Robert Liston - The Tower of Evil

“He was generous in the end, a lump sum I’m saving for Jamie’s education, then monthly support payments. I’ll be better off than I’ve been in years.”

He saw her frown and shake her head. “But you didn’t want it this way?”

“I never wanted him to know, let alone wreck his career.”

“He did it himself, Mandy.”

“No, that’s not right, Walter.” Doreen looked at him. “Wright would probably be headed for the White House if not for Joy Fielding. She did him in.“

He nodded. “There was no need for any of it, bringing Mandy and Jamie out here, kidnapping her-”

“Mandy was never a threat to Justin Wright.”

He looked at Karl Kinkaid. “I’m sorry, we’re not being very tactful. She is still your wife.”

“Not for long. You’re right about her, of course. Joy couldn’t imagine such a thing as this girl’s decency. In her world people are always out for all they can get. My money wasn’t enough. She had to have power, too.”

“Like putting a man in the White House.”

He didn’t have enough backbone to be a man. Easy for her to play him for the fool he was.” He shook his head. “Me, too, I guess.”

Josh laughed. “I always called her the Dragon lady. I guess that’s who she really was, at least Victor Dragon thought so.” He turned to Lupe. “Is Joy going to jail?”

“For a long time. Victor Dragon is singing big time-and not just about the Gould murder. It seems he and Joy were into lots of shenanigans.”

“Will Dragon serve time?”

“Not as long as his ex-beloved, but he’s disbarred and ruined. He also implicated Dirk, the-”

“The pancake man.” He laughed. “Are we rid of him?”

“We found him and charged him. Seems he held Harry while Joy pulled the trigger.”

“None of them are much of a loss.” Doreen asked Lupe, “How has Sgt. Brogan fared?”

She shrugged. “Not even a reprimand.”

“You’ve got to be kidding.”

“It’s true, Walt. Buster came to his senses just in time, turned on Dragon, made the collar-”

“Thus saving his pension. Is he still giving you a bad time?”

“Some things never change. I asked him where he thought he’d be today if the Byerlys hadn’t solved his murder for him.” She imitated a deep, gruff voice. “The Bye-Byes had nothing to do with it. I had the case all solved when they butted in.”

Byerly joined the laughter, then lifted his glass. “I’d like to remember someone who couldn’t join us tonight. I asked him to come but…” He shrugged. “Let’s just say Henry Clay isn’t into tuxedos these days. We’d all scare him to death. But if poor Henry hadn’t seen and remembered a young woman’s kidnapping-”

“I’d still be in that tower-or worse,” Mandy said. “Thank Henry when you see him, will you?”

“And say Hi to him for me,” Addie said. “I may have been homeless only a short time, but I’ll remember it always and how close all of us are to the street.”

“Hear, hear.” Byerly sipped, then raised his glass again. “I’d like to make a special toast to that red-haired lady across the table.” He grinned. “With Lupe’s help, we did it.”

“I did nothing, it was all you two.”

Doreen laughed. “Very well, we’ll take the credit-for one thing especially. If we hadn’t taken Jamie in, they would have found him eventually and-” She shuddered.

“God knows what would have happened to him. You’re right there, darling.”

“I suppose you two are going into the detective business now,” Lupe said.

“It was sort of fun for Walt and me. We might-”

“Not on your life. We’re going back to-”

“Don’t bet on it, Walt.” Lupe laughed and others soon joined in.

A little later, Doreen put her hand on Jamie’s shoulder. “Remember what DeeDee taught you to say tonight?”

He looked puzzled.

“You remember.” She whispered in his ear.

Now he grinned beautifully and looked around shyly. “God bless us everyone.”

“Oh yes, darling.”