Victoria (20 page)

"But he said he didn't do it. How do we know he did?"

"We gather the evidence, question him, and get search warrants and all that fun stuff. It should be done in the next couple of days and don't worry about having to go to the cottage with him. He'll have to stay local, if not in jail.” Colt stated.

"Can I tell my family, Steven, my uncle?"

"Let's keep it small for now. Limit it to Steven, your mother, brother, and uncle."

Steven got into his car and released an uneasy breath. He waited patiently, wondering when Victoria would call. Fifteen minutes later, he got his wish.

"I've been so worried. How did it go?” he asked.

"It was crazy, but it all worked out. We'll talk about it later. Meet me at my mom's house, okay?"

"No problem.” He hung up the phone and was relieved Victoria was safe, but he already knew that. He had been watching everything in the restaurant, making sure Bret Collins didn't try anything. Steven had to do all he could to control his temper when he saw Collins touch Victoria, kiss her hand, her cheek, and act as if he already owned her, possessed her.

Steven knew he wouldn't have been able to handle it if he had returned home from the war and found his Victoria in love with someone else. He would have welcomed death with open arms, because he felt life wasn't worth living without Victoria. He pushed those feelings aside, knowing she was just acting with Collins, and her love for her father was her motivation. Steven respected that and even though undercover agents covered the restaurant, he didn't find any harm in keeping an eye on things himself.

Now, all he could do was pray she didn't have to see Collins again and that the person responsible for killing Danny would be identified and brought to justice.

When Victoria arrived at her mom's house, the street was crowded, the driveway filled. Her heart felt like it was in her throat. Obviously, they misunderstood her when she said small family meeting. Just about everyone was there.

She took a deep breath as she opened the front door.

The murmur of conversation coming from behind the front door seized abruptly when Victoria entered the house. She took another deep breath and smiled.

They hated her. She could see it in their eyes, and she knew immediately she had been successful in playing her role.

Suddenly, she felt Steven next to her. She took his hand, and the facial expressions throughout the room changed.

"Let her in, will you? Come on, baby. We're all here. Come sit down,” her mother said.

Steven let go of Victoria's hand and gave her space to talk to her family.

"I'm glad you're all here. I have something very important to discuss with you, but first, I would like to thank you for sticking by me even when you thought I was crazy, out of my mind, and involved with Bret Collins. Secondly, I love you all so very much, and I'm sorry for hurting you as I did. My hands felt tied behind my back. I probably wouldn't have made it this far if you all had disowned me."

"We love you, Victoria, and we forgive you for getting involved with Bret,” Sherry replied.

Victoria cringed and took a deep breath.

"Well ... There's more to it than that.... I had been investigating Daddy's murder for months."

Shocked gasps filled the room, eyebrows crinkled, stares intensified, and the space between herself and her loved ones seemed to close in.

"Victoria, what are you saying?” Sherry asked, and then everyone starting asking questions.

Victoria took her mother's hands and held them.

"Wait ... please. Before you say anything more, I need to explain what happened. I was investigating Daddy's murder. Tod came to see me and told me about the recent angle in the case. I was furious that anyone could believe that Daddy would be an adulterer, that he could possibly cheat on you, Mom ... on us.” Victoria motioned her gaze toward her brother Peter who now stood with Sherry.

"I was already snooping around, so I didn't give it a thought to try and prove Daddy's innocence. I went to the restaurant where the detectives said that Daddy and Linda Delaney would meet on Thursdays. I found out that someone else was there and had taken the picture of Daddy and Linda, the same picture that mysteriously showed up in Linda Delaney's apartment. Anyway, as I was leaving the place, an investigator with the District Attorney's office confronted me. He asked for my help. I went undercover and pretended to like Bret Collins. I knew he didn't like Daddy and there was reason to believe he had motive to murder him."

"Holy shit, are you crazy? You're lucky he didn't hurt you,” Uncle Patrick said and Peter and the others added more comments.

"I had no choice, Uncle Pat. I couldn't just stand by and do nothing to find out the truth. Daddy's murderer is still out there."

She explained about the murders and how the FBI thought Bret was responsible.

"This whole investigation has taken a turn in many directions."

She looked toward the floor, then back at Peter, Uncle Patrick, and her mom.

"You all know that Bret was arrested today along with numerous others. I ... wore a wire...."

"What? The FBI had you wear a wire and go undercover to catch Bret, why, if they already had him?” Peter asked not allowing Victoria to finish.

"They felt that he would ask for my assistance, perhaps ask me to lie and reveal more crucial information."

"What happened?” Sherry asked.

"No need to go into all the details, but he wanted me to be his alibi for the night Ronny Chappa went missing and the night he turned up dead."

Sherry covered her mouth with her hand. Everyone else just seemed to stare at her in shock.

The tears filled her eyes, “I've had to do a lot of lying, hurting, and major acting these last few weeks ... and I'm so ... I'm so sorry."

Uncle Patrick pulled her into his arms, embracing her as he told her she wasn't to do anything like this ever again.

"What the hell were you thinking?” Uncle Patrick still held her.

She held him tight, grateful he still loved her.

Peter placed his hand on her shoulder.

"I'm so sorry I went off on you, Tory. You weren't acting like yourself at all,” Peter added.

"I'm the one that should be apologizing. I had to lie to all of you, hurt you and be convincing."

"Convincing? Damn, Tory, you should win an Oscar for your performance. I wanted to shake some sense into you, and your brother wanted to start following you. We were just figuring out a schedule this afternoon,” Uncle Patrick confessed.

Victoria started to laugh. “Thank God you didn't. It could have been disastrous. Again, I'm very sorry."

She answered some more of their questions.

"So what do you do now? What about Bret?” Peter stood next to her, his concerned expression warned her that this wasn't over and he would discuss it further in private.

After all, they had a pact ... an important one that had never been broken before.

"The FBI will question him, get search warrants for his house and businesses, and hopefully, he'll confess. You all need to keep this to yourselves for the next couple of days. I have a partial article coming out in tomorrow's paper about the corruption. Then next week, the huge story will come out in the magazine."

"So Bret Collins killed Danny?” Tears streamed down Sherry's cheeks. Victoria's heart felt as if it sank to her gut. This had to be terribly upsetting for her mom.

Victoria moved closer to her mom and took her hand into her own. “Unfortunately, Mom, I don't think so. The agents think he did it, but it just doesn't add up. My gut is telling me that the killer is still out there."

"He'll come after you, Tory. Why didn't you come to us sooner? This is ludicrous! You're going to be under your family's complete protection now,” Uncle Patrick said.

"You're not kidding. We're all going to be a part of this.” Connor crossed his arms in front of his chest. There would be no leaving the family out ever again.

"I have the feeling that the killer, whomever he is, wanted and planned to pin Daddy's murder, Linda Delaney's, and Ronnie Chappa's murders on Bret. The evidence is solid. He won't get off, and unfortunately, there's no concrete evidence suggesting that someone else is involved."

"So what makes you think someone else is involved?” Connor glanced back and forth between Uncle Pat and Victoria as if sensing the same question was on his uncle's mind.

"A few things don't add up. Bret wanted the Town Supervisor position badly. He's a shrewd businessman, always out for the quick way, paying people off, having others do the dirty work."

"So you don't think he'd have the nerve to kill someone, commit murder?” Peter shifted his weight from one foot to the other.

"No way. Maybe, had Daddy died from a gunshot, but he wasn't. He was tortured, stabbed multiple times."

Victoria's family was upset she had obviously seen the crime scene photos. She was trying her best to be nonchalant about it, as if she had just been investigating someone else's murder for a story she was doing, but she felt the surprise and saw the uneasiness on her family's faces.

"The killer wanted revenge. He wanted to hurt Daddy badly. Then Linda Delaney was killed in an even more gruesome way, and I don't know all the details yet on Ronnie Chappa, but I'm assuming his lungs too, were filled with dirt."

Aunt Jane gasped.

"I'll convince the FBI to pursue that avenue. Right now, there's one more thing I need to take care of.” Victoria walked over to Steven.

"Thank you for coming after me. I never stopped loving you, either.” She stood on her tiptoes to kiss him. Instantly, Steven lifted her into the air; they kissed long and deep as everyone watched.

"Now, that's more like it,” Uncle Patrick stated.

"You're not kidding. If I had to hear about you and Bret Collins kissing, hugging, seen together one more time, I think I would have lost it. Your comment this afternoon about needing him, damn, Tory, you had me so pissed off.” Peter shook his head side to side and gave her a stern look..

"This is kind of a sore topic for Steven and I, so if you don't mind?"

Peter exchanged glances with Tory and Steven. He apparently figured out Steven was angrier at seeing Victoria with Bret than anyone, so he dropped the subject.

Later on, they sat around the living room talking about how things had gone down and how Steven had snuck into her townhouse.

Uncle Patrick, Brian, Steven, and Andy were speaking outside on the deck when Detective Tod Kafrey arrived.

"Hey, Tod, I guess things have been kind of crazy down at the department?” Uncle Patrick asked.

"Sure the hell has been. Looks like Bret Collins is under suspicion of murder, among other things. I'm sure the FBI will wrap up the case. I just can't believe the triangle of conspiracy we had going on in this little town. I'm sorry I didn't figure things out.” Tod looked down at his feet, then back up toward Patrick.

Immediately, Uncle Patrick and Brian told him not to worry about it.

"Who would have expected it? It was out of your control. Besides there was no evidence, circumstantial or forensic, to indicate Bret was the killer,” Brian added.

Steven and Peter stayed silent. Both were definitely concerned for Victoria's well being.

"Is Victoria here? I tried her place but no luck."

Steven knew instantly, the guy had a thing for Victoria.

"Yeah, go right inside. She's in the kitchen,” Uncle Patrick said as they continued to talk outside about what Victoria had done.

"I'll tell you something, part of me would like to take Victoria and just shake her for taking the chance she did. Then, the other part of me is so proud of her. She was determined to find her father's killer. What she did these last few weeks was just amazing,” Uncle Patrick sighed before taking a slug of beer from the bottle he held.

"And stupid, crazy ... for Christ's sake, Uncle Pat, she could have been killed. Then what?” Peter obviously was still upset with his sister's actions.

"But she didn't. She's a cop's daughter, that's why.” Uncle Pat placed his hand on Peter's shoulder and each of the men smiled.

"She's amazing, that's for sure.” Steven peeked through the kitchen door to look for Victoria or Tod. He had an uneasy feeling.

"If you're worried about Tod, Steven, then go look for Tory,” Andy teased, and Steven turned back toward the men on the porch.

"That must have been something else, you sneaking into Tory's place, demanding an explanation. It's obvious you made up.” Uncle Patrick winked at Steven.

The others smiled widely, probably thinking about the reunion then they talked more about the case.

"Hey, Tod, what are you doing here?” Aunt Jane asked as Tod entered the kitchen.

"Hello, Mrs. Malley. I was looking for Victoria."

"She's out front with her mom. That young woman has a mind of her own and so brave taking on Bret Collins like that. She had us all fooled, I guess.” Aunt Jane fixed another basket of chips and began mixing some French onion dip in a white ceramic bowl.

"What are you talking about?” Tod asked and Aunt Jane explained how Victoria was working for the DA's office and the FBI and pretending to be involved with Bret Collins. By the time she finished, Tod was speechless.

"I'm gonna go find her,” he said and he couldn't help the feelings he had. He was mad as hell. She was working for the FBI and the DA's office. That's how all this got started? Obviously, the Marine knew everything that was going on, the way he looked at him when he came up the porch steps. Steven was buddy-buddy with Victoria's family. They loved him. Damn her—for this, for everything he had done for her and this was how she treated him.

Tod saw red by the time he reached Victoria and her cousin Tom. She walked him out the side door as Tod caught up.

"Hey, man, what are you doing here? I'm just leaving.” Tom shook Tod's hand, but Tod never looked him in the eye. His focus was on Victoria and the news he just received.

"Is everything all right, Tod? What's wrong?” Victoria asked.