Cut (35 page)

Andrew released his arm and went for Jessica.

“Stop,” Jessica shouted.

Andrew shoved her back so hard she crashed into a row of chairs, sending them crashing backwards from the impact. He rounded on her.

“Your turn,” Andrew said, picking off the chairs as he drew closer to her.

“Good, come over. Hurt me, not him,” she said with a voice full of courage.

“No,” Brent managed to say. He couldn't move with Daniel holding him down.

“Mr. Abbott,” she continued shouting from the floor. “I know what it means to lose someone. I know what it means to suffer and to be afraid. Brent isn't to blame. He didn't steal those diamonds. Your daughter did.”

“She had no right!” Jefferies said.

“Brent tried to help her. Your
son
,” she added, looking to Daniel, “dropped the ball. He messed up. My sister got caught in the middle and she paid with her life. She was innocent and brave. If what Daniel told us is true, then Melanie showed up at the Palace of Fine Arts to give him the diamonds. She was going to help you. She was going to give you what you wanted. Her gesture counts for something.”

“Except she didn't have the diamonds,” Jefferies said.

“Melanie would have kept her word if it meant keeping her family safe. My sister must have changed her mind. She gave me the diamond and split up the others. She showed up defenseless and Daniel attacked her. He made her pay for his mistake. He had a choice to let her go. To let her walk away. He could have talked to Brent and asked for the diamonds back. Nobody had to get hurt.”

“Don't listen to her,” Andrew yelled.

“Ignore him and listen to me. Punish me, hit me, whatever you intend to do. I will not apologize for throwing that diamond in the ocean. I did what my sister couldn't do and what she should have done. That was her mistake. She left the diamonds to be found. I wasn't so generous.”

With each word, Jessie got up in slow motion, until she faced her attackers. “After seeing what you've done to Brent, to my sister and her family, you don't deserve to ever see those diamonds again. You will not have the luxury of putting your tiara back together. So I ask you to leave Brent out of this. He did everything you asked. I, however, did not.”

No,
Brent thought with a thousand screams. Even as pride spread through him at what she said. The way her voice didn't waver. Nor did her gaze falter. She wasn't afraid of them, of anything. Brent prepared his body to make a move.

“I'm curious, Miss Cahill; why do you feel it's your call to make that judgment,” Jefferies said. “I think someone in your position, with your sister about to be buried in the cold hard ground, might try to beg a little better.”

Jessie snorted laughter. “I do not beg. And you're pathetic. Your wife and daughter are in no better position. They are right in the ground with my sister.”

Several things happened at once. Brent kicked up his leg and tripped Daniel. The knife skidded across the floor and Jessica threw her body on the ground and grabbed it. She rolled over in time to dodge Andrew coming at her with full force and she reached far back and flung a chair at him, knocking him backwards.

Brent got to his feet as Daniel went after her. Brent lunged at Daniel from the side and knocked him over. They hit the ground together. Brent straddled Daniel's belly and punched him in the face repeatedly until Daniel quit fighting back.

“Don't move,” Jessie said, moving quickly to Andrew's side. She leaned over him with the knife. “Or this will go right through your heart.”

Brent grabbed the knife and pushed her out of the way. “Go. Get Help.”

The sound of the Emergency Exit door clicking closed caught Brent's attention and he realized Jefferies was gone.

The EMT helped Jessie down from the back of the ambulance. She looked out, across the lawn at Whitaker's to the heavy police presence. Uniformed officers walked around the place and in and out of the auction house. A line of police cars took up the entire stretch of street in front of the property.

The one person she looked for, she didn't find. She didn't see Brent. With each passing second, panic took greater hold of her. She didn't know whether he was alive or dead. She'd followed his instructions and found a phone to call the police.

One of the officers walking by did a double-take at Jessie's face. She hadn't seen the extent of her injuries in a mirror, nor did she care. Her face hurt. All over. From the top of her head to her throbbing eye and down to the nerve endings in her shoulders. Her ribs felt bruised and her arms sore too. The trauma to her face and chest she could deal with. Losing Brent, she couldn't. Not now. Not when she needed him the most. Each breath she took stung, but she watched with hawk eyes. She watched for him to appear safe and alive.

The front door to Whitaker's opened and she lurched forward a little. Detective Brennan walked out first. A tightness seized her throat. Brent wasn't anywhere in sight. She stood on her tip-toes and leaned to the side to try to get a better look. The detective walked towards her with purposeful steps and a grim face.

Jessie met him halfway. “Where's Brent?” she said in a rush.

He did not have to answer. The sight at the door stole her breath. Relief smacked her heart the second she saw Brent limp through the open door. He was hurt, she could see that much. He was bloodied and bruised, but on his feet.

The EMT at Brent's side helped him walk. Brent said something and the young man dropped his arm. Jessie assessed him with her eyes. One of his shoulders sagged. Blood streaked down his face. A nasty cut connected his right eye down to his nose. He looked at her.

The EMT tried to lead him towards the ambulance, but Brent refused to follow. Instead, he headed right for Jessie.

Detective Brennan stepped in between them. “Miss Cahill,” he said, getting in her way. “I need to talk to you. I need to take your statement.”

Before Jessie could answer, they all turned to watch a police officer escort Daniel out of Whitaker's. Daniel thrashed about and cussed out the officer. The officer merely reacted with bored interest and continued guiding him away from the house. For a split second, Daniel looked over at Jessie. His eyes flared. The corners of his lips curled. She cringed and looked away.

Next came Andrew, clad in handcuffs like Daniel with an officer at his side. He too, was walked over to one of the police cars.

“I'll be interested to hear what both men have to say,” Detective Brennan said with a slight grin. He turned back to Jessie. “I think you left out a few details when you came by the station earlier.”

“I know I did and I'm sorry.” she said. “What would you like to know?”

“The truth, Miss Cahill.”

“Where should I begin?”

“How long have you known Daniel Scott?”

“Less than a week.”

“How did you come to know him?”

“Through Brent.”

“When did you first meet Daniel?”

Their first meeting felt like months ago. Jessie thought back to the night she met him. “At my bachelorette party. The same night I learned about Melanie's attack. Daniel drove Brent and me to the hospital. I continued to see him throughout the week, through my interactions with Brent.”

“What about Jefferies Abbott? When did you first meet him?”

“At Salvador Alvarez's diamond and gemstone auction. I told you the truth about that at the station. I didn't see him again until earlier today. He approached me in the lobby of the Crowne Hotel.”

“You were in a public space, yet you didn't ask for help?”

“Mr. Abbott showed me a picture on his phone of Luke's three daughters, my nieces. He threatened to hurt them. I couldn't risk any harm to them. So I got in the car with Mr. Abbott. That's when I realized Daniel was involved. He and Andrew were in the car. They were waiting to take me here.”

“We now know that Andrew Wilhelm is the man you told us about at the police station. He's the guy you described in your sketch.”

“Did he cause her death? I know the doctors said it was natural causes, but I don't know what to think.”

“She died of causes related to the attack. We have good reason to believe Mr. Wilhelm got nowhere near her room. He didn't touch her at the hospital.”

“That's a relief.”

“I consider myself a smart man, yet there are parts of this investigation that do not make sense. Mr. Harrison alluded to some information about a diamond and a tiara. The very same diamonds stolen from Luke's home. Care to elaborate?”

Jessie glanced at Brent. He nodded. It was time for her to tell her side of the story. The whole story. Not a partial. There was nothing left to hide.

“It all started with my sister Melanie and a diamond,” she said. “A very pretty green diamond…”

Detective Brennan wrote down Jessie's account of what had happened since she found the diamond in her suitcase. By the time they finished, the police force presence was reduced to a few officers. The EMT drove the ambulance away. The property returned to a serene place of quiet with only the sound of the golden leaves rustling.

“What will happen to Daniel and Andrew?” Jessie said.

“They are being charged in the death of your sister, kidnapping, abduction, and conspiracy to commit murder.”

A chill rippled through Jessie.

“What about Jefferies?” Brent said.

“We don't want Mr. Abbott to get very far. We especially don't want him to slip out of the country. South Africa isn't exactly in my jurisdiction. My team and I will press Daniel and Andrew to try to get one of them to give us information about Jefferies' whereabouts. Maybe one of them will be in a more cooperative mood.” Detective Brennan grinned. “Maybe we'll get lucky. Jefferies can't be that far. He's on foot. And he's an accomplice to murder. My team will find him.”

Jessie shifted her gaze to Brent. “What happens to Brent's son?”

“If in fact Brent's son is with Jefferies, then we'll find him. Our priority is to locate Jefferies. Don't give up yet. My team knows what they are doing.” The cell phone clipped to his belt rang and Detective Brennan glanced at the number and said abruptly, “I have to take this. You're free to go.”

Jessie and Brent were left facing each other.

“I am going to find Jefferies,” Brent said under his breath. He started to extend his hand and he winced and pulled back.

“It sounds like the police have it under control. Maybe you should go to the hospital to get checked out.”

“There's no time.”

“What do you think about what Detective Brennan said? Do you think Jefferies actually has Gabe in the country?”

“That's the million dollar question.”

“Let's say Jefferies did bring him here and he'd planned to uphold his end of your agreement. Where would Jefferies hide a baby?”

Brent let out a long sigh. “Anywhere. Everywhere. The man has houses all over the world. He's got friends in every city. There's a lot of people capable and willing to help him.”

Jessie thought about all the places a man like Jefferies could hide. The possibilities were endless. She looked at Brent and put on a fearless face. It could be Jefferies never intended to bring Brent's son to the deal today. He could have left Gabriel home in South Africa, protected behind some huge mansion wall. And all of this would be for nothing. All the pain, the anxiety, and the stress would have amounted to nothing except empty fumes.

Without Gabriel, a part of Brent would always be lost. He'd always be searching and hoping to find him. There would always be that between them. The best thing she could do—the only thing really—was to free up his heart and let him go.

The goodbye they said early had been premature. This is where they parted indefinitely. She could feel it in her gut. This time it was for real.

She reached out her hand. “I love you, Brent Harrison.”

He accepted her hand. He molded his fingers around hers.

“I didn't mean to say that,” she stammered. “I meant to say goodbye.”

Brent crooked his finger under her chin. “I'll remember the way you looked when you fought for me.”

Now she just felt nervous and uncertain. She couldn't even manage a smile at her word blunder. “What will you do now?”

“I have to find my son.”

“I know.”

“Will I see you at the funeral?”

“No.”

They both knew he'd be halfway around the world.

“Goodbye,” she said.

“Goodbye,” he answered.

They turned their backs to each other and walked away.

Jessie didn't get far. Unfortunately, she had no car. She reached the sidewalk and turned right, down a shaded walkway in front of a row of houses.

The events of the day had left her weak and shaken. In Brent's absence, the police, and the miserable ordeal, she couldn't ignore the physical pain her body endured. Her face hurt. The tender line of her jaw felt ready to shatter. A headache bloomed at the base of her skull. The cut on her lip burned and a sharp pain radiated from her eye to the top of her head.

She followed the curve of the sidewalk through the neighborhood. It led her to a small park with a single wooden bench overlooking the bay. A playground empty of children and their mothers who would sit watching them on the lower slope of the grass.

A bench invited her like an old friend. She accepted. As she sat down, the worn wood carried her weight and she hugged her knees to her chest.

She looked out and took in the fall day, as if nothing out of the ordinary had taken place. She thought of her sister. Melanie had loved this time of year. She would love this view, Jessie imagined.

A dull ache spread through Jessie's heart. Her sister wouldn't see what Jessie could see now. Melanie didn't have eyes that could see or a heart that could beat. The future felt overwhelming and huge, like the waters of the bay in front of her. They stretched out and went on, without her. She would face tomorrow without her sister; and the day after, and the day after that. Whatever their relationship had become, Jessie hadn't been prepared for this. Good or bad; friends or enemies, that meant nothing now. Jessie would rather Melanie hate her and be alive somewhere than dead anywhere.