Love Inspired Suspense October 2015 #1 (18 page)

“I want to see it first,” Althea said, her tone full of a greedy urgency. “We need to check the box.”

Rikki absorbed everything. Could they be near the woods where Althea must have hidden the night she shot Tessa?

“Let's hurry,” Victor said on a breath of irritation. “Detective Kent confirmed what we already knew.”

Althea groaned. “Your father walked in last time and caught me. Then that stupid Chad Presley showed up.”

Rikki gulped a breath. “Did you kill Chad, Althea?”

“Shut up,” Althea said, yanking out an ornate key. “I had no choice. He showed up to talk to dear old dad about you, the idiot. He was worried about you after he heard about Tessa's tragic murder.”

Rikki blinked back tears. Chad hadn't come here to kill her. He'd only wanted to talk to her father.

“And I guess you had no choice when you killed Tessa, either,” Rikki shouted, bile rising in her throat.

“She got in the way,” Althea said. “It's a shame. I planned to kill you but your friend showed up before I could find that infernal key. I had to run before you saw me. Then Victor talked me out of it but now—”

Rikki didn't care if she lived or died now that she knew the truth. “Victor, please stop this now. Stop before it's too late.”

Althea cackled. “It's already too late for you. I have the key and I have everything I need now.”

Rikki started to retort but Victor's hand grasped hers and squeezed tight. A warning? He must have purposely forced Althea to talk. He'd given Rikki all the information she needed. Was he going to help her, after all?

She stood silent while Althea held the ornate key that Sonia had apparently hidden in Rikki's purse on the day of the wedding. Victor didn't make a move.

Althea chuckled when the big heavy box clicked open. “Let's see what we have.” She stared down and then let out a yell. “What is this?”

Victor walked over and shone a flashlight on the deep box. “It looks like trinkets.”

Althea slammed her hands against the old table. “It's junk, Victor. Junk. It's like kids' toys.” She turned on Rikki. “Where is the necklace?”

Rikki went on instinct after remembering something her mother had said. “I'm tired of lying. It's at the house. But you'd better hurry. Detective Kent will send out a search party.”

She watched Althea pacing around, her hand pulling through her short, spiky hair, her eyes going wild and unsure.

And in that brief moment, Victor leaned close. “I'll explain later, Rikki, but...I'm not a part of this. I'm going to get you out of here.”

TWENTY-ONE

A
lthea pulled Rikki away from Victor. “I don't like being double-crossed. I want that necklace!”

Althea was beyond reason. She lunged at Victor and knocked him against the wall. He hit his head on the corner of an iron shelf.

Rikki screamed and pushed at Althea. The other woman came at her but Althea didn't have her gun. She'd laid it on the table by the old box. Rikki kicked at Althea and pushed her toward Victor. He stumbled to his feet and grabbed Althea and held her while Rikki reached for the gun.

Althea screamed and shoved at Victor. Still disoriented, he called out to Rikki. “Get out of here. Run.”

“I won't leave you,” Rikki shouted.

Althea broke loose and rushed toward her. Rikki screamed and held to the gun but Althea was taller and stronger. She lifted Rikki's hand up in the air and tried to pry the gun away from her.

Victor moved toward them. “Stop it, Althea. It's over.” He held his head and then he sank to the floor and passed out.

Althea screamed and bent Rikki back against the table. “No. No. I won't let it be over. We need the money. I have to get away from this family, from this place.”

Rikki stared into the eyes of a madwoman and sent up a prayer that if Althea killed her, the death would be quick. She groaned and used every ounce of her being to stop Althea.

Then she heard footsteps echoing down the stairs. “Rikki?

She took in air and tried to call out. “Blain, down here!”

But it was too late. Althea held Rikki pinned to the table and wrestled the gun closer and closer to Rikki's midsection.

Blain called out. “Let her go. Now!”

Althea didn't seem to hear him. But Rikki had a reason to fight now. Blain had given her so many reasons to live. She grunted and with one last surge of energy she kicked and lifted her body enough to force Althea up.

“Let her go,” Blain shouted.

Althea turned then, the gun aimed at Blain. He lifted his gun and shot at her several times.

Althea fell to the floor and went still while Rikki stood against the table, the horror of the situation causing her to gulp and hold her hands to her face.

And then, the room went quiet and she was in Blain's arms.

Safe, warm and treasured.

Treasured.

“It's over,” he said, his hands tangled in her hair. “It's all right now, Rikki.”

* * *

Franco Alvanetti sat in the big chair behind his desk and stared over at Blain and Rikki. “I can't believe what you're telling me. Both of my sons in the hospital and my daughter-in-law dead. All because of a necklace.”

Blain nodded. “All because of a necklace and a myth regarding some sort of ill-gained treasure.”

Franco wiped at his eyes and looked over at Rikki. “We can't let your mother hear about this. It will destroy her.”

Rikki swallowed and glanced at Blain. “But Althea indicated that Mama might know something more. That Mama encouraged her to...take matters into her own hands.”

“Your mother was probably telling Althea to save her marriage. Althea always did love the money more than she loved your brother.”

“That is so true.”

They all turned to find Sonia in a wheelchair being pushed by Peggy and Daphne.

Franco got up and hurried to his wife. “What are you doing out of bed, Sonia?”

Sonia wiped at her eyes and waved the two nurses away. After they left, she said, “I know more about this than anyone. I hear things, see things, and I suppose I said things that didn't make sense but I was trying to save my family. I knew something was going on.” She smiled at Rikki. “I tried to warn you but...I was all mixed up.”

Rikki got up to kneel in front of her mother. “You mentioned the key and the Bible. But which key and which Bible, Mama?”

“I don't know,” Sonia said. “I remember bits and pieces.” She glanced around. “It started after your cousin's wedding. I went on my Mediterranean cruise and met up with Victor. He told me that Althea had tried to have an affair with him. She wanted to leave Santo and move to Europe.”

“That's crazy,” Franco said, sitting down on a bench next to Sonia. “Victor never liked her.”

“She told him what she'd heard at the wedding. Me, telling Victor about the diamond-and-emerald necklace. I'd already told Santo that if anything happened to me, I wanted Rikki to have it.” She shrugged. “He might have told Althea or he might have forgotten. He never really listens to me, anyway.”

Franco went pale. “You mean the necklace I gave you when Rikki was born? Is that the necklace Althea wanted?”

Sonia nodded. “I hid it. I was afraid of it. I was afraid of the treasure you purchased all those years ago. That somehow that treasure would be the ruin of us one day.”

Franco let out a sigh and explained. “I bought it from a treasure hunter and convinced him to sell it to me at a cut-rate price. But I sold off everything but the necklace. That treasure helped us to launch our business.” He gave his wife a sad stare. “I'm not proud of how I forced that poor man to cut that deal but...I can't go back and change it now.”

“Althea overheard Mama talking about it and she approached Victor and forced him into a plan to help her steal it,” Rikki said. “I finally figured that part out when they took me inside the warehouse. Althea was blackmailing Victor. She has something on him.”

“Victor wouldn't do this,” Sonia said. “He's made some mistakes but he was trying to clean himself up. Both of our boys want to do what's right, Franco.”

Franco patted her hand. “I know, darling. And I promised you the same.” He looked at Blain. “I went legitimate years ago thanks to your dad, Detective Kent. He gave me a chance to make things right and I tried my best to do that. For my wife and for our baby daughter. And because Sonia taught me to be faithful in God's plan, not my own.” He stared out at the water. “I've failed miserably.”

Rikki wiped at her eyes. “Victor was trying to protect me. But why didn't he come forward sooner?”

Both of her brothers walked into the room. Santo had his right arm in a sling, his upper arm bandaged. Victor followed, looking pale, his head bandaged.

“We broke out of the hospital,” Santo said. “I want to see my children.”

“They're fine,” Franco said. “Peggy is with them. You can see them after we get to the bottom of this mess.”

Santo kissed his mother. “I'm so sorry, Mama.”

Victor glanced at Rikki. “I had to pretend to help her. I sent Mama home after she became ill but I worried that Althea would do Mama harm so I kept trying to distract her by pretending to go along with her crazy plan. I told Santo what was going on but—”

“I didn't want to listen,” Santo said. “I couldn't believe my wife could be so conniving and callous.”

“We fought about it for months,” Victor said, “but when she killed your friend, I had to follow through. She found out about some items I smuggled and she held it over my head. I had to come back home and try to stop her.”

“But I got shot at,” Rikki said, trying to fathom his reasoning. “Someone killed one of the guards.”

“Althea's doings,” Victor said. “She hired John Darty. But Althea shot Tessa, thinking she was you. Your friend tried to leave a clue. That wasn't my initial. It was probably an A.”

“For Althea,” Rikki said. “We couldn't figure it out.”

“And the night we got chased on the bay road?” Blain asked.

“Billy Rogers was working undercover,” Victor said. “And so was I. I had to pretend to keep her calm so we tried to scare you. We never intended to send you over the bluffs.

“When Althea left Santo, I was afraid she'd gone off the deep end. But we met in Miami and then I came back here with her. I agreed to help bring her in, in exchange for...a lighter sentence. We had to make it look like we'd tried to scare you, Rikki.”

“You did,” Rikki said. “A dangerous game, Victor.”

“I'm sorry I let it go so far,” Victor replied. “So sorry.”

Santo nodded, his eyes full of fatigue. “I feel the same. Now I have to tell my children that their mother is dead.”

“She was unstable,” Sonia said. “I knew it, too. I tried to encourage her but she misunderstood my intentions.”

“She said you were in charge of this family,” Rikki replied.

“I am,” Sonia said on a smile. “But in a good way.”

“I can vouch for that,” Franco said. Then he turned to Rikki. “I need to clarify one more thing, however. Drake's accident—”

“Was just that,” Rikki said. “I have to believe that or all of this has been in vain.” She glanced around. “And I have to accept that sometimes, things just aren't what they seem.”

“Not what they seem.” Sonia glanced around the room and then let out a gasp. “I remembered. I just remembered.” She pointed to the bookshelf behind Franco's desk. “The big Bible up there. Would someone please get it down for me?”

Blain hurried to lift the ornate Bible off the shelf.

He placed it on the desk. “Do we need the key?”

Rikki pulled out the key Althea had used back at the warehouse. “Will this one work?”

Victor nodded. “The fake box was never locked. It had a latch that easily opened. Althea never even noticed when she used the key.”

“I found it on the floor,” Rikki explained. “It should be evidence, right, Blain?”

He smiled at that. “You've learned a lot, hanging with me.”

“Open it,” Sonia said, a bittersweet smile on her face.

Blain turned the key in the big lock that held the Bible closed. When he opened the Bible, he found a secret compartment inside. Rikki reached in and pulled out the necklace.

She looked at Blain and then held the intricate necklace up. A diamond-encrusted chain held an inch-wide emerald-and-diamond teardrop necklace that shimmered in the early morning light.

“This has to be worth millions,” she said.

“It is,” Franco replied. “Sonia hid it because she was afraid it would only bring her heartache.” He touched a hand to his wife's shoulder. “And I never even knew it was here.”

“You should read your Bible more often,” Sonia said to her husband, her old brilliant smile lighting up the room. “I always told all of you that.”

Franco kissed her. “Don't get sick again, darling. I'll read the scriptures to you every night, I promise.”

“I'm better now,” Sonia promised. “But I wanted you to have the necklace, Rikki. Your father changed after you were born.”

“We've all changed,” Santo said. “But we've paid a heavy price. I don't want any part of that necklace.”

“I hope you all can forgive me,” Victor said. He stared at Blain. “I know I gave a statement the other night and I understand I can only hope for a short prison sentence or at the least, probation. But I've kept records and I have taped conversations to prove that Althea planned most of this.” He looked at Rikki. “I only wish I'd stopped it sooner.”

Blain rubbed his forehead. “We'll have to sort it all out, but I think we can safely say that this case is closed. We've matched the partial shoe prints to Althea's sneakers and along with Billy Rogers's statement and Althea's jumbled confession to Rikki, I think we're okay.”

Sonia cried and hugged everyone. Blain bagged the necklace as evidence. Then Sonia said, “I have a splendid idea. Why don't we donate this to Alec Caldwell's next fund-raiser for the Alexander and Vivian Caldwell Canines Service Dog Training Facility? I can't think of a better way to make this completely right.”

Blain leaned close to Rikki. “I can think of a few other ways to make this right.”

“Such as?” she asked, her heart hopeful for the first time in weeks.

“Attend Alec and Marla's wedding with me and then we'll celebrate Christmas together.”

“I like that idea,” she said. They waited until her brothers and her parents had left for breakfast. Finally, they were alone in the office.

Blain pulled her in his arms. “I don't know where we're going from here, but I want you in my life, Rikki. Do you think we can make it?”

Rikki tugged him close. “I think we have a good chance. We've survived the worst and we were both wrong about so many things.”

“Let's make a new start,” he said. “After all, this is a special time of year.”

She stared down at the sparkling necklace. “Yes, and we both know what the real treasure is, don't we?”

“Yes, we do,” he said.

Blain leaned close and kissed her. “Merry Christmas, Rikki.”

“Merry Christmas,” Rikki said. She kissed Blain and held him close, a sweet peace settling over her. She had so much to be thankful for.

Together they went into the big den where her family had gathered by the Christmas tree.

And she thanked God for a chance to start over again.

One week later
Christmas Eve

“This was such a lovely wedding,” Sonia said, all bundled up in her big evening coat. “Thank you, Hattie, for inviting our family.”

Alec's jovial aunt Hattie held her hand against her baby-blue cape and patted Sonia on the hand. “It was our pleasure. I understand you need to get home, but I'll come out and visit soon.”

Sonia nodded and reached up from her wheelchair to take Rikki's hand. “Bring Blain back to the house for cookies and punch tonight, darling.”

Rikki kissed her mother and watched her parents leave through the open garden gate. “Well, at least we didn't manage to distract attention from the bride. Marla looks so pretty.”

The bride wore a white lacy dress with a white long-sleeved lacy bolero over it and the groom wore a tuxedo. The big outdoor fireplace, along with smaller fire pits and heaters set in discreet locations around the yard, kept everyone warm but the evening had turned out to be mild, anyway.