Borrowed Identity (15 page)

“Landis?”

“Could be.” Michael sat on the edge of the desk. “The neighbor lady has turned up dead. I have a Polaroid of her in my pocket. The picture was left for Kelly to find, but luckily, I spotted it first. Whoever it is playing these games with Kelly wants her to think she’s crazy. Landis isn’t into notes and dolls. He hits fast. He would pop me and move on.”

“Unless he knows about those diamonds you mentioned.” Paddy chuckled. “That kind of dough would tempt a saint.”

“Yeah. Maybe.”

“Ten million? Isn’t that what they’re worth?”

Michael was almost a hundred percent certain he hadn’t mentioned how much the diamonds were rumored to be. There was a hint of greed in Paddy’s voice. Michael didn’t like it.

“That’s a lot of money, and it doesn’t really belong to anyone anymore,” his colleague added. “I looked into it
just in case it was important, and the diamond company got the insurance on those jewels years ago. Do you have any idea what we could do with ten million and change?”

“Hey,” Michael interrupted. “Keep your eyes on the prize, man.”

“Right.” Paddy’s sigh traveled down the line. “What if we just happened to find the jewels by accident? Who would we be hurting by keeping them?” There was a long pause, followed by a confession. “I haven’t been doing too good lately, Tag. I have a dirty little monkey on my back.”

Michael’s spine straightened in shock. “Drugs?”

“No. Gambling,” Paddy said. “I fell off the wagon, Tag, and I can’t seem to get back on. I’m sorry. I don’t mean to lay all this on you. It’s not your problem. It’s just that Mary is counting on me to retire soon. We wanted to buy that cabin in Montana. It’s our thirty-year-old dream. I can fish all day and Mary can work in her garden. She deserves to have that life.”

Michael opened his mouth but couldn’t find the words. He hadn’t expected to hear anything like this. Paddy and Mary were good people. Especially Mary. She had become a second mother to him when he’d worked in Chicago. He’d grown to love her and he would do nearly anything for her.

But in this instance, what could he do for them? The diamonds didn’t belong to them—if they even existed. They were legend, not necessarily fact. The law hadn’t been able to prove that Fuller had taken them. It could have been another jewel thief. Even if it had been Fuller, he could have buried them on the five hundred acres, half of which didn’t belong to the Moore estate anymore, or he could have hidden them somewhere else entirely.

“I’ve been searching the house for clues to our killer’s identity,” Michael admitted. “I haven’t seen any sign of jewels. I’ve already been through practically every inch of this mausoleum. I’ll continue the search, but I’m not prom
ising anything. If I did find the diamonds, I would think Kelly has more claim to them than you or I do.”

“Just keep an open mind, Tag. That’s all I’m asking.”

“Fair enough.” Michael changed the subject, hoping Paddy would put the jewels on the back burner for now. “Have you heard anything more about Landis’s whereabouts?”

“There’s still no sign of him. Our contact doesn’t think he did the deed.”

“Yeah,” Michael said. “You’re probably right. Still, we can’t rule him out. Anything else?”

“Negative on that.”

“Okay. I have to go now. Kelly is in the attic alone, and I don’t want to leave her on her own for too long. Strange things have been happening.”

“Gotcha. Call me later at the appointed time, and don’t be late. You’re giving me an ulcer.” Paddy chuckled.

Michael tried to join in but it took more effort than he could muster. He was relieved to break the connection. Paddy’s confession weighed heavy on Michael’s shoulders.

He left the study and gazed up, wondering if Kelly had found her wedding dress yet. If he knew her, and he felt he did, she had gone up to the attic to find out if he was lying to her. It was a good thing he had returned the gown to its rightful place.

Perhaps finding it would rid her of her suspicions.

Maybe she would trust him.

He grimaced, feeling like the coldest bastard alive. He didn’t deserve her trust. He certainly hadn’t done anything to gain it. After this whole ordeal was over, he would be lucky if the blond angel ever spoke to him again.

T
HE KEY SLID EASILY
into the lock at the top of the stairs leading to the third floor, like a warm knife through butter. Kelly pushed the attic door open and looked doubtfully in
side. It had been a long time since she’d ventured into the claustrophobic rooms. There were three separate chambers, all tiny in size.

Choking dust, muted darkness and icky spiders kept her away. As a child she had played in the attic, trying on clothes and singing into her hairbrush as if it were a microphone. She wasn’t as brave now. She hated the attic, but she had to know the truth.

She flicked on the one tiny hanging light and hurried across the floor. She opened the box where her grandmother’s dress had been placed. A soft gasp burst from her parted lips. The dress was inside, but it was no longer wrapped securely to keep it from yellowing. Someone had tampered with it.

That didn’t mean she was married.

It didn’t mean Michael was lying to her.

Did it?

She lifted the dress carefully and studied the bodice closely. There were missing pearls. At least three. It wasn’t irrefutable proof that Michael was lying. She needed more than this. Someone besides him could have taken the dress out and inadvertently knocked the pearls off.

Wade loved to drift through her house, looking for lost objects. He could have discovered the dress, studied it, not meaning any harm. Maybe he’d carried the gown to her bedroom to see it in a better light.

Hearing footsteps nearing, she returned her grandmother’s wedding gown to its box. She turned in the direction of the door, waiting for Michael to poke his head inside.

Instead, the door slammed shut.

Kelly nearly jumped out of her skin. Pressing her hands to her mouth, she approached the door slowly. She willed herself to believe a stray breeze had sucked the door shut. God knew Moore House had its fair share of drafts.

Placing a shaking hand on the cold doorknob, she slowly rotated it.

She pulled the door open.

A hand shot through, grabbing her by the wrist.

She screamed as she was pulled through the doorway.

“It’s okay,” Michael said. “It’s me. Relax. I came to make sure you were okay. You’ve been gone for quite a while.”

“Why did you grab me like that?” she panted, trying to catch her breath.

“I didn’t mean to,” he replied. “I was worried about you wandering around up here all by yourself, considering the stuff that’s been happening.”

Kelly stepped into his arms. She was more than a little relieved to see it was Michael and not some awful intruder or a desperate ghost looking for a lost head or something. But it was more than that. Her emotions were riding high, swirling in constant chaos. However, there was one certainty she could count on. She loved being in Michael’s arms.

She was surprised to realize she really did trust him. Her gut told her he was a good man incapable of hurting her. His feelings for her were real. He wanted to be with her. She could see it in his eyes.

She wanted him, too, in the worst possible way.

“I think we should go now,” he said.

“What?” She stared at him in confusion. “Where?”

“To see your mother.”

She took a step backward, leaving the safety of his embrace. Kelly knew it didn’t make any sense, but she felt betrayed by him somehow.

“I know I agreed to go,” she said, “but…”

“But nothing. You need to go. We both do. I think your mother may have some answers that we need.” Michael stared deep into her eyes and said, “Trust me. I won’t let her hurt you again.”

She nodded slowly, believing him. “Let’s go then,” she said. “Before I change my mind.”

With his arm wrapped tightly around her slender shoulders, they left the attic together. Kelly didn’t say anything, but she felt another presence. She shivered, feeling a pair of terrible eyes on them.

Of course she was imagining it.

They were alone in the house.

T
HE KANSAS CITY INSTITUTION THAT
Kelly’s mother resided in looked much like other mental hospitals Michael had had occasion to visit. He knew what to expect. It didn’t faze him a bit. Kelly, on the other hand, trembled next to him upon entering the facility.

The walls were washed in bright white. The linoleum had been white at one time, but now it was a dingy yellow. The staff wore white as if they wanted to blend into their surroundings and go unnoticed. Badges pinned to their uniforms listed names and job titles.

Michael approached the head nurse and requested a visit with Mona Hall. At first he feared the scowling woman would turn them away.

A few moans and a scream floated down the corridor to them.

Kelly appeared ready to bolt.

“This is Mona’s daughter,” Michael said. “She needs to see her mother. We both do.”

The nurse nodded curtly. “She’s in the solarium. She’s always there in the afternoon. It’s getting late. Visiting hours are nearly over. Be quick about it.”

They had to sign in. Then they were given visitor passes to wear on their clothing in plain view of the armed security team. This was no ordinary institution. This place housed some of the most depraved and violent individuals in the
four-state area. Michael began to wonder if bringing Kelly with him had been a good idea, after all.

He believed she needed to confront her deepest fear, needed to see that her mother wasn’t going to hurt her again, but Michael wasn’t a psychiatrist. He realized he could be doing more harm than good.

At the solarium door, he turned to Kelly and said, “You can wait in the car if you want. I won’t think less of you.”

“No,” she said, her eyes glued to her mother’s pale face once she found her. “I want to do this.”

With an inner strength that amazed him, Kelly took slow steps to her mother’s side.

Mona Hall was still a very attractive woman. Some might even say pretty. Her blond hair was secured in a tight chignon and she wore cream-colored silk pajamas, looking more like queen of the manor than a psychotic patient. The late-afternoon sun filtered through the windows.

“Mama,” Kelly whispered. “Can you hear me?”

Mona’s eyes, a lighter hue than Kelly’s, swung upward to slowly slide over them as if she was appraising a jewel and finding it lacking.

“Who are you?” Her tone was as haughty as her appearance.

“It’s me, Mama. Kelly. Don’t you recognize me?”

“Kelly?” The woman laughed. “Who are you trying to fool? Are you one of those nuts that live here? You must be new. My daughter is a little girl. She’s living with her father now.” The woman returned her wistful gaze to the solarium window, looking out with a tortured longing at the garden outside. “My little girl has golden ponytails and adorable freckles on her nose. She giggles a great deal. I miss that.”

Mona’s eyes glittered with unshed tears.

Kelly began to cry softly. The tears traced a path down her face. She backed away and Michael silently cursed him
self for putting her through this. He had been ready to defend her from a physical attack. It hadn’t occurred to him that this woman would bash Kelly mentally and emotionally.

He stepped forward.

“Ma’am, I need to ask you a few questions.” He waited for Mona to look at him, then he continued. “You lived at a place called Moore House for fourteen years. There are rumors floating about that Moore House has hidden passages and secret doors. Do you know anything about them?”

“Of course,” she said without hesitation. “My husband and I didn’t want our little girl getting hurt, so we hid the map to the doors and tunnels in the guest house.”

“There’s a map?” Michael couldn’t believe a map had been under their noses the whole time.

“It belonged to some jewel thief. He was a bit before my time,” Mona said. “There were blueprints of all the buildings, geological surveys, pictures of his daughter.”

Kelly took a step forward, joining the conversation again. “The man had a daughter? What happened to her?”

“She was a pretty little thing with dark hair and the biggest brown eyes you’ve ever seen. I saw a picture of her once. When her father died, she was only five years old. She got adopted by some prominent family in another state. Or so I heard.” The woman frowned. “Now what was her name? Natalie, I think. Her name was Natalie.”

“Thank you, ma’am,” Michael said. “You’ve been very helpful.”

Michael put a hand on Kelly’s back, wanting to steer her toward the door, but she wasn’t ready to leave yet. She stood frozen to the spot and stared at her mother’s frail figure.

Mona glanced up again, looking slightly annoyed at finding her guests hadn’t left.

“If you don’t mind, I’d like to enjoy the sun before my afternoon tea. Was there something else you wanted?”

“I know you didn’t mean to do it,” Kelly whispered past the tears. It was important for her to forgive her mother, even if Mona didn’t understand a word she was saying. “I couldn’t see it before. I hated you. But you never meant to hurt me.”

Kelly sank to her knees and circled her arms around Mona’s small waist, hugging her tight.

Michael stepped forward, worried the woman might freak out at having someone she thought a total stranger embrace her. He wanted to be close in case. Kelly needed protection. It was his fault she was here. He had insisted she go with him. If anything bad happened to her—mentally or physically—he would hold himself responsible.

He stopped when he saw the look in Mona’s eyes. She was touched, although confused by Kelly’s gesture. Mona patted the golden head against her breast, smoothing Kelly’s hair with a gentle touch.

Kelly mumbled a soft goodbye.

She raced out of the hospital with Michael on her heels. She didn’t look back. Michael suspected she was aching to glance at her mother one last time, but she kept her gaze focused straight ahead.

Pride inflated his chest.

Kelly had taken a giant step toward a new life, although she probably didn’t realize it yet.