A Witness in Disguise (Sarah Woods Mystery Book 10) (11 page)

             
Chapter 18

“
Are you sure you want to do this? I won’t be upset if you want to back out.” Carter said.

“This was my idea, remember?”

“I know; but I should be the one who talks to Cliff in case he decides to get violent.”

“Yeah, right
.  As much as I’d love to see you carrying this purse with a hidden camera, somehow it just doesn’t seem like a good idea.” I held his hand.  “I’ll be fine.  As long as I know you’ll be nearby, we’re gonna get this guy.  Just wait and see.”

And then, Carter leaned over and kissed me on the lips
.  The move was so quick that I barely had time to register what was happening.  My heart beat so fast, I thought I might explode.  When he pulled away, he brushed a hand across my cheek and smiled wickedly.  “Sorry,” he said.  “I couldn’t help myself.”

With my finger, I gently traced the outline of his soft lips
.  I wanted to drown in this moment.  I wracked my brain for something to say but no words could quite describe what I was feeling.  Finally, I uttered, “That was nice. I hope there’s more where that came from.”

He chuckled
.  “Sarah, you have no idea.”

I wanted to feel his lips on me again, but the timing couldn’t have been worse
.  I was glad it happened because I felt a surge of adrenaline rush through me.  We had work to do and now I was fully ready to kick some ass. 

Cliff invited me into his office and offered me a seat in one of his expensive leather chairs opposite his desk.  “Can I get you something to drink?” he asked all smiles.

“No thanks.
” I surreptitiously glanced around the office.  “Where is your secretary today?”

Once he was comfortably seated in his own chair behind his desk, he said,
“I told her to run some errands.  She won’t be back for a few hours.  I’m curious what you might have found out about Meagan’s abduction.”

I leaned back in my chair and looked at him, trying hard to keep the smile off my face
.  I mentally prepared myself for what I was about to do.  “Before I get to that, I’d like to talk to you about a video.  It came into my possession yesterday and, I have to say, it’s quite disturbing.”

He raised his eyebrows, genuinely intrigued
.  “A video of what?”

I strategically placed my purse on the edge of his desk
.  The fact that Carter was listening via the recording device hidden in the buckle of my purse, made me feel more secure. 

“A video of you and Graham Taylor.” I shook my head in dismay
.  “Yikes, no wonder you killed him.  If he ever released that video, social media would have a field day and your future in politics with your rich fiancée’s family? Kiss it all good-bye.”

H
is face turned a deep shade of red, no doubt a mixture of embarrassment and fury.  I could almost see the steam coming out of his ears.  His nostrils flared as his eyes came up to meet mine.  “Who gave you the recording?”

“Just relax,” I said, waving a hand
.  “As long as you do exactly what I say, nobody else has to see that video.”

He clenched his
teeth, the muscles working in his jaw.  “What do you want?”

“
I want money, of course.  I’m thinking a hundred grand would suffice.”

He fumed for a few long seconds before he finally said, “I don’t have that kind of cash
lying around.  It might take me awhile.”

“
You could sell your Porsche.”

“I’ll pay you your money,” he said
, “but you have to tell me how you got the video.  Was it Graham’s sister?”

“
First, you have to tell me what you did with Graham’s body.”

He
stared at me, eyebrows cinched together.  Finally he must have realized what this all meant.  “So, she’s alive.  I guess I should have made sure she was dead before I threw her in the river.”

“That’s right,” I said
.  “She’s very much alive and she told us everything; about the fender bender and seeing Graham in the back seat of your car.  You must have gotten rid of his body before you went to Meagan’s house.”

He shook his head and started to laugh
.  “You have no idea who you’re fucking with, do you? I’m not an idiot.  Someone put you up to this.  Open your shirt and show me the wire.”

“
You think I’m working with the cops on this? Hell no.  I just want the money.”

He abruptly stood up from his desk and moved toward me like a
thunderbolt.  He grabbed my shirt and yanked hard on the collar before I could even react.  My shirt ripped open, revealing my bra and, of course, he could plainly see that no recording devices were attached to me. 

“Are you satisfied?” I said, trying to remain calm even though my knees were shaking
.  I slapped his hand away as if I was only slightly annoyed at his outburst.  “I told you, I’m not with the cops.”

He let out a long sigh and took a few steps back
.  “I’ll give you the money,” he said.  “But first, you have to tell me where Meagan is.  If you have no loyalty to anyone but yourself, what do you care what happens to her?”

“
Leave her alone.  She’s not going to tell anyone what you did as long as you pay up.  I’m splitting the money with her.”

Cliff
shook his head.  “Nope.  I don’t like loose ends.  If the dumb bitch was paying attention to the road she wouldn’t have hit my car.  I told her not to worry about the dent in my bumper but she insisted on giving me her insurance information.  I mean, who the hell does that?”

“She thought she was doing the responsible thing
and you tried to end her life because of it.  Although I have to give you props, the plan you came up with was pretty clever.”

Cliff smiled, as if flattered by my remark
.  “Apparently, not clever enough.”

I had to resist the urge to punch his face
.  Instead, I took a deep breath and decided it was better to stick to the plan.  “So, when will I get my money?”

He chuckled
.  “I really misjudged you, Sarah.  I thought you were a straight-shooter but you’re just a money-grubbing whore.”

I shrugged like his insults meant nothing to me
.  “Whatever.  Where’s my money?”

“Like I said, I need a few days.”

“Not a few days.  You have two hours.  Or I’m giving the tape to the police.  Oh, and by the way, if anything happens to me or Meagan or her father, my partner will make sure that the video will end up in the proper hands.”

“
Without a body, what can they do to me? Nobody but me has a clue where Graham Taylor is.  Therefore, nobody can prove he’s dead or alive.”

“Meagan will testify that she saw Graham’s body in your car on the day he went missing
and, then, the cops will be all over you.  It won’t matter if they can prove if you’re guilty or innocent because once the video is out and everyone sees your dirty little secret, it’s all over.  Heather will dump your ass.  If you pay us the money, Meagan won’t talk and neither will I.”

His eyes bore into me like laser beams
.  “You have a lot of fucking nerve, you know that? Once I give you the money, how do I know you won’t expose me anyway?”

I smiled with satisfaction
.  “I guess that’s a chance you’ll have to take.”

“You’re treading
on thin ice, you know that? You think you’re smart but you’re an idiot to challenge me.”

“This is simply a business transaction,” I said
.  “It’s nothing personal.  So tell me, only because I’m curious, what did you do with Graham’s body?”

He gave a throaty chuckle
.  “Wouldn’t you like to know?”

“Did you dump him in the river like Meagan? Or did you bury him out in the woods somewhere?”

Cliff turned away from me and stared out the window into the bright sunshine.  I couldn’t tell what he was thinking but his expression was placid, almost void of emotion.  Perhaps he was resigning himself to the fact that he’d been outsmarted or, maybe, he was just plotting my demise.  Finally, he turned to face me again, his hands in his trouser pockets.  “I’ll have your money today.  I’ll call you to set up a time and place to meet.”

“Fine with me,” I said, getting to my feet and fixing my shirt
.  “You have my number.”

I should have considered myself lucky to get out of Cliff’s office alive but he must have known that choking me with his bare hands would not be in his best interest. 

Carter seemed relieved to see me walking toward the Buick
.  When I got in, he grabbed my hand and gave me that look like he wanted to hug me and never let go.  “Sarah, you did really well.”

“
He didn’t exactly confess but I think it’s enough, don’t you?”

“Let’s hope so.”

As soon as we left Cliff’s office, we drove directly to the police station where Detective James listened to the recording
.  When it was over, his eyes sparkled with encouragement.  “Okay, you guys, this is just a small part of the big picture.  This conversation you recorded in his office today is valuable, although I have a feeling that Cliff’s lawyer will manage to get it thrown out of evidence but, we still need Meagan to come in and give us her statement.  If she agrees to that, I think we’ll have enough to get a warrant to search Mr. Collins house and other property.”

“It’s a good start,” I said
.  “What should I do when he calls me back for a time to meet with the money?”

“Don’t answer any of his calls
.  In fact, I don’t want you to contact him again.  It’s out of your hands now.”

In a way, I was relieved to hear him say those words
but part of me still felt dissatisfied.  This wasn’t a slam dunk and maybe there was something else I could do.  “Okay.  I’ll call Meagan right now and tell her to come in.”

When we left the police station, Carter called Mark Gillespie on speakerphone and told him the good news.

“Is Meagan okay?” Mark sounded excited and anxious
.  “Where is she?”

“Prepare yourself,” Carter said
.  “She’s changed her identity and you probably won’t recognize her.  It’s a long story, and I’ll let her tell it to you.”

“When can I see her?”

“I’m sure she’ll be calling you soon,” Carter said.

“Thank you
.  I really mean it.  I appreciate everything you both have done.”

              Chapter 19

When we got back to
my apartment around 2:00, I invited Carter up for a beer. 

“I know it’
s a little early to have a drink,” I said, “but I feel like celebrating.”

“
Sure, I’m game.”

I grabbed two Coronas from the fridge and we relaxed on the couch
.  The apartment was sweltering and I could see the sweat stains on Carter’s shirt.  Even with the three fans I had going, the heat was unrelenting. 

“Feel free to take your shirt off,” I told him
.  “I really don’t mind.”

“I don’t want to be rude.”

I laughed.  “Rude? Are you kidding me? It would be my pleasure.”

He gave me a sly grin
.  “I’ll take my shirt off, if you take off yours.”

“No,” I said with a straight face
.  “I’m not wearing my best bra today.”

“Who said anything about wearing the bra?”

I slapped him playfully on the arm.  “You are incorrigible and I like it.”

After Carter downed the first beer, I offered him another but he declined
.  “I have a better idea,” he said.  “Let’s go to the beach.  Only way we can cool off.”

I was stunned
.  “You? In a pair of swimming trunks? Now, this I gotta see.”

“So you’re up for it?”

“Hell, yeah.  Let me go change into a swimsuit.”

As I rose from the couch and headed to the bedroom, there was a knock on my door
.  When I heard the key being inserted into the lock, my chest tightened and I knew who it was.  I had forgotten all about the fact that Max was coming over to collect a few of his things.

I rushed to the door just as it was opening
.  Max’s face seemed to light up when he saw me standing there.

“Hey,” I said
.  “Come on in.”

“Is this a bad time?” he asked.

“No,” I lied.  “We just got finished with a job and we were just having a drink to celebrate.”

Max glanced toward the couch, and when he saw Carter with the empty beer bottle in his hand, his smile faded
.  “Oh, sorry.  Maybe I should have called first.”

I made a dismissive hand gesture.
“No problem, you told me you’d be by this afternoon.”

Max slowly walked into the apartment, as if unsure w
hether or not to stay or go.  “Um, it’ll just take me a second to grab my stuff.” He glided past me toward the bedroom.  When he went past Carter, he offered a clipped hello.  Carter replied in kind.

I didn’t know what to say or do
.  I definitely got the sense that Max was not comfortable and it stung a little.  Why did my timing have to be so bad?

Carter just sat there, giving me a funny look
.  I shrugged and followed Max. Once we were alone in the bedroom I put a hand on his shoulder.

“So,” I said with a gentle
yet slightly awkward voice.  “How is the move going?”

He didn’t bother to look at me
as he grabbed a few items of clothing from my closet. A sweatshirt and a button down shirt.  “Fine.  It’s not like I have a ton of stuff to move.  I’m hiring a company to do it all for me.”

When Max had what he came for, he turned to face me and his face was ashen
.  “Well, I guess this is the official good-bye.”

My throat seemed to swell up and I could barely swallow
.  I reached my arms out to him for a final hug but he didn’t reciprocate.  In fact, he just stood there shaking his head.

“I can’t, Sarah
.  I just need to go, okay?”

I returned my arms to my side, feeling awful
.  “Okay, I understand.”

He looked away, strode right past me and out the bedroom
.  I followed him back to the living area and saw him walk out the front door. 

I had to fight the urge to go after him, to apologize but I wasn’t sure what I would be apologizing for
.  He obviously needed time to work through his feelings but seeing Carter relaxing on my couch was probably not something he needed to see at the moment.

I went to the window and watched as his Jeep drove off down the road
.  I found it hard to breathe but I knew this feeling would pass.  As much as it hurt me to see Max this way, I knew he’d get over it.  Probably sooner rather than later. 

I let out a long breath and joined Carter again
.  “Wow, that was … interesting.”

Carter chuckled and put his hand on my knee
.  “Are you okay? We can do the beach some other time.”

“No,” I said
.  “I’m fine.  I need to have some fun. Let’s go.”