Brenda Jackson Read online

  “Come here, Kim,” he said in that deep, throaty voice she loved so much.

  She crossed the room to the wingback chair where he sat and he reached out and pulled her down into his lap. She turned to him. “Yes?”

  “That was everyone,” he said, draping his hands across her thighs.

  “Everyone?” she asked. “All four of them?”

  “Yes, Landon, Antron, Brett and Chevis. We had a conference call since there were several updates.”

  She nodded. “So what did they find out?”

  When Duan hesitated she knew he was looking for the right words. “Go ahead, Duan. Tell me. Is my mother in any danger?”

  Instead of answering her, he said, “Landon went to talk to Villarosas’s old girlfriend and she backed up her claim of over twenty years ago. She said Villarosas has a nasty jealous streak and that he’d threatened to get rid of her several times when he thought she was unfaithful to him. She claims she wasn’t, but had gotten sick and tired of him making false allegations and threats that she believed he would carry out, so she split.”

  Kim nodded. “But that was over twenty-some years ago. Right?”

  “Right. Now, Chevis went to a prison in Florida yesterday to visit Stein Green. After some intense questioning—relentless interrogation Chevis-style—Green admitted that Edward Villarosas hired him to get rid of both of his wives because they were unfaithful.”

  Kim leaped out of Duan’s lap. “And that bastard thinks he’s going to marry my mother?” she said in a raised voice.

  “Kim, calm down.”

  “Have the police been notified? When will he be arrested? When is—”

  “Kim, please let me finish,” he interrupted, standing up as well. “What we have is an allegation from a convicted killer, a man already serving a life sentence with no chance of parole for armed robbery where a police officer was gunned down. All he’s done is verify what we suspected all along, especially with Villarosas’s ironclad alibis. But we need more than just the word of a criminal. We need concrete proof and we’re working with Green to get that. No court of law will bring charges against Villarosas based on Green’s word.”

  “What kind of proof is needed?”

  “Finding their bodies would be nice.”

  Kim’s hands flew to her mouth and Duan knew she was remembering the two women. “Oh, my God, Duan, something has to be done. My heart goes out to their families.”

  “And something will be done to the fullest extent of the law. But we don’t have enough to uphold a conviction. Right now, all we have is a criminal’s word. Until we have evidence to substantiate his claim, there’s nothing we can do. But rest assured, we’re getting that evidence.”

  “How?”

  “From Villarosas’s old bank accounts, we can show that large amounts of money were withdrawn during the times Green claims he was paid.”

  “That’s not enough proof?”

  “No. We’ve also obtained old phone call records between Green and Villarosas, but again, that doesn’t prove anything since there are no recorded conversations. It will be Green’s word against Villarosas’s, and who do you think a jury would believe? A man already in jail for life or a man who appears to be a model citizen? Those incidents with Villarosas’s girlfriend over twenty years ago would not be admissible.”

  “So what’s going to be done?”

  “As we speak, a team of both local and federal officers are searching a wooded area near Orlando and another in Atlanta where Green said the remains are. Regardless, Villarosas will be picked up and brought in for questioning today. Detectives from the Atlanta police department are already on their way here for that. If those remains are located, Villarosas will be charged immediately and extradited back to Georgia.”

  Duan sighed deeply and rubbed a hand over the top of his head. “What we need to do now is talk to your mother. Villarosas is going to be questioned and it’s best she finds out from us. I will also need to come clean with her and tell her my role in all of this.”

  Kim nodded. “I agree, and we should tell her in person. She isn’t expecting Edward to come over until later since this is the day he plays golf. So hopefully we can talk to her alone. Mom is going to be crushed.”

  “Yes, but when the evidence is laid out before her, I’m sure she’ll agree that these are serious charges and those allegations being made are—”

  Duan’s cell phone went off. “Excuse me.” He flipped it on. “Yes, Landon?” He nodded a few times. “Yes, okay, and thanks for letting us know.”

  He flipped off the phone and met Kim’s gaze. “That was Landon. He wanted to let me know remains were found exactly where Green said they would be, and the authorities are working to obtain positive IDs. If they are Villarosas’s missing wives, then it’s safe to say he’ll be booked and extradited back to Atlanta to face murder charges.”

  Kim was already grabbing her purse off the bed. “I need to get to Mom and tell her.”

  Duan was already moving toward the door. “Come on, let’s go.”

  “I STILL CAN’T REACH Mom,” Kim said, putting her cell phone back in her purse. She glanced over at Duan as he drove the rental car out of the hotel parking lot. “I want to at least let her know we’re on our way over there so she won’t go anywhere. She visits Aunt Gert on occasion.”

  “It’s a nice day so she might be out in the yard.”

  “Yes,” Kim said, smiling. “She loves her flower garden.”

  She was trying to think of positive things, but it was hard to do so knowing how close her mother had come to marrying Edward. The thought that the man had arranged for his two wives to be killed sent chills down her body. She dreaded telling her mother, but at least all this was coming to an end before her mom could become his next victim.

  “Thanks for all the hard work you and your friends did. Just think of how long Villarosas has gotten away with this. With Green already in jail for an unrelated crime, he probably thought he was home free.”

  “That’s a good assumption to make. The man evidently has mental issues, and I won’t be satisfied until he’s behind bars where he belongs.”

  Kim nodded. “I’m surprised Stein Green decided to talk.”

  “He had nothing to lose since he’s already doing life with no chance of parole. He probably feels good about squealing on Villarosas since he’s in prison and Villarosas is still out enjoying freedom.” Duan pulled to a stop at the red light.

  “In that case, why didn’t he speak up sooner?”

  “Green probably figured no one was going to take him seriously, but since Chevis came around asking, he was more than ready to spill his guts. According to Chevis, the man was full of information and didn’t hesitate in telling them where the women’s bodies were.”

  “And he admitted to killing them?”

  “Yes, after beating them up first. He claimed those were Villarosas’s instructions to teach his cheating wives a lesson.”

  Kim shuddered at the thought and was glad when Duan pulled into her mother’s driveway. She had unsnapped her seat belt and was out of the car as soon as it came to a complete stop. She began racing toward the front door.

  “She’s not at home, Sunshine.”

  Kim stopped walking so fast that she almost missed the step to the door. Duan’s arm reached out to steady her.

  She glanced across the yard at Mr. Bennie, who was working in his flower garden. “She’s not here? Do you know if she went to visit Aunt Gert?”

  He shook his head as he took off his work gloves. “No, she left early this morning with Edward Villarosas. She had an overnight bag so I assume they’ve gone out of town.”

  “What! Oh, my God, I hope you’re wrong about that, Mr. Bennie.” Kim frantically fished through her purse for her mother’s door key, spilling most of the contents on the ground.

  “I’ll get the door,” Duan said, bending down to retrieve the items that had fallen from her purse, including the keys. With his arms planted firmly
around Kim’s waist, he slid the key in the door and pushed it open. She rushed past him and was inside before he could draw his next breath.

  A piece of paper was sitting on the dining-room table and she quickly raced over to pick it up. When she finished reading it, she turned to Duan, her eyes filled with anger. “The bastard talked Mom into eloping to Vegas,” she said heatedly, letting the paper fall from her hand onto the floor. “She can’t marry him! She can’t!”

  Duan crossed the room and pulled her into his arms. “No, she can’t, and if we have to contact every wedding chapel in Vegas to make sure that she doesn’t then—”

  “Excuse me, I don’t mean to intrude, but is everything all right?”

  Duan and Kim glanced over to see Mr. Bennie standing in the doorway. Kim pulled out of Duan’s arms and rushed over to him. “Mr. Bennie, when you saw Mom this morning, did she look okay? Did it appear as if she was being forced to leave or anything like that?”

  The man’s eyebrows shot up, as if surprised by Kim’s line of questioning. “No, she seemed to be leaving of her own free will and was in a good mood, as always. She smiled and waved when she saw me. I was putting out the garbage. That was around seven this morning.”

  Kim nodded. She found some comfort in knowing Edward hadn’t killed the other two women himself, which meant her mother was probably not in any immediate danger. But still, the thought of Wynona traveling alone with the man was unsettling.

  “What is it, Sunshine? What’s wrong?”

  Duan walked over to them. “If you don’t mind coming inside, Mr. Bennie, we can explain things.”

  All right.”

  Duan closed the door behind the man and pulled Kim close to his side. She was shivering in both fear and anger.

  “Mr. Jeffries, I know you might think it’s none of my business, but if there’s something wrong, please tell me. Nona and I are very good friends. I care about her deeply.”

  “I know you do, Mr. Bennie,” he said truthfully. “And she’s going to need you a lot when this is all over.”

  The man glanced over at Kim in concern. “I’ll always be there for her. Now please tell me what’s going on.”

  Duan inhaled deeply. “Edward Villarosas is wanted for questioning by the police.”

  Mr. Bennie looked surprised. “The police? What for?”

  Duan’s arms tightened around Kim’s waist. “For arranging the deaths of his two wives.”

  16

  KIM WAS PACING the floor and so was Mr. Bennie. They both had worried looks on their faces. Kim had tried a number of times to reach her mother by phone but was unsuccessful.

  Duan had contacted the Shreveport police and then placed a call to the airlines to check flights for Vegas. He’d been able to find out Wynona and Edward’s flight number, and according to the airline, the flight had landed in Vegas over an hour ago. So why wasn’t Wynona answering her phone?

  The Vegas police had been contacted and a warrant had been issued for Villarosas’s arrest. The one good thing was that Wynona wasn’t taken by force, which meant she still didn’t know the type of man Villarosas really was. Duan was of the opinion that Villarosas had no reason to harm Wynona since he probably felt secure in their relationship. At least for now.

  He looked over at Kim and she gave him a faint smile. A part of him realized why he loved her so much. She cared about her family. She was loyal. And she was nothing like the woman his father had married, who had deserted her husband and children. Kim was all goodness. All caring. And she wanted children.

  He understood why he enjoyed sleeping so close to her at night, their bodies touching, and then awakening beside her every morning for playtime. He enjoyed seeing her eat, swallow, lick cotton candy from her lips. He had enjoyed their late-night talks where he would sit with her in his lap for hours. He even enjoyed sitting next to her at the movies, sharing buttered popcorn with her. And although the movie wasn’t anything he’d wanted to see, it hadn’t mattered as long as she was there beside him. Just hearing her chuckle through a couple of scenes had been music to his ears.

  He had fallen in love with a woman who didn’t have room for him in her future.

  He knew all about her plans. Four years in medical school. What right did he have to ask her to do anything differently now that he knew he loved? And why would she even consider such a thing? Although he had fallen in love with her, that didn’t mean she had fallen in love with him. As far as he knew, and as she’d reminded him several times, she had no intentions of having a serious relationship with a man, and what he was considering was a serious as it could get.

  She deserved to have her dream and he wouldn’t rob her of it like her father had done when he’d taken that money. This was her chance to do the one thing she’d always wanted to do, and he loved her too much to stand in her way. So he would stick to his original plan.

  When all this was over, he would leave for Atlanta. But he intended to keep up with what she was doing through Sherri, because no matter where Kim went or what she did, she would always unknowingly have his heart.

  Duan was pulled from the depths of his thoughts as a car door slammed. He glanced out the window and saw an unmarked patrol car pull into the yard, then watched as three men got out. He recognized one of them as Landon. He assumed one man was a detective from the Atlanta police department who’d come to question Villarosas, and the other was a detective from Shreveport.

  Kim heard the car, as well, and she quickly moved toward the front door, holding her breath with every step she took. And she didn’t have to glance over her shoulder to know Duan was right behind her.

  She looked into the faces of the three men. “Yes, may I help you?”

  “Ms. Cannon?”

  “Yes.”

  One of the men flashed a badge in front of her. “I’m Detective Mark Hogan of the Shreveport police department, this is Detective Arnold Reddick with the Atlanta police department, and Landon Chestnut from the Peachtree Private Investigative Firm.”

  Kim’s gaze swept by the two men and went straight to Landon. Duan had mentioned he would be accompanying the detective coming from Atlanta.

  After shaking hands with the men, she said, “Yes, please come in.”

  Introductions were made to Duan and Mr. Bennie. She watched the easy comraderie between Duan and Landon, indicating the long friendship between the two. Landon, who seemed to be a couple of years younger than Duan, was a very handsome man. But in her opinion no man was more handsome than Duan.

  “Have you heard anything?” Kim asked anxiously.

  Detective Hogan glanced over at her. “The police department in Vegas has been notified and they’re checking the registry of all the hotels. There’s quite a number of them. A current photograph of your mother and Villarosas was wired to Vegas and everyone is on the lookout for them. We’ve also alerted several popular chapels.”

  At that moment Kim’s cell phone rang and she raced across the room to pick it up from the table, not recognizing the phone number. “Yes?”

  “Kim?”

  “Mom!” she nearly screamed with both relief and excitement. Everyone raced across the room to her.

  “Mom! Where are you? I’ve been trying to reach you and—”

  “Kim, sweetheart, please listen. I had to call you. Edward is acting weird and accusing me of all sorts of stuff. I’m in Las Vegas, and on the way from the airport to our hotel I convinced him that I needed to use the bathroom and couldn’t wait. So we stopped at one of those fast-food restaurants. I’m using this woman’s phone that I met here in the ladies’ room. The battery in my phone died so I couldn’t call you, and when I asked Edward about using his phone he accused me of wanting to call Bennie.”

  “Mr. Bennie?” Kim asked, glancing over at the neighbor, who stared back at her with a curious look on his face.

  “Yes. Edward dropped by unexpectedly last night while Bennie was there. I don’t know what’s got into him. He was fine until we got to Vegas and then he b
egan yelling and accusing me of all sorts of things, especially having an affair with Bennie.”

  Kim struggled to stay calm. “Mom, listen, don’t go back out to Edward’s car. Use the lady’s phone and call 911 and tell them exactly where you are.”

  “Kim, it’s not that serious. Edward just needs time to think about what he’s saying and—”

  “Mom, please do what I ask. Edward is wanted by the police.” Kim hadn’t wanted to break the news to her mother this way, but she didn’t have a choice.

  “Wanted by the police? Kim, that is utter non sense.”

  “No it’s not, Mom. The police detective is here and needs to talk to you. Please listen to what he says and tell them where you are.”

  Kim handed Detective Hogan her cell phone and then moved aside to inform Duan, Mr. Bennie and Landon of what her mother had said. Detective Reddick was talk ing on his cell, contacting the police in Vegas, letting them know of her mother’s phone call.

  “Edward began acting strange,” Kim said. “And he accused Mom of having an affair with you, Mr. Bennie.

  Mom said Edward got that idea when he dropped by last night and you and Mom were together.”

  Mr. Bennie nodded. “Yes, I was here last night. Nona and I were shelling peas.”

  “Well, evidently Edward got upset, which is probably what prompted him to convince her to fly off to Vegas with him.”

  “Why didn’t she contact you on her cell phone?”

  Duan asked.

  “Her battery died. And according to her, Edward wouldn’t let her use his phone, so she pretended she had to go to the ladies’ room, which got him to make a stop. She called from the ladies’ room of a fast-food restaurant using another woman’s phone. That’s where she is now.”

  Kim glanced over at the two detectives. Hogan was still talking to her mother and she eased closer to hear what was being said.

  “Yes, Ms. Cannon. He needs to be brought in for the murder of his two wives.” He paused and then said, “Yes, ma’am, murder. I know this comes as a shock, but it’s true. His hired killer told us where to find the bodies. We’ve contacted the Vegas law enforcement as to where you are and they’re on their way.”