Ruthless (19 page)

At last Chelsea spoke. “I could never befriend a murderer. How could you be so selfish? You don’t care for me. You only care about yourself, what
you
need. So what if I’m losing the most important people in my life, as long as you get want you want. That’s not friendship—it’s self-gratification.”

The expression in Pam’s countenance shifted from wild-eyed denial to despair.

Sliding her hands into the purse that had rested in her lap throughout the meeting, Pam pulled out a Browning pistol and stood up, waving her weapon at the shocked participants. Mallory and Agent Stewart instantly trained their handguns on Pam and eyed her warily. David arose and stood in front of Fahima.

“Take it easy,” said Stewart. “No one’s going to hurt you. Just put the gun down.”

“I just wanted everyone to leave us alone,” cried Pam with barely-controlled fury and despair. “Chelsea, don’t you know I’d do anything to keep our friendship?” Her voice grew hysterical. “I just wanted a true friend who would always be there for me. Is that so bad? I didn’t want you to drift away to someone else. Don’t you know I’m crazy for you?” The trapped-rabbit look Alton had previously observed in Pam’s eyes returned, only now, for the first time, the expression was genuine.

With surprising speed, Pam swiveled the gun to her temple and pulled the trigger. Her sudden movement drew fire from Stewart and Mallory, and Pam collapsed to the floor in a heap. Stewart and David rushed in, kicking aside the Browning and vainly checking the body for vital signs. There were none.

Chelsea threw herself into Alton’s arms, crying uncontrollably. Unsure of the best response, Alton stood momentarily with his hands at his sides and then gingerly patted her back with one hand. He looked to Mallory with apologetic eyes, only to witness her already slipping into the next room. He gently transferred Chelsea to Stewart and went in search of Mallory as the remaining FBI agents called for an ambulance.

Mallory seemed surprised to see Alton enter the bedroom.

“Are you okay?” asked Alton, looking at her intently. 

“Yeah, I’m fine.” She wiped tears from her face.

“That’s why you’re crying—‘cause you’re so fine?” asked Alton, echoing the words with which Mallory had greeted him the very first day they had met in Kabul. “Mallory, you were awesome. You were ahead of everyone in this case, and you probably saved my life from that lunatic. It’s okay to cry now—it’s over.”

“That’s not why I’m crying, Alton,” she replied. “I see how she looks at you…how she acts around you.”

“Who? You mean Chelsea? Surely you don’t think she’s interested in me.”

“It sure seems like she is, Alton. And I couldn’t blame you for being attracted to her, too.” 

“Mallory,” said Alton, truly puzzled, “have I said or done something that’s given you the impression I’m interested in Chelsea that way?” He cast his mind back to the beginning of the investigation, trying in a few seconds to reinterpret the events of more than a month from this new perspective.

“No, Alton. But she was in trouble and needed help. In the process of protecting her, you’ve been with her day and night for weeks. And she’s so gorgeous.”

“She’s not you, Mallory. No one is.”

  Mallory shook her head. “How can I compete with someone like her, especially when I have this scar?” She brushed her forehead.

“Did my bad leg keep you from caring for me?”

“No, of course not.” 

“Then why would you think I would care about a scar that’s scarcely noticeable—so much less
noticeable than my limp?” asked Alton. He smiled at her. “Shall I be totally honest with you? Of course I never wanted you to have that blemish, but now that you
do
have it, a part of me is a little glad.”

She looked at him quizzically.

“I know it’s selfish,” continued Alton, “but it gave us something in common. Not just our physical imperfections—yours so much less than mine—but the fact that we care for each other
despite
them. It also made me hope that you, who are so much better than me in so many ways, wouldn’t be quite so unhappy being in a relationship with a regular guy like me. And it gave me a chance to show you, and not just tell you, what you mean to me—to show you my love is founded on a rock and is not to be swayed by such a trivial thing as a minor blemish.”

He paused. “Mallory, what I feel for you is so much bigger than a tiny imperfection on a face that’s as beautiful and dear to me as it ever was. Nobody’s perfect, but you’re perfectly right for me.” He hesitated again. “I’m just surprised that you were ever worried about my feelings for you.”

She shook her head. “Like I said, you were so nice to Chelsea, and she’s so pretty. It felt like I was living the time when my dad died all over again—when I lost the most important man in my life and I couldn’t do anything about it.”

Alton felt his words becoming choked. The depth of his emotions for her, which had grown ever stronger over the last nine months, carried his passion to unequaled heights. “Do you remember how kind you were to me when we first met in Afghanistan? How you taught me how to be happy again, and to have hope? How could I help but be devoted to you after that? Your impact on me has been so profound, I’ll never be able to do for you all you’ve already done for me. But I can promise you this: I’ll do everything in my power to make you feel how special you truly are to me.”

The tears that had welled up in Mallory’s eyes could no longer be contained and made their way down her cheeks.

Alton continued, “If you choose to be with me, you can do so based not on my merits, which fall so short of yours, or my appearance, which falls even shorter, but rather on the assurance that I will never leave you. Until I close my eyes to this earth for the last time, I will always be with you, happy to repay for the rest of my life the friendship and encouragement you have shown me since the day we met.”

Mallory’s body shook with sobs, but of joy, not pain, and she felt as if she had arrived at a destination she had been seeking all her life. The bliss of loving, and knowing she was equally loved in return—with an unassailable passion—produced a joy no words could express. Alton stepped forward and wrapped her in the embrace of unconditional acceptance, and each of them knew for a few minutes the silent reassurance of the other’s most tender affections.

“By the way,” whispered Mallory, “you’ve never been just a ‘regular guy’ to me. You’re my protector…my hero.”

Eventually, they emerged from the bedroom and reentered the crime scene. Pam’s draped corpse and the crowd of police, FBI, and EMTs snapped Alton and Mallory back into the reality of the moment.

“That was nice work, you two,” said Agent Wiggins as Agent Stewart nodded in agreement.

“Thanks. We make a good team,” said Mallory, glancing at Alton with a smile.

Alton and Mallory separated to give their own detailed statements to the police. As they spoke, the occasional smiles they exchanged from across the room affirmed their mutual affection, taking the edge off the evening’s tragedy.

Later, as they stepped out of the apartment together, the darkness of the night contrasted with the light that shone from the hearts and minds of the two who were so perfectly matched.

CHAPTER 63

Several days later, Alton and Mallory, accompanied by David and Fahima, joined Chelsea back in her apartment, once again occupying the den. The dining room chairs were back under the table, and the floor bore no evidence of the chaos and bloodshed that had occurred only days earlier.

Brent Tanaka had also joined the gathering. He did not speak but looked attentively at Chelsea, his peaceful gaze providing a serenity and reassurance Chelsea badly needed.

Alton had brewed a pot of coffee, and each of the six friends grasped the handle of a steaming mug.

They spoke in solemn tones on the terrible events that had drawn them together a few short nights ago, still in a state of partial disbelief that the fateful evening’s events had been real.

“So tell me, Fahima,” asked Alton. “How’d you know my laptop was booby-trapped?”

Fahima stared at him with a puzzled expression. “‘Booby-trapped’?”

“That it was dangerous,” explained Alton.

“Ah, I see,” said Fahima. “When you first put it on the table, I smell something. I know that smell but could not remember from where. The smell is stronger when I go closer to your laptop, so I know I am smelling your computer. When you and Mallory were talking to the suspects, here in this room, I remember. That smell was on an Al Qaeda bomb that some soldiers find near Gandamak’s Lodge. One of the soldiers, I think he like me.” David rolled his eyes, and Fahima continued. “He show me the bomb he finds. When he holds it out, I smell this…odor.”

“Yes,” confirmed Alton, “that’s the conductive paint. The Kabul IED almost certainly used an explosive charge rather than the purely electrical type used on my fake laptop. However, even the explosive types benefit from high electrical conductivity. It assures the primer will ignite.”

The group fell into silence for a moment. Finally, Chelsea spoke up. “Did you learn anything more when the FBI team examined Pam’s belongings?”

“Are you sure you want to know?” asked Mallory. “After all, it’s over. You can just move on.”

“Yes, thanks for asking. I’m not saying I’ll forget this, but at this point, knowing the last few details isn’t going to change the emotional impact of this experience.”

“Okay,” said Mallory. “The gray fibers from Louise Sinclair’s crime scene were a positive match with a hooded sweatshirt Pam had packed in a plastic storage box under her hotel room bed. We also found Alton’s original laptop as well as the tools and spare components Pam used to construct the booby-trapped copy.”

Chelsea shook her head in amazement and lingering disbelief. “I always knew Pam was shy, but I had no idea she was so obsessive…or so evil.”

“She had us all fooled,” said Alton. “If she hadn’t overdone her ‘terrified’ routine with Mallory and mentioned the arsenic, she probably would have gotten away with it. And I might not be here. That duplicate laptop was set to deliver a thunderbolt.”

Chelsea wore a thoughtful expression. “This has been a wake-up call in a way. From now on, I’m gonna start paying a little more attention to people’s characters and a little less attention to their hobbies and style. I think if you find someone you can trust and who loves you, that’s the beginning of a great relationship…even if one person is a bit more outgoing than the other.” She smiled at Brent, and for the first time during the visit, his countenance visibly brightened.

As he considered the two couples in front of him, Alton understood Chelsea’s newfound perspective; it was one he shared. Much like Mallory and David, Chelsea attacked life in a boisterous, outgoing rush, while Brent exhibited a more subdued and thoughtful manner, similar to Fahima and Alton himself. Perhaps Chelsea was gaining a better understanding that, although the members of each couple possessed opposing personal styles, the couples were stronger, not weaker, as a result—at least he and Mallory were. Although their personalities were quite different, Alton and Mallory nonetheless formed a happy pair, content and complete in each other. The same was certainly true for David and Fahima.

“So Brent, after all my wandering around, would you be willing to give it another try?” asked Chelsea.

Brent produced a modest smile. “You know you don’t need to ask. Are you sure I won’t be too dull for you?”

“No, as long as you’re willing to put up with my social agenda,” she replied, laughing.

“Speaking of agenda,” said David, turning to face Chelsea and Brent directly, “Fahima and I would love for you all to attend our wedding next month. It’s in Washington, where my dad is. I hope that’s not too far.”

Brent reached out and grasped Chelsea’s hand. He looked at her, and they nodded in unison.

“I think I can speak for Chelsea,” said Brent. “We’d love to go. After all the trouble and danger you’ve put yourselves through on Chelsea’s behalf, we wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

“I already have my plane ticket,” chimed in Alton. “I couldn’t weasel my way out of it. Fahima asked me to walk her down the aisle. And Mallory will be the maid of honor.”

“It really
will
be an honor,” said Mallory, beaming. “You all have waited so long for this. I still can’t quite fathom that it’s finally going to happen next month.”

“Tell me about it,” said David, breathing a sigh of relief.

“Yes, we have waited long time,” agreed Fahima. “I am ready to be Mrs. Dunlow.”

Feeling swept up in the moment, David reached over and squeezed her hand.

Fahima turned to Chelsea and Brent. “I will send you information about the wedding. I am so happy you will be there.”

“Believe me, I’m happy, too,” replied Chelsea. “After all…this,” she said, sweeping her hand across the apartment, “it’ll be great to be part of a celebration instead of some horrible crime.”

Alton smiled to himself as he watched Chelsea and Brent snuggle closer on the couch. On the day of Pam’s suicide, after Mallory had mentioned Chelsea’s apparent attraction to himself, he had cast his mind back over his time with Chelsea. He did recall a few instances in which Chelsea’s friendliness or interest had surprised him. Had she truly been attracted to him, or did his quiet manner simply remind her of Brent? He would never know, nor did he need to. He sat beside Mallory, his soul-mate, and needed nothing else. Surveying the gathering, he rejoiced in the knowledge that the other couples appeared to be, like he and Mallory, happy in their pairings.

“I have a minor surprise,” said David, turning to Fahima, “Mallory let me borrow her car. What say we go out to dinner?”

“I would like that,” said Fahima.

After saying their good-byes, David and Fahima arose and exited the apartment. Alton and Mallory lingered a few minutes longer but soon stole away as well.

They returned to Alton’s condo and received a boisterous greeting from Buster. After walking the Labrador around the neighborhood, they returned and sat together on the couch, silently enjoying each other’s company.

Alton was the first to break the silence. “I noticed you were looking up ‘romantic travel destinations’ on Pinterest a few days ago. Did you find anything you liked?”

“And why might you be asking?” teased Mallory.

“Oh, no reason…”