being shunned by most of them.”
“I certainly know how that feels. It’s the worst.”
“I have some good news for you on that front. One of my people was able to determine that your mother used your sister to make deposits to accounts in the Cayman Islands. She made your sister memorize the account numbers so there wouldn’t be any paper trail. Mandi gave us those numbers, and we’ve turned them over to the Feds. With that and the cash in the Delaware company, your mother’s victims should get most of their money back.”
“Really? That’s amazing! Oh my God.” Now he sounded tearful. “That’s the best news I’ve had in months.”
“Did you have any suspicion that your mother was using your sister to run money out of the country?”
“I had no idea. Honestly, I haven’t stayed close to my family since I left for college. When my sister asked me to go away for Thanksgiving, that was the first time I’d heard from her in a while. Their goals in life were very different from mine. I just want to work and live my life. I don’t need the flash and the cash they were all so obsessed with.”
“I’m sorry for what you’ve been through.”
“Thank you. Can I ask… Is my sister being charged too?”
“She’s being charged with two felony counts of being an accessory after the fact pertaining to your mother’s murder. We believe she was unaware of the true nature of her ‘errands’ on your mother’s behalf, and she was instrumental in helping us to recover the money, so she’s getting a pass on that.”
“Will she go to jail?”
“I believe she’ll do some time, but it shouldn’t be a long stretch. Cleaning up after a murder and then lying about it, not to mention trying to frame an innocent man, are serious crimes.”
“Did she say why she tried to pin it on me?”
“Your dad threatened to cut her out of everything if she didn’t protect him.”
“So they both put money ahead of me. That’s good to know, especially after I was nearly an accessory myself by going along with her plan to leave the country.”
“I’m sorry, Ken. I know this is a bitter pill to swallow.”
“It is what it is. I’m glad to know the truth about them. It helps me to move forward on my own.”
“I wanted to let you know we’ve started a grief group for people who’ve lost family members to violent crime. I know that your grief is a little different from most of our participants’ experiences, but grief is grief. If you think you might benefit from the interaction with others, we’d be happy to have you.”
“I’ll think about that.”
“It’s an open invite. Now, a year from now, whatever works. I’ll text you the info, and you can decide.”
“Thank you for everything. I can’t tell you what it means to me that my mother’s victims will receive restitution. When will they get that news?”
“We’ll be issuing a press release in the morning that’ll make it public.”
“I can’t wait for that. It’s time for this nightmare to end. I’ll always be thankful to you and your team for that.”
“I’m glad we were able to find the money. I’ll ask the prosecutors keep you informed of your father’s and sister’s legal proceedings if you’d like to know.”
After a long pause, he said, “That’s okay. I’m not really interested in what becomes of them. They made their beds, so to speak. I’m moving on.”
“Fair enough. I’ll send you the grief group info. I’m here if I can do anything for you going forward.”
“You’ve given me the best possible gift by finding that money. That’s all I need. Take care, Lieutenant.”
“You do the same.”
Sam ended the call with a feeling of satisfaction and optimism that Ken Jr. would land on his feet after the hell his family had put him through. He seemed like a decent young man with a bright future ahead of him. She pulled onto Ninth Street a short time later and was waved through the security checkpoint. As she went up the ramp, feeling exhausted, exhilarated and excited to be on vacation, the front door opened, and there he was. Her love, her life, her reason for being.
Her heart gave a happy leap at the sight of him in a long-sleeved T-shirt and sweats, his hair rumpled and his jaw covered in late-day whiskers. He was, without a doubt, the sexiest man she’d ever laid eyes on, and he was all hers.
Forever.
She sped up