Notorious (33 page)

“A good lawyer might get her off. The police have one solid piece of evidence against her. She had a copy of Carrie Voss’s ultrasound. Framed, behind her wedding picture, in her office.”+t3, includ

“How did they find that?”

“Grandmother, I set it all up. I called Nick last night and arranged for him to be in the house listening. They already had the search warrant, so they had every right to be there. I told you to tell Caitlin about it because I wanted her to come and try to remove the evidence.”

“I don’t understand.”

“I used you.”

Eleanor didn’t say anything for a long minute. “Why didn’t you simply tell me the truth?”

“I didn’t know if you would agree to set up Caitlin for the police.”

The door burst open and William stood there. He looked … defeated.

“How could you?” he said to Max.

“I couldn’t let you go to jail for Lindy’s murder.”

“You destroyed my family!”

“Caitlin killed three people and planned to frame you.”

“She wouldn’t. It’s—it’s just not right.”

“You’re not thinking straight.”

“What am I going to tell my boys?”

Max went to William, put her hands on his shoulders. “You are going to man up and be a great father. Tyler and Talbot have Grandmother, they have you, they have a solid family who loves them.”

He shook his head and brushed off her hands. “Maxine, I don’t know what to do.” Tears coated his eyes. “My boys—they’re motherless. Wasn’t there another way?”

“Caitlin made her choice a long time ago. You can’t condone what she did then, what she did only a few months ago.”

“No. No, I can’t. But—there had to be a better way than yours.”

Eleanor went to William and said, “You are strong. You will survive this. The boys are in the playroom. Go see them.”

He nodded and left.

Max wanted to go after him, to try and explain herself, but she knew it would be fruitless. At least for now.

Her grandmother said, “You’ve chosen a very difficult path.”

“Maybe I didn’t choose it,” Max said quietly.

“I don’t believe that. We all make choices and must live with them.”

“I couldn’t let Caitlin get away with murder. She destroyed so many lives. She impacted everyone. Andy isn’t getting out of this unscathed. I doubt he’ll do jail time, but he should. He has his reputation, and that is damaged. His friendship with William—he thought William was a killer. Had he not intervened, there may have been evidence pointing at Caitlin.”

“And I wouldn’t have two precious grandsons.”

“You cannot believe that she should walk away from this!”

Her grandmother sat down wearily. “No. She shouldn’t. She is ill.”

“She’s not insane.”

“She might as well be.”

Max knew exactly what her grandmother was going to do. “You’re going to have her committed. It’s not easy to get the court to accept an shook his head. “hee3insanity plea.”

“Do you doubt me?”

Max thought about the disappearance of William’s ticket. About all the things Eleanor had done through the years to protect the family.

“No, Grandmother, I do not doubt you.”

“It is best for everyone—for William, for the boys, for the family—that Caitlin is in a sanitarium for the rest of her life.”

“Grandmother, I need you to believe me. I didn’t do any of this to hurt you or the family.”

“Some secrets are necessary. It’s better that the past stays in the past.”

Max asked the question she’d been wondering since she realized that the postcards Faith received had been forged. She couldn’t help but think about the birthday cards from her mother that stopped on her sixteenth birthday. What if something happened to her mother the day she left town, like what happened to Carrie?

“Do you know where my mother is?”

“No.”

“Would you tell me if you did?”

Eleanor didn’t answer that question. Instead, she said, “Martha was always wild. James called her a free spirit and doted on her. I saw her—I see everyone—for who they are. I assess how I can protect them from themselves and protect the family from their actions. Martha was selfish. She wanted what she wanted when she wanted it. She was irresponsible with her wealth, irresponsible with her body, and irresponsible with her relationships. I don’t know where she is, and I never looked for her. I didn’t want to know.”

“Why? I’ve been looking for her for years!”

“I know.”

“Have you been working to stop me? To thwart me?”

“Of course not.”

“I don’t know that I can believe you.”

“Believe this: I don’t approve of everything you do, but you are my granddaughter.” “You are my granddaughter” was Eleanor’s way of saying “I love you.” “You were wild, but in a different way than your mother. You’re much smarter than she ever was. You have common sense. You’re responsible with your wealth and generous with your philanthropic duty. I respect you in ways I can’t say I do of William and the others. But you will never be happy if you think the truth is the key to peace. On the contrary, the truth is dangerous. Whatever truth you’re looking for, you will be hurt. And it pains me that I can’t protect you from the damage, I can’t protect William from his coming trials, or from his weakness for women. Your chosen path has filled you with an emptiness that grows with each day. I’m just relieved that my James isn’t here to watch our family suffer.”

*   *   *

Max went back to her hotel with a heavy heart. David, thankfully, understood that she needed to be alone, and he went to his room.

She didn’t regret exposing Caitlin; justice had to be served.

id="TI1GA">It didn’t make it fun or satisfying. She kept thinking of her cousins, and it left her feeling empty inside.

All she wanted was to go home. To her apartment in New York City. To the trials and cold cases she didn’t have a personal stake in. Where the truth didn’t hur+’ou>t her heart.

She had a completely new perspectple she helped. She didn’t regret anything that she’d done, but she looked on the families, the victims, the survivors with an empathy she hadn’t had before. She didn’t know if this insight would make her a better investigative reporter, or if her emotions would cloud her judgment. Or worse, make her hurt like she did right now.

She unlocked her door and was stunned to see Nick Santini sitting on her couch.

“Breaking and entering?” she said.

He held up a key. “You gave it to me when I stayed the other night. To make sure you didn’t lapse into a coma.” He smiled. As he watched her, he lost his humor. “What happened?”

“Family.” She shook her head. She really didn’t want to talk about it, but she added, “I came here and set off a bomb, but I’m not staying around for the cleanup.”

“It’s pretty messy out there,” he said.

She didn’t know why, but she thought she might get a little more sympathy from him. She put her things down on her desk, averting her eyes. She was so tired and weary. “I need to go home.”

He stood behind her and placed his hands on her shoulders. “Max, I wasn’t laying blame. It’s messy for your family, it’s messy for law enforcement, and I’m pretty certain the district attorney is sitting in a fallout shelter just waiting to wade in. But it couldn’t be avoided.”

“I keep thinking about my cousins.”

“You were really stupid,” he said.

“You said that already.”

“And brave. When I saw you swing up to the roof of the SUV, all I could think was that Wonder Woman’s real name is Maxine Revere.”

She laughed. The first chuckle in days. “I wasn’t thinking. I just acted.”

“I would have done the same thing.”

aid="TI1GQ">“If you didn’t have a gun to shoot out the tires…” She hesitated, then said, “Off the record—”

He turned her around and smiled. “Shouldn’t I be saying that to you?”

She conceded the point with a tilt of her head. “Caitlin is going to push for an insanity plea. And myan make it happen. Don’t doubt that.”

“We’ll see.”

He didn’t believe Eleanor Sterling Revere could do it, but Max did. This was family. Eleanor would pay anyone and call in any favor to make it happen so Tyler and Talbot didn’t grow up with a mother in prison. Better to be insane than calculating.

“William isn’t going to forgive me.”

“Give him time. He can’t possibly have absorbed everything yet. He’ll work through it. Especially when he learns that you saved his sons.”

“Surprisingly, my grandmother didn’t disown me. Instead, she told me, in her own way, that she loves me. And that I have an empty life which will lead me to suffer greatly, and it’s a bed of my own choosing.”

“You don’t believe that.”

“She’s partly right.”

“Your life is not empty. After I turned Caitlin over shook his head. “hee3 to the jail, I went to tell the Hoffman family that we have Jason’s killer in custody. They have peace knowing what happened. Yes, it would be better if he were alive, but I wouldn’t be a cop if I didn’t think that bringing criminals to justice wasn’t a worthy goal. If I can’t stop them, I’m sure as hell going to punish them.”

She sighed. Spoken like a true cop. She just wished there was something more she could do, something to make it right.

Nick said, “We’re not going to agree all the time, but you earned grandmother c

otorious

Acknowledgments

After twenty 9;m lucky and blessed to have a core group of experts who consistently help me get the details right. If there are any inaccuracies, they are my fault alone.

I was born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area, in a small town called San Carlos. Much of what I have included is based on my memories, both from my childhood and my repeated trips home to visit friends and family. But this is fiction, so please forgive any liberties I may have taken—or faulty memory.

A special thanks to FBI Special Agent Steve Dupre, who has always made himself available to answer even the most arcane questions I have. I particularly need to thank Steve and SWAT Senior Team Leader SA Brian Jones for allowing me to participate in numerous training scenarios with access to a broad group of law enforcement.

Dr. D. P. Lyle, fellow author, who has the patience of a saint and the devious mind of … well, let’s just say he’s one of my favorite people to consult for forensic details.

My good friend, author Toni McGee Causey, is one of the few people I trust with my very rough drafts. Her sound, practical advice on the earliest chapters of this book helped make Max a stronger character.

My editor, Kelley Ragland, and the entire Minotaur team have been amazing to work with, and I feel truly blessed to be part of their family. Kelley’s editorial guidance was spot on, and her assistant Elizabeth Lacks juggles many balls with good humor and patience. Thanks also to Andy Martin and Matthew Shear who brought me into the fold and have been consistently supportive and enthusiastic.

I especially want to thank my agent, Dan Conaway. Three years ago I pitched this story to him when all I had was a basic premise involving an investigative crime reporter named Max Revere. He+heg questions.” said, “I love the idea. But what if Max was a girl?” Everything then cambooks, Iȁ