In The Absence Of Light (36 page)

You could have heard a pin drop in the room—from the next county over. She’d left everything to Morgan. Now it made sense.  It also meant things could get ugly. Money could bring the devil out of anyone. The kind of money a billion dollar company made would drive any man to the edge.

“C’mon. Let’s go.” I stood and so did Morgan.

“Whoa, where do you think you’re going?” Jeff held up a hand.

“Home.”

“I don’t think so.”

“You asked your questions; you have your answers, and they make a hell of a lot more sense than any of Mr. Day’s vague excuses.”

“I appreciate Morgan cooperating, but he needs to be taken into custody until we verify everything he’s said.”

“No, what he needs is to go home. While he’s at home, you verify everything he said.”

Jeff clenched his jaw. “Get out of the way, Grant.”

“We’re going home. You verify his information, and if it doesn’t add up, we’ll come to the sheriff’s office in the morning.”

“And you expect me to believe you won’t jump ship.”

“Morgan can’t leave—won’t leave—Durstrand, and if he won’t go, neither will I.”

“That’s supposed to convince me?”

I pushed past Jeff. Just outside the door, Jeff grabbed me by the shoulder and spun me around. “I think you’re forgetting who’s in charge here.”

I knocked his hand away. “No one’s in charge. That’s the problem. You and your boss have a personal problem with me, and no one holding the reins. All of this is bullshit, Jeff. Nothing more than the FBI’s version of a dog and pony show.”

“I’ve given you a lot of leeway. Way more than anyone ever would.”

“Only because you don’t have a pot to shit in. And because you have nothing, now you bring Morgan into your case-file fantasy land. Well, I’ve got news for you, Jeff. It’s going to stop. Morgan didn’t steal anything, and you damn well know it. This Mr. Day is pissed off about a will.”

Money did strange things to people. I didn’t need to tell Jeff how money did strange things to people. We’d both seen it. How a magical piece of paper or bank account number could turn the sweetest of little old ladies into pit vipers from hell.

“Even if Morgan’s side of the story checks out, he’s still facing assault charges.”

I opened the passenger door on the truck. Morgan got in. I headed for the driver’s side. Jeff stopped me.  Toe to toe, we stood facing each other just like we had back in my kitchen, only this time nothing but pure anger stirred inside me.

“I can still bring him in,” Jeff said.

“You don’t care about filing charges against him. Besides, you don’t even have a bruise to show for it. You’re just pissed because you can’t have your cake and eat it too.” I leaned close enough to brush my lips against Jeff’s ear. “You’re jealous, Jeff. And if you keep singing this song, I’m gonna tell everyone who will listen that this is nothing more than a personal vendetta because I won’t stick my dick in your ass anymore.”

He turned his head, putting our mouths dangerously close. Lust showed in his eyes and he licked his lips.

“Sorry, Jeff. You’ll just have to keep dating your right hand.”

I went to get in the pickup and yanked open the door. He caught it. Our gazes clashed again. There was still desire swimming in those baby blues of his, but there was triumph too. “You’re leaving because I’m allowing it.” I got in, but he wouldn’t let go of the door. “His freedom in exchange for information, that’s the deal.”

“Go fuck yourself.”

“Don’t think I won’t make his life hell.”

“Because of me?”

“Because I’d like to turn this backwards dirt hole into a memory that’s not even worth forgetting but I can’t go back to civilization until you give me what I want. And you will give it to me, Grant.”

“Only because your bullshit fairy tales about me being on Lorado’s hit list didn’t work.”

“But now I know what does and don’t think for a second I won’t use it.”

“I don’t.”  Not now anyways. At one time, I might have thought him a bigger man, but not anymore.

“We’re staying in Maysville at the Hyatt. I’ll reserve a conference room for us to meet in. Will noon give you enough time to get your lawyer on a plane?”

I yanked on the door. This time hard enough it was either let go or get his fingers slammed.

He tapped on the window. I should have just run over his ass, but he wasn’t worth tearing out the oil pan.

I cracked the window. “What do you want now?”

“Two words, Grant. Homeland Security. You’d be amazed at the creative ways you can apply the law. So don’t stand me up.” Jeff tipped an imaginary hat at Morgan. “You have a nice day, Mr. Kade. Try not to lose any sleep.”

I cranked up the truck and backed out of the parking spot. Then I hit the gas, hard enough to swing the rear of the truck. Jeff had to jump back to avoid getting clipped by the bumper.

********

There are some perks to having a high-priced lawyer.

They have two numbers. The office, where you call when it’s important, and their personal cell phone, when it’s a matter of life or death. Or in most cases, freedom or life in prison.

Harriet answered on the third ring. Laughter in the background almost drowned her out.

“Sorry to bother you, but I have a situation.”

“Hang on a second.” Muffled voices grew dim until it was almost silent. “What’s wrong?”

I told her about the accusations against Morgan, making sure to include every detail. This was not a situation where the abbreviated version would benefit anyone.

Through the front door window, I watched Morgan at the table, sipping a cup of coffee.

He said nothing on the way back to his home and his silence had yet to recede.

“What I don’t get is if this guy really believed Morgan was blackmailing his wife, then why did he wait so long to do anything? And if he was so worried about people finding out he was Morgan’s father, why didn’t he just let him have the money and turn away?”

“Rich people have some funny habits, you know that.”

Yeah. I did.

“But I think you’re right. A man who wanted to keep a secret like this would have walked away.”

“Why didn’t he?”

“My guess would be, he couldn’t.”

I walked over to the porch railing and propped up against the post. “I don’t follow.”

“Wills can take a while to probate. When he found out about Morgan being the sole beneficiary, he probably tried to go the legal route and have his name removed. Proving the will was changed under duress would make for a great argument. And getting Morgan charged with extortion could be used to support his claim.”

“Then, what do we do?”

“Depends on what Morgan wants to do. He’s entitled to the money. Every cent. He also has the grounds for a civil suit against Mr. Day for the false charges and harassment. Basically this could cost the man more than he would have lost in the will.” Which was everything.

A light mist sprinkled the edge of the porch and left a cool kiss on one side of my face. “I don’t think Morgan wants anything of Mr. Day’s.”

“Well, we can leave out the lawsuit.”

“No, I mean, I don’t think he wants any of it. Not a lawsuit, not the money from the will, he doesn’t even want the money in the account in his name.”

Harriet laughed. “I don’t know of anyone who would walk away from millions of dollars. Especially when it’s a hundred percent legal money.”

“You don’t know Morgan.” I would have liked to think I did. But I had a feeling I hadn’t even scratched the surface on him.

“You’re kidding.”

“I’m not.”

She made a thinking sound. “Well, that complicates things in a way I hadn’t anticipated.”

“I would think it would make things easier.”

“It might, it might not. Do you know if Morgan informed Mr. Day’s lawyer that he didn’t want the money?”

“He said he told him he didn’t want the money in the account, so I’m going to assume so. Why?”

A shuffling sound rattled the speaker, then a door clicked shut in the background. When she spoke again, her voice didn’t carry the same.

“Harriet?”

“I’m here. I just needed to get to my office.”

“Your office? Do you normally throw wild parties at your office?”

“Every time I win an impossible case.”

“Must have been some case.”

“You have no idea. Nor do you want to.”

Considering some of her other clients, she was right.

“Okay,” Harriet said. “I’m going to make a quick note of everything we talked about.” She relayed each point as she wrote them down. “Does that sound about right to you?”

“Pretty much.” I went to the front door again. Morgan was no longer at the table. The living and dining room were empty, but the inside of his bedroom and the kitchen weren’t visible.

“I’ll make some calls,” Harriet said. “And we’re going to cross our fingers.”

“You sound worried.”

“Just a little. Morgan’s willingness to give up the money should have solved the problem. For some reason, it didn’t. And the list of possible reasons is very short.”

“What should I tell him?”

“To stay calm. Let me handle it. Eat some chocolate ice cream.”

I chuckled. “What’s eating ice cream going to do?”

“Does wonders for me when I’m having a bad day. Nothing like a sugar high to smooth things over.”

“Ice cream, I’ll remember that.”

We said our good-byes.

I found Morgan sitting on the steps of the back porch. “Do you mind if I join you?”

He didn’t answer so I did.

Morgan’s wayward hand fluttered next to his temple. The movement was slower than usual. Like even the tics had been worn out by the day’s events.

Except for the weak light coming from the house, the night surrounded us. Crickets chirped and tree frogs sang. It was getting late in the year for both, but the night was warmer than usual, so I guess they figured it was safe to spend one more evening out.

For a very long time, there was just us, the stars, and the darkness.

When Morgan finally spoke, his voice was barely above a whisper. “I thought I told you to not come back.”

“You did.”

He nodded. Then he found my hand and held it. “Thank you.”

I kissed his knuckles. “I didn’t mean to hurt you. I should have thought about what I was going to say before I said it. I should have never said it.”

He tightened his grip. His fear, his worries, his desperation sang loud and clear in that simple contact. If I’d only had words to comfort him.

“I don’t know what to do.” Morgan drew his knees up. “I don’t even understand why I should have to do anything.”

“I know. And to tell you the truth, I don’t understand it either. But I’d still like to try to get you some help.”

“Your lawyer friend?”

“Yeah.” I rubbed my thumb over the back of his hand. “Is that okay with you?”

Morgan nodded, then after a long stretch of silence, he said, “That FBI guy, Jeff.”

“You mean the douche bag in a suit?”

“Yeah, him.” Morgan snorted. “He did this to get back at you for something, didn’t he?”

“Pretty much.”

“What?”

“He wants me to give him information on my clients so he can build a case against them.”

“Why?”

“He’s probably hoping threatening them with jail will get him to some bigger, more important people. Then he can arrest them. Get his picture in the paper. Further his career. Hell… I don’t really know.”

“You loved him.” Morgan made it a statement.

I let go of his hand. Not because I wanted to but because holding him when thinking about Jeff, or more precisely what we’d had, felt wrong. “Yeah, I think I did.”

“What about now?”

“No.” I didn’t even have to think about the answer.

“He’s still in love with you, though.”

If anyone else had said it, I would have told them it was a figment of their imagination, but Morgan didn’t see things not there. He just saw things no one else could. “He’s got a funny way of showing it, doesn’t he?”

“Are you going to do it?”

“What?”

“Give him the information.”

I leaned back on my elbows. A vast carpet of stars made bright points on a black sky. “I don’t think he’s going to give me much of a choice.”

“Because he’ll arrest me if you don’t.”

I didn’t answer because I didn’t want to feel like I was putting the blame on Morgan. It wasn’t his fault. It wasn’t even my fault. Not really. But Morgan was in the middle so Jeff decided to use him.

“Don’t,” Morgan said. “Don’t tell him.”

If I didn’t, Jeff would make Morgan suffer. I knew the charges wouldn’t stick. A half-assed lawyer could make the whole incident look like a joke. But Jeff would make good on his word and take Morgan in. For any other person, it would’ve been an inconvenience. For Morgan, it would’ve been devastating.