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“I didn’t put Matt up to do anything he didn’t want to do. I didn’t need to. Matt was quite the schemer in his own right. He didn’t need me to defraud anyone out of their money, not before Anna died or afterward.”
“But murdering your own sister? That’s low even for you.”
“Why is all this on me?”
“Because you’re the one left standing, remember?” Beckett reminded him. “You already suspected Elliott wasn’t Mack’s. You didn’t care about Elliott, though, did you? You didn’t care what happened to a three-year-old kid.”
Chad kneaded the tension knot in his neck. “Vince and Aaron came to me after the holidays on New Year’s Day, telling me similar stories about how Anna had told both of them the same thing—that Elliott belonged to them. She didn’t count on the men comparing notes one afternoon at the hospital. They were both furious. No one could blame them. She wanted money—a chunk of child support—from both. Aaron flat-out refused to pay a penny. Instead, he said prove it, prove I’m Elliott’s father. But Vincent took another tack. He began to do the math. He told us he was sure Elliott belonged to him. So Vince cornered her one day during their dinner break. She admitted that Mack had a vasectomy before they met. Something about how he’d fathered a child in his teens with a young girl and didn’t want that ever to happen again.”
“Wait a minute. Back up. Why did the men come to you? Why would they do that?”
“We played poker together. Regularly. I saw them at least once a week for probably three years.”
“So you guys thought about it for five months before you came up with a plan that would satisfy everybody. You and Matthew got the financial reward. Vince got Elliott. But what did Deming get out of the murders?”
“Deming got Anna off his back. She was pressing him to get back together. He didn’t want to have anything more to do with her. Aaron wanted to get back together with his wife, Christina. That’s what ticked him off about dangling Elliott as his. The lie was the last straw. Anna wanted to drag him kicking and screaming into another relationship with the kid in tow. She was planning on divorcing Mack. But Aaron was smarter than that. Aaron kept her on the hook until an opportunity opened up that benefited all of us.”
“We know Elliott’s alive and well and living with Vince in South Africa.”
“A boy should be with his real father,” Chad pointed out. “Mack’s whole family was a bunch of weirdos.”
“Where’s Trey?” Brogan asked, standing in front of Chad. “Tell us what happened to the innocent kid delivering his papers.”
“Who? Oh, that paperboy. You’ll have to ask Vince. That’s no concern of mine.”
“We need to zip-tie this bastard until we hear from Brent,” Birk suggested.
“We will. Nobody’s leaving here until Brent tells us what’s happening in Klerksdorp.”
24
They treated their stay at the lodge like a vacation. It might’ve worked if it hadn’t been for Chad’s petty demands. For two whole days before Brent landed back in Santa Cruz, the man became a nasty pain in the butt as they waited on his every need.
By the time Brent pulled up in his SUV with a passenger in the front seat, they were all ready to unload the record producer into the arms of the cops.
The pack of dogs sniffed out a greeting as Brogan recognized the familiar face. Dogs surrounded a thirty-five-year-old Trey.
Brent made the introductions.
“Terence David Rescher, you filled out and got taller,” Brogan remarked, wrapping her arms around the boy who’d grown to manhood. “But your eyes are still that brilliant blue. And your smile hasn’t changed since your freshman photograph. Your parents will be overjoyed to learn you’re alive.”
“I finally went through a growth spurt around fifteen,” Trey admitted with a grin. “I’m not sure how it will feel to put this whole thing behind me. Right this minute, it all feels like a dream. I’m scared I’ll wake up, and it won’t be real.”
“It’s not a dream,” Brogan whispered, reluctant to let go of Trey’s shoulders.
“Brent and I talked it over on the plane. We had plenty of time to discuss the sordid details of what happened. That’s why we agreed it would be better to tell my parents in person and bring them to this beautiful spot without a slew of reporters around to mess things up. A phone call didn’t seem right.”
“How does it feel to be back in California?” Lucien asked.
“Surreal,” the man said, stretching his arm out to shake hands. “I understand you’re the reason I’m standing here.”
Lucien threw his arms out wide. “Every person you see had a hand in bringing you back. We’re glad you’re alive.”
“So am I. I’m grateful for all your help.”
“We can’t wait for Brent to explain everything that happened in Klerksdorp,” Beckett shared, shaking hands with Trey.
“I talked to Rivkin and showed him the video you sent me—Chad’s confession,” Brent revealed. “Rivkin’s rearranging everything on his plate to be here to pick up Chad. In a few hours, that guy will be his problem. He’s already dropped the charges against Trey.”
