Cheryl Tardif - Submerged

“Kingston is in the cafeteria,” Marcus said.

Zur nodded. “We got him. He’s already in custody. We’ll talk later, okay?”

As Zur walked away, Marcus struggled to get a glimpse of Rebecca. He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw her moving around, uninjured. She was okay. Well, as okay as she could be after Tracey held a knife to her throat.

He watched as Zur led Rebecca back to her room. With nothing left to do, Marcus wandered down the hall, replaying the night’s events in his head.

Tracey Whitaker and Wesley Kingston had conspired to murder Rebecca.

He shook his head. How could he have been so wrong about Kingston?

The money.

Not the money the kids would inherit, but the money used to pay off Delaney. That’s what had thrown Marcus. He’d been so sure that Kingston had no access to such a large amount of money. Twenty-five thousand dollars? But it had been Tracey who’d come up with payment. One coldhearted bitch.

And now one coldhearted dead bitch.

Kingston…

The guy was downstairs eating dinner, for Christ’s sake. The mastermind had been right under everyone’s noses.

Marcus took a detour and headed to the stairwell. Taking the steps two at a time, he was on the main floor in less than two minutes. A few patients wandered the floor, along with three interns and an ER doctor.

He strode down the hallway, hell-bent on pounding Kingston’s face to a pulp. When he reached the cafeteria, he found Wesley Kingston standing near a table, his hands cuffed behind his back while an officer read him his rights.

“I had nothing to do with this,” Kingston shrieked.

The officer led Kingston toward Marcus. They locked eyes as they passed.

“It wasn’t me,” Kingston insisted. “I swear, I didn’t try to kill her!”

“Bullshit!” Marcus said, his fists clenched at his sides. “Tracey already admitted you planned it all. You’re going down for attempted murder. Of your wife and your two kids, you son of a bitch.”

“You’re wrong,” Kingston sobbed. “I’d never hurt them. I have no reason to want them dead.”

“I can think of about eight hundred thousand reasons.”

Kingston shook his head. “What you’re suggesting is ludicrous. I’m not capable of murder.”

“Money can make people do desperate things,” Marcus said between gritted teeth. “Things they thought they were never capable of.”

“I didn’t do this,” Kingston hissed. “Tracey—”

“Is dead,” Marcus snapped. “That’s what your plan got you. A dead fiancée and a prison sentence.”

Kingston was led away amid shrieks of protest and denials.

Marcus ran a shaky hand through his hair and released a pent-up groan. He’d wasted enough time on Kingston. The man would get what was coming to him.

He walked back to the elevator and stepped inside.

Time to tell Rebecca the nightmare is finally over.

Rebecca’s hands quivered as Dr. Monroe inspected the stitches in her side.

“Everything looks good here,” the doctor said before leaving the room.

Rebecca watched the clock on the wall and wondered how her life had gone so wrong. At what point had she taken this detour into hell? And what had she done to deserve such atrocities?

“I still can’t believe it,” she said to Detective Zur, who was seated by the bed. “Tracey Whitaker?” She shook her head slowly.

“She was a desperate woman. She wanted you out of your husband’s life, so she could have a future with him. And the money.”

“And Wesley agreed to it all.” She stifled a sob. “I can’t believe I was so mistaken about him. I was married to him, for crying out loud. How could I have misjudged his character so badly? How could I have allowed my children to be anywhere near him?”

The detective shrugged. “You didn’t know.”

She clenched her teeth, then said, “Well, I should’ve known.”

“Try not to be so hard on yourself, Mrs. Kingston. Some people are schemers and liars. They find ways to bend the truth, twist it to their realities. Your husband and Ms. Whitaker, they’re both master manipulators. They wanted you to see what they presented.”

“But I was so gullible.”

“Unfortunately, we didn’t get anything from Rufus Delaney. He’s still not talking. And the little we got from Ms. Whitaker isn’t really enough to say your husband absolutely knew you had your son and daughter. It’s possible Ms. Whitaker gave the order to Rufus. She may have known where your children were.”

She shuddered. “They almost died.”

“They’re alive and safe. And so are you. We couldn’t have brought Delaney and Ms. Whitaker down without your assistance. So… thank you.”

“I’m glad it’s over.”

Detective Zur nodded. “The danger’s over. I’ll warn you though—the next few months are not going to be easy. We’re going to process your husband. He’ll be charged with attempted murder. If we link him to Delaney, he could be charged with hiring a contract killer. We’re still looking for hard evidence against your husband.”

“You mean he could get off?”

“I’m going to do everything in my power so that doesn’t happen.”

“Thank you.”

The detective smiled. “You can thank me by getting better and taking your family home.”

“That’s what I plan to do.”

Detective Zur stood. “I have to get back to the station. I expect you’ll see Marcus later?”

“I think so. You two go way back, isn’t that right?”

He nodded. “A few years.”

“What was he like before his wife and son died?”

“He was a good guy. Trustworthy. Funny. And a great cook. Of course, that was before he made some wrong choices.”

“The drugs, you mean.”

Detective Zur raised a brow. “Marcus told you about that?”

She nodded. “We had a lot of time to talk. On the phone when I was in the river. He kept me calm.” She stared up at him. “You seem surprised.”

“I am. Astounded, actually.”

“Why?”

“The Marcus Taylor I know has been rather… closed off. He talked to me a bit after the accident. Then he closed right down. Ever since Jane and Ryan died, he’s become more introverted, not so funny.”

“He’s made me laugh a few times.”

The detective watched her, his face brightening. “You like him?”

She blushed. “I, uh…”

“Forget I asked. It’s none of my business.”

“I’m still married.”

Detective Zur walked to the door. “You already initiated divorce proceedings, Mrs. Kingston. If you like Marcus, let him know. He’s the kind of guy who’ll wait.”

“Do you think people can change after years of bad choices?”

“In my line of work,” he said, “I see it happen quite often. But some people have to hit rock bottom before they resurface and realize what’s important in life. The hardest part for those people is figuring out exactly where their ‘rock bottom’ is.” He released a heavy sigh. “You don’t have to concern yourself with Marcus. He hit his six years ago.”

“When Jane and Ryan died.”

He nodded. “Things have been shaky since then, but he’s coming around. I can see a difference in him already. And I have a feeling you’ll be better for him than any drug.”

“I’m not sure that’s a compliment.”

Detective Zur grinned. “Believe me, it is.”

Rebecca glanced at the clock for the millionth time. It was almost midnight and still no Marcus.

Maybe he’s not coming.

She wondered if he’d gone back to the hotel to sleep.