Dark of the Night Read online

  “Insurance. I thought someday I might need it. Looks like I was right.”

  “So you gave it to Mahoney because you were angry at me?”

  “No. I gave it to him because I thought if he found out the truth, you’d turn to me.”

  “What in hell would make you think that?” His voice reverberated against the storm.

  She sighed and sat down, nervously lacing her fingers together. “I saw Leon push Caroline from the balcony, Carter. And I thought—I hoped—that once that little fact came to light, Leon would be out of our lives forever.”

  “And I’d lose the election.”

  She shrugged. “I guess part of me hoped that would be the case.”

  “Then what?” His face was impossible to read, his voice back under tight control. “We’d ride off into the sunset and live happily ever after?”

  “Something like that.” Right here, right now, it seemed like a stupid idea. “I really believed if I could get Leon out of our lives, things would be better for us.”

  “Jesus, Maudeen, do you have any idea at all what you’ve done?”

  She stood up, tired of him towering over her. “I did what I thought was best. I held onto this secret for twenty years, Carter. And I did it for you. For you. Can you understand that? I wanted you to succeed.”

  “As long as you were by my side.”

  “Is that so much to ask? I’ve given you everything, Carter. My life, my love, everything. All I ever wanted in return was for you to love me. I wanted the full deal, Carter. I wanted you all of the time, day in, day out. No subterfuge, and no Leon breathing down our back.”

  “Leon wants what’s best for me.”

  “Leon wants what’s best for Leon, Carter. He killed your daughter, for God’s sake. How in hell was that good for you?”

  “It was an accident, Maudeen. The railing broke. I don’t know what you think you saw, but it was an accident.”

  “My ass. Leon pushed her, Carter. I know what I saw.”

  “You don’t know anything, Maudeen.” Her heart leaped to her throat, making breathing impossible. Leon strode into the room, his gaze fixed on her, his eyes glittering with malice. “Except how to cause trouble. But believe me, it’ll take a hell of a lot more than you to bring us down.”

  Lightning and thunder crashed simultaneously, the entire house reverberating from the impact, and everything went black.

  Chapter 27

  LIGHTNING STREAKED THROUGH the sky, illuminating the wildly gyrating trees. Rain lashed almost vertically, and Riley ran for the front door, holding her jacket over her head, managing to get soaked anyway.

  Leon’s car was out front, but she hadn’t seen her father’s. Odds were he’d parked out back. She fumbled with the door handle, feeling the whole house tremble in the wake of a violent clap of thunder. The storm was in full fury.

  Stepping into the foyer, she hung up her jacket and shook the rain out of her hair, grateful to be somewhere warm and dry. And dark.

  She frowned, wondering why the lights were off. Then shook her head, remembering that it was Adelaide’s day off. No doubt her father and Leon were cloistered somewhere and hadn’t realized how dark it had gotten. She reached for the light switch. Nothing.

  Obviously, the storm had knocked out the electricity. She reached into the pocket of her jacket to retrieve the photograph, a flash of lightning briefly illuminating her sister’s face. She looked so young, her whole life in front of her. And yet she’d had so little time left to live.

  Sighing, Riley turned her thoughts to her father. She’d rehearsed what she wanted to say all the way home, but standing here in the foyer of Rivercrest, she suddenly lost her nerve. Her father wasn’t going to understand Caroline’s relationship with Bryce, and he wouldn’t understand why Caroline hadn’t told him.

  And even worse, he wasn’t going to understand why she’d trusted Jake Mahoney with the information and not him.

  Riley frowned, wishing things were different. Wishing her father were different. She knew without a doubt that he would never approve of her relationship with Jake. And if he thought Jake was off limits, she could only imagine what he would have had to say about Bryce Daniels.

  But it didn’t matter. No matter how angry he was, he had the right to know. Besides, someone out there was killing people. Whatever this was all about, it was deadly. And maybe her father could help them figure out who was behind everything. And more important, why all of this had been necessary. The framing, the cover-up, the murders.

  Somewhere in the tangle of facts and suppositions, there had to be answers, or at least the key to find them. And it was worth risking her father’s wrath to find that. Wasn’t it?

  She shivered as a brilliant flash of lightning cut through the entry hall, and she wished suddenly that she’d been able to reach Jake. It would be easier if he were here. Thunder followed the flash, the rumble oddly comforting, predictable. She shook her head, firming her resolve. This was something she needed to do on her own.

  She started up the stairs, lightning flickering again, thunder shaking the house. Mother Nature augmenting her sentiments. If she were honest, she’d admit that telling her father about Caroline wasn’t really the worst of her fears—although she certainly didn’t relish the idea. No. What really scared her was the prospect of telling him about Jake.

  She reached the landing, almost convincing herself to abandon the entire plan. But thoughts of Bryce Daniels and Amber Northcott spurred her on. She turned into the corridor leading to her father’s study, the only illumination intense bursts of lightning coming through the hallway windows.

  White light.

  She froze, terror blossoming from somewhere deep inside, everything suddenly frighteningly familiar. The hallway, the light—everything. White on black.

  The stu f of her nightmares.

  Panic threatened to engulf her, and she fought for breath, forcing herself to take a step forward. There was something in facing her fears. Right? And besides this wasn’t a nightmare, it was a storm. And the lights were out. Nothing terrorizing in that.

  Lightning slashed down the hallway, cutting through the darkness, and Riley steeled herself, heart pounding. What she wouldn’t give for Mr. McKafferty. She blew out a breath. There was nothing to be afraid of.

  Nothing.

  She repeated the thought over and over, letting the rhythm of her litany carry her forward. One step, two . . . a clap of thunder rattled the windows, the rain audible as it lashed against the glass.

  Just like last time.

  She frowned, wondering where the thought had come from. There’d been no last time. Except in her head. She walked forward again, faster now. The windows at the end of the hall glowed eerily in the flicker of lightning, French doors rattling ominously in the wind.

  She cringed, lifting her hands, ducking her head, waiting for the glass to explode. Eyes closed, she still heard the wind, saw the doors burst open, windows shattering, glass flying everywhere. And in that moment, the lightning split the night, illuminating someone standing on the balcony.

  Caroline.

  She was seeing Caroline.

  Heart still pounding, she realized her eyes were still closed, and slowly she opened them. Wind whistled outside the house, an undernote to the battering rain. But the doors at the end of the corridor were closed, the glass intact, the balcony beyond—empty.

  With a hand pressed to her chest, Riley tried to pull air into her lungs, to manually stem the tide of her racing heart.

  She’d been there—the night Caroline died—she’d been there.

  Her nightmare was based on memory.

  She frowned, eyes still locked on the closed doors. There was more. She could feel it. There was something else to remember. Something that her mind had shoved deep into her subconscious.

  She fought against her fear, against the knowledge that she might have seen her sister die. Maybe it hadn’t been a memory at all. Maybe it had just been a trick of her imaginati
on, the storm resembling her nightmare. She stared into the dark, willing herself to remember something, anything. But there was nothing. Nothing except the sound of rain and the flicker of lightning.

  She took another step forward, jumping when light suddenly flooded out of the open door to her father’s study, cutting a swath across the hallway. She blinked, her eyes struggling to adjust to the brightness.

  Something tugged at her memory but was gone before she could identify it. She closed her eyes, concentrating, trying to remember. She saw the doors fly open, and saw Caroline, and then . . .

  She shook her head. There was nothing there. Whatever she’d seen was lost in time. She rubbed her temples, and stepped into the little alcove outside the study. She needed a moment to bolster her courage, praying that her father would understand everything she’d done. Why she hadn’t told him about Caroline. Why she’d stayed with Jake when he’d forbidden it. Why she’d lied to him.

  She’d betrayed her father just as surely as if she’d plotted against him. They were a team—a family. And he’d deserved better from her. But she was going to set it right. Tell him everything. She loved Jake in the same way Caroline had loved Bryce. And if her father loved her as much as he claimed he did, then surely he’d understand.

  The wind rattled the French doors, the past threatening to break into the house and overwhelm them all. She needed her father. And he needed her. Together they could face whatever happened. She started to step out of the alcove, but froze, as angry voices echoed across the hall. The words clear.

  Leon and her father. And Maudeen. She’d forgotten how well you could hear from the alcove. Some anomaly in construction. As a kid, she and Caroline used to hide here and listen to her mother and father.

  She chewed on her bottom lip, trying to decide what to do. She should go. Come back when her father was alone. But Leon’s voice stopped her cold.

  They were talking about Jake.

  “I asked you how much Mahoney knows!” Leon’s voice was harsh, angry.

  “I don’t know.” Maudeen glared at Leon, grateful for the electricity. With only lightning for illumination, he had looked positively demonic. “Not much, or we’d have seen it splashed all over the paper.”

  “He could be biding his time. We shouldn’t make the mistake of underestimating the man.” Carter seemed unaware of the tension flying between her and Leon. Or maybe he was just ignoring it. Either way, Maudeen felt deserted, and very much alone.

  “I told you that a long time ago. But it seems, at the moment, Mahoney isn’t our biggest threat.” Leon met Maudeen’s eyes, the animosity reflected there making her shiver.

  “Maudeen won’t say anything.” Carter smiled at her, his voice patronizing. He was so certain of her. If she hadn’t been so frightened, it would have been a pleasure to wipe the self-satisfied smirk right off his face.

  “I think she’s already said too much. Thanks to her, the entire campaign is in jeopardy.”

  Anger flooded through her, making her careless. “I hardly think I’m the one that put this campaign in jeopardy, Leon. I’d say that honor resides solidly with you. I didn’t kill anyone.”

  “And neither did I, my dear.” He smiled, his eyes still bitterly cold, the combined effect frightening. “I’m afraid it’s your word against mine.”

  She looked to Carter for support, but he was watching Leon, his expression guarded. So much for help from the gallery. She turned her attention back to her nemesis. “I know what I saw, Leon.”

  “Come now, Maudeen, the game’s been won. And by a better man than you. Why don’t you call it a day. In the long run, I promise you’ll live longer.”

  Her knees threatened to buckle and she fought for control. “Is that a threat?”

  Leon smiled again. “More a friendly word of advice.”

  “It’s out of my control, Leon.”

  “Well, I suggest you get it back in control. As you are well aware, I’m quite capable of causing little accidents. And it would be a shame for something to happen to you, now wouldn’t it?”

  “You’d best listen to him, Maudeen,” Carter said. “There’s more at stake than you understand.”

  “Oh, I think I understand just fine. You’ve made a pact with the devil. Anything for the presidency. Your daughter. Your wife. Even me.” She met Carter’s eyes, pleading with him to say something to refute what she was implying. But he only shrugged, his eyes sad, his loyalty obviously with Leon.

  And in that moment, Maudeen felt her heart shrivel up and die.

  With nothing left to lose, she lifted her head, eyes locking with Leon’s. “I might have an accident, but that won’t be the end of your problems, Leon. You see, I’m not the only one who saw you.”

  Riley stuffed her fist in her mouth, biting down so hard she could taste her blood. It was the only way she could stop herself from screaming. Leon had killed her sister. And her father knew.

  Her stomach clenched, threatening to heave up its contents. The rain increased in its fury, echoing the storm inside her. The wind shook the French doors again, and Riley’s eyes locked on the balcony, her mind blanching at the vision before her.

  Caroline . . . and Leon.

  She could see him now, on the balcony with her sister. One minute Caroline was highlighted against the railing, and then she was gone. Leon shoving her. Riley had clutched Mr. McKafferty, fighting not to scream. Her mind refusing to believe what she’d seen.

  It was a dream. It had to be a dream. But the lightning flashed and she saw him standing there, looking toward the ground. And her sister was gone. Gone.

  She’d tried to run then, but her legs wouldn’t move. She’d tried to call out, to summon her father, but her mouth wouldn’t work. Then Maudeen had been there. Soothing her, telling her it was only a nightmare, and that tomorrow everything would seem better. Maudeen had tucked her back in bed and held her, letting her cry, staying with her until at last she could close her eyes and drift to sleep.

  And then, somewhere in the night, her mind had erased it all—setting up barriers to protect her, to save her from her pain. And it had worked. For twenty years, except for her nightmares, it had worked.

  But now she remembered. And she thought the knowledge might kill her.

  Rain slapped against the windshield, the wipers doing little to alleviate the onslaught of water. Jake peered out into the darkness, trying to keep his mind on the road. He needed to get to Riley. To tell her what he’d found. Bryce Daniels was the key.

  It had all been about Caroline. About her pregnancy.

  Caroline’s little secret had had the potential to ruin Carter O’Brien. A love child with a black man wasn’t something that would have set well with Atlanta society. Not twenty years ago. And with Carter at the beginning of his climb to political power, the fallout would have been deadly.

  Hell, it had been deadly.

  Caroline’s accident had set in motion a chain of events that left a twenty year trail of cover-ups and dead bodies. Bryce, Jensen, Michaels, Amber.

  The only question left to be answered was who had been behind it all. Carter seemed an obvious choice, but Riley believed her father was blameless. And Jake couldn’t see him orchestrating something this size. Which left one other leading candidate.

  Leon Bronowsky.

  He had the power, and he had the nerve. But Jake knew he needed proof. Something that would tie Bronowsky to Michaels. Or to Martell Osterman.

  Lightning streaked down from the sky, stabbing into the dark, combining with a series of shrill rings, making him jump. He laughed at his reaction. Obviously a little too much excitement of late. The ringing started again, and this time he reached for his cell phone, careful to keep his eyes on the road. “Mahoney.”

  “Jake, it’s David.”

  Jake opened his mouth with a flip response, but something in David’s voice stopped him cold. “What is it?”

  “They found a partial print at the D.A.’s office.”

  “From t
he other night?” He adjusted the phone to hold it between his ear and his shoulder.

  “Looks like it.”

  “So? Who does it belong to?”

  “Martell Osterman.”

  “Well, I suppose that shouldn’t surprise me. Have you found him?”

  “No.” Jake heard David blow out a breath. “And if Osterman knows he’s been made—”

  “Then he’s bound to be desperate.” Jake finished for him, his foot pressing harder on the gas pedal.

  “Look, if we’re right and everything that’s been happening is tied into Caroline O’Brien, then whoever is paying Osterman is someone close to the family.”

  “I’ve been thinking the same thing. And my money’s on Leon Bronowsky.”

  “I don’t know. I certainly wouldn’t put it past him. But the person with the most to lose here is Carter O’Brien.”

  “I don’t know, David. Carter O’Brien isn’t the nicest of men, but I can’t believe he would do anything to hurt his daughter.”

  “Maybe not. But I’d bet my life he’s involved in this somehow. And if he is, then Osterman might come after him.”

  Jake trusted David’s instincts with his life, and at the moment, that fact scared the hell out of him. “I’m on my way to Riley’s now.”

  “Good. I’m going to request a squad car, just in case. I’ve been doing this a long time, Jake, and I’m getting a bad feeling.”

  Jake could taste his fear. If anything happened to Riley . . .“ Hopefully, we’re wrong, but better safe than sorry.”

  “Watch your back, buddy.”

  “I will.”

  He clicked off the phone, his heart racing in time with the engine. Another bolt of lightning shot out of the sky, splitting the night, and Jake floored the gas pedal, praying that he wouldn’t be too late.

  Chapter 28

  RILEY BENT OVER, trying to hold on to the last tenuous bit of her control. Part of her wanted to run away, part of her wanted to stay and face her father, and still another part wanted to sink into the floor and disappear.