She went around back and let herself in. All was quiet until the security system started beeping. Damn. She purposely didn’t arm it when she left, knowing they used it to monitor her comings and goings. The last Kathryn heard, Madison was in DC ratting her out to the feds, but she must’ve come in and reset it at some point. Great. If Kathryn let the alarm trigger, it would make a racket and call the cops. But disarming it would also blow her cover, though not as dramatically. They’d know someone had entered the house, though not necessarily that it was her. Still, Charlie would surely come to check it out. Cursing, she tapped in the code and entered an override to change it to a new code. At least then he wouldn’t be able to sneak up on her. And if he tried—well, that’s what the gun was for.
Lucy came running. Kathryn picked her up, holding her tight and kissing her silky head, tears in her eyes. But this was no time for an emotional reunion. They had to get out of there fast, and for that, she would need to use the cat carrier, which Lucy despised. A few minutes later, she was in the living room, struggling in the dark to get the cat into the damn thing when the security system started beeping again. It had to be Charlie, trying to break in. He would kill her if she let him. Her hands shook as she put Lucy down. The gun was on the end table beside her. She’d never once fired it—not at a person, not even at the range. Yet she knew in her heart that her aim would be true. She and Charlie had been playing chicken since they were kids. Time to put an end to it.
She held her breath. A figure was advancing toward the front door. She was reaching for the gun when Madison touched the alarm panel, lighting it up in the darkness. Kathryn’s fingers brushed cold metal, then pulled back as if shocked. She’d been seconds from shooting. Jesus, I could have killed the kid. Even if Madison did betray her to the feds, she didn’t want her dead. And that made things tricky. Madison was probably wearing a wire. Dealing with her would be a huge risk. But running away and leaving her to face Charlie alone—that was something Kathryn just couldn’t do.
* * *
They were on the highway heading north, with Madison driving, when Kathryn’s phone rang. When the name MARIE ALLEN flashed on the screen, her heart clutched. Sylvia knew better than to call from that number. It had to be the neighbor, calling from Sylvia’s phone to say she’d passed away.
“Hello?”
“Kathy.”
She went cold and still.
“Ray.”
“Why didn’t you tell me? All these years, I could have been with her.”
His voice was thick and phlegmy, as if he’d been crying. She didn’t give a rip about his feelings.
“I didn’t tell you because you would’ve had her killed.”
“That’s crazy. You know how I feel about her.”
“How can I believe you after everything that’s happened? I’m just begging you, don’t hurt her.”
“Hurt her? She’s dying. I’m sitting here holding her hand while she drifts in and out.”
“Oh no, not again. She was so alert when I left.”
Tears started rolling down her cheeks. That was a bad sign.
“I wanted to be there for her when she passed. That’s why I took the risk of going there. You followed me, didn’t you?”
“Yeah, because I was worried what they would do to you. I watched you get on that bus the other night, thinking you got spooked and ran. I followed you to keep you safe. Like, if Charlie actually came at you, I’d intervene. But then you went to New Hampshire. And I’m thinking, what the hell is she doing there, going to this hospital, visiting this Denise person I never heard of? So I kept my distance, thinking I might catch you meeting with the feds.”
“It’s not what you think.”
“Oh, I know that now. It’s worse. Come to find out you’ve been lying to me for years, and not only about Sylvia. Your daughter is beautiful, Kathy. She looks just like you, with those big eyes, watching all the time.”
He had her daughter. She wanted to scream. It was her worst nightmare. All the years of precautions blown out of the water in the panic and sloppiness of the last forty-eight hours.
“Where is she? What have you done with her?”
Madison looked over in alarm.
“Relax, she’s sleeping in a chair right here. I brought her to say goodbye to her grandma. That Denise? Nice lady. But—I don’t know if she was fed up looking after a kid, or what. She handed Grace over without a lot of questions. You should be more careful who you leave her with.”
“I’m begging you, don’t hurt her.”
“C’mon, this is your Uncle Ray you’re talking to. You should be thanking your lucky stars I took her, so she’s safe. Denise would’ve given her to Charlie.”
“What do you want? Anything. Name your price.”
“I see I’m not getting through to you. So let me lay the cards on the table. I want to be with Sylvia. That’s what I want. It didn’t happen in this life. Now I’m focused on the next, and that’s right around the corner. I got cancer. It’s in my lungs, and it’s spreading. I don’t have too long.”
She’d thought the last few times she saw him that he looked worse than ever, his complexion like spoiled milk, his hands perpetually shaking. She’d put it down to booze.
But Ray was dying.
Kathryn believed that, and her rage began to dissipate.
“I’m sorry to hear that, Uncle Ray,” she said, and was surprised to realize that she meant it, even now.
“Thank you, honey. I’m not sorry myself, not if it means I can be with her. But I realized, for that to happen, your mother and I need to wind up in the same place. If I don’t atone for my sins and make amends, Saint Peter’s gonna take one look at me and send me downstairs.”
She didn’t say anything. Because she couldn’t argue with that.
“I have an idea for how to get my house in order. You’re a big part of it.”
“I’m listening.”
“Not now. I’ll hold up the phone so you can say goodbye. And I hope you don’t mind, but I’m gonna sing her to the next life. When she’s gone, then you and I will talk.”
Part Five
End Game
37
Madison called Brooke Lee the next morning from the parking lot of a Bickford’s across the street from the Best Western where they were lying low. The sky was gray and spitting rain, the temperature rapidly falling. She stood under an overhang, warm in the enormous puffer coat, watching her breath go up in clouds.
“What is this phone number you’re calling from?” Brooke said. “The tech guy can’t ping it.”
“I don’t know. It belongs to Judge Conroy. She took my phone and destroyed it because she thought it was bugged.”
“We warned you she’d suspect you were cooperating.”
“You were right.”
“Are you safe?”
“For now. Olivia was smart not to send me in wired. The judge searched my backpack, my clothes, everything. I swore up and down I wasn’t cooperating, and when she didn’t find anything, that backed me up. I think she’s still suspicious. But she trusted me enough to send me out for breakfast. She’s holed up in the motel room, expecting me back. So let’s make it quick.”
“The geolocation on the phone is disabled. You need to tell me exactly where you are.
“In Massachusetts, from the license plates. Beyond that, I’m not sure.”
“Do you see any landmarks?”
“A Dunkin’ Donuts.”
“God, there’s a million of those. A street name?”
“Not that I can see.”
“Can you get the plate number for the car she’s driving? Her Nissan is parked in the alley behind her house, so it must be something else. If you get a plate number, we can pull the toll cameras.”
“Brooke, I need to hang up. I think I see her.”
“No! We need a location, so we can arrest her. Oh, and rescue you,” she added as an afterthought.
“If I can get her location, will that be enough to satisfy the cooperation deal, so Danny’s charges get dropped?”
“That and a confession. On tape.”
“How do you expect me to achieve that when Olivia didn’t send me in wired?”
“Well, aren’t you glad she didn’t? Conroy would’ve found the wire for sure. You’d be dead by now.”
“Olivia was protecting the investigation. Not me.”
“She was protecting both. We care about you, Madison. I just lost one witness; I don’t need to lose another.”
Yeah, because it would look bad, she thought. But no point in bickering with the prosecutor. She had a goal in mind, and not much time to accomplish it.
“Okay, then hurry up and tell me how to record Judge Conroy without the wire, so I can get off the phone.”