“You’ve already given me something wonderful. You brought joy back into my son’s life. As tragic as Stanton’s loss is for this family, you are the gift that none of us saw coming.”
Talia hugged her. “You’re going to make me cry again. Seems like these days that’s all I do.”
“These days will pass,” Leigh said softly. “They won’t pass quickly, but they will pass, and we will be all the stronger for it when they’re gone.”
Nineteen
Riordan was worried about Clayton’s revelation being too good to be true until he, too, saw the evidence Andrew Bingham had produced. He didn’t care how it had happened, because he now had what he needed, and instead of putting one member of the family behind bars, he was going to put two.
“We appreciate your honesty and your good intentions in coming forward with this evidence,” Riordan said. “I have your phone number. You’ve given your deposition. If there are any other questions that arise, we’ll contact you.”
Andrew nodded. So much for leaving the country right now; however, Florida would be a good second choice.
“Will I have to testify or anything?” he asked.
“I seriously doubt this will go to trial. Purposefully going after a gun shows intent. Cleaning the gun afterward and wiping it clean of prints speaks to an understanding of guilt. And the victim was run down like prey and then shot in the back, which eliminates the excuse that it was an accident. No matter what reasoning the killer can come up with, it will never excuse premeditated murder. However, thanks to you, my job is almost done. The rest will be up to the courts.”
“So I’m free to leave?” Andrew asked.
Riordan nodded.
Andrew straightened his jacket as he stood, and then shook their hands.
“Gentlemen, I won’t say this has been a pleasure, but it has been enlightening.”
He left with his laptop, gratefully leaving the damning evidence behind. It was time to plot a course for sunny Florida.
Riordan looked at Chief Clayton and grinned. “What do you say we go arrest ourselves a killer?”
“I appreciate the offer to ride along. I’m ready when you are. Where do you think he is right now?”
“I checked. He’s at work.”
Clayton nodded. “Then let’s do it.”
*
Blake had just finished a call to one of their overseas subsidiaries, trying to calm the panic and uncertainty rolling through every aspect of their financial empire. He glanced at the clock, then thought about seeing if Charles was free for lunch. Things had been a little strained between them since the incident at the lake house, and he wanted to make sure his son knew he had his back.
He was a little put out with his Uncle Jack for behaving as if Justin no longer existed. Despite what he’d done, he was still family, and then he remembered they’d done the same thing to Leigh with far less reason.
Deciding a face-to-face invitation was a better choice than a phone call, Blake left his office to find Charles.
He stopped at his secretary’s desk.
“Connie, I’ll be out to lunch for a couple of hours,” Blake said. “I don’t have any afternoon appointments, but if there’s an issue or another call from one of the companies, have them call my cell, okay?”
“Yes, sir. Have a good lunch,” Connie said.
“Thank you,” Blake said, and walked out into the hall, then headed left to Charles’s office.
This was Charles’s first day back at work after the fight with Nita, and he was still self-conscious about the scabby streaks on his face and neck. When his father walked in, he was genuinely glad to see him.
“Hey, Dad. What’s up?”
“I came to see if you wanted to go to lunch with me.”
Charles grinned.
“Yes. Absolutely. Is Uncle Jack coming, too?”
“I haven’t asked him yet. Do you want him to tag along?”
“As long as no one talks about the splash we made on the national news, I’m good,” Charles said.
“I’m so sorry all of that is happening,” Blake said.
“So am I,” Charles said, as he began logging out of his computer and locking up his desk. “Sometimes I can’t believe all this chaos is real. One day we were just doing our thing, and then all of a sudden we’re caught up in the middle of a nightmare.”
Blake frowned. “Well, a man was murdered. That’s what started it.”
Charles shrugged. “But we didn’t know him.”
“Well, actually the rest of us did, just not you.”
Jack walked in at that moment and patted Blake on the back. “I’m going to lunch. Do you two want to come along?”
Charles glanced at his dad and nodded.
Blake got the message. “Sure, Uncle Jack. We’d love to.”
They walked down the hall to the elevator and moments later exited into the lobby of Wayne Industries.
A janitor was using a floor polisher on the white marble tiles. The guard in the lobby was on the phone, but he quickly hung up and smoothed a hand down the front of his uniform when he saw them coming. A pizza delivery boy was coming in the front entrance with a half-dozen boxes of pizza. Some people were obviously staying in for lunch.