with a hint of sarcasm as Colin pulled his phone out and walked down the hall. The polished blonde with a take-no-prisoners attitude had all but thrown herself at Colin when he’d first arrived in Paradise Valley.

“Time for me to head back in.” Isabel twisted the daisy stem and turned her brooch back on. “Buzz, I’m back on. After I’m finished this time, I’ll need a copy of this entire recording asap.” She raised her head and grinned at Emily. “I’m not through with Jerry yet. You guys may want to stick around for the show.”