“But it’s almost two in the morning!” she exclaimed.
He grinned mischievously in response as he pulled out his cell phone. He put it on speaker and dialed Luke’s number. It rang several times before he finally answered. He sounded groggy, as though he’d been awakened from a sound sleep. “This had better be good.”
Max stifled a laugh. “Hey, you awake?”
Luke sounded mildly irritated as he replied, “I am now.”
Trying to curb Luke’s annoyance Max added, “Irene’s here too.”
“How you doing, Rene?” Luke asked, his voice suddenly much more alert and enthusiastic.
Her smile carried over to her voice as she responded, “I’m okay.”
“Hey, Luke,” Max chimed in, “we found something, and we want you to come over and take a look.”
“Now?” Luke questioned in a state of disbelief.
“Now,” Max confirmed.
“One question,” he asked. “Do I have to get dressed?”
“Just get over here,” Max said. He hung up on Luke and then glanced over at Irene. Her whole body seemed tense. Instantly concerned, he reached up and stroked his hand through her hair. “How are you doing?”
She turned her face toward him, and he could see the weariness in her eyes. “I don’t know. I just want this nightmare to be over.”
He nodded. “I know you do, and you’re right. It has been a nightmare, but look at the bright side.”
Irene looked at him intently, her face puzzled. “There’s a bright side to this nightmare?” she asked.
“Yeah . . . at some point you wake up, and it’s over. Just be patient. The nightmare may end sooner than you think.”
Chapter 73
December 29
Shortly after receiving the phone call from Max, Luke arrived at Irene’s to talk about what they had uncovered and to see if he had any fresh ideas as to what to do next. Irene was upstairs in her bedroom changing her clothes, and Max was in the kitchen eating a late-night snack when they heard the doorbell ring over and over again. Max walked into the entryway and called up the stairs, “I’ll get it.”
When he opened the door, Luke was leaning against the railing outside, his arms folded across his chest – a large smile stamped across his face. Max looked at him questioningly – puzzled by his strange behavior and then asked, “Everything okay?”
Luke grinned meaningfully. “You tell me.”
Max shook his head and put his hands in his pockets. “I’m not following you.”
Luke started to laugh as he teased, “I was just curious if I was interrupting anything?” Max looked confused for a moment, but then his meaning registered. Luke smirked broadly, enjoying Max’s discomfort. “Answer the question, Maxwell. Did I interrupt anything important?”
Max tried to keep his face straight as he responded, “Nope. I was just getting something to eat.”
Luke let out a deep sigh – no longer even attempting to mask his agitation. “Apparently I give you way too much credit. I would have thought you’d have made better use of what little time you have . . . but apparently that’s not the case, and you’re not nearly as smart as everyone thinks you are.”
Max shook his head in exasperation, “Give me a break. I may not be as stupid as you think.”
Luke scrutinized him carefully – then realization dawned – and a grin spread across his face. “You told her! You finally told Irene how you feel – didn’t you?”
Max smiled broadly at his friend’s enthusiasm and nodded. “Yeah, I told her.”
Luke was overjoyed, his elation infectious. He let out a deep, relieved sigh – one that sounded as if he’d been holding his breath for years. He laughed good-naturedly as he punched Max in the arm. “It’s about time.” He paused for a moment before asking a string of questions. “How come I haven’t heard about this? When did it happen? What did she say? Is she in to you too, or did she tell you where to go?”
“I told her on Christmas, and no . . . she didn’t tell me where to go.”
“Lucky for you.” Luke’s face held a look of mock disappointment as he scoffed, “Christmas, really? How generic.”
Max rolled his eyes as he responded sarcastically, “Sorry, maybe I should have put off telling her until after Christmas just so that it wasn’t generic. How could I have ever overlooked that?”
They both laughed together for a moment, but then they became quiet as Luke tried to process the news he had just heard. When he spoke again, his face and voice were serious. “I’m so happy for you guys! I always thought the two of you were supposed to be together; but up until now, I was starting to think that I was the only one who thought so – well, besides your uncle,” he amended.
“Don’t get too excited,” Max cautioned. “If we ever get out of the mess we’re in, who knows what she’ll decide. She may end up deciding to go back to Paris.”
“Has she said that?”
Max shook his head. When he spoke, the words sounded calm enough, but Luke knew him well enough to know that he was worried. He knew that Max was concerned about whether or not Irene would choose to stay in Boston after this ordeal was over. “No, but she may be thinking that.”
Luke nodded, thought to himself for a moment, and then replied, “Try not to worry about it until you have to.” He put his hand supportively on Max’s shoulder and smiled as he added, “It’s not over ‘til it’s over.”
Chapter 74
Max and Luke finished their conversation on the front porch even though it was freezing cold. When they came inside, Max called upstairs, “Luke’s here, Irene. We’re in the kitchen.”
A few moments later, she joined them in the kitchen where they were at the table eating. “Hi, Luke.” At the sound of her voice, their conversation stopped suddenly, and they exchanged guilty glances – afraid that she would figure out what they’d been discussing only a short time ago. “I hope I’m not interrupting.”
Luke smiled as he stood up to give her a hug, “Of course you’re not interrupting anything. I was just so excited to tell Max the good news that I blurted it out. I should have waited for you.”
“News?” Irene questioned. Looking at both of them she waited for someone to fill her in.
“Do you want to tell her or should I?” Luke said as he turned to look at Max, his expression one of feigned innocence.
Max fought to keep his face straight and his voice casual. He waved his hand nonchalantly as he replied, “No . . . by all means, you tell it. After all, it is your good news.” He flashed him a warning glance.
Irene looked at Luke anxiously – her eyes bright, her curiosity heightened. “What is it?”
“Sarah Jane’s going to be released from the hospital tomorrow – well actually today, but she’s going to stay with her parents for a while, until she’s feeling better.”
Irene’s smile was enormous, and she hugged him tightly as she responded exuberantly, “Oh, Luke, I’m so happy!” She let out a deep breath. “That’s wonderful news. It’s about time we had some.”
Relieved, not to mention slightly surprised that Luke hadn’t shared his news as well, Max got up and slapped Luke on the back as he said, “That’s fantastic. We’ve been really worried about her.”
“I know. You guys have been so great. Sarah Jane asked me to thank you for everything you’ve done – until she can herself.”
“She doesn’t need to thank us,” Irene responded. “We’re just glad that she’s going to be okay.”
“You and me both, Rene.” There was nothing extraordinary about Luke’s comment, rather it was the way in which he said it that made Irene and Max look at him more carefully. Under their careful scrutiny, Luke looked down at the floor restlessly for a moment and shoved his hands in his pockets. When he looked back up at them, his face broke into a subtle, half-smile. “You guessed it – I’m crazy about Sarah, and she seems to finally realize that I?
??m not going anywhere.”
Irene threw her arms around Luke’s chest once again. “I am so excited for you!”
“Thanks,” he replied as he affectionately returned her hug. “I’m a lucky guy.”
“I think you’re both lucky,” she replied. Max walked over and gave Luke a congratulatory hug as well, the whole time keeping Irene’s slender frame wedged in between. They exchanged satisfied glances over the top of her head, and after a few moments, Irene laughed as she gasped, “Please, I’m dying here. The two of you are going to suffocate me!”
They laughed good-humoredly as they let go of her, and Luke joked, “Sorry about that. You know us – sometimes we just get carried away.”
She raised her eyebrows, her face as well as her voice reproachful as she teased, “Sometimes?”
“Okay – always,” Luke conceded.
The three of them sat down and enjoyed one another’s company while Max and Luke finished eating. They took advantage of the light and cheerful atmosphere – knowing it wouldn’t last.
Chapter 75
Max, Irene, and Luke moved into the family room so that they would be as comfortable as possible for what they knew would be an unpleasant discussion. The mood in the room seemed particularly tense, the house unusually quiet. Luke leaned forward in his chair in an attempt to help brace himself for whatever news was about to come his way.
It was then that Max and Irene started their explanation. They relayed all the events that had transpired in the days following Christmas up to their discovery at the country club in Rhode Island.
Max then played the tape that he and Irene had listened to first. Inside the silent room, the voices on the tape sounded particularly loud and intrusive. They almost seemed to echo off the walls and resonate loudly throughout the large room. For the second time that day, Irene heard her father’s voice – yet the voice on the recording sounded like a stranger. “It’s about time you got here. How many times have I told you, I don’t like having to wait.”
Irene looked over at Luke and quickly interrupted, “That’s my dad’s voice.” Luke nodded but didn’t comment as he continued to listen carefully to the tape.
When Duncan’s blackmailer spoke, Luke’s eyes widened in shock, and he held his breath. Max and Irene noticed his strange reaction, and Max asked anxiously, “What is it?”
Luke thought to himself carefully for a moment before explaining, “I swear I know that voice from somewhere. It sounds so familiar.”
“Where?” Irene questioned.
He seemed to be in deep concentration for a moment, but then he shook his head as he responded agitatedly, “I don’t know for sure, but I’m absolutely positive that I’ve heard it before.”
They watched Luke expectantly – waiting for him to sort through his tangled thoughts – the whole time the taped conversation still playing in the background. As the three of them sat only half-listening to the disturbing conversation, they heard Duncan’s voice once again. “That’s what you think you little punk. If I pull out of the game, you end up with nothing. Do you hear me, Walker?”
At the mention of the other man’s name, Luke’s head snapped up so suddenly that it took both Max and Irene by surprise. His voice was intense, his eyes piercing. “What did Duncan just say?”
“He said Walker,” she answered.
“Walker?” Luke whispered.
Max looked intently at him and could feel the shock emanating from him. Max’s voice sounded concerned yet anxious as he said, “Luke what is it? What’s bothering you?”
He didn’t respond immediately. Rather, he just sat there for a moment in silence while he tried to collect his thoughts. Just when Max and Irene were certain they could stand the suspense no longer, Luke looked from one of them to the other as he responded, “Yeah, I know a Walker.” He took a deep breath. “Bryson Walker was your dad’s law clerk, Irene.”
He paused for a moment so that she could digest that bit of news before he continued. When he looked at her, he could see the anguish on her beautiful face. Max reached over and gently took her hand in his own – silently offering his support. “I knew I’d heard that voice somewhere before, and then when your dad said his name, it all clicked. It’s definitely the same person. It’s definitely Bryson Walker.”
Irene reached up and covered her mouth with her free hand. Her body started to tremble, and when she spoke, her voice was faint but forceful all at the same time. “He did it – he murdered my father – didn’t he?” The words left her mouth just as the tears started to stream down her cheeks.
Max reached over and pulled her into his arms. She clenched the front of his shirt firmly, her hands holding so tightly that her knuckles started to turn white. He kept one arm around her shoulders while his other hand moved to the back of her head as he held her securely to him. Luke leaned forward and placed his hand on Irene’s back to demonstrate that he too felt her grief and pain. The three friends sat that way for some time. It was only when Irene’s sobbing started to subside that Luke sat back in his seat as he questioned, “So, what do we do now?”
Irene looked up at Max as she waited for him to answer Luke’s question. He looked down at her face for a moment as he contemplated the alternatives. He glanced back at Luke and responded, “We know that Bryson murdered Duncan, but the tapes don’t actually prove that. All they prove is that Bryson was blackmailing him.”
“Maybe if the police know about the blackmail, they’d be more likely to investigate Bryson for the murder as well,” Luke reasoned.
Max nodded but then said, “That’s possible, but we can’t rely on that. It’s been months since Duncan’s death, and you can bet Bryson’s covered his tracks and disposed of any evidence that points to his involvement.”
Luke shrugged his shoulders in exasperation. “So, what now? If Bryson’s gotten rid of any evidence that may have been left, how are we ever going to prove that he was there that night? There’s still reasonable doubt.”
Max raised an eyebrow, his face composed and confident as he responded, “Simple – it’s a little thing called leverage.”
Chapter 76
December 30
Bryson Walker sat alone – his mind kept wandering. He had been waiting for a call, and finally his cell phone rang. A gratified smile spread across his face, and he answered it abruptly, not bothering to check the caller ID. His voice was dark and sultry as he said, “Hey, baby. I’ve been waiting to hear from you all day.”
“Have you really?” came the reply. Bryson’s smirk vanished, and he stiffened for a moment. The voice on the phone wasn’t the voice he was expecting – it was the deep, polished voice of a man.
“I was expecting a call from my girlfriend,” he clarified.
The voice that responded didn’t sound amused in the least. The reply was only one, blunt word, “Apparently.” There was a long, drawn out pause, and then the voice continued, “Bryson Walker?”
“Who is this?”
It was then that Bryson heard his own voice coming from the other end of the phone sharp and clear, “Tough, get used to disappointment, Duncan. This is a game, and if you haven’t noticed . . . we’re playing by my rules now, and you’re losing!”
Suddenly Bryson felt a twinge of panic. Sweat broke into beads across his forehead, but he wasn’t a fool. Whoever was on the other end of the phone didn’t have anything that could link him to Duncan and his death. He was just about to tell the man where to go and hang up when he heard Duncan’s voice, “If I pull out of the game, you end up with nothing. Do you hear me, Walker?”
There was a tense silence for a few moments, when neither party said anything. At last, Bryson chimed in, “That doesn’t prove anything, you . . .”
“I’ll do the talking,” the man interrupted. Bryson heard him pause for a brief moment, but then the full force of his wrath was unleashed. “I know exactly what happened the night Judge Duncan was murdered
Walker . . . I have proof, and if you don’t do exactly as I say, I’ll go to the police.”
“What do you want?”
“You’ll find out. Meet me tomorrow – midnight.”
“Where?”
“One guess.”
Bryson tried to clarify the location but soon realized no one was there. The caller had terminated the phone call.
Chapter 77
When Luke arrived at Irene’s home, it was evening, and the temperature was dropping quickly. He zipped up his coat, got out of the car, and hurried to the front door where he rang the doorbell. Even though he knew that no one was following him, he couldn’t stop himself from glancing around uneasily at his surroundings.
The door opened almost immediately, and he saw Max standing just inside the doorway. He seemed composed enough, but Luke knew that even Max was more tense than he appeared and that the only reason he wasn’t allowing it to show was because of how it might affect Irene. It was then that he noticed Irene a short distance behind Max. Her face was unusually pale – a result of too much worry. Luke walked into the house, and Max shut and locked the door before anyone spoke.
The three of them walked into the family room, and Max and Irene sat down on the couch with Luke sitting in a chair just across from them. Luke leaned forward in his chair, and when he spoke his voice was serious, his expression grave, “This plan of yours may not be such a good idea.” When Max opened his mouth to disagree, Luke hurriedly continued, “What if it doesn’t go as it should? With Bryson there, it could get ugly real fast.”
“I’ll take my chances,” he replied.
“Maybe he’s right,” Irene interrupted, her voice soft yet overwrought. Startled by her response, Max and Luke exchanged surprised glances and then looked over to where she sat on one corner of the couch. She rubbed her hands together restlessly and then placed one hand over her mouth for a moment. She looked up at Max, and their eyes locked. They studied one another for a moment, and when she spoke, her voice sounded strained, as though she were trying to keep her emotions carefully in check. “What if something happens to you?”
Max didn’t respond right away – rather he just sat there – his eyes never leaving hers. At last he said, “I’m not going anywhere, Irene.” His face and voice were firm with resolve – his expression so intense that she held her breath, and her heart started to race. For a moment they were completely unaware of Luke’s presence. They were so absorbed with one another, they might as well have been in the room all alone. He leaned across the couch toward her and brushed back a lock of her hair that kept escaping from behind her ear. He placed his hand softly on the side of her face and moved his thumb gently back and forth over her smooth cheek as he said, “I know that you’re anxious about tomorrow night. Believe me, if there were another way out of this – I’d take it – but there’s not.”