Deception (32 page)

“Don’t you understand? He would have killed me. He still might now that I’ve tried to blackmail Mulligan.”

“mulligan was taking his sweet time paying me, so I decided to go collect my money, and record our conversation.”

Jill gaped at her. “Oh’ my God. What happened?”

“I screwed up, that’s what happened. I gave myself away. He found the tape recorder and destroyed the evidence. Then he threatened to send his knife-happy friend over if I breathed a word of our little deal to anyone.”

“And that’s why you’re leaving? You’re afraid he’ll make good on his threats.”

“I know he’ll make good on his threats. The moment you tell Ted Falcon what Mulligan did, he’ll fire him’ and Mulligan will know why. I’d be a fool to stick around after that’ don’t you think?”

For a time Jill just sat there, thinking. She didn’t want to lose Olivia. Not only was she a brilliant, innovative PR director, but she was a board member, and her departure would be another blow the company would have to deal with.

She was also family, and she was in trouble. For no matter how far she ran, Mulligan would find her. And kill her.

“I can’t accept your resignation, Olivia.”

Olivia looked bewildered. “Didn’t you hear a word I said? I rigged the bids. For money. You could lose the commission because of me, maybe even the company.”

“I doubt we’d lose the company, and even if we lose the commission, which I also doubt, I still won’t accept your resignation.”

“You’re crazier than I thought.”

“No, I’m not. In the first place, I couldn’t replace you. And second… I want to help you.”

“How?”

“By not telling the board or your father what you did, or Ted Falcon. Cyrus already talked to him, anyway, so he knows the rumors about Mulligan, and he’s not the least bit concerned. He said it wouldn’t be the first time he did business with a mob-connected contractor. As for Mulligan using inferior material in some of his projects, Ted plans to keep a close eye on him to make sure he doesn’t foul up this job. So you see, Olivia, no one would be interested.”

“Except Dad.”

“Well…” Jill made a face. “I won’t argue there. He probably wouldn’t like it. But he’s not going to find out, so why worry?”

“You could get yourself in trouble.”

“I suppose I could.”

“And you’re still willing to help me?”

“That’s right.”

Olivia’s eyes narrowed. “Why are you doing this? What’s in it for you?”

Jill smiled. Some things never changed. “Not a damn thing, Olivia. I know you’re going to find this difficult to believe, but I care about you. I always have.”

Olivia suddenly looked uncomfortable. “Thanks. I guess I owe you one.”

“Well, since you said that, there is something I’d like you to do for me.”

The corners of Olivia’s mouth turned down in a bitter smile. “I knew it.”

“Relax, it’s nothing you can’t handle. And it’s for your own good.” Standing up, Jill walked around her desk and came to lean against it, facing Olivia. “I want you to kick this lousy gambling habit of yours, once and for all. By joining a program.”

Olivia turned pale. “I can’t do it, Jill. You might as well ask me to go bungee jumping without a cord.”

“You’re exaggerating.”

“No, I’m not. I already tried therapy, and I failed.”

“You won’t fail this time. I’ll be there to see you through every step.”

“Look, Jill, if you’re doing this out of pity, forget it, okay? I don’t need it.”

Jill studied her cousin for a while, wondering if Olivia had the strength to go through a difficult program and see it through to the end. She had more or less admitted that she didn’t, but Jill was more inclined to believe Olivia hadn’t really tried.

“Have you ever heard of Yvan Block?” Jill asked.

“He’s the head of the Manhattan chapter for Gamblers Anonymous.”

“I’ve heard of GA. They’re nothing but a bunch of boring, sniveling misfits.”

“They do good work, Olivia. A friend of mine took their program last year. He hasn’t been near a gambling table since. if he can do it’ so can you.”

Olivia laughed. “Don’t bet on it.”

Jill let the pun pass. “I know Yvan personally. I could set up an appointment for you. Would ten o’clock tomorrow be okay?”

“No, ten o’clock would not be okay. Jesus, you’re a pushy broad, you know that?”

“Sure I do, you’ve told me often enough.” Jill smiled, remembering how close they had been once. With a little effort on both their parts, they could be again.

“What about it’ Olivia? You want to give the program a try? Before you find yourself totally broke and in a lot more trouble than you are in now?”

“And if I say no, you’ll take back your offer not to tell my father?”

“No. My promise to you stands, regardless of what you decide to do.”

“Oh’ what the hell,” Olivia said at last. “What have I got to lose?” She waved her hand. “Go ahead, call your friend. Set it up.”

Smiling, Jill picked up the phone.

Thirty-Three

No sooner had Olivia left Jill’s office than Ben Maitland of the Maitland Group called.

“We’ve got a problem,” he said in a voice tight with anxiety. “A woman by the name of Blanche Zimmer, who represents a historic-preservation group here in Richmond, has come forward, claiming the Church Hill Tower site is a former Civil War camp of cultural and historical significance and cannot be built upon. As a result, the city planner, the city engineer and their consultants want to meet with us without delay. And to make matters worse, the story got leaked to a local television station that’s blowing it all out of proportion.”

Jill held back a sigh of frustration. Groups such as these, especially in historic communities, were increasing with alarming frequency and had almost unlimited powers to stop a project.

“What does this Blanche Zimmer have to back up her claim?” Jill asked.

“An old map showing the camp’s various locations.”

“I want to take a look at that document before we meet with the planning commission.” Leaning across her desk, Jill flipped the page of her daily calendar to the following day. It was full but she would have to clear it. This was too important.

“I’ll fly down first thing in the morning, Ben, and I’ll bring our company’s attorney with me. In the meantime, contact the historic commission in Richmond and tell them we want to hire a historian to do a complete historical and cultural resource study on the area in question.”

She heard Ben’s sigh of relief. “I’ll do that. And Jill? Call me back with your flight info, will you? I’ll have a car waiting for you at the airport.”

“Thanks, Ben.”

After hanging up, Jill dialed Philip’s extension.

“Hello, kiddo.”

Startled, Jill looked up from the set of drawings she had been working on.

Her heart lurched. “Uncle Cy.”

He closed the door and walked into the room, his hands in his pants pockets. Except for the dark circles under his eyes, he looked the same as he had the last time she’d seen him. There was even a faint smile pulling at the corners of his mouth.

“You’re free.” She had no idea how to act or what to say. Any other time, she would have rushed into his arms, but all she could do was stand rooted to the floor and try to keep her emotions from getting the best of her.

“Not quite.” He smiled, but it wasn’t the mischievous smile she had grown accustomed to over the years. “My attorney got me out on bail, but I’ll still have to show up for a preliminary hearing on January

4, and depending on the outcome of that, I may have to stand trial.”

-“Was he able to get the charges dropped?”

The smile faded. “I’m afraid not. The D.A. wouldn’t agree to anything lower unless I pleaded guilty. And I won’t do that.”

“If the D.A. knew the whole story, knew why you went to Livingston Manor that night, he might be more inclined to—”

Cyrus shook his head. “No, Jill. I won’t hurt Stephanie more than I already have.”

“Don’t you think that seeing you stand trial and possibly go to prison for twenty years is going to hurt her?”

“I’m sure it will.”

Jill knew that nothing, and no one, not even her, could make Cyrus change his mind once he’d made a decision. “So… what happens in the meantime? Can you come back to work?”

“I can do anything I want.” His eyes gleamed briefly. “Except jump bail. They’d frown on that.” He took a few more steps inside the room until he stood no more than three feet away from her. “This is awkward for you, isn’t it?”

She held his gaze. “A little.”

“I thought about calling first, but I was afraid you wouldn’t want to see me.”

“Look, Jill,” he said when she didn’t answer. “I know you have questions, and maybe later, after this mess is over, we’ll talk. Right now I want to know only one thing—do you think I killed your father?”

She looked into his eyes. “Did you?”

“No. He was up and walking around when I left the house. I know I shouldn’t have hit him back. He was drunk and he was mad and I just should have gotten the hell out of there.” His gaze was so intensely locked to hers that she couldn’t look away. “But I didn’t kill him.”

“Then I believe you.”

The relief in his eyes brought a lump to Jill’s throat. “That’s all I wanted to hear.”

The awkwardness she had felt a moment ago began to fade, but before either one could say anything more, the door burst open.

“Dad!”

Olivia, her cheeks flushed and her eyes bright with tears, ran in. “Cecilia told me you were here.”

“I just got in, Olivia. I stopped by your office first but you weren’t there.”

“I was in the conference room with the editors of Architecture Record.” Choking back a sob, she threw herself in her father’s arms.

Discreetly, Jill left the room and closed the door behind her.

Jill, who hadn’t heard from Dan all day, was on pins and needles when Cathie finally put his call through at three o’clock.

“I’m sorry it took me so long to get back to you,” he said from the Land Rover. “But finding someone willing to discuss Mulligan wasn’t easy. Apparently, his men are terrified of him.”

“Are you saying someone did talk?”

“Two men who have only been working for him for a week or so. Unfortunately, I’m getting conflicting reports. One worker tells me Mulligan was at the New

York site all that day, the other thinks he was in New Jersey and didn’t get back to New York until noon, but he can’t swear to it.”

“Where does that leave us?”

“Nowhere for the moment, but I’ll be going to the New Jersey job site tomorrow. Hopefully, I’ll have something more positive to report then.”

“Good.” Jill glanced at the brightly wrapped packages on her desk. “Do we still have a date to see Frankie this evening?”

“You bet. Your visit is all the kid is talking about. And don’t worry if you can’t find that blue action hero you promised him. All the stores are sold out.”

“I found it.”

There was a stunned pause. “Impossible. I went to four stores and was told the next shipment wouldn’t be in until after the holidays.”

Jill chuckled. “You ain’t got the right connections, Santini.”

“I guess not. Pick you up at five?”

“I’ll be ready.”

“You’re spoiling him,” Maria said as she and Jill watched Frankie show off his new action hero to Dan.

“Actually, I’m enjoying this more than he is.” Jill took the second package from her purse and handed it to Maria. “This is for Nick. I didn’t want him to feel left out. I know how much he likes computer games. I hope he doesn’t have this one.”

“Jill, really, you shouldn’t have.” Maria gave her a fond look. “But I’m sure Nick will love it.” She laid the package on the coffee table. “They both talk about you all the time, you know. You’ve made quite an impression on them.”

“The feeling is mutual.”

Maria’s face sobered. “I just heard about your uncle’s arrest on the five o’clock news. I’m so sorry about all that’s been happening with your family, Jill; I pray that it will get resolved soon.”

“Thank you, Maria. With Dan’s help, I’m confident it will be.”

Maria glanced at her brother-in-law. “He’s one heck of a guy, isn’t he?”

“The best,” Jill admitted. “And still a terrific investigator.” Seeing an opportunity to learn a little more about the man she had fallen in love with all over again, Jill dived right in. “Do you think he would ever consider coming back to New York and returning to the force?”

Maria shook her head. “New York, maybe. The force, no. That incident with Eddy Delgado affected him deeper than any of us realized. And teaching is truly where his heart is right now. Do you know that he calls his students ‘his kids’?”

“No, I didn’t.”

“Sometimes I wonder if that’s not what he was really born to do. He loves young people so much, loves to help shape their minds, guide them through the rough times. He’s always had a knack for that kind of thing, even when he was young.”

Jill was silent as she continued to watch Dan and Frankie. Her hopes that Dan would want to move back to New York were fading quickly. He’d never leave Chicago. Or his kids. And she had no right to ask him to.

Unaware of Jill’s turmoil, Maria touched Jill’s arm. “Come. Help me get dinner on the table.”

Though the historian Ben Maitland had hired from the historic commission hadn’t had time to fully analyze Blanche Zimmer’s map, he had expressed serious doubts as to its authenticity.

“The ink is much too dark,” he had pointed out as he bent over the document and inspected it closely. “And white such thin paper wasn’t totally unheard of in the nineteenth century, maps were usually drawn on thicker paper, paper that could withstand all sorts of weather. I’ll have something more definite in about a week.”

Philip, always clearheaded in critical situations, had suggested making a short statement to the press before returning to New York.”

“It’s an excellent idea, Philip,” Jill had told him. “Would you mind taking care of it for me? You’re so much better with a crowd than I am.”

Outside the municipal building in Richmond, where more than two hundred concerned citizens had gathered, Philip had faced their anger with his usual poise.