Piece of My Heart (Under Suspicion #7) - Mary Higgins Clark Page 0,103
him that they were all going to be okay. Laurie felt a knot in her throat as she watched tears of joy stream down their faces. She was about to head for the back of the house to check on her father when he, too, stepped into the clearing. He was limping, but his face was overcome with relief when he made eye contact with Laurie. She nodded in his direction, reassuring him that the family was finally out of danger.
The Turner family’s nightmare had a very different ending. Once he had ordered Johnny to leave the house, Daniel Turner had raised his gun toward Marcy and announced he was going to pull the trigger, giving the chief of police no choice. When the FBI arrived, they found Charlie cradling his younger brother’s body, praying that he would finally have peace.
Chapter 71
Five Weeks Later
Laurie heard a knock at the door. “Come on in!”
Even though today’s gathering was a small one, she’d had what felt like a constant parade of visitors. She smiled at the sight of her father behind her in the mirror.
“You look happy,” she said. The limp he’d had for weeks was unnoticeable today. His injuries from Daniel Turner’s bear trap had led to swelling and bruising, but no broken bones.
“Of course I do. Today’s the happiest day of all.”
“Yes, but I suspect it has something to do with that phone call you had to take.”
“Work talk can wait,” he said.
“Come on. Tell me.”
“Fine, you dragged it out of me. The plan worked. Gunther admitted everything.” As planned, Mason Rollins’s cooperation had been enough to persuade Toby Carver to do the same. He had made a surprise visit to Gunther’s prison that morning and gotten him to implicate himself in the murders of both Lou Finney and Clarissa DeSanto. “They captured the entire conversation on tape at the prison.”
“I’m so happy your name got cleared, Dad.”
“More important, Gunther will be in prison for the rest of his life. The DA is going to reduce the charges against Summer because of the help she provided in the investigation.”
The door opened again, and Grace and Charlotte tumbled in, champagne glasses in hand.
“Leo, what are you doing in here?” Charlotte asked.
“No boys allowed!” Grace teased.
“That only applies to the groom, not the father of the bride. My daughter and I were discussing my very important job of walking her down the aisle.”
“Speaking of which, it’s officially time, Laurie,” Charlotte said. “You ready?”
“I’ve never been more ready for anything.”
* * *
They had rescheduled the wedding only after Marcy and Andrew assured them that their entire family was ready. Johnny now had a basic understanding of the lives of his biological parents and how they had ended. Roseanne Robinson and Sandra Carpenter had even volunteered to meet with him when he was older so he could learn more about Michelle and Daniel before things had gone wrong for them.
Marcy and Andrew knew he’d have other questions and concerns as he grew and matured, but for the time being, he was their happy boy again.
Today, Johnny was also the ring bearer, leading his sisters, the flower girls, down the aisle to where Alex waited, with Andrew by his side. On the other side of the priest stood Timmy, ready to serve as Laurie’s untraditional best man.
Also bucking tradition, the string quartet played “At Last” by Etta James for their small procession. Ramon, Grace, Jerry, and Charlotte were the only guests besides family. Grace fanned her eyes with perfectly manicured hands, trying not to cry.
As Laurie took her place at the altar, she gazed up and smiled at Alex. He looked perfect. Everything was perfect.
“You okay?” he whispered. She had never seen him so content.
She nodded. Perfect, except she knew she would never make it through the vows without shedding some tears of her own.
As she turned to make sure her father had taken his seat, she had an image of Greg sitting next to him. He was smiling. He was happy for her.
“Let’s do this,” she said.
At last.
Acknowledgments
It has been our joy to complete another Under Suspicion novel together. Laurie Moran and her crew provide more than enough material to fill the imaginations of two storytellers.
Once again, our biggest champion on this adventure has been Marysue Rucci, vice president and editor in chief of Simon & Schuster. Thank you, as well, to her right-hand assistant, Hana Park.
We are also grateful to the advice of Professor Barry Scheck, codirector of the Innocence Project, whose expertise regarding the use of DNA evidence in wrongful conviction claims is unrivaled. Though he generously shared his scientific knowledge with us, this book and the lawyers in it are works of fiction. We suspect the story would have unfolded quite differently had Professor Scheck been on the case.
Last, but never least, we thank you, dear readers. Words on a page do not become a story until you read them. This book is dedicated to you.
More from the Authors
Kiss the Girls and Make Them Cry
You Don't Own Me
I've Got My Eyes on You
Every Breath You Take
All By Myself, Alone
The Sleeping Beauty Killer
About the Authors
Author photograph by Bernard Vidal
The #1 New York Times bestselling author Mary Higgins Clark wrote forty suspense novels, four collections of short stories, a historical novel, a memoir, and two children’s books. With bestselling author Alafair Burke she wrote the Under Suspicion series, including The Cinderella Murder, All Dressed in White, The Sleeping Beauty Killer, Every Breath You Take, and You Don’t Own Me. With her daughter Carol Higgins Clark, she coauthored five suspense novels. More than one hundred million copies of her books are in print in the United States alone. Her books are international bestsellers.
© DEBORAH COPAKEN
Alafair Burke is the New York Times bestselling author of fourteen novels, including The Better Sister, The Wife, The Ex, and the upcoming Find Me, in addition to the Under Suspicion series, coauthored with Mary Higgins Clark. A former prosecutor, she now teaches criminal law and lives in New York City.
SimonandSchuster.com
www.SimonandSchuster.com/Authors/Mary-Higgins-Clark
www.SimonandSchuster.com/Authors/Alafair-Burke
@simonbooks
ALSO BY MARY HIGGINS CLARK
Kiss the Girls and Make Them Cry
I’ve Got My Eyes on You
All By Myself, Alone
As Time Goes By
The Melody Lingers On
Death Wears a Beauty Mask
I’ve Got You Under My Skin
Daddy’s Gone A Hunting
The Lost Years
The Magical Christmas Horse (Illustrated by Wendell Minor)
I’ll Walk Alone
The Shadow of Your Smile
Just Take My Heart
Where Are You Now?
Ghost Ship (Illustrated by Wendell Minor)
I Heard That Song Before
Two Little Girls in Blue
No Place Like Home
Nighttime Is My Time
The Second Time Around
Kitchen Privileges
Mount Vernon Love Story
Daddy’s Little Girl
On the Street Where You Live
Before I Say Good-Bye
We’ll Meet Again
All Through the Night
You Belong to Me
Pretend You Don’t See Her
My Gal Sunday
Moonlight Becomes You
Silent Night
Let Me Call You Sweetheart
The Lottery Winner
Remember Me
I’ll Be Seeing You
All Around the Town
Loves Music, Loves to Dance
The Anastasia Syndrome and Other Stories
While My Pretty One Sleeps
Weep No More, My Lady
Stillwatch
A Cry in the Night
The Cradle Will Fall
A Stranger Is Watching
Where Are the Children?
BY MARY HIGGINS CLARK AND CAROL HIGGINS CLARK
Dashing Through the Snow
Santa Cruise
The Christmas Thief
He Sees You When You’re Sleeping
Deck the Halls
BY MARY HIGGINS CLARK AND ALAFAIR BURKE
You Don’t Own Me
Every Breath You Take
The Sleeping Beauty Killer
All Dressed in White
The Cinderella Murder
BY ALAFAIR BURKE
The Better Sister
The Wife
The Ex
If You Were Here
Long Gone
THE ELLIE HATCHER SERIES
All Day and a Night
Never Tell
212
Angel’s Tip
Dead Connection
THE SAMANTHA KINCAID SERIES
Close Case
Missing Justice
Judgment Calls
We hope you enjoyed reading this Simon & Schuster ebook.
Get a FREE ebook when you join our mailing list. Plus, get updates on new releases, deals, recommended reads, and more from Simon & Schuster. Click below to sign up and see terms and conditions.
CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP
Already a subscriber? Provide your email again so we can register this ebook and send you more of what you like to read. You will continue to receive exclusive offers in your inbox.
Simon & Schuster
1230 Avenue of the Americas
New York, NY 10020
This book is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people, or real places are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and events are products of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to actual events or places or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
Copyright © 2020 by Nora Durkin Enterprises, Inc.
All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever. For information, address Simon & Schuster Subsidiary Rights Department, 1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020.
First Simon & Schuster hardcover edition November 2020
SIMON & SCHUSTER and colophon are registered trademarks of Simon & Schuster, Inc.
For information about special discounts for bulk purchases, please contact Simon & Schuster Special Sales at 1-866-506-1949 or [email protected].
The Simon & Schuster Speakers Bureau can bring authors to your live event. For more information or to book an event, contact the Simon & Schuster Speakers Bureau at 1-866-248-3049 or visit our website at www.simonspeakers.com.
Jacket design by Christopher Lin
Jacket artwork by Kent Rogowski/Gallery Stock
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data has been applied for.
ISBN 978-1-9821-3254-5
ISBN 978-1-9821-3256-9 (ebook)