A Right to Remain Read online

  When Aaron died, his mother did her best to offer me comfort even though she had lost her child. She was there for me as best as she could be through her own mourning. Even his sister, who I was never particularly close with, became a little warmer toward me. His father was the exact opposite. He never came out and said it, but I always sensed he felt like I was to blame for Aaron’s murder because I was unable to stop it from happening. The biggest blow was when he removed Aaron from his will a day after it happened to ensure I didn’t get any of his family’s money when he passed away. I was so angry when I found that out, and not because I wanted any of their money. I just couldn’t believe that was the first thing on his mind after what had happened to his son. He would barely look at me the few times I was in his company after Aaron’s death, and I always felt like his mother was trying to overcompensate for his lack of manners by being extra nice to me.

  “Hey, do you mind stopping off while I go and look at this property we just listed?”

  “Ummm…”

  “It will just be a second.”

  “I guess,” I said with reluctance. I was so tired, I felt like I could fall asleep at any second. We pulled up to the property right in the center of town. If there was one thing I missed about home, it was this little town with the quaint little shops and restaurants mixed in with its historic homes.

  “You want to come in?” he asked.

  “Sure,” I responded, hoping maybe it would help me wake up a little. As we got out of the car, he lit up a cigarette and took a few drags before putting it out. “Since when do you smoke?” I asked.

  “Bad habit I just picked up. Helps me deal with stress.”

  “Oh…” I nodded, wondering what kind of stress he was dealing with.

  We stepped inside the building that I remembered as being a bakery at one time. I hadn’t been inside of this place in a while and was quite impressed with the huge brick fireplace taking up one of the walls, the original hardwood floor, and the matching wood planked ceilings. I could immediately imagine myself sitting in this place one cold winter day, staring at the fire and sipping on a cup of coffee. “The place is really nice. It has lots of character,” I said as I looked around. “This was always my dream.” I laughed.

  “What was?”

  “To own a little café. There’s this one where I’m living now, and I love it. It reminds me so much of one of the many ones Aaron and I visited when we were in Paris. That was always our standing joke. I told him once he retired we could go into business together and run a coffee shop. I was only joking, but I think he would always take me seriously about it and would have had no problem doing it…if—” I bit my bottom lip and swallowed hard.

  He flashed me a comforting smile. “So, why don’t you do it now in honor of his memory?”

  I shook my head. “Nah, it wouldn’t be the same without him here.” I looked around once again, taking everything in, trying to ignore the little voice in my head telling me that maybe this was another sign from Aaron. In three more weeks I would be jobless. My relationship with Quinn was over. So, if I did decide to stay where I was at, I would have to find a new job and a new place to live. Maybe it was time to come back home and start over.

  “How much are they asking for this place?” I asked.

  “Five hundred and fifty thousand.”

  “Wow!” My eyes lit up.

  “It’s in a prime business area. The building itself has been completely redone and brought up to modern day code. If the right place gets in here, they could easily see a return on their investment in no time. Plus, I know for a fact the owner will go a hundred thousand less.”

  I began to seriously question my sanity when I started to conjure up ideas of how I would set this place up in my mind if it were mine. The money wasn’t the issue. Between the sale of my condo, Aaron’s life insurance policy, all of his stocks and the money I would be getting for his half of the business, I knew without a doubt I could do it and still have plenty left over to tuck away. But I was scared to take such a big step like this. I didn’t know the first thing about running a business. That’s what I needed Aaron for. He was brilliant when it came to stuff like that.

  “What are you thinking, Lace?” Adam asked, snapping me out of my ridiculous daydream.

  “Oh, nothing. I was just envisioning this place filled with people escaping a cold winter day.”

  “Then why don’t you stop thinking about it and do it? I can help you if you need me to.”

  I sighed deeply and shrugged my shoulders. “It’s a crazy thought.”

  “Why? If it’s something you always wanted to do.”

  “Because I’m a teacher. I went to school to teach children. I have no business running a business.”

  “Lacey, people do it all the time. It’s not rocket science.”

  “Yes, and people fail at it all the time too, and where do they end up? In debt and right back where they started.”

  “I still think you should think about it.”

  I raised my eyebrow and nodded. “I might…or I might not.” I laughed. “Right now, I can’t think of anything. I’m exhausted. I really need to get back to my hotel and lie down.”

  “Okay.” He nodded. “I’ll be sure to keep you up to date on what’s going on with this property.”

  “I guess that’s why you’re good at your job…you never give up.”

  He nodded and smiled as we stepped outside, and he locked the door behind us. We hopped into his car and were headed toward my hotel. “Did you want to go out to dinner later?”

  “Umm…I don’t know. I kinda wanted to relax tonight. I’ve got a long drive ahead of me tomorrow.”

  “Tomorrow? I thought you weren’t leaving until Sunday.” His voice rose in alarm.

  “Well, that’s what I had planned on doing because I thought I’d be spending some time with Aaron’s mother, but she’s got too much going on right now.”

  “Well, why don’t you stay anyway? We can hang out, visit all of the old places we used to hang out at.”

  I shook my head. “I’m sorry, Adam. I can’t…not without him. It’s just too many memories I’m still not ready to face yet.”

  “Yeah, well, I guess you have to get back to your boyfriend anyway.”

  I could hear the sarcasm in his voice with just the mention of that topic.

  “I don’t have a boyfriend.” Really? Why was I going there with him? I knew exactly why, because once again, he was trying to make me feel guilty about going on with my life without Aaron, and I was falling right into his trap.

  “Oh, you broke up?” His tone perked up.

  “Yeah…it’s…I don’t want to talk about it, Adam.”

  “Okay. That’s cool,” he responded as we pulled into the hotel parking lot. “Hey, do you care if I run in and use your bathroom really quick?”

  “Yeah, sure.” I agreed.

  We walked inside and took the elevator to the third floor in silence. I slid the keycard across the pad, and we entered the room. “Bathroom is right over there.” I pointed as he walked off following my direction.

  I sat on the bed and kicked off my shoes, then took off my earrings. All I wanted to do was lie down.

  “Well, thanks,” Adam said as he walked out of the bathroom.

  “Anytime.” I smiled as I stood up and walked him to the door.

  “Let me know if you change your mind about dinner,” he said, holding his hand on the door handle.

  “Okay.” I nodded.

  He stared down at me and before I even knew it, his arms were wrapped around my waist and his lips were on mine. “Adam, stop!” I shouted, pushing him away.

  His eyes glazed over as he tried to pull it together. “Why, Lacey?”

  “Because.”

  “Because why?” he shouted. I could feel my nerves getting the best of me, wishing he would leave.

  “Because you were Aaron’s best friend, and it’s just not right.”

  “Why, Lacey? Don�
��t you think he would want you with someone he knew he could trust? Damn it! I saw you first! If it wasn’t for me, he would have never met you!”

  “Adam, this isn’t some childish game over who saw who first! I fell in love with Aaron. It had nothing to do with who had first dibs on me. You can’t help the way you feel.”

  “So what are you saying? That I wasn’t good enough?”

  I didn’t like the way this was going, and all I could think was…Quinn was one hundred percent right with his theory on him. “No, I’m not saying that at all! You’re a great guy, Adam.”

  “I love you, Lacey!” His voice cracked. “I’ve loved you from the first day I saw you. There was something about you, and he stole you from me, and I was okay with that because I loved him like a brother.”

  I couldn’t even believe the words he was spewing. “Adam, do you hear yourself? No one stole anyone! I fell in love with Aaron. Don’t you get that? I loved him with all my heart.”

  “Yeah, I do. I’ll never be good enough, but some asshole who cheats on his wife to be with you is.”

  I shook my head and narrowed my eyes. “Adam, just stop! You don’t know the first thing about him or the relationship I had with him, so please don’t drag him into this.”

  “The relationship you had with him, Lacey. Had!” He got right in my face and yelled, causing me to startle. “And why aren’t you in a relationship with him anymore, Lace, huh? Did he decide he had enough of fucking you and it was time to go back to his wife?”

  I felt my eyes welling up with tears, but I didn’t want to give him the satisfaction of knowing he had gotten me to that point. “Leave now,” I whispered.

  “Fine. I guess I’ll never be good enough for you. I was just some asshole who always put you up on a pedestal, but that was never good enough for princess Lacey. I’ll never be as perfect as Aaron or some asshole cop who used you.” I stood there silently, not wanting to engage in any more conversation with him. I was on the verge of a panic attack and was trying my best to get it under control. Relief swept over me when he turned the door handle and stepped out without saying another word. I made sure to set the double lock after he exited, sliding my back down the door until I reached the floor, hugging my knees and burying my face into them, letting out all the tears, all my fears, and all my anger over what had just happened.

  Chapter 39

  Quinn

  Jim and I were just finishing up our beers when his phone rang, and he wasted no time answering. “Interesting,” he replied to the person on the other end of the conversation as he listened intently and shook his head. “I’ll get right on it,” he said before hanging up the phone.

  “What’s up?”

  “Well, turns out Megan Lancer isn’t as much the victim as she wanted us to think. I had a friend of mine from the child support office look into some things. Apparently, she’s getting money every month for that kid, but not from Symons.”

  “From who then?”

  “Mike Wise. Remember the fuck-up detective I was telling you about who worked on this case?”

  “Yeah?”

  “His brother.”

  “So, the kid isn’t Symons’ then?”

  “Don’t know, but we’re going to pay another visit to Ms. Lancer and find out.”

  ***

  “I think you should take the lead on this. She was flirting with you. Guess chubby older guys aren’t her thing.” Jim chuckled just as we knocked on her door.

  “Okay, am I having a déjà vu?” she asked as she flung the door open.

  “Nope, just thought of some more things we needed to ask you,” Jim replied. So much for me taking the lead.

  “Look, I told you guys everything. I just got my kid down for a nap, and I would really like to use this time for myself and not rehashing some murder investigation that I clearly know nothing about.”

  “Why’d you lie to us then?” I asked.

  She took a step back. “I didn’t lie. I told you everything I remembered.”

  “Did you forget who the father of your son was?”

  She shook her head, her eyes darting everywhere but at us. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she mumbled. “As much as it pains me to admit it, Adam Symons is Mikey’s father.”

  Jim barked a laugh. “Wow! You had the balls to pin your pregnancy on another man and then name him after his real father?”

  “I don’t know what the hell you’re talking about, and I really want you both to leave now!” She was becoming visibly shaken, and I knew it was just a matter of time before we could get her to crack.

  “Look, Ms. Lancer, we’re not out to hang you for this. I can see you’re a good mother to your boy, and the last thing I would want to see happen is for you to go away to prison as an accessory to murder and have to put your little boy in foster care,” Jim said.

  “Accessory to murder? What are you—”

  “Cooperate with us now or tell it to the judge,” he finished.

  She slumped against the doorframe. “Do you understand how much danger I’m putting myself and my child in by talking to you about this? Mike and his brother are nuts.”

  “Well, if all goes the way it looks like it’s heading, I don’t think those two will be an issue much longer, because the more I’m finding out, the more it looks like they’re going to be spending quite some time in prison. You don’t want to be joining them too, do you?” Jim asked.

  She shook her head and her lips trembled as she opened the door wider and let us in. She sat down on the couch, while Jim took a seat next to her, and she began spilling her guts. “I had only been dating Mike for a few months. I had just lost my job and he was the one who hooked me up with the position at Sullivan & Symons. I thought he was a great guy at first until I realized he and his brother were into shady business.”

  “In what way?” I asked.

  “Well, when their father died they took over the bar and ran it to the ground. Everything that man had worked for his entire life, those two managed to destroy. They started using the business as a front for their drug deals, and Adam Symons was one of their biggest customers.” She took a sip of water and continued. “I found out I was pregnant and Mike flipped out. They were behind on paying their taxes, they couldn’t renew their liquor license because of it, and all the liquor distributors refused to distribute to them because they owed them thousands of dollars.”

  “So they were going under?” Jim stated.

  “Pretty much. Their nasty ass bitch of a mother is like the freakin’ Queen of England in their eyes, and the last thing they wanted to do was disappoint the old crow by losing the bar that was once their father’s. So they went to Adam for a loan. Neither one of them was in any position to get approved for a loan, so they asked him to fix it so they would be approved. Since Adam partook in their little side business, he was more than willing to help. When Aaron found out what Adam was planning on doing, he flipped out. He knew exactly what kind of business they were running there and didn’t want his company having any connections to it. Not to mention what Adam was going to do was totally illegal. But honestly, Adam was so hopped up on drugs at the time, he would have agreed to anything to get his next fix. Aaron knew it and basically ran the company by himself, begging Adam to get help. Adam knew there was no way he’d get away with doing it once Aaron found out, so he told Al and Mike they were on their own and he couldn’t help them. That didn’t sit well with either one of them. So, they came up with another way.”

  “Which was?” Jim prodded.

  “Adam would pretend the baby was his, and he was going to pay me a ‘lump sum’ of child support to make it go away. And in return, they would make him a silent investor in the bar. At least, that was the story he was going to give Aaron, since he was using company funds to do it with.”

  “I knew it was wrong, and didn’t want to have any part of it, but Mike told me once they got themselves out of the hole at the bar then things would work out financially for
us and our baby, and we could be a family. I was so stupid to believe his lies.” She dabbed her eyes with a tissue. “Look. I’m sorry for lying earlier, but if they ever found out I was talking to you guys about this, they’d hurt me and my son. They don’t care. They’re ruthless. It was an uphill battle just to get Mike to agree to pay me child support.”

  I raked my hand through my hair, trying to register everything through my brain. “Okay, so do you think they may have anything to do with Aaron Sullivan’s death?”

  She didn’t reply and looked away. “I-I really don’t know.”

  “Well, did Aaron ever find out about the money being transferred into your account?”

  She nodded. “Yes, after Adam transferred the money. Aaron questioned him about it and he told him it was for child support, but Aaron wasn’t stupid. He knew exactly what they were going to use the money for. He had the IT guy download all of Adam’s emails and had everything in black and white. Adam got all freaked out because Aaron was going to go after him for stealing company funds and was planning on going to the police with all of it. When Adam told Al and Mike, Al freaked. He was a few months away from retirement, and he knew if what they were doing got out, he’d be done. That’s all I know. I ended up quitting the company, moved as far away as I could from everyone, and have been trying to make ends meet ever since.”