Raw Vengeance (The Rich Fordham Series) (15 page)

“
What’re you doing here, Mr. Courageous?” Sarah Kinney teased as she strolled into his cubicle. His boss was one of the few people to whom Rich chose to speak. “Why don’t you take the day off?

“
Workaholic in training. Have a seat.” He motioned toward the leather office chair.

“
I wanted to see how you’re doing and how things turned out the way they did.” It was a rare show of empathy on her part.

“
Doing fine. Just feel bad that a gay kid snapped and tried to take his frustrations out on his mother. People didn’t need to die.”

She leaned forward with her elbows on her knees. “Rich, it was an act of raw vengeance, plain and simple. You prevented more death.”

He shrugged and took a sip of coffee. “This was years in the making.”

Traumatic experiences affect different people in different ways. Rich chose to get right back into the swing of things and assume his normal routine, but at a relaxed pace. If people saw him taking time off, they’d assume he was deeply affected and over-emotional. Contrarily, if he soaked up all the attention and accepted every interview, he’d be seen as self-promoting and vain.

“
How did you find out Tyler, Dan, and Peter conspired?” Sarah finally asked.

The question of the day
. “Dan got spooked before Shantell showed. He offered his help to Tyler, but never intended to become part of some family feud. I could tell it in the way he confided in me and the way he looked at and spoke to Tyler. For a sixteen-year-old kid, Tyler recovered way too quickly after being involved in a shooting. He should have been withdrawn and stuck in deep thought; instead he argued with Dan and his mother. Then he comes in wearing street clothes, so I figured someone must have brought them in. When he argued with his mom, I saw Peter give him a nod. I knew something was up.”

Sarah absorbed the words and reflected on the situation.

“
But get this,” he said excitedly. “I just got off the phone with a Detective Woods who says Tyler confessed to plotting the whole thing.”

The revelation came as a shock to her. “Confessed to what? Plotting to kill his mother?”

“
Plotting revenge against the teenage thugs and sabotaging his mother’s campaign. Says Tyler brought a gun to school and shot the four teens and then turned the gun on Dan.” He paused for effect. “He purposefully used Dan as a propaganda tool to draw media attention. Tyler figured blacks shooting blacks happens every day, so no one would care. A black shooting a middle-class white kid is sure to draw much more attention. He was right.”

“
How does Peter fit in?”

“
He was bribed by Tyler to do the hit, since he didn’t have it in him to do it himself. In exchange, Tyler agreed to transfer his two million dollar trust fund into Peter’s name. During lockdown, Tyler called Peter and told him that Shantell was arriving via helicopter, so there was his opportunity to make a move. The crime scene investigators, NTSB, and FBI found bomb fragments on the roof. They also found chemical residue and burn marks on the fuselage where there shouldn’t be any.” He paused for another taste of coffee and to analyze his thoughts. “It was supposed to look like an accident. Pretty wicked, if you ask me.”

“
By the way, nice burn on your forehead.” The skin had turned a deep red. Although painful, he worried more about the scorched hairs from the bullet that had killed Reggie. The remark was the only way Sarah was able to express her emotion.

She got up as if to leave, but stood in front of him. “You’ve got an interview with CBC Cable News. I know some people there, and they liked how you handled the cop suicide, the school shooting, and the coverage at the hospital. Congratulations.”

“
What about Wayne?”

“
The funeral is on Friday,” she said in a somber tone.

“
That’s not what I meant.”

“
What about him? Unlike you, he was a lifer here and had no aspirations to do anything besides stay local. You’re much better suited for a place that will challenge you and has the assets to progress your career. WSNO is only good on a small scale.” She studied him for a moment. “It’s what you want, right?”

He nodded and let the words sink in. “Absolutely.” Maybe Tuesdays weren’t so bad after all.

*****

Did you enjoy reading this novella? Go to
http://www.josh-handrich-books.com
for news and updates about my upcoming political thriller,
Kingdom of Rage,
the second installment of The Rich Fordham Series.