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Doug just stared at the table. Francine’s gaze was on her coffee cup.
Gibson answered, “As well as can be expected. Is Sullivan going to be okay?”
“I talked to the doctors. He’s going to be fine.”
“Do you know his real name?” said Gibson.
“Mark Gosling, yes.”
“When you arrived on the scene, I thought you were there to investigate Langhorne’s murder.”
“In a way, I was. But I was really after Beckett.”
“So you knew what he had done?”
“We strongly suspected. We had heard stories. A few people had come forward over the years. There were enough irregularities to get our suspicions up. I don’t like dirty cops. And what Beckett did was far worse than just getting paid off to look the other way.”
He glanced over at Francine and Doug. “I know some of what happened to you. I know it probably means very little, but I’m sorry. It should never have happened.”
Francine acknowledged this with a nod. Doug didn’t show that he’d even heard.
“How did you come to be out at Stormfield?” asked Gibson.
“We were tailing Beckett. We followed him to your house and then to Stormfield. We saw the other man drive up and enter the house after the two of you did. We were outside when all hell broke loose and people started running out of the place and shots were fired. I’m glad I was there in time to prevent him from shooting you.”
“Me too. Did you know that he had teamed up with Darren Enders?”
“We knew he was working with someone, but we didn’t know it was Enders. Apparently, Langhorne had promised both of them some of the mob money.”
“That’s what Beckett said, too. He’s been hunting Langhorne all this time. And he confessed to killing him. Sullivan and the other officer heard him, too.”
“Oh, we have him dead to rights. He will never breathe another day of freedom. He or Enders.” He tapped his file. “So, you set him up with the treasure?”
“What he thought was the treasure. Sullivan found out from the former owners that there was another secret room in the wine cellar. So Francine and I had the idea of conning Beckett. We knew he wanted the money. So we got the trunks and Sullivan and his people filled them with cut-out paper, but hundred-dollar bills topping each stack. The former owners told us where the old key was to open the other door inside the secret room. We blobbed some paint on the keyhole to make it look like it was hidden. You didn’t even need a key to open the trunks. I just used it so Beckett wouldn’t get suspicious.” She paused. “I also just found out that he was the one who called ProEye and got me fired.”
“Why would he do that?” asked Pinker.
“Probably because he wanted me to be desperate to find the treasure, so he could take the whole thing.”
“And you had to know that he would try to kill you when you found it.”
“That’s why I had Sullivan and two of his men hidden in the wine cellar. I didn’t figure that Beckett had brought his partner along for backup. It cost a cop his life.” She shook her head and looked miserable.
Pinker glanced over at Doug. “And I’m very sorry about your friend, Mr. Langhorne.” This time Doug nodded but didn’t look up. “It was very fortunate that you were there to help subdue these men.”
Doug looked at his sister, not Pinker. “We took turns watching the place. Rochelle was there last night. When she saw the cars coming in, she called me and I came right over. I saw Enders and Beckett. I knew who they were right away. When I saw you run and he was going to shoot you…”
Francine put a hand on her brother’s arm. “You saved my life, Dougie. You were always there for me. And Rochelle.”
His eyes filled with tears. “’Cept last night.” He bent low and started to sob.
Francine wrapped her arms around him and held him, whispering soothing words into his ear, while Gibson and Pinker looked away.
CHAPTER83
WELL, WE GOT EVERYTHING ONour bucket list except the treasure,” noted Francine.
She and Gibson were seated in the latter’s home office. Tommy and Darby were with Gibson’s parents.
