Broken Trust (Missing in Action Trilogy Book 1) (13 page)

“Felicia and Wyatt were living with me for a while after that, until they were accepted to school. I paid for them to go to college and I was attempting to forge a relationship with them. They knew who I was; they knew I was their father and they didn’t even attempt to question that. After Lorraine died I didn’t even know how to react, but I assure you I wasn’t the one that murdered her. I did see her that afternoon though. She had stopped by and we had gotten to talking. She was in a bad place and she was depressed. I couldn’t help but feel as if she was paranoid, but I wrote it off as if it was nothing because she was taking medicine that could make her that way.”

“Wasn’t Kathleen murdered before Lorraine?”

“Yes, but she wasn’t found until after. Whoever had murdered her had transported her body to a more secluded location. It was out near the marsh by the house I grew up in and it’s too dangerous for people to be walking out in. They found my hair at the scene and they said my motive for killing her was because she would expose our affair to Angela, but Angela knew I had slept with her before. That wasn’t something I could not deal with.”

“And what about Daniella?”

“My only motive for killing her would be so I can get custody of my children, which was something I could not have regardless. Those girls ended up in the system and not even the Gemangini family would take them in. I was never too sure why, but if she had not taken away my custodial rights I would have been there for them.”

“Why did Teresa think you were responsible for her mother’s death?”

“I suppose they painted me as a monster the entire time they were growing up. Look, I know I can’t win this even if I wanted to have an appeal. I am the one percent the entire nation wanted to see locked up because if I walked they would all think it was because I paid off the right people.”

John nodded and he understood what was going on. He looked Castro dead in the eyes, “Why did Angela leave you?”

“She thinks I am a murderer. If I was her I would have left too. I’m not a good person, but I am not a murderer and I would do anything to make sure they know I’m not that person.”

“You seem paranoid, is there a reason behind it?”

Castro leaned forward and he spoke very softly, “The real killer is out there and I know they are counting down my days. They are in control of when I meet my maker.”

“Is there something we should know?”

“That you should get out of this while you have the chance. I mean, I do not know what brought you into this but you best see your way out. This is not something anyone wants to get tangled up with.”

“We are in this because someone is missing and we think it is related to what happened here. We need to eliminate this as a possibility.”

“Who is it, maybe I could help.”

“I doubt you’d would want to once you know who is involved.”

“How about you tell me and we will see if you are right about that.”

“Teresa married a man named James Shapiro and he went missing. She came to us wanting to know if we could find him.”

“You will not be able to find him. Whoever took him would have killed him.”

“And why would you assume that?”

“James was on my side the entire time, but he kept that on the down low. He was looking to find the man responsible for all of this and if they found out what he was up to they would do anything in their power to get the information out of him; and even if he didn’t speak they would still kill him regardless. These people are very resourceful.”

“Do you have any idea who is behind this?”

“I won’t be able to say anymore, other than the fact that I thought I could trust everyone in my inner circle; obviously someone who was close to me was the one who betrayed me.”

John nodded. “Thank you for your time. It has been a pleasure meeting you.”

“Wait,” he said as they were getting up to leave. “I know they probably would not want to hear this, but I love them and if they ever need answers they can always find them, if they know where to look that is.”

Sheila took a step forward and she spoke. “Do you know a Natalie Granger?”

“I knew a Natalie Hartman when I was younger, but she died in a car accident with her family. So to answer your question in short, no I don’t know her.”

“Again, thank you for your time.”

They knocked on the door and were being escorted out of the prison, and yet John still felt as if he was missing a large piece of this puzzle. The next person he needed to speak with was William Gemangini.

She had been watching the news as if something was flashing across it with all the answers she was waiting for, but nothing was there that told her if James had been found. Whether he was dead or alive, but as the hours continued to pass she couldn’t help but feel that he was gone. She didn’t want to believe it, but her sister was attempting to convince her that she had been used. Of course she was torn between both scenarios. In the one he had used her, and that would mean he was still alive.  She didn’t want him to be dead. But if he was dead, that meant that whoever was responsible was still lingering. Olivia was beginning to wonder if Carlisle Castro was really involved or if she had been wrong about this the entire time.

She turned off the television and walked over towards the small sitting area and peered out the window. There had to have been something she was missing and she needed to know what it was. If she had been more cautious she would have been able to figure this out from the start. She knew there was only one place she needed to go for answers.

Finally, she knew where she needed to go and she couldn’t tell Marissa. Hell, she didn’t have to tell anyone anything. She knew the only person she could trust at this point was herself. She was walking out the door and was in such deep thought, she didn’t even check to make sure that the door was shut.

***

It was late afternoon, she had finished with all of her tasks that day and pulled up to the motel. Her phone was balanced between her ear and shoulder and she was listening intently.

“I understand,” she said forcefully. “Please don’t treat me as though I do not understand any of this.”

“I don’t think you understand this Samantha,” she heard him say. “That investigator was poking around today and it is very possible they can figure this out.”

“I can promise you they will not get the chance to do anything about it. But I will need your help with this.”

“Of course, but you know how to relay the messages that are needed for this.”

“Yes, I know.”

She hung up the line. She didn’t like being treated as if she was inferior. She wondered if it was because of who her father was or if it was just because she was a woman. Whatever the case, she didn’t like being treated like this. She had been the mastermind behind this past operation and so far everything was working out fine. She approached the door to the motel and it was wide open.

Stepping inside cautiously, she looked around and noticed her sister was missing. She wondered where Olivia was. She took out her second phone and called her, but it went straight to voice mail. Her heart was sinking. She knew something was wrong. This wasn’t something she had anticipated.

***

They were back in Primer now and Sheila was still refusing to speak to him. He had attempted to strike up a conversation with her and her only response was that she would provide him all the information on his desk. He knew there was something between them. He wanted to fix it and he knew he was probably not going to be able to do so. He arrived back at the office and saw that there was an envelope underneath the door.

Picking it up, he shut the door and he locked it behind him. Walking into his office, he left his door unlocked and sat down at his desk and eyed it suspiciously. There was no return address and he wondered who and where it had come from.

Opening it up, he saw there was a DVD inside. He looked around cautiously, making sure no one else was there. He then looked to his desktop computer that he had not used very often. He wasn’t too sure what his password was, but after a few minutes he was at his main screen. He saw that it was beginning to load and was watching the screen in horror. The screen flashed the text “Only one will live”. Then it transitioned to a picture of Nancy and Sheila.

To Be Continued. . . . .

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H. B. Rae