Chapter Twenty-Five
Danny
WITH A CONSCIOUS EFFORT, Danny eliminated Dora from his thoughts. She was an aberration, another spot on his not-so-clean conscience.
He missed Cathy daily, especially the sharing. There were all sorts of things he wanted to tell her, but never could.
Then the dreams began. He drifted off to a place where Cathy’s tinkling laugh rang out. They were alone in the flower shop, where they sank to the floor amidst the fragrance of roses and he buried himself inside of her. Though the shades were drawn, somehow her strawberry curls caught the sunlight, flashing into his eyes, making them tear.
He awoke to find himself sobbing and reached for the comfort of her arms. Reality slapped him. Cathy would never come back. Neither would Sean. He’d never know his little boy. Nothing was left of him after the fiery cremation.
Danny barely ate, but when his body insisted, he rang for room service. Through an empty week, he drifted, wallowing in self-pity, not bathing or shaving.
A strident buzz jarred him from his semi-awake state, making him frown. He’d given a strict “Do Not Disturb” order at the front desk. The intruder jammed on the bell. Another second of the racket and Danny’s head would explode. He stumbled into jeans and swung open the door.
An olive-skinned, pockmarked man held up a shiny badge. “I’m Detective Nicholas DeVino. You’re Danny Callaway, right?”
He nodded.
“I need to speak to you.”
Numbly Danny ushered him in. Shades of other police visits surfaced, making him shudder. What else could go wrong?
The officer studied the room. Danny could read the man’s mind. He had to wonder how one person could create such a mess. Hell, it was simple when nothing mattered. Danny pushed a greasy lock of hair away from his eyes. He kicked a pair of gym shoes to the side and beckoned to the couch.
The policeman gingerly sat down, then began. “Our bomb squad recovered some peculiar evidence on your property. First of all, have you heard of Ed Anderson?”
“Sure. he set up our security system.”
“Did you ever meet him?”
“No. I was on the road when he came. Cathy let him in. What does he have to do with this?”
“Well, it appears this Anderson fellow visited your home the day of the blast.”
Danny frowned, trying to remember. “Oh, that’s right. Someone else mentioned he was there. It slipped my mind.”
“Mr. Callaway, do you know anything about a package delivered to your wife that day?”
Danny frowned. Dora had mentioned something about a package when she’d picked him up at the airport, but he hadn’t paid attention to it. He’d had more important things to think about, such as the death of his wife and child. “I heard one of the guards dropped it off, saying it was a present from me, but there was some kind of mistake. I never thought of a gift for her. I should have.”
Detective DeVino gave him a measured look. “It wasn’t a present. It was a bomb.”
Blood surged through Danny’s head. His ears rang. “A bomb,” he whispered.
He should have guessed. With everything else going on, he hadn’t made the connection. Danny stared at the officer, as if it were he holding the explosive. This was too much. Why would anyone bomb his house? He’d assumed the explosion was from a gas leak or an electrical malfunction, not something sinister.
He had to think. Maybe the bomb was for him. Had a deranged fan sought revenge? Cathy had wanted him to give up basketball. Perhaps his obsession with the sport had sealed her fate. God, he hoped not. How could anyone be so perverted as to take a sport that seriously?
The silence lengthened. Detective DeVino cleared his throat. “The signs are obvious. There was a huge crater in the area of the master bedroom. After we sifted through the soil samples and ran an acetone test, it verified RDX footprints. That’s a common explosive in package bombs.”
Danny listened without comment. His life had turned into a bad action flick.
“Our guys combed the scene. We discovered portions of a blasting cap. From every indication, the explosion was cold-blooded murder.”
“I don’t understand. No one hated Cathy or Sean. Maybe the bomb was meant for me and the timing got screwed up.”
The officer shook his head. “I don’t think so. Everything appears to have been planned. The offender familiarized himself with the security system, then set off the remote. What he didn’t count on was the extra guard who went out back. That lucky slob was Jim Jordan.”
“How do you know this?”
“Jim came to after being knocked out by the explosion. It shook him up enough to make him confess he and Todd had met for some smoke breaks earlier on. During one of them, Todd happened to mention how your wife was excited about a package Ed Anderson delivered right after half-time.”
Danny’s heart pounded hard.
“Officer, have you spoken to Anderson?”
The man shook his head. “He’s disappeared. Not only that. We checked the Alert Advantage payroll records. It turns out his social security number belongs to a dead man. The personnel manager also owns a fishy ID and is a known felon who served time at Heartland Penitentiary.”
Danny’s mind snapped to attention. Heartland. Could this be connected to Kevin Green? Was he paranoid to think so? Heartland was a huge facility. It didn’t mean every prisoner knew each other. Still, what if? A wild scenario played through his mind, flashing ice water though his veins. Could it be that, while he’d complacently enjoyed the good life, what he’d thought of as his past enemy had plotted revenge? Had Kevin still not forgiven him, but instead orchestrated a grand finale?
No, it didn’t make sense. Kevin hadn’t killed Mary Alice. Larry Murphy had done that and was rotting in jail with a life sentence.
Still, what if?
After the judge had issued the verdict, Kevin’s eyes had turned murderous. Also, when Danny had visited him in jail, he’d refused any peace offerings. Kevin had to know Danny would suffer more from the loss of his wife and child than a direct hit against himself. Still, could anyone be so heartless?
Well, Kevin had spent nine long years in the company of murderers and felons, long enough to harden the most innocent soul. Long enough to learn dangerous tricks from the pros.
He could have done it. He had a motive. It fit too well.
Kevin Green had to be Ed Anderson. A resolve tightened in Danny’s chest. If that was true, Kevin would receive no mercy.
How could he make sure? Well, that’s what the police were for. “Officer, are there any leads on this Anderson guy?”
The man shook his head.
“We haven’t rounded up any valid prints, but we’re trying. He had to have slipped up somewhere.”
“I’d appreciate your keeping me informed.”
“Of course, Mr. Callaway.”