Sweet Justice (22 page)

A tiny sob escaped Allison's trembling lips. How Mallory knew that sick fear the woman was experiencing now. “Ma,” Allison husked. “You always said to never let 'em leave with words between you. All these years, I tried, and sometimes I'd mess up, but yesterday, I didn't. I was mad as all get-outs with him because... Oh, something so stupid. But I didn't let him see it. And I'm so glad. I'm so glad the last thing he heard was...that I loved him.”

Mallory locked eyes with Andrew, realized that she had sent him off with her horrible words ringing in his ears. The room felt too close, too hot, and she had to get out of there.

Outside in the cool night air, she dragged in a calming breath. She pushed past the knot of firefighters hanging around the entrance, waiting for word on their captain. When she made it to a swing under a gazebo, she realized too late that it had been set aside as a smoking area.

The smell of stale tobacco permeated the place, and ash cans ran over with butts. But it was better than seeing that quiet resignation in Allison's face.

The swing creaked. She looked up to see Andrew beside her. Without thinking, she wrapped her arms around him. “You could have been killed!”

He shrugged. “I wasn't. A scratch. A bump on the head. Not anything at all like Eric or Cap.”

Mallory sat back. “How bad is it? What happened?”

Andrew's jaw worked. “Bad as it can get. A drunk driver plowed into us. We tried to miss him and the rig flipped, slid into a utility pole.” His fist tightened on the wooden slats between them. “Eric's in a coma. Doctors say...the other concussion set this one up to be a bad one. And Cap...Cap was trying to get to Eric and me...and all of a sudden, he grabs his left arm and keels over. I'm six inches away, Mallory. Six inches. And I'm jammed up in the wreckage and can't get to him.”

“Oh, Andrew...” All Mallory could think about was how the awful fire that had caused such tragedy for Katelyn was still paying nasty dividends. If Eric hadn't been injured in that fire, he might not have been so badly hurt now. The captain might have not been so desperate to get to him.

“The other guy?” Andrew snorted in derision. “The driver? High as a kite. Not so much as a scratch on him.”

“How could anybody be so selfish and thoughtless—you were just doing your job.”

Again, resignation seemed to roll off Andrew as he shrugged once more. “That
is
the job, Mallory. Don't you get it? It could happen when we get called out for a simple kitchen fire.”

A flurry of movement drew Mallory's attention to the door. The knot of firefighters parted. There under the flickering vapor lights came a sobbing Allison, supported almost wholly by Ma on one side and Daniel on the other.

As she passed, the firefighters stood straight and tall, formed two lines, executed a crisp salute.

Mallory felt rather than saw Andrew stand, as well. She couldn't tear her eyes off the crumpled figure of Allison, but she knew, from the telltale sound, that Andrew was crying softly as he saluted his captain's widow.

CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

A
NDREW
THOUGHT
HE
'
D
come unglued as he heard the strains of the bagpipes fade to nothingness. The lone piper walked up the long dusty entrance path of the cemetery, away from the tent, the people and the grave.

Instinct made him want to break formation and check on Ma. But not even Daniel had let that salute drop, and Daniel of all people would know how hard this day would be for Ma. The death of a firefighter brought back all those memories of Dad's funeral in full force.

Finally, the flag was folded. Presented to the widow. The handshakes and grave “thank you for your sacrifice” given.

As the crowd milled around, and he saw that Ma was okay, he spied Mallory. She stood off in the distance, by herself, dressed as always in clothes perfect for the occasion.

He knew she had finally understood about Katelyn when she'd said, “You were just doing your job.” She'd been sick with worry over Eric, helping Ma pack up food for the family, going with them to assist Allison.

She lifted her hand in a restrained wave. Someone jostled him, spoke, and he had to turn away to speak to them. Then there was someone else, and another, and another. When he looked back, she was gone.

Now the crowd was thinning out, and maybe this part of the day, as hard as it had been, was finally over. He joined the line to give his condolences to Allison.

Dutch tapped him on the arm. “Hey, got a minute?” He pulled him aside.

“Yeah, what is it? And don't start your usual crap about legal. That can all wait until—”

“I saw that nice little moment you had with Mallory.”

“Dutch!” Andrew protested. “She's not gonna sue. Not after this. She totally gets it.”

Dutch lifted his brows and rocked back on his heels. “Oh, does she?”

“Yeah.” The scent of funeral flowers overwhelmed him to the point of near gagging. It put him straight back to the day of his dad's funeral.

“Well, she's got you fooled, then,” Dutch said. “Because I received notice right before I drove over here that she was suing us. Suing the county, the department, Daniel, the power company and... Hmm, who am I leaving out? Oh, yeah. You.”

“What?” Andrew thought he'd pass out at Dutch's words.

“To the tune of five million dollars. That ambulance chaser of hers has already left me a message wanting to know if we're open to settling.”

“No—there's got to be a mistake.”

“You betcha. The mistake was you ever getting involved in Mallory Blair's business at all.”

* * *

“W
HAT
ARE
YOU
doing here?” Andrew hissed as Mallory filled red plastic cups with ice. “Is this some kind of game?”

She stared at him. He'd known she was helping out with the luncheon after the funeral. Why was he suddenly white hot with barely controlled anger at her presence? “I—Ma told me— What on earth has gotten into you?”

“A little truth, that's what. Five million dollars? That's what you think this county's worth? That'll buy you a lot of shoes, won't it? You won't have to slum it in thrift stores anymore, will you? Not after you pick our bones clean.”

“Andrew Monroe!” she hissed back. She slipped out of Allison's back door and beckoned for him to follow. Outside in the quiet leafy green seclusion, she asked, “What are you talking about?”

“That lawyer of yours, that's what. He's notified the county's legal counsel that you're suing us for five million dollars. Oh, and me, personally, I get listed as a separate defendant. Nice touch, Mallory. It was especially thoughtful that you'd have it served the day of Cap's funeral.”

She jerked back from his anger as if she'd been stung. “I—I didn't—” The terms of the contract she'd signed came floating back to her. She'd agreed to let Chad decide the legal strategy.

“It's not what I wanted— I never meant for him to sue you—”

“Oh, yeah? Well, he did. What, you only wanted to sue people who had actual money?”

“Chad said the county's insurance would pay. Anyway, I didn't mean for him to sue the county, either. I wanted him to sue the power company.”

Andrew pressed his lips together in a tight line. It took him a moment to respond. “And that makes it all right? To sue a county or a big corporation? Because they have insurance? Who pays for that insurance? What happens when the rates go up, huh? This is not a victimless suit, Mal. When you sue the county, the firefighters end up paying for it.”

His words were like a stick in a hornet's nest. She couldn't control her anger. “And Katelyn should simply suck it up? She's hurt— She's lost months, Andrew—months! She may never be right again. I'm buried in medical bills. It's not her fault! Somebody should pay!”

The back door opened again, and this time Maegan slipped out. “What's going on? This is not the time or place for a lover's spat.”

“Oh, you'd have to feel some love to have a lover's spat, Maegan,” Andrew snapped. “Mallory only loves money.” He pushed past her and headed back into the house.

“What—” Maegan frowned.

Her temper subsiding, and a wave of nausea pooling in her gut, Mallory struggled for the words to explain what had happened.

Maegan listened. “Oh, no. Tell me you didn't do this to get money for Katelyn's therapy.”

“Yes, but I never meant for the department to—”

Maegan sagged against the porch rail. “You signed a strategy waiver, didn't you?”

“What?”

“The lawyer. He told you that you had to sign a waiver allowing him to decide legal strategy. I call them strategy waivers, but they've probably got a proper legal name.”

“He said that it would allow him to—”

“Negotiate a settlement?” Maegan gave her a sick, knowing look. “I've seen patients' families get roped into those. Once they do...they have no control over who that lawyer decides to sue. He's going to keep after anybody who has the potential to shell out any kind of settlement.”

“Maegan—I tried to get the insurance to pay. I tried. You said it yourself, Katelyn needs the therapy.”

“Oh, honey.” Maegan patted her on the arm and treated her to another of those world-weary smiles. “Don't you see? It's a conflict of interest for me to continue to treat Katelyn. I'll have to discharge her. I am so sorry, but as long as my brothers are being sued, I can't risk it. You're going to have to find Katelyn another therapist.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

“I
TOLD
YOU
not
to sue,” Katelyn wailed. “I told you I didn't want to sue anybody! If you had listened, we wouldn't have to leave!”

Mallory straightened up from dropping books into a cardboard box. She put her fingers to her temples to ward off the headache that had already latched its claws into her. “Katelyn, it's a done deal. I've quit my job and I've given notice on this apartment. As for the lawsuit, I may have made mistakes, but I didn't have much choice, not after you—”

“But you can't sue! You can't! It's my fault—the fire is my fault.”

Katelyn's words came out as a broken whimper. Mallory knelt down beside her. “Honey, you can't blame yourself. This was Andrew's fault. He left you on that landing instead of—”

“I deserved it, Mallory. Don't you see?” Katelyn balled up her fists. Tears streamed down her face, but she didn't bother to wipe them away. “There wouldn't have been a fire—not if it weren't for me.”

“What? Katelyn, don't be silly—”

“I spent the money.” The words came out in a rush. Katelyn's face went from horrified to slack with relief. “There. I said it. I spent the money.”

“What do you mean? What money?”

“The money you sent for the power bill. My share. I blew it. We didn't have it. And we were, like, two months behind. And they cut the power off.”

“But—” Mallory couldn't process what she was hearing.

“I was afraid you'd yell at me, or make me come home. I mean, I'd barely been able to pull passing grades, because, like, well, I was partying too much. So then Destiny's loser boyfriend, Gabe, crashed at the house. He used to work for the power company. His dad is some bigwig. He said he'd take care of it, that he knew what to do. He got some tools from his dad's truck or shop or something, and he rigged it up, and we had power. I knew it was wrong. But I couldn't— I didn't want to admit I blew the money you'd sent me.”

Katelyn stared at the starburst scar on her hand. “I'm nothing but a thief. You can't sue anybody, because it would be like a thief suing somebody for getting hurt when he robbed a house. I'm so sorry. I know I let you down. That's the worst of it—that and knowing somebody else could have gotten badly hurt. I mean, Eric—Eric wouldn't be in a coma now if it hadn't been for me.”

Mallory collapsed on the floor and sagged against a cardboard box. Nausea pooled in her gut. She stared at Katelyn, who seemed at once bent over with misery and somehow older and more mature.

“Oh, Katelyn. What do we do now?”

“I know you're worried, Mal, about money and everything. But we can't sue. And—and I want to talk to the power company. Tell them what happened. Maybe if I don't, Gabe will do it again sometime and somebody might actually die.”

Mallory drew in a breath. It was the right thing to do, but...

“You'll need a lawyer. I think—yeah. I should call Chad. He should go with us.”

Palpable relief flooded through Katelyn. “I've been thinking about this ever since the wreck. I keep thinking about Eric, and how he wouldn't be hurt so badly. But I'd sure be glad to have Chad along.”

* * *

C
HAD
DID
COME
ALONG
. Though he strongly advised the two of them to say nothing, he agreed to accompany them and try to convince the power company's officials not to prosecute Katelyn as an accessory.

After Katelyn's tearful tale, the suits around the long conference table looked at each other in a guarded way. Mallory's stomach twisted in fear. Would Katelyn face jail time?

Then the silver-haired man beside Katelyn cleared his throat. “Katelyn—honey—my name is Peter Terrell, and I'm the manager here. I am so sorry. Gabe...Gabe is my son. I cannot believe— No, that's not true. He's been going down the wrong path for a while now. I knew he was capable of it, I just hoped he wouldn't ever do something like this.” He put his hands to his face. “To think that all you've gone through—”

“Sir.” Katelyn touched his arm. “It wasn't just Gabe. It was all our fault.”

He looked up at her bleakly. “It took a great deal of courage for you to come forward. I'm going to have to pass this on to my supervisor, the district manager, and recuse myself.” Mr. Terrell swallowed. “I can't promise you won't be called to testify, as it is our policy that we do prosecute...power thefts...regardless of whether it is my son. But since you came forward of your own accord, it certainly helps your case. And you've clearly paid more than enough for any crime you've committed.”

Chad spoke up. “Yes, she has. As you can see, she's still in a wheelchair. Her insurance has ended her therapy, so this may be as good as it gets for her.”

“No,” Mr. Terrell said firmly. He looked at Mallory. “My son did this. Yes, she was culpable, but she's a teenager. My son is twenty-four years old. He should have known better. How much is the therapy she needs? I have some savings put aside. It's not much—I've already spent quite a lot of it trying to bail him out of previous scrapes, but no more. He has to face up to the consequences. It seems only fair that I cover the cost of some of those medical bills. That is...” He looked at Chad. “The suit is going away? Against the power company?”

“Oh, yes, sir. The power company has no liability in this situation, and neither does the county or fire department.”

“Then, I leave it to you to work out the details for Katelyn to get the care she needs. And I'll handle the rest.”

Mallory sagged with relief. This was a miracle. Katelyn could get her therapy...but then Mallory realized that it wouldn't matter. The Monroes would never want to treat someone who had sued them. Andrew would never forgive her for blaming him when it had all been Katelyn's fault.

Katelyn lifted her chin, her resolve clear. “I swear, Mr. Terrell. I won't let you down. No more shortcuts for me.” She turned to Mallory, gripped her hands in hers. There was a serious earnestness that Mallory had never seen in her eyes before. “I promise, Mallory. I'll earn your trust back, if it takes me the rest of my life.”

Mallory couldn't say anything, because she had a similar speech to make to someone else.

Andrew.