Once a Killer (12 page)

“Around nine. Not long after my parents died in the car wreck.”

“So they died in Chicago, not Baltimore?”

“Yes.”

“Funny how you never mentioned that before. Nine years is a long time to live somewhere and not mention it.”

“It was a difficult time for me. I tried to block it all out years ago.”

Caroline turned over to face him again, and he returned to lying on his back.

She’s not going to let this go.

“So how come you ended up in Baltimore?”

He exhaled loudly through his nostrils. “At first, I was placed with foster parents in Chicago. You know I had no other family there.” He swallowed. “Shortly after, a couple from Baltimore took me on. The idea was they were going to adopt me, but that didn’t work out, so I was placed in a local children’s home. The rest you know.”

She kissed him on the side of his head. “That rejection must have been hard after your parents died.”

“It wasn’t an easy period for me. I guess it made me the person I am today, though. I knew I couldn’t rely on anyone else to get along, so I knuckled down and concentrated on my school work.”

“So you knew Rondell when your parents were alive?”

“Yes. We lived in the same block, but I didn’t see him all that much.”

“Funny how he remembers you so well.”

“He was always in trouble with the police. My mom never liked him.”

“He seemed quite charming to me.”

“Stay away from him.” Michael’s voice was raised.

“Calm down. All I said was—”

“Listen, you don’t know him.”

“I can only go on how I found him tonight.”

“Yeah, well, don’t be fooled. I’m surprised he’s done as well as he says he has. My money would have been on him becoming a career criminal.”

“We can all change, Michael.”

“Some of us can, but he’s not the sort. I wouldn’t trust him one bit.”

“You don’t really think he’s a crook now, do you?”

“I’d put money on it.”

Caroline was quiet for a few seconds. “I see.”

“Maybe now you can understand why I kept my distance at the restaurant. The last thing I want is to hook up with his sort. How would that look to my partners?”

“I’m sorry I misjudged you. I should have known you had good reason to behave the way you did.”

“Don’t worry about it. How could you have known what I was thinking?”

“I love you.”

“I love you, too. Now, let’s try to get some sleep.”

Chapter 14

A
N
H
OUR
A
FTER
M
ICHAEL
A
RRIVED
, bleary-eyed, at Dudek’s the following morning, he asked Rachel to make sure he wasn’t disturbed and then closed his office door. Rondell’s business card was tucked in a zipped pocket at the back of his briefcase. He retrieved it and punched in the number on his iPhone.

“What the hell were you playing at last night?” Michael kept his voice low to avoid anyone hearing the conversation outside.

“Why did I know you were going to call me today?” Rondell’s tone was arrogant and unapologetic.

“Is this some kind of game to you?”

“I know I’m not playing.”

“So what were you trying to achieve, turning up like that?”

“Call it insurance, if you like, Danny Boy. I need to know you’re going to deliver your part of the bargain.”

“Listen, I’d already had the message from your muscle-heads who jumped me last week.”

“Yeah, well, they weren’t sure you got it. In fact, they wanted to go pay your wife a visit, but I said I’d handle it. I thought I’d have a little more…what’s the word? Finesse. That’s it.”

“Let me be clear. You come anywhere near my family again, and you’ll see nothing from me. Is that understood?”

Rondell snorted. “I don’t think you’re in any position to dictate what happens here. Besides, next time, I won’t have to waste my time traveling all the way to Westport to see the lovely Caroline. And she is delightful, by the way. I’ll just put a copy of those Chicago press cuttings in the mail to her. Can you imagine her looking at them over her muesli one morning?”

Michael’s spine stiffened. “That would only expose you as a killer.”

“Oh no. That’s not what the newspapers said at all, Danny Boy. You need to take a look at them to refresh your memory, my friend. One of them has a great photo of you and me standing together. Do you think they got that one from school?”

“Who gives a shit?”

“Anyway, I’m certain Caroline would recognize you from the picture.” Rondell laughed. “You want to know the best part? Underneath it, there’s a caption that says: ‘Child-killers—Danny Seifert and Rondell Williams.’ Funny how they named you first, don’t you think? Kind of implies you were the leader and all.”

“We both know what happened. You know I tried to stop you.”

“Hmm. I’ll check, but I’m fairly certain there’s no mention of that in the papers.”

“Then their stories were wrong.”

“It doesn’t really matter. Can you imagine what Caroline would think of her loving husband if she saw them? How long do you think you’d stay married if she found out you’ve been living a lie, Danny Boy? And I know she knows nothing from her reaction last night. Are you ready to blow everything you have?”

“How do I know you won’t show them to her anyway?”

“You don’t. You’ll just have to trust me. I’m sure we’re both men of our word.”

“You think I’d take your word?”

“What choice do you have?”

Rondell was right. He had Michael over a barrel, and they both knew it. What else could he do? “I could go to the police.” It sounded weak the moment the words left Michael’s lips.

“Yeah, like you’re really going to do that. I’d like to hear what you’d say to them. That would be fun.”

“How about the truth? A convicted criminal is blackmailing me.”

“And what name would you report this under? Danny Seifert, or Michael Hoffman?” Rondell snorted again. “Difficult choice for you that one.”

“My name’s Michael Hoffman.”

“It’s all academic anyway. We both know you won’t go to the police. You have much more to lose than I do, so stop wasting my time.”

Michael took the phone away from his ear and stared at it. He wanted to throw it against the wall of his office. Like it or not, the man had him trapped. He returned it to his ear, but said nothing, struggling to find an argument to counter Rondell.

“Well, what’s it to be, Danny Boy? I’m not going to wait on you forever.”

“I’ll bring you something tomorrow.”

“Let me check my schedule.”

“Don’t play games with me.”

“Good news. The twelve thirty lunch spot is still free. I’ll see you here.”

“Twelve thirty.” Michael ended the call, threw his phone onto the desk, and then gazed at the mountain of Spar papers in front of him.

Sharing the Spar deal with Rondell meant he was about to jeopardize his most important business relationship by breaching client confidentiality, and it wouldn’t be some minor infringement, either. No, breaches of trust didn’t come any more egregious than this. Investment banking giant, Corton Zander, had taken years to build into a major client, through hard work, dedication, and constantly demonstrating that Michael and his team were professionals who could be trusted with secret information. Most major law firms in the country would do anything to win a trophy client like them. And then there were the personal relationships to consider. Amanda Etling was not just a client. She’d become a friend over the years, someone with whom Michael had mutual respect. What would she say if she knew the Dudek partner working on the biggest deal of her career was about to leak price-sensitive data about it to a criminal network? She trusted him without question, and he was about to abuse her faith. Then, of course, there was the legal position to think about. He was about to break a long list of laws. If he was ever discovered as the source of the leak, he’d be facing years in prison, and his career as a lawyer would be over.

Hell, this could even bring down the firm.

Was there another way out? Rather than taking the Spar deal with him, could he go to Cedar Street tomorrow and face down the blackmail and call Rondell’s bluff? After all, he wouldn’t want his real identity being discovered any more than Michael, so maybe he wouldn’t actually go through with his threat. Most bullies back down when challenged, although his mother never had. And Rondell was unpredictable and capable of doing anything to get his own way. In his twisted mind, he even thought Michael owed him something.

What if he disarmed the blackmail threat by telling Caroline the truth himself? Maybe he could sit down with her tonight, after the girls had gone to bed, and tell her everything about his childhood and his criminal conviction. Share absolutely everything with her. His real name was Danny Seifert and he grew up in Chicago. His only connection with Baltimore was that was where the authorities had housed him for years in juvenile detention. They’d had to move him out of his home state because of the public outrage over their crime. Had they remained in Illinois and not been given new names, there had been a real risk he and Rondell would have been lynched. Upon his release, he’d been given yet another name and moved to New York, where he had a chance of building a new life, free of the baggage of the past. Would Caroline be able to accept all this, knowing he’d lied to her about his background for years? How would she handle learning that, throughout the whole of their married life, they’d been living a fraud?

But there was no getting away from the crime itself. He couldn’t gloss over any of it. What would Caroline think of him when she discovered he’d been involved in such a heinous act? Even though he’d tried to stop Rondell, he couldn’t deny he’d been there that night. The newspapers and the conviction itself proved he took part. He’d have to come clean on all of it. That would be like having to face judgment a second time because Caroline would want to know exactly what happened, down to the very last detail.

Danny looked at the cigarette butt Rondell had just thrown on the floor. It was still burning, so he stood on it to put it out. “What are we going to do, then?” he asked, running to catch up with his friend, who was already heading back toward the staircase of the apartment block.

“We’re not going back to my place. My uncle will be boning my mom,” Rondell said, climbing the stairs.

“That’s disgusting. How do you know that?”

“Always happens when Fern Kinney’s on. That’s their record.”

Danny shook his head. “Man.”

“I knew if I went back to disturb them just now, he’d do anything to get rid of me. Why else do you think he gave me the cigarettes? I should have demanded money, too.”

“Are you going to tell me what we’re doing? I haven’t got long before I have to get home. Whatever we do, I can’t be late.”

Rondell stopped just short of the exit on the third floor. “You know Jackson, don’t you?”

Danny shrugged his shoulders. “Who?”

“The old guy who lives on our floor. The one who’s blind.”

“Mr. Jackson? The one who used to run the youth center before his accident?”

“Yeah, him.”

“I thought he was dead. I didn’t know he lived near you.”

“Has done for years. My mom used to clean for him. She loved it, said it was the easiest money she ever made, cleaning for a blind guy.”

“She doesn’t do it anymore?”

“She didn’t need the money once my uncle got out of prison.”

Danny looked at his Seiko Quartz watch. “Remember, I’ve only got half an hour.”

“Relax, Danny Boy. If we’re late, I’ll explain it all to your mom.”

“You don’t understand. You don’t know her.”

“Are you interested in hearing my plan or not?”

“Okay, but we need to hurry.”

Rondell sat on the top stair while Danny, leaning against the banister, remained standing a couple of steps below so their eyes were at the same level.