Smash Cut
Authors: Sandra Brown
Tags: #Legal, #Suspense, #Fiction, #General, #Georgia, #Thrillers, #Rich people, #Atlanta (Ga.), #Trials (Murder), #Legal stories, #Rich People - Georgia
By the same author
Smoke Screen
Play Dirty
Chill Factor
Ricochet
White Hot
Hello, Darkness
The Crush
Envy
The Switch
Standoff
The Alibi
Unspeakable
Fat Tuesday
Exclusive
The Witness
Charade
Where Theres Smoke
French Silk
Breath of Scandal
Mirror Image
Best Kept Secrets
Slow Heat in Heaven
Simon & Schuster1230 Avenue of the Americas
New York, NY 10020
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the authors imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
Copyright Š 2009 by Sandra Brown Management Ltd.
All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever. For information address Simon & Schuster Subsidiary Rights Department, 1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Brown, Sandra.
Smash cut: a novel / Sandra Brown.1st Simon & Schuster hardcover ed.
p. cm.
1. Trials (Murder)Fiction 2. Rich peopleGeorgiaFiction. 3. Atlanta (Ga.)Fiction. I. Title.
PS3552.R718S64 2009
813.54dc22 2009019430
ISBN-13: 978-1-4165-6321-1
ISBN-10: 1-4165-6321-0
Visit us on the Web:
[http://www.SimonandSchuster.com] http://www.SimonandSchuster.com
SMASH CUT
CONTENTS
PROLOGUE
CHAPTER 1
CHAPTER 2
CHAPTER 3
CHAPTER 4
CHAPTER 5
CHAPTER 6
CHAPTER 7
CHAPTER 8
CHAPTER 9
CHAPTER 10
CHAPTER 11
CHAPTER 12
CHAPTER 13
CHAPTER 14
CHAPTER 15
CHAPTER 16
CHAPTER 17
CHAPTER 18
CHAPTER 19
CHAPTER 20
CHAPTER 21
CHAPTER 22
CHAPTER 23
CHAPTER 24
CHAPTER 25
CHAPTER 26
CHAPTER 27
CHAPTER 28
EPILOGUE
PROLOGUE
CHAPTER 1
CHAPTER 2
CHAPTER 3
CHAPTER 4
CHAPTER 5
CHAPTER 6
CHAPTER 7
CHAPTER 8
CHAPTER 9
CHAPTER 10
CHAPTER 11
CHAPTER 12
CHAPTER 13
CHAPTER 14
CHAPTER 15
CHAPTER 16
CHAPTER 17
CHAPTER 18
CHAPTER 19
CHAPTER 20
CHAPTER 21
CHAPTER 22
CHAPTER 23
CHAPTER 24
CHAPTER 25
CHAPTER 26
CHAPTER 27
CHAPTER 28
EPILOGUE
PROLOGUE
A DELICATE
PING
ANNOUNCED THE ARRIVAL OF THE ELEVATOR.
The double doors opened. Inside were three people: two middle-aged women who chatted in the manner of established friends, and a thirty-something man with the stressed-out bearing of a junior executive. He shuffled back to make room for the man and woman waiting to board.
They smiled pleasantly as they stepped in, then turned to face forward. The elevator started its descent to the hotel lobby, the five passengers reflected in its brass doors.
The couple stood elbow to elbow in companionable silence. One of the two women in the back hadnt stopped talking, but out of politeness, she was keeping her voice low. Her friend covered her mouth to stifle a laugh and was overheard to say, Oh, my. And she was so proud of that darned thing.
When the elevator slowed and a chime announced a stop on the eighth floor, the young businessman glanced at his wristwatch and winced as though reconciling himself to running late.
The elevator doors opened.
There stood a person wearing a navy blue tracksuit, wraparound opaque sunglasses, and a ski mask. Around the mouth hole, the yarn had been woven into the pattern of a sharks open maw with jagged, pointed teeth.
Even before the occupants of the elevator had time to register their surprise, he reached into it and banged his gloved fist against the Door Open button. In his other hand, he brandished a pistol.
Kneel.
Now! Do it!
His voice was high and singsong, which made it all the more creepy coming from the open jaws of the shark. The two lady friends immediately dropped to their knees. In a whimper one pleaded, Dont kill us.
Shut up!
You
. He jabbed the pistol toward the businessman. On your knees. The young professional raised his hands and dropped, leaving only the couple standing. Are you deaf, or what? Get down!
The woman said, He has arthritis.
I dont care if hes got polio. Down on your fucking knees! Now!
One of the women in the back wailed, Do as he says, please.
The gray-haired man clasped the womans hand as he went down on his knees with evident discomfort. Resentfully, the woman did likewise.
Watches and rings. Put them in this. The assailant thrust a black velvet bag at the businessman, who dropped in his wristwatch, the timepiece that only moments before had caused him consternation.
The bag was passed to the women behind him, who quickly placed their jewelry into it. The earrings, too, the thief said to one. She hastily complied.
Last to get the velvet pouch was the gentleman with the arthritic knees. He held it open for the woman with him, who added her jewelry to it.
Hurry up! the thief ordered in that hideously girlish voice.
The gentleman placed his Patek Philippe into the bag, then extended it toward the robber, who snatched it and tucked it into the pocket of his zippered hoodie.
All right. The gentlemans voice carried a ring of authority. Youve got what you wanted. Leave us alone.
The pistol blast was deafening.
The two middle-aged women screamed in terror.
The young businessman cried out an expletive in a shocked, raw voice.
The woman with the gentleman gaped in soundless horror at the blood spatter on the elevator wall behind his crumpling form.
A DELICATE
PING
ANNOUNCED THE ARRIVAL OF THE ELEVATOR.
The double doors opened. Inside were three people: two middle-aged women who chatted in the manner of established friends, and a thirty-something man with the stressed-out bearing of a junior executive. He shuffled back to make room for the man and woman waiting to board.
They smiled pleasantly as they stepped in, then turned to face forward. The elevator started its descent to the hotel lobby, the five passengers reflected in its brass doors.
The couple stood elbow to elbow in companionable silence. One of the two women in the back hadnt stopped talking, but out of politeness, she was keeping her voice low. Her friend covered her mouth to stifle a laugh and was overheard to say, Oh, my. And she was so proud of that darned thing.
When the elevator slowed and a chime announced a stop on the eighth floor, the young businessman glanced at his wristwatch and winced as though reconciling himself to running late.
The elevator doors opened.
There stood a person wearing a navy blue tracksuit, wraparound opaque sunglasses, and a ski mask. Around the mouth hole, the yarn had been woven into the pattern of a sharks open maw with jagged, pointed teeth.
Even before the occupants of the elevator had time to register their surprise, he reached into it and banged his gloved fist against the Door Open button. In his other hand, he brandished a pistol.
Kneel.
Now! Do it!
His voice was high and singsong, which made it all the more creepy coming from the open jaws of the shark. The two lady friends immediately dropped to their knees. In a whimper one pleaded, Dont kill us.
Shut up!
You
. He jabbed the pistol toward the businessman. On your knees. The young professional raised his hands and dropped, leaving only the couple standing. Are you deaf, or what? Get down!
The woman said, He has arthritis.
I dont care if hes got polio. Down on your fucking knees! Now!
One of the women in the back wailed, Do as he says, please.
The gray-haired man clasped the womans hand as he went down on his knees with evident discomfort. Resentfully, the woman did likewise.
Watches and rings. Put them in this. The assailant thrust a black velvet bag at the businessman, who dropped in his wristwatch, the timepiece that only moments before had caused him consternation.
The bag was passed to the women behind him, who quickly placed their jewelry into it. The earrings, too, the thief said to one. She hastily complied.
Last to get the velvet pouch was the gentleman with the arthritic knees. He held it open for the woman with him, who added her jewelry to it.
Hurry up! the thief ordered in that hideously girlish voice.
The gentleman placed his Patek Philippe into the bag, then extended it toward the robber, who snatched it and tucked it into the pocket of his zippered hoodie.
All right. The gentlemans voice carried a ring of authority. Youve got what you wanted. Leave us alone.
The pistol blast was deafening.
The two middle-aged women screamed in terror.
The young businessman cried out an expletive in a shocked, raw voice.
The woman with the gentleman gaped in soundless horror at the blood spatter on the elevator wall behind his crumpling form.
CHAPTER
1
C
REIGHTON WHEELER STORMED ACROSS THE BLUESTONE TERRACE, whipping off his sun visor and making a swipe at the sweat streaming down his face, then without breaking stride, angrily tossed the damp towel and visor onto a chaise. This better be damn important. I was about to break his serve.
The housekeeper whod summoned him from the tennis court was unfazed by his temper. Dont you take that tone with me. Its your daddy wants to see you.
Her name was Ruby. Creighton didnt know her last name and had never bothered to ask, although shed been in the familys employ since before he was born. Any time he got out of sorts with her, she reminded him that shed wiped his butt and his nose, that both had been nasty, and that she hadnt enjoyed doing either. It rankled to think of her being that familiar with his person, even when he was a baby.
He brushed past her three-hundred-pound bulk and crossed the industrial-size kitchen to one of several refrigerators, yanking open the door.
Right now, he said.
Ignoring her, Creighton got a can of Coke from the Sub-Zero, ripped off the tab, and took a long drink. He rolled the cold can across his forehead. Take one of these out to Scott.
Your tennis coachs legs aint broke. She turned back to the counter and slapped her large hand on the hunk of beef she was preparing to go into the roasting pan.
Something ought to be done about her sass,
Creighton thought as he pushed through the swinging door and made his way toward the front of the house, where his father had a study. The door was ajar. He paused outside it, then knocked once on the doorjamb with his Coke can, nudged the door open, and strolled in, twirling the tennis racquet against his shoulder. He looked every inch the aristocrat called away from a session of healthy exercise. It was a role he was perfectly suited to play.
Doug Wheeler was seated behind his desk, which was presidential in proportion but much more pretentious than anything inside the Oval Office. The desk was flanked by mahogany flagpoles, one for the Georgia state flag, the other for Old Glory. Ancestors glared from oil portraits hanging on opposite walls, which were paneled in stained cypress meant to last till the Second Coming.
Scotts time is money, and the clock is ticking, Creighton said.
Im afraid this cant wait. Please sit down.
Creighton took a seat in one of the cordovan leather chairs facing his fathers desk and propped his tennis racquet against it. I didnt know you were here. Werent you scheduled to play golf this afternoon? He leaned forward and set his Coke can on the polished surface of the desk.
Frowning, Doug placed a coaster beneath the can so it wouldnt leave a moisture ring. I dropped by here to change before going to the club, he said. But something urgent
Dont tell me, Creighton interrupted. The paper clip audit exposed an embezzlement. Damn those sneaky secretaries.
Paul is dead.
Creightons heart gave a bump. His smile collapsed. What?
Doug cleared his throat. Your uncle was shot and killed in the Hotel Moultrie about an hour ago.
Creighton continued to stare at him, then finally released his breath. Well, in the immortal words of Forrest Gump. Actually his mother. Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what youre gonna get.
His father lurched to his feet. Is that all you can say?
I think that says it fairly well.
Creighton had never seen his father cry. He wasnt crying now, but his eyes looked suspiciously moist and he was swallowing too often and too hard. In an attempt to hide the emotion about to overwhelm him, he stepped from behind his desk and moved to the wide window. He looked out over the grounds of the estate, where Mexican laborers were hand-picking weeds from colorful beds of impatiens and caladiums.
Quietly Creighton asked, Did I hear you correctly, Father? Uncle Paul was
shot?
In the forehead. Almost point-blank range. During an apparent holdup.
A holdup? Like a robbery? At the Moultrie?
As unheard of as that seems.
Doug ran a hand through his hair, which was thick and gray like that of his brothernow late brotherwho had been his senior by only eleven months. He and Paul went to the same barber and used the same tailor. Of almost identical height and weight, they were often mistaken for each other from the back. Their sibling relationship had been almost as close as that of twins.
I dont know any details, Doug continued. Julie was almost too distraught to speak.
She was notified first?
Actually, she was with him when it happened.
At the Hotel Moultrie. During the middle of a weekday.
Doug came around and gave his son a hard look. She was almost hysterical. According to the policeman. Detective actually. He took the phone from her when she could no longer speak. He told me that she had insisted on calling and telling me herself. But she managed to get out only a few incoherent words before she began crying to the point that I could no longer understand her. He paused to clear his throat.
The detective, Sanford I think he said his name was, seemed decent enough. He extended his condolences and told me I could come to the morgue if I if I wanted to see Pauls body. Therell be an autopsy, of course.
Creighton looked away. Christ.
Yes, Doug said on a weighty sigh. I cant come to terms with it either.
Did they catch the guy?
Not yet.
Where in the hotel?
The detective didnt say.
One of the shops?
I dont know.
Who would rob
I dont know, Doug snapped.
A taut silence followed. Dougs shoulders settled heavily on his tall frame. Im sorry, Creighton. Im not myself.
Understandably. Its astonishing.
Doug massaged his forehead. The detective said he would give me a full account when I get there. He glanced at the open door but made no move toward it, clearly reluctant to leave on that errand.
What about Mother? Has she been told?
She was here when Julie called. Naturally shes upset, but there are arrangements that must be made. Shes upstairs making preliminary calls. Doug went to the bar and poured himself a shot of bourbon. Want one?
No thank you.
Doug tossed back the drink and picked up the decanter again. As difficult as this tragedy is to absorb, there are practical matters that must be addressed.
Creighton braced himself. He disdained anything with the word
practical
attached to it.
Tomorrow morning, I want you to go to the offices and make a personal statement to our personnel.
Inwardly Creighton groaned. He wanted nothing to do with their personnel, which amounted to several hundred people, each of whom held his uncle Paul in the highest esteem while most demonstrated nothing but contempt for him whenever he graced the corporate headquarters with his presence, which was as seldom as possible.
Wheeler Enterprises manufactured and sold building materials of some kind. Whoopee. Fascinating.
His father looked over his shoulder at him. Obviously a response was expected.
Of course. What should I say?
Ill write something out tonight. Ill call for a companywide assembly in the auditorium on the third floor at ten oclock. Deliver your statement, then perhaps a minute of silence should be observed.
Creighton nodded solemnly. Most appropriate.
Doug downed the second drink, then decisively set the empty tumbler on the bar. You may be required to take up some of the slack while were sorting through all this.
All of what?
The funeral, for starters.
Oh, of course. Thatll be an event.
No doubt, Doug said with a sigh. Ill keep it as dignified as possible, but your uncle was involved in
Bloody everything. He was the undeclared king of Atlanta.
Doug pressed on. Yes, and now the king is dead. To complicate matters, his death was a homicide. Thinking about the brutality of it, he winced and dragged his hand down his face. Jesus. He glanced toward the bar as though considering pouring one more shot of Kentuckys finest, but didnt. The police will need our full cooperation.
What can we do? We werent witnesses.
But Pauls killer must be apprehended. You will cooperate and do so willingly. Do we have an understanding?
Of course, Father. Creighton hesitated, then said, Although I hope youll act as the familys official spokesperson. The media will flock to us like vultures to carrion.
Doug gave a brusque nod. Ill see to it that you and your mother are sheltered. Although Im compelled to make the funeral a public observance, Ill insist on it being as low-key as possible.
We must set an example to our employees, and keep the company running smoothly, which is what Paul would want us to do. To that end, I want you to be prepared. Ive left some materials in your room. You should review them tonight, bring yourself up to date on new products, where we rank in the market, our projections for next year.
All right.
As if.
His father seemed to read his mind. He gave him the full-on, American eagle, hard-ass treatment. Its the least you can do, Creighton. Youre almost thirty years old. Ive been remiss and take partial responsibility for your lack of interest in the company. I should have given you more responsibility, involved you more in the expansion of the business. Paul He stumbled over the name. Paul encouraged me to. Instead, Ive spoiled you. No more. Its time you stepped up to the plate. Now that Pauls gone, youll take over when I retire.
Who was he kidding? Himself maybe, but certainly not Creighton. His father was delusional if he thought Creighton planned on jumping into the corporate cauldron. He knew nothing about the business or management thereof, and didnt want to know. All he wanted out of the family business was revenue. He loved his life exactly as it was and had no intention whatsoever of changing it by taking on responsibilities that any yes-man could do.
But now wasnt the time to replay the scene he and his father had played a thousand times before, when his shortcomings and misplaced priorities were paraded for his review, when he was reminded of duty and what it meant to be a grown-up, a man, a Wheeler. Bullshit like that.
Changing subjects, he asked, Has it made the news yet?
If not yet, it will soon. Doug moved to his desk and picked up a sheet of paper, passing it to Creighton. Would you please call these people and notify them? They deserve to be told by a member of the family, rather than hearing it on the news.
Creighton scanned the typewritten list, recognizing most of the names as personal friends of his uncle Paul, stockholders in Wheeler Enterprises, city and state officials, other prominent businessmen.
And would you also break the news to Ruby? Doug asked. She knows somethings up, but I didnt have the heart to tell her, especially considering the horrible circumstances. You know how much she loved and admired Paul.
Yes, Ill do that.
And Ill enjoy it
, Creighton thought. That was one way to get back at her for sassing him. Would you like me to go to the morgue with you?
Thank you, but no, Doug said. I wouldnt ask that of you.
Good. I cant think of anything worse. Creighton pretended to ponder it a moment, then shuddered. Maybe a Carnival cruise.
REIGHTON WHEELER STORMED ACROSS THE BLUESTONE TERRACE, whipping off his sun visor and making a swipe at the sweat streaming down his face, then without breaking stride, angrily tossed the damp towel and visor onto a chaise. This better be damn important. I was about to break his serve.
The housekeeper whod summoned him from the tennis court was unfazed by his temper. Dont you take that tone with me. Its your daddy wants to see you.
Her name was Ruby. Creighton didnt know her last name and had never bothered to ask, although shed been in the familys employ since before he was born. Any time he got out of sorts with her, she reminded him that shed wiped his butt and his nose, that both had been nasty, and that she hadnt enjoyed doing either. It rankled to think of her being that familiar with his person, even when he was a baby.
He brushed past her three-hundred-pound bulk and crossed the industrial-size kitchen to one of several refrigerators, yanking open the door.
Right now, he said.
Ignoring her, Creighton got a can of Coke from the Sub-Zero, ripped off the tab, and took a long drink. He rolled the cold can across his forehead. Take one of these out to Scott.
Your tennis coachs legs aint broke. She turned back to the counter and slapped her large hand on the hunk of beef she was preparing to go into the roasting pan.
Something ought to be done about her sass,
Creighton thought as he pushed through the swinging door and made his way toward the front of the house, where his father had a study. The door was ajar. He paused outside it, then knocked once on the doorjamb with his Coke can, nudged the door open, and strolled in, twirling the tennis racquet against his shoulder. He looked every inch the aristocrat called away from a session of healthy exercise. It was a role he was perfectly suited to play.
Doug Wheeler was seated behind his desk, which was presidential in proportion but much more pretentious than anything inside the Oval Office. The desk was flanked by mahogany flagpoles, one for the Georgia state flag, the other for Old Glory. Ancestors glared from oil portraits hanging on opposite walls, which were paneled in stained cypress meant to last till the Second Coming.
Scotts time is money, and the clock is ticking, Creighton said.
Im afraid this cant wait. Please sit down.
Creighton took a seat in one of the cordovan leather chairs facing his fathers desk and propped his tennis racquet against it. I didnt know you were here. Werent you scheduled to play golf this afternoon? He leaned forward and set his Coke can on the polished surface of the desk.
Frowning, Doug placed a coaster beneath the can so it wouldnt leave a moisture ring. I dropped by here to change before going to the club, he said. But something urgent
Dont tell me, Creighton interrupted. The paper clip audit exposed an embezzlement. Damn those sneaky secretaries.
Paul is dead.
Creightons heart gave a bump. His smile collapsed. What?
Doug cleared his throat. Your uncle was shot and killed in the Hotel Moultrie about an hour ago.
Creighton continued to stare at him, then finally released his breath. Well, in the immortal words of Forrest Gump. Actually his mother. Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what youre gonna get.
His father lurched to his feet. Is that all you can say?
I think that says it fairly well.
Creighton had never seen his father cry. He wasnt crying now, but his eyes looked suspiciously moist and he was swallowing too often and too hard. In an attempt to hide the emotion about to overwhelm him, he stepped from behind his desk and moved to the wide window. He looked out over the grounds of the estate, where Mexican laborers were hand-picking weeds from colorful beds of impatiens and caladiums.
Quietly Creighton asked, Did I hear you correctly, Father? Uncle Paul was
shot?
In the forehead. Almost point-blank range. During an apparent holdup.
A holdup? Like a robbery? At the Moultrie?
As unheard of as that seems.
Doug ran a hand through his hair, which was thick and gray like that of his brothernow late brotherwho had been his senior by only eleven months. He and Paul went to the same barber and used the same tailor. Of almost identical height and weight, they were often mistaken for each other from the back. Their sibling relationship had been almost as close as that of twins.
I dont know any details, Doug continued. Julie was almost too distraught to speak.
She was notified first?
Actually, she was with him when it happened.
At the Hotel Moultrie. During the middle of a weekday.
Doug came around and gave his son a hard look. She was almost hysterical. According to the policeman. Detective actually. He took the phone from her when she could no longer speak. He told me that she had insisted on calling and telling me herself. But she managed to get out only a few incoherent words before she began crying to the point that I could no longer understand her. He paused to clear his throat.
The detective, Sanford I think he said his name was, seemed decent enough. He extended his condolences and told me I could come to the morgue if I if I wanted to see Pauls body. Therell be an autopsy, of course.
Creighton looked away. Christ.
Yes, Doug said on a weighty sigh. I cant come to terms with it either.
Did they catch the guy?
Not yet.
Where in the hotel?
The detective didnt say.
One of the shops?
I dont know.
Who would rob
I dont know, Doug snapped.
A taut silence followed. Dougs shoulders settled heavily on his tall frame. Im sorry, Creighton. Im not myself.
Understandably. Its astonishing.
Doug massaged his forehead. The detective said he would give me a full account when I get there. He glanced at the open door but made no move toward it, clearly reluctant to leave on that errand.
What about Mother? Has she been told?
She was here when Julie called. Naturally shes upset, but there are arrangements that must be made. Shes upstairs making preliminary calls. Doug went to the bar and poured himself a shot of bourbon. Want one?
No thank you.
Doug tossed back the drink and picked up the decanter again. As difficult as this tragedy is to absorb, there are practical matters that must be addressed.
Creighton braced himself. He disdained anything with the word
practical
attached to it.
Tomorrow morning, I want you to go to the offices and make a personal statement to our personnel.
Inwardly Creighton groaned. He wanted nothing to do with their personnel, which amounted to several hundred people, each of whom held his uncle Paul in the highest esteem while most demonstrated nothing but contempt for him whenever he graced the corporate headquarters with his presence, which was as seldom as possible.
Wheeler Enterprises manufactured and sold building materials of some kind. Whoopee. Fascinating.
His father looked over his shoulder at him. Obviously a response was expected.
Of course. What should I say?
Ill write something out tonight. Ill call for a companywide assembly in the auditorium on the third floor at ten oclock. Deliver your statement, then perhaps a minute of silence should be observed.
Creighton nodded solemnly. Most appropriate.
Doug downed the second drink, then decisively set the empty tumbler on the bar. You may be required to take up some of the slack while were sorting through all this.
All of what?
The funeral, for starters.
Oh, of course. Thatll be an event.
No doubt, Doug said with a sigh. Ill keep it as dignified as possible, but your uncle was involved in
Bloody everything. He was the undeclared king of Atlanta.
Doug pressed on. Yes, and now the king is dead. To complicate matters, his death was a homicide. Thinking about the brutality of it, he winced and dragged his hand down his face. Jesus. He glanced toward the bar as though considering pouring one more shot of Kentuckys finest, but didnt. The police will need our full cooperation.
What can we do? We werent witnesses.
But Pauls killer must be apprehended. You will cooperate and do so willingly. Do we have an understanding?
Of course, Father. Creighton hesitated, then said, Although I hope youll act as the familys official spokesperson. The media will flock to us like vultures to carrion.
Doug gave a brusque nod. Ill see to it that you and your mother are sheltered. Although Im compelled to make the funeral a public observance, Ill insist on it being as low-key as possible.
We must set an example to our employees, and keep the company running smoothly, which is what Paul would want us to do. To that end, I want you to be prepared. Ive left some materials in your room. You should review them tonight, bring yourself up to date on new products, where we rank in the market, our projections for next year.
All right.
As if.
His father seemed to read his mind. He gave him the full-on, American eagle, hard-ass treatment. Its the least you can do, Creighton. Youre almost thirty years old. Ive been remiss and take partial responsibility for your lack of interest in the company. I should have given you more responsibility, involved you more in the expansion of the business. Paul He stumbled over the name. Paul encouraged me to. Instead, Ive spoiled you. No more. Its time you stepped up to the plate. Now that Pauls gone, youll take over when I retire.
Who was he kidding? Himself maybe, but certainly not Creighton. His father was delusional if he thought Creighton planned on jumping into the corporate cauldron. He knew nothing about the business or management thereof, and didnt want to know. All he wanted out of the family business was revenue. He loved his life exactly as it was and had no intention whatsoever of changing it by taking on responsibilities that any yes-man could do.
But now wasnt the time to replay the scene he and his father had played a thousand times before, when his shortcomings and misplaced priorities were paraded for his review, when he was reminded of duty and what it meant to be a grown-up, a man, a Wheeler. Bullshit like that.
Changing subjects, he asked, Has it made the news yet?
If not yet, it will soon. Doug moved to his desk and picked up a sheet of paper, passing it to Creighton. Would you please call these people and notify them? They deserve to be told by a member of the family, rather than hearing it on the news.
Creighton scanned the typewritten list, recognizing most of the names as personal friends of his uncle Paul, stockholders in Wheeler Enterprises, city and state officials, other prominent businessmen.
And would you also break the news to Ruby? Doug asked. She knows somethings up, but I didnt have the heart to tell her, especially considering the horrible circumstances. You know how much she loved and admired Paul.
Yes, Ill do that.
And Ill enjoy it
, Creighton thought. That was one way to get back at her for sassing him. Would you like me to go to the morgue with you?
Thank you, but no, Doug said. I wouldnt ask that of you.
Good. I cant think of anything worse. Creighton pretended to ponder it a moment, then shuddered. Maybe a Carnival cruise.
CHAPTER
2
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