Evelyn David - Sullivan Investigations 02 - Murder Takes the Cake (28 page)

The room was divided. On one side was Team Sullivan squaring off against Team Lasky.

“I didn’t leak the story to the Post. I reported it to the House Ethics Committee. Tom Sandler slept with Theresa Crager when she was a page in his office.”

“
And then what happened?” Mac countered.

Leo frowned.
“Nothing. Unsurprisingly, Congress looks after its own. Sandler didn’t even get a slap on the wrist. I think the affair even gave him a certain cachet among the other men. Times were different back then.”

Josh threw up his hands.
“Okay, so what? Sandler was screwing a teenager. He was a bad boy. What does it have to do with my family?”

Mac held up a hand.
“Times were different, but not that different. Theresa got pregnant. The reporters were all over the story. The rumors were flying. The Congressman began to feel the heat from his Texas constituents, even after Theresa went home to the Crager farm.”

“
I’ve heard enough,” Paul Lasky announced. He pointed at his son. “I told you from the beginning this girl was trouble. She kept poking her nose into things that weren’t her business. She’s just like Theresa. Both of them had looks but caused all kinds of problems for the people around them. Be glad your engagement is over.”

“
Did you have an affair with Theresa Crager, Dad?” Joshua asked. “Is that what this is all about?”

“
I did not. I can’t believe you’d even ask me such a question. I was always faithful to your mother.” Paul started towards the door, then wheeled around to face Mac. “You’ll be hearing from my lawyers.”

“
Hope one of them is a criminal defense mouthpiece,” Mac said softly. “Getting off on a triple homicide charge isn’t exactly a walk in the park no matter how much money you’ve got.”

“
Triple?” Paul laughed. “Don’t be ridiculous. I’ve never killed anyone in my life.”

“
Not you personally, old pal. Ask your brother. What happened to Theresa Crager, Leo? What happened to her baby?”

The crowd switched their attention to the other side of the room.

“Leo?” Paul faced his brother. “What is he talking about? What does this have to do with my son?”

“
I think this show is over,” Leo Lasky said, his facial expression as grim as his voice. He moved quickly and with the ease of a practiced predator.

Mac flinched. He
‘d miscalculated and overplayed his hand. The other man must have felt cornered. In the blink of an eye, Leo Lasky stood in the doorway, holding a Ruger Mark III handgun to Bridget’s head.

***

“Don’t be an idiot Lasky,” Mac warned. “You won’t make it out of this house alive if you don’t let go of Bridget by the time I count to three.”

Leo continued backing out of the room, taking Bridget with him.
“Don’t threaten me. To put it in terms you’ll understand, I’m holding a full house right now and your bluff isn’t going to win you the pot. Now I’m walking out of here with Bridget, and if you have a hope of seeing her alive you’ll all do as I say.”

Josh stepped forward, hand outstretched.
“Uncle Leo, stop. Don’t hurt her. The engagement’s over. I already told you Camille and I are back together. I don’t want Bridget dead, just her and her crazy family out of my life!”

Bridget gasped.
“You son of a bitch.”

Leo laughed without a trace of humor. He tightened his grip around Bridget
‘s neck and pressed the gun to her temple. “You idiot. You must take after your mother. These people are going to destroy us and everything I’ve spent 30 years building up. I’m not about to let that happen.”

Jeff gripped Josh
‘s shoulder. “Listen to your Uncle. He’s holding all the aces right now. What do you want, Lasky? Let Bridget go. I’ll be your hostage.”

Leo snorted.
“No thank you. Now listen up. Josh, take off your tie and wrap it around Bridget’s wrists, nice and tight. Don’t play the hero. You’re not smart enough to pull it off.”

“
Please don’t do this,” Josh protested, but under his uncle’s steely gaze, he tied Bridget’s wrists together.

“
Next is transportation.”

“
Here,” Mac tossed his keys at him.

Leo let them drop to the carpet without a glance. He gave Mac an amused nod.
“Very funny, Sullivan. Jeff, give me the keys to your Avalon.”

Jeff, after glancing over at Mac who nodded slightly, handed over the keys, dropping them in Leo
‘s outstretched hand.

“
Here’s how this is going to work. Bridget is going to accompany me on a short trip. When we get to where we’re going, I’ll figure out if she’s coming back. Anybody calls the police, I get stopped for so much as a seatbelt check, and I guarantee she’ll die with me. Nobody messes with Leo Lasky and lives to tell about it. You believe me, don’t you Sullivan?”

Mac
‘s smile didn’t reach his eyes. “Sure I do, Lasky. You just made one fatal mistake, isn’t that right, Edgar?”

Leo glared at Mac and started moving backwards.
“I don’t have time for your games, Sullivan.”

Edgar levered himself off the couch. He waved his gnarly finger at Lasky.
“You know I never did like you; there was always that creepy twin thing you had going. I always thought you were smart, but you’re no match for a Navy seal. They know 12 ways to kill a man without making a sound.”

Lasky looked in disbelief at the Mac.
“What in the hell is he talking about?”

“
Me,” came a deep voice from behind Leo Lasky.

In a smooth move that had been practiced under enemy conditions, Navy Seal Wallace Freed forced Leo
‘s gun hand up to the ceiling.

The gun went off. Broken sheetrock and ceiling texture sprinkled them both like baby powder.

Wallace twisted Leo’s hand and the crowd flinched as the sound of bone cracking bounced through the room.

He pulled the struggling killer against his chest, drew his knife lightly across Lasky
‘s throat. A small trickle of blood stained the murderer’s starched white collar.

Lasky quieted, his expression one of pain and stunned disbelief.

“He cut me! The SOB cut me.”

“
You betcha,” Edgar cackled. “That’s an official SOG Navy Seal Knife you got nicked with, scumbag. You should be honored.”

Wallace
‘s stoic expression cracked with a fleeting smile. “Hooyah!”

Bridget fell into her father
‘s arms.

Mac and Jeff looked at each other, repeating the Seal
‘s chant. “Hooyah!”

Chapter 21

Even four hours late, the food looked wonderful. Mac glanced around the huge table in the O
‘Herlihy dining room. The police had come and gone–probably more quickly than normal because even those on duty had their own Thanksgiving meal to eat at the station. They’d all have to spend time giving formal statements on Friday, but right now, it was all about the turkey. He smiled in anticipation of Jeff’s annual Thanksgiving prayer.

“
Jeff, do you want to give the blessing?” Kathleen looked down the dining room table at her husband.

Mac swallowed a laugh. Of course his best friend was going to offer the prayer. Jeff considered it one of the highlights of his year, a chance to talk when everyone else had to be quiet and listen to his every word. Each person grabbed the hand of the guest sitting next to him or her. Mac slipped his hand into Rachel
‘s soft hand and Edgar’s bony one.

“
Thank you, Lord for this bountiful feast of love and friendship. The friends and family sitting around this table are truly a blessing and give meaning to my life.” Jeff paused to look at each person, lingering at his wife. He cleared his throat, then continued, a twinkle in his eye, “And Lord may I ask for a few more blessings. Please, Lord bring Maura and Mary-Kate out of the Land of Airport Hell so they may join us at our table and shop with Bridget at the sales tomorrow.”

“
Jeff,” came an indignant voice at the end of the table.

He soldiered on.
“Please, Lord help my soul brother Mackenzie Sullivan take on some paying clients so he will stop complaining about the cars I provide him. Please, Lord help Mac see the beautiful blessing that has recently come into his life.”

Mac made a disgruntled noise as Jeff continued with bowed head.

“Please, Lord help my only son see that he’s smart enough he doesn’t need earrings or black dye to be popular.”

A groan could be heard from all.

“And please help young Sean find a profitable part-time job so he can pay off the debt he owes to his father.”

“
Lord, help Bridget through this difficult time and let her find comfort in the love and support we offer, and please, Lord, we thank you for the new friends we have made, most especially Rachel, but also JJ, Edgar, and his strong, healthy, and, I believe, unmarried great nephew, Wallace, who is conveniently seated between two unmarried females. We ask all this in Christ our Lord’s name, Amen.”

A murmur of Amens went around the table.

“I’m starved,” Jeff announced, helping himself to some white meat, as well as a double helping of the dressing. “Katie, my love, you’ve outdone yourself.”

A small round of applause broke out and Kathleen, blushing, waved in acknowledgment.

Rachel speared a piece of turkey on her fork. “Mac, what’s going to happen to Leo Lasky? Do they have enough to indict him on all the murders?”

Mac helped himself to some mashed potatoes, then passed the bowl to Edgar who took a double serving.
“Right now, they’re holding him on the attempted murder of Bridget. In some ways it’s lucky it’s the holiday. He was having trouble getting hold of his lawyers in Boston and had refused, in not so polite terms, the offer of a public defender. I think he’ll be on ice for at least two days. The cops are working with the Boston police to get search warrants for Lasky’s home, business, car, and with the authorities in Warrenton and Missouri to have Crager’s body exhumed.”

Bridget slipped a slice of turkey to Whiskey, who was taking her time visiting each guest at the table.
“Did Leo hire killers or do the dirty work himself?”

Mac took a sip of water and tried to frame his answer.
“My guess is he arranged for most of the deaths, like Edelstein, Merrell, and Martinelli. The cops are investigating Lion’s Paw Security and especially Leo’s driver. But I’d bet Leo personally killed Brian Crager. I think he wanted to find out how much Brian actually knew or suspected about the Lasky involvement in Theresa’s disappearance. He also needed to know who Crager had confided in, and of course, once Crager told him, the death warrants on Edelstein, Martinelli, and Merrell were essentially signed. Leo slipped some warfarin in Crager’s bourbon. I don’t know if the drug killed him or the stress of the situation was finally too much for his heart. Without an autopsy, we can’t know.”

He paused, then added,
“There was a newspaper left on the bureau in Crager’s bedroom. I noticed it because it had a section missing. JJ made some calls and got a complete copy of that page faxed to her this morning. The missing section was a story about Martha Martinelli’s appearance at D.C. fundraiser. It was an innocuous enough story, except for the throw away line near the end about Martha’s plans to write a tell-all-book about her early days in radio. That line got her killed.”

Mac watched as Bridget ignored her full plate of food. She twisted her hair, like she used to do when she was a little girl trying to figure out a big problem. He could see her work up her nerve to ask a question.
“What started all of this? What made Brian Crager start looking for answers?”

Mac took a second before responding. He knew Bridget was always hardest on herself. He had to be careful how he answered.
“I think, and the cops will have to prove it, but when Brian Crager saw the announcement of your engagement to Josh Lasky, it started him wondering, for the first time in decades, what had happened to his sister and her baby. Who knows, he might have seen some similarity in appearance between Josh and the Crager family. He knew the Laskys, both at Harvard and when they were in Washington. Given his poor health, I think Brian Crager decided he wanted some answers before he died. He involved his friends, Edelstein, Merrell, and Martinelli, in trying to pressure Leo Lasky for answers. Leo pushed back. Hard.”

Bridget looked stricken. She whispered,
“What kind of idiot am I that I picked Josh to marry? Look what happened. All these people have been murdered. Did I start this avalanche of killings when I supported Josh in his search for his birth parents?”

Mac leaned forward to stretch his hand across the table to his goddaughter.
“No, Bridget. Leo Lasky is the bad guy. He’s been manipulating people his whole life, or at least his adult life. Long before you came on the picture, Lasky had already committed at least two murders.”

“
Like who?” Sean asked.

JJ spoke up.
“Theresa Crager and Andrea Ruel, though Theresa’s body was never found and Ruel’s death was ruled an accident.”

“
Maybe.” Sean reached for two more rolls, passing one under the table to his furry companion. “If he did murder them, why?”

Mac nodded.
“You’re right to remain skeptical. It’s possible that Theresa Crager is still alive, but I think it’s unlikely. From all accounts she had a good relationship with her brother. If she was alive I think she would have contacted him sometime in the last thirty years. Brian Crager seems to have gone to his grave without knowing what happened to her.”

Sean
‘s mouth was full, so Rachel asked his follow up question for him, “And Andrea Ruel?”

“
I think Leo killed Andrea because she suspected he had murdered Theresa. It’s another death I can’t legally tie to Leo Lasky, but I’d bet my entire Thanksgiving dinner that Andrea’s death has his dirty fingerprints all over it. Apparently, Brian Crager kept a letter from Andrea, written just days before she was killed, that said she had information about Theresa and the baby. All very vague, but in this case, lethal. Anyway, Brian kept the letter and when he decided to look into his sister’s disappearance, he sent it to Scott Merrell. Merrell was killed before it arrived, but his girlfriend found it and sent it on to her sister, who is Will Banks’ girlfriend. Will faxed me a copy of it this morning. Of course Andrea’s car accident might have been an accident, but–”

“
You don’t believe in coincidences,” the group with the exception of Wallace Freed chanted.

Mac grinned,
“I was going to say there were too many suspicious deaths in the Lasky camp.”

“
Not that we believe that’s what you intended,” Jeff said, waving a loaded fork in the air, “but do go on with your hypothesis. Why did Leo want Theresa dead? What was his motivation for killing her?”

“
My best guess is Leo had two reasons for killing Theresa. One it solved his boss’s problems, and Leo very much wanted to impress his boss. Theresa was Sandler’s mistress. When she got pregnant, she decided to keep her baby and insisted Sandler support his child and her. Sandler wanted the problem to go away and probably said so to his trusted staffer, Leo Lasky. I don’t think he thought Lasky would kill Theresa. Sandler is a perfect example of ‘be careful what you wish for’ because suspicion about Theresa’s disappearance fell on him, with a lot of help from Leo Lasky. At one point Leo had tied his future to Sandler’s rising star, but he cut those ties abruptly once Theresa’s disappearance became a media circus. Leo set Sandler up as a murder suspect. Sandler’s political career was ruined.”

“
But Leo lost too, if your scenario is correct,” Rachel said. “He might have cast suspicion on his boss about the disappearance of Theresa and her baby, but that radio interview finished off any dreams Leo might have had about a political future. You know this town hates crooked politicians, but they hate whistleblowers more. When Leo opened his mouth about Sandler, he hurt himself too.”

Mac nodded.
“That true, but there was another, more important reason why I think Leo killed Theresa Crager.”

Sean looked confused.
“What’s that?”

“
Family.” Mac took a sip of iced tea. “The most important thing to Leo was family. That’s why, in a funny way, he admired you, Jeff. He sensed a kindred soul. That’s why he gave you–”

“
The expensive whiskey? Damn, I had a bad feeling about that.” Jeff grimaced. “Listen, don’t you be telling people I’ve got something in common with that murderer!”

Bridget looked at her father.
“Daddy, he’s only saying that both of you would do just about anything to protect your family.”

“
Thank you, sweetheart.” Jeff sighed, then glanced at Sean. “But even with family there is a limit to my good nature and generous spirit.”

“
But not your love, my dear,” Kathleen called out from the end of the table. “And we all know it, no matter what you say. But, back to Leo and Theresa….” She smiled at Mac. “Please finish your story so you can eat. Your food’s getting cold.”

“
Thank you, Kathleen. I’ll try to make it brief.” He glanced around at the people at the table. “You see, Leo knew Paul and Theresa were good friends. They worked together in Sandler’s office. They attended events with Sandler. Traveled with him. Leo was afraid they were more than just friends.”

Bridget held up her hand.
“Wait! Josh asked his father–”

“
Let the man finish, please,” Edgar interrupted. “At this rate we’ll never got to dessert and I’ve heard your mother’s pies are worth killing for.”

“
Thank you, Edgar,” Kathleen said. “I’m not sure my pecan pie turned out as well as normal, what with all the commotion. But even with all modesty, I think the cherry pie looks to be one of my best. I changed to a different brand of cherries this year.”

Rachel smiled, watching Mac hurry a bite of turkey, during the commercial.

“Theresa and Paul had an affair?” JJ asked, surprise etched on her face. “How do you know that?”

“
I don’t know it. In fact I don’t believe it, but Leo does or at least did. Theresa claimed Sandler was the father of her baby. Leo wasn’t so sure. He watched her try to blackmail Sandler. He figured that even if the baby was Paul’s, Theresa had set her sights on Sandler’s money and position and she’d have no reason to tell the truth. Meanwhile, Paul and his first wife, Sharon, desperately wanted a baby, but Sharon hadn’t been able to conceive. I don’t think Leo ever asked Paul about Theresa, he just acted in what he thought was his brother’s best interest. He played God. He eliminated Theresa, took her baby, and gave him to Paul and Sharon. Everyone lived happily ever after–well most everyone.”

The table fell silent.

Kathleen finally spoke, “Did Paul Lasky know what his brother had done?”

Mac shrugged.
“I think Paul Lasky didn’t want to know what his brother had done. Paul loves Josh and loves his brother. If he asked too many questions or thought about it all too much, then he’d have to face some hard truths about his family.”

“
Speaking of hard truths,” Rachel said. “I’m going to acknowledge the elephant in the room. What about O’Herlihy Funeral Home? Come Monday morning, do I still have a job?”

“
Well, I’d be lying if I didn’t say things are going to have to change.” Jeff glanced at Kathleen, his children, then finally Rachel. “I’m sorry, Rachel. Come Monday you’ll be going back to Franklin’s.”

***

“I can’t believe Jeff thought that was funny,” Rachel said, washing a serving tray and handing it off to Mac to dry. For a moment after Jeff’s announcement the whole room had been in shock. Kathleen included. Then Jeff had explained his plan.