The Heart of Lies (5 page)

He turned back to his spreadsheets. “Here’s my calculations.” He tapped his finger on a column of numbers, watching Sully’s face for a reaction. “What do you think of that?”

“What exactly are we talking, Lucas?” Sully’s eyes lit up as his gaze hovered over the numbers.

“What if I sell you two of the three-hundred-thousand-dollar condos for two hundred each, then you can turn around and resell them for three hundred. That would give you a two-hundred-thousand-dollar profit. That should make a pretty sizeable dent in your hospital bills, wouldn’t it?”

“Sounds like a screaming deal. Only problem is I don’t have that kind of money to put down. Aren’t you asking for twenty-five percent?” Sully’s voice began to deflate.

“Yes.”

“That could be a problem.”

“I’d really hate to see you miss out on this opportunity, Sully, being Maggie’s brother and all. Is there any way you could borrow it from someone?” Lucas asked. “Or take an equity loan against your house?”

“I’ve already mortgaged my house to the hilt. I probably shouldn’t tell you this, but a few more bad months at the golf course I own and I may be in danger of losing that.”

“Maybe you could take it from the retirement account or something?”

“The retirement account? You mean the city’s or mine personally?” Sully’s eyebrow quirked with suspicion.

“I mean yours personally,” Lucas replied. The truth was, though, he didn’t really care which account it came from, as long as it came.
But since you mentioned the city retirement account…

“I don’t have that much in there anymore, not since my wife got sick.”

“Well then, since you brought up the city retirement account, perhaps you could borrow from it without anyone knowing. I could help you resell your condos quickly, even before they’re finished, and put the money back in. No one would be the wiser,” Lucas suggested, “and you’d make a tidy profit.”

If Sully got the money from city funds, it would actually give Lucas more leverage. He liked that.

“No, I couldn’t do that,” Sully said, shaking his head. “I’d be breaking the law and I could wind up in jail.”

“Not if you were careful and got the money back into the accounts before anyone noticed it was missing.” Lucas used a warm even tone, putting his hand on Sully’s shoulder. His studies in the art of persuasion over the years had taught him that placing a gentle but firm hand on someone’s shoulder created an atmosphere of confidence and care. Lucas gave a gentle pat, then shrugged his shoulders as if it didn’t matter to him. “It’s something to consider, Sully.”

Sully gazed at the artist’s conception of the beautiful condos once more and shook his head. “I don’t think I could do that,” he said in a small voice.

“Yes,” Lucas said, nodding his head rhythmically, “I think you can.”

Come on, stay with me, Sully.

“It would help you tremendously.” Lucas continued to nod. His hand still rested on Sully’s shoulder and he controlled his voice to sound warm and caring. Was he succeeding in turning him?

He sensed that if he pushed too hard at this point, Sully might put up his defenses, so he backed off. “You don’t need to decide right now. Take a day or two to make up your mind and let me know. Consider what it could mean for you, Sully,” Lucas began to gather up his presentation, “and your sweet wife, Carolyn.” He was hitting where Sully was most vulnerable—his wife.

Now play the fear-of-loss card.
“We have a presentation at the Hilton Hotel tomorrow night. I expect these condo units to sell out quickly, so let me know before then. I’m warning you, Sully, the window on this opportunity will be closing fast.”

“Okay.”

As Lucas stacked the papers, Sully was still eyeing the renderings, as if he was under their spell.

“I’ll let you know.”

Lucas slipped the spreadsheets into his briefcase, then slid the renderings into a large leather portfolio. “I wouldn’t have suggested this special deal to you if you weren’t Maggie’s brother. She means the world to me, Sully. She’s worried about you. So I’m just trying to be the good guy here and help you out. You understand that, don’t you?” Lucas nodded and tried to catch the mayor’s gaze, but he turned and walked back to his desk.

“I know,” Sully muttered. His eyes were lowered and he fidgeted, rearranging papers and pens on his desk. “I could really use that money—it’s just that I could get in a boatload of trouble if I got caught.”

“No pressure,” Lucas said evenly.
Now give him the I-know-what-you’re-going-through line.
“I know what it feels like to be drowning in debt, that’s why I’m offering you a lifeline, to help you get out from under it.”

“It is a tempting offer.” Sully sat down, still nervously moving a few more things around on his desk.

“Close your eyes, Sully.”

“What?” He looked at Lucas, noticeably surprised at the request.

“Work with me here, Sully.”

Sully rolled his eyes, then complied with Lucas’s request.

“Now imagine how free you’ll feel when you’ve taken your windfall and cleared your debts—gone, paid off, free,” Lucas chanted. “Go ahead, do it.”

With his eyes still shut, Sully leaned back in his leather chair and laced his hands across his stomach. He remained silent for a few moments. A smile spread across his face, then a rush of air escaped his lips as he released a long sigh.

“Feels pretty good, doesn’t it?” Lucas asked.

Sully opened his eyes and grinned widely at Lucas.

“Now remember that feeling. That’s what it’s going to feel like as soon as you sell those condos.”
Gotcha!

CHAPTER 5

Emily had tossed and turned throughout the night. She’d fought off a barrage of questions about Evan’s secret life that her subconscious had mercilessly thrown at her. Over and over in her mind, visions played out, possible scenarios, like a series of movies running in her head—spy movies, conspiracy theory movies, witness protection movies.

After several cups of coffee in the morning, she was wired and looking for a way to release her pent-up anxiety. Emily spent much of that day scrubbing and cleaning anything that got in her way. She tried to keep her mind focused on other things, working out her stress, but she kept returning to the old photo of Evan and the mystery woman, as well as the other suspicious finds in the secret safe deposit box.

Colin called her shortly before seven o’clock that evening—just checking in, he said.

She told him about her upcoming meeting with Isabel and her FBI friend and about her hopes for some real answers to who had killed Evan, and why.

“Sounds like an incredible opportunity, Emily. This Jethro character may open some new doors you haven’t had access to before.”

“I know.” She paced the bedroom floor in her bare feet. “I owe Isabel, but I’m going nuts just waiting for them to get here.”

“Just breathe, they’ll be there soon. Call me as soon as they leave—I want to hear everything.”

“I promise,” she agreed, resting against the edge of her bed. “I have a stakeout later tonight—”

“Corporate espionage?”

“Ha, ha. No. Another philandering husband, but I’ll call you as soon as I can. Maybe you can keep me company on the phone.”

“It’s a date. I so enjoy being near you, in your Bluetooth, I mean. Bye, love.” Colin hung up.

Bye, Colin.
She sighed.
I love you, too.

Emily checked her watch again and went to the living room window to peek out. No one yet. She paced from her living room to the kitchen and back as seven o’clock approached. Any minute, Isabel would be bringing the man she could only refer to as “Jethro” to her little bungalow for a hush-hush meeting. It all felt so clandestine. Emily knew a bit about clandestine actions, but this felt different somehow—it felt national, maybe even international—and it felt personal.

With a pair of black leather flats by the door, she was prepared to sling them on before letting her guests in. Dressed in jeans and a stretchy black top, she was more comfortable when her feet were bare, so she left her shoes for the last second.
What kind of impression would that make if I greeted this seasoned federal agent in my bare feet?
She figured Isabel would be mortified with embarrassment and she would owe her doubly.

To prepare for her meeting, she had set out a tray of cheese and crackers, with beer and wine chilling in the refrigerator. The infamous photo lay on the coffee table next to the food, along with a copy Jethro could take with him, if he chose to.

What else will Jethro want?
She tried to anticipate. Something with Evan’s fingerprints or DNA maybe.

Emily went to her bedroom and rifled through the top drawer of the highboy. Though she had packed away Evan’s things from the closet months ago, she still had not cleared out the top drawer of this chest. It was too intimate. He kept things like his brush, comb, and other personal items here. It was where he threw his keys, change from his pockets, and his wallet before coming to bed.

Lifting the brush out of the drawer by the bristles, she slid it into a new plastic baggie and took it to the living room to set it next to the photo.

As she set the brush down, the doorbell rang and Emily dashed to the door. She saw it was them through the small row of windows across the top and she opened it to welcome her guests.

“Hello,” she greeted. “Please, come in.”

Isabel stepped in first, followed by an older gentleman. His hair was an attractive silvery gray and he had eyes the color of black coffee. For a man in his early sixties, he had kept his body in good shape. Emily gave Isabel a quick hug and offered her hand to Jethro.

“It’s so nice to meet you,” Emily said. “I appreciate your coming, more than you know. I’m sure Isabel has told you—”

She noticed he was looking down at her feet.

“Would you like us to remove our shoes?”

Emily looked at him, then to Isabel, as her cheeks flushed red. She had forgotten to slip her flats on as planned.

Isabel glared disapprovingly at her.

“Oh, please, no. I just forgot to put mine on.” She turned to slip them on.

“Don’t put them on, on my account. I’m just a country boy. I’d go around barefoot all the time if I could.” He chuckled and Isabel relaxed.

“That’s kind of you to say,” Emily responded. “Let’s go in the living room.”

Isabel led the way and motioned to the sofa.

“Can I get you something to drink? I have Dr. Pepper, beer, and wine.”

“I’ll take a beer,” Jethro replied.

Isabel asked for a small glass of wine.

Emily hurried to the kitchen and brought the drinks back, finding Jethro already studying the photo.

“Either of them look familiar to you?” Emily asked, kneeling on the floor next to the table.

“He does look vaguely familiar,” Jethro noted. “I can’t say exactly how I know him just yet. I’m flying back to DC next week. I can take the photo and ask a few long-timers if they know him.”

“I’d appreciate it,” Emily said.

“I wonder where this was taken.” He held the photo at arm’s length, scrutinizing. “The building in the background looks very old—like Europe somewhere.”

“Funny, I thought that, too,” Emily agreed. “What about the woman?”

“No, I don’t think I’ve ever seen her. She’s a looker, I’d remember.” He smiled as he held the photo closer. “Yeah, she’s a beauty. Reminds me of my third wife.”

“Your third wife? How many times have you been married?” Isabel asked with a chuckle.

“Four—well, no, five if you count Lola. I married her in Vegas one night when I got real drunk. I was working undercover, getting close to a mob guy. He was having a big party and I had to keep up with him so I didn’t blow my cover. Lola was one of the girls at the party and we connected somehow. Woke up the next morning married, but we had it annulled a few weeks later.”

Emily’s eyes widened as he spoke, her gaze shooting to the beer in his hand.

He followed her gaze. “Don’t worry, I don’t have a drinking problem. That was in my early days, before I learned some tricks to only look like I was drinking.”

Both Emily and Isabel sighed in relief.

“If we could run Evan’s fingerprints or DNA, maybe that would help to identify him,” Jethro suggested.

“I had the same idea, so I put his hairbrush in a baggie. I was careful not to touch it and smudge his prints.”

“Good thinking.” Jethro tucked the baggie in his coat pocket. “I’m not promising anything, but I’m happy to check with my friends at the CIA, see what I can turn up. Maybe the FBI had him in witness protection or something, too. Did you consider that? Fits the facts.”

Emily ran her fingers through her hair as she sat cross-legged on the floor. “Could be.”

After a few more minutes of playing
what-ifs
, Jethro stood, so Isabel and Emily followed suit.

“You have no idea how much it would mean to me to finally know the truth,” Emily said, facing the retired federal agent.