Wrong Place, Wrong Time (41 page)

Vista’s pride vanished, supplanted by fear. “I haven’t hurt anyone.”

“I’d call using desperate illegal aliens as human guinea pigs a major violation of medical ethics, not to mention a criminal act.” Monty tapped his fingers together thoughtfully. “Did you help plan Frederick’s murder? Or just Philip Rhodes’s?”

“Neither!” Vista’s voice shot up as he took Monty’s bait. “Until the police dragged me over here, I had no idea my research was tied to those murders. I would never get mixed up in taking a human life.”

Monty wasn’t ready to drop the subject. “To your knowledge, was Edward part of his wife’s plan? Or did he only jump in afterward, to do damage control?”

“I don’t know.”

“What about James?”

Vista blew out a breath. “I never can tell what James doesn’t know and what he doesn’t
want
to know. He was aware of the research I was conducting. That much I’m sure of. It’s
all
I’m sure of.”

“Anything else?”

“No.” Under Monty’s rapid fire and blazing glare, Vista began sweating profusely. “I swear I’m telling the truth.”

Before Monty could respond, James Pierson appeared in the doorway, escorted by Tompkins. His face was haggard, his hair damp and clinging to his neck. Tension creased his forehead, and his skin was ashen. He looked beaten, as if he’d fought a painful war and lost.

“Can I talk to you?” he asked Monty bluntly.

“Sure. Join the party.” Monty waved him in.

“No. Alone.” James’s jaw set.

Monty considered the offer, exchanging a quick glance with Deputy Tompkins. “We have time to kill before Ms. Chambers gets here,” he said. “Any problem if I meet with Golden Boy for a few minutes?”

Tompkins’s lips quirked at Monty’s reference to James. “No problem. I’ll stand outside the door.”

“I’ll take Dr. Vista back,” Kearney said, gesturing for Vista to accompany him. “We’ll be in the living room with the others.”

Devon watched them go, hanging back for a minute.

“Go ahead, Dev,” Monty instructed. “It’ll be easier if James and I talk one-on-one.”

She nodded, following the others to the door.

James caught her arm as she passed. “I’m not a killer, Devon,” he said, his panicky gaze on her face. “You must realize that.”

“I do,” she agreed. “You’re not a killer. Just a coward, a felon, and a spoiled, self-centered son of a bitch.”

He flinched, releasing her arm and letting her leave.

“I guess you expected Devon to be an ally,” Monty commented when they were alone. “Think again. She’s got a core of steel when it comes to her family.”

“I understand.” James swallowed. “I don’t know what Vista told you, but I can give you a lot more. But it has to be off the record. No cops, no tapes, no notes.”

“In other words, you want to be able to deny having said any of it.”

“For the time being, yes. Look, I can’t go to jail. It’s that simple. Until I figure out the best way to accomplish that, I’m keeping my options open. So, do you want to hear what I have to say or not?”

Monty folded his arms across his chest in a formidable stance. “I’m listening.”

James sank down into a chair. “I didn’t know any part of what I’m about to tell you until a few hours ago, when I walked into this room and saw my grandmother pointing a gun at you. I was as stunned as you were.”

“Yeah.” Monty nodded. “That much I believe.”

Stark relief registered on James’s face, and inspired him to continue. “My grandfather was very shaky when I settled him in. He needed to talk. The more he said, the sicker I felt. He told me my grandmother was responsible for what happened at the cabin in Lake Luzerne. She knew what your ex-wife had overheard between Frederick and my grandfather at the stables. She was hell-bent on preventing her from ruining things. So she hired one of Vista’s illegals — some guy with a criminal background — to kill Sally. The plan backfired. Frederick came face-to-face with the guy and wound up dead instead. My grandmother promised to pay the guy fifty thousand dollars and gave him a one-way plane ticket to Uruguay. He was supposed to vanish into the woodwork.”

“Your grandfather had no part in this?”

“Nope. Not until afterward, when my grandmother confided in him. He’s been protecting her from the get-go. He was desperate to flush out your ex-wife so he could hand her a blank check and put the whole fiasco to bed. He hired that guy Carlos, who’d done some electrical work and who spoke English. My grandfather paid him to keep tabs on Devon and to bug her phone, just in case she had any contact with her mother.”

“But your grandmother wasn’t satisfied,” Monty surmised.

James nodded grimly. “She didn’t think my grandfather was being aggressive enough. She thought it was naive to assume your ex-wife could be bought off. She was also worried about all the poking around Devon was doing. Apparently, she was outside this door, listening, when Blake confronted my grandfather and told him how much Devon knew. My grandmother wanted her stopped. So she delivered that threatening note, warning Devon to back off. When that didn’t work, she resorted to kidnapping.”

“And attempted murder.”

“Yeah. That, too.”

“What about Philip Rhodes?” Monty pressed. “Your grandmother took care of his murder herself. She announced that while she held us at gunpoint.”

“I know.” James rubbed the back of his neck. “It seems that Philip dug up the information documenting those funds my grandfather used for his payoffs.”

“
His
payoffs?” Monty interrupted, his brows arching dubiously.

“Okay, fine,
our
payoffs.” James gave an impatient, and defensive, wave of his hand. “Look, Detective, I never claimed to be an altar boy. Sure, I greased a few palms along the way. I was also in on the ongoing arrangement with Paterson involving the Antidoping Agency’s drug-testing schedule.”

“And, in the process, you drugged a few riders.”

“Yeah, that, too. You want the rest of my list of transgressions? I helped my grandfather fabricate the extortion scheme to throw you off track. I knew about Dr. Vista’s research. Hell, I applauded it. Why wouldn’t I, realizing how much it would benefit my future? And I left this room when you, Meredith, and your ex-wife were being held at gunpoint — although I deluded myself into believing my grandmother would let you go. So there you have it — the beginning and the end of my culpability. You can argue that any of it’s criminal. But none of it’s murder. Not even close.”

Monty didn’t comment. Instead, he asked, “What about the payments to Uruguay?”

“What about them? I assumed they all related to Vista’s research. It never occurred to me that a portion of it was payment to a hit man, if that’s what you’re asking.”

“All right. Let’s get back to Philip Rhodes.”

James blew out a breath. “After finding that spreadsheet and poring over it, Phil called my grandfather. He meant to have it out with him.”

“But your grandmother intercepted the call.”

“Right. She told Philip she’d give my grandfather the message that he’d called and urgently needed to speak with him. She never did. Instead, she went to the office, shot Rhodes, and typed up the suicide note.” James swallowed, shaking his head in appalled shock. “I’m saying all this, but I still can’t believe it. My grandmother…anyway, that’s what happened.”

Monty absorbed all that in silence, intentionally keeping the tension high.

“Now what?” James demanded.

“Now, nothing.” Monty shrugged. “As long as this is off-the-record, there’s not a damned thing I can do for you. Want my advice? Come clean. It can only help you. Your grandparents will get off easy. They’re elderly. They’ll win the sympathy vote. You won’t. If you’re implicated in these homicides — especially killing your own uncle — you’ll wind up being somebody’s bitch in jail.”

“You’re right.” James shuddered, dragging a palm over his jaw.

“The evidence will support what you and Vista each told me. Do the right thing — you’ll be doing everyone a favor.”

At that moment, there was a commotion outside the door, and Louise Chambers burst in.

“James, don’t say another word,” she ordered, staring grimly from him to Monty and back.

Monty straightened, the stare he leveled at Louise coolly detached. “Not to worry, Ms. Chambers. Your client and I are finished.” He crossed over, stopping in front of James. “Think about what I said. Any way you slice it, the good doctor won’t be winning the Nobel Prize, and you won’t be winning gold at the Beijing Olympics.”

Devon pulled the prime rib out of the oven, took off her oven mitts, and stepped back to admire her handiwork. She might not cook often, but when she did, she did a damned fine job. Whether or not it was enough to best Blake’s salmon remained to be seen. But the ten pound beauty in front of her faced a challenge that Blake’s salmon hadn’t. It had to feed all the Montgomerys
and
Blake.

Terror barked, scratching eagerly at her legs to ensure that his name was added to the guest list.

“You don’t need to remind me you’re here,” Devon told him. “I know. Besides, there’s more than enough. But just to be on the safe side, I’ll put your portion aside. Okay?”

He yipped his approval, then rushed off as the front door slammed.

“It’s me,” Lane called out, making his way to the kitchen. “I didn’t miss dinner, did I?”

“Nope,” Devon assured him as he gave an appreciative sniff. “You’re right on time.” She checked on her scalloped potatoes, added some spices, and put them back to simmer. “Are you really leaving tomorrow?” she asked her brother.

“For the fifth time, yes.” He leaned past her and swiped a slice of tomato off the salad.

Devon slapped his hand. “You could sound a little unhappy about it. You just enjoyed a three-week reunion with us. I thought you’d be a little ambivalent about flying three thousand miles away.”

Lane licked his fingers, his expression remaining nondescript. “I would be. If it wasn’t for the move.”

“What move?” Devon demanded.

“The one to New York.” He grinned as Devon’s jaw dropped. “I just finalized a book deal with Time-Life. They’re publishing a compilation of my photo essays on survivors of natural disasters. Besides, I’ve had enough sun and sand. So I’m moving back east in three weeks.”

Devon let out a shriek and threw her arms around him. “You miserable creep. Why didn’t you tell me?”

“What, and ruin the fun of torturing you? Nah.”

“Does the family know?”

“Mom and Dad do. I went up to Mom’s place today and told them.”

Devon smiled as she pictured that announcement. “They must have been thrilled.”

“Actually, they were caught off guard. But
you’re
going to be thrilled.”

A puzzled shrug. “You lost me.”

Lane plucked out an olive and munched on it. “Let’s say I dropped by at an inopportune time.”

Devon stared. “You didn’t.”

“Oh yeah, I did. Mom was in the bedroom, indisposed. Monty was in the kitchen, wearing a towel and throwing together some breakfast in bed. We collided in the hall.”

Stifling her laughter, Devon caught her lower lip between her teeth. “I don’t know who I feel sorriest for.”

“Me,” Lane supplied. “I waited for them in the living room like a kid who’d gotten caught with his hand in the cookie jar. Mom finally came out in a bathrobe. She couldn’t look me in the eye for ten minutes. All she did was blush. And Monty — his jaw was clenched so tightly, I half expected him to pull out his Glock and blow me away.”

“So what did you do?”

Lane gave her a crooked grin. “
Now’s
the part where you’ll be thrilled. I told Monty he’d better make an honest woman out of Mom. He told me that was the plan.”

“Really?” Devon gripped her brother’s arms. “He said those exact words?”

“Sure did,” Monty confirmed, strolling in out of nowhere and snatching an artichoke off the salad. “And I meant them. Now all I need is a little time — and some privacy — to convince your mother.” He rolled his eyes, chomping on the artichoke. “And here I thought only little kids interrupted their parents at the wrong time and that grown-up kids had more smarts. Guess I was wrong. By the way, Dev, do a better job of locking your front door. Anyone could walk in.”

“Thanks for the tip,” she replied, fighting the urge to cheer. “I will.”

Monty sniffed. “Smells good. Your mother and I are starved. Oh, and cut the conversation. Our relationship is off-limits — the same way all of yours are. You know, what’s good for the goose is good for the gander, and all that. Besides, it wouldn’t hurt to show your parents a little respect.” Whistling, he left the room.

Devon and Lane stared at each other and cracked up.

“We’re going to get a ton of mileage out of this one,” Devon gasped out, her shoulders shaking with laughter. “I don’t care how cavalier Monty’s pretending to be. He’ll move heaven and earth not to upset Mom during this courting stage. He knows how easily she embarrasses. The last thing he needs is for us to make sexual innuendos. He’ll be on his best behavior. For a while, anyway.”

“Damn straight,” Lane agreed. “That means no snide remarks about the women in my life having to take a number. And no sentry duty for you to face after spending a night with Blake.” Abruptly, Lane paused, a glint lighting his eyes.

“Uh-oh, I know that look.”

“You sure do.” A corner of his mouth lifted in a smug grin. “Like you said, this reprieve won’t last long. Especially since it’ll take Monty about a New York minute to convince Mom to remarry him. After that, it’ll be bye-bye leverage. We’d better strike now, while the iron’s hot.”

“You’ve got a suggestion about the best way to cash in our chips?”

“Not a suggestion. A brainstorm.”

From out in the foyer, Merry’s voice drifted in, mingling with her parents’. At the same time, the doorbell sounded, followed by a flurry of footsteps and three sets of barking — one deep, two slightly higher, but no less forceful.

“Chomper’s here,” Devon determined. “That’s his, Terror’s, and Scamp’s idea of saying hello and competing for the role of alpha male.”