Dirty Devil Read online

  Jack grabbed his keys from the bowl on the foyer table and laughed. “Just because they give you a gun to carry doesn’t mean you should use it. I’ve seen you shoot. You’re much deadlier behind a keyboard.”

  “Hey, that’s not fair,” Carver said, following us to the front door in his wheelchair. “I needed a new prescription for my glasses last time we went to the range. I could barely see the target.”

  “You couldn’t hit the broad side of a barn,” Jack said, ushering me out the front door. “It’s just fortunate for you you’re married to Michelle. Now that’s a woman who can shoot.”

  Jack closed the door in time to hear Carver swear, and he grinned all the way to the truck. We rode the entire way to John Donnelly’s house without speaking. The radio was on low in the background, but I wasn’t big on conversation in the mornings, and Jack seemed lost in thought. I didn’t know whether or not I should bring up the conversation I’d overheard him and Carver having, so I watched the landscape pass through my window and tried not to let thoughts of Floyd ruin my day.

  There were several other cars parked in front of the house when we finally pulled in, and I could hear the yelling as soon as we got out of the car.

  “Seems like it’s going well so far,” I said, glancing at Jack. “I hope we haven’t missed too much.”

  “They haven’t even started yet,” Jack said. “This is just the pregame show.”

  I was glad I’d remembered my jacket. There was a damp chill in the air. I wasn’t a fan of cold rain, but I wasn’t opposed to it if it meant the Halloween block party would be cancelled, so I was keeping my fingers crossed.

  The front door stood open, and when we stepped into the foyer, Kevin Fischer was there waiting for us. There was a man I could only assume was his security guard standing just off to the side of the door.

  “Sheriff, Dr. Graves,” he said, shaking our hands. “I’m glad you could make it. We’re just waiting on a couple of more people and then we can get started.”

  “It sounds like something is already started,” Jack said, nodding to the direction where the screaming was coming from.

  “Kimmie doesn’t like having people in her house,” he said. “Especially ex-wives. And she’s had a couple of mimosas this morning, which makes her extra pleasant to be around. I will say Isabelle Rhodes had the right idea. She called me this morning and said she’d decided not to cart her son halfway across the country for the whims of John Donnelly. She said they’d survived this long without him, and they didn’t need or want anything from him now that he was dead. I didn’t have the heart to tell her he didn’t leave them anything.”

  “It’s probably for the best,” I said, wincing as Kimmie’s voice carried through the house. “This is the last place a nine-year-old boy needs to be.”

  There was a knock on the open door, and Michael Donnelly stepped into his father’s house, gazing across the wide-open expanse of white. “I always thought this house was cold and ugly, but I haven’t been here since I was a kid. It’s still cold and ugly.”

  He smiled wryly and then saw me standing between Jack and Kevin.

  “Dr. Graves,” he said, coming to me directly and shaking my hand. “It’s nice to see you again. I didn’t know you would be here.”

  “We were a last-minute addition,” I said.

  “I extended the invitation to Dr. Graves and Sheriff Lawson,” Kevin said. “On the chance something is revealed that can help them find your father’s killer during the reading of the will.”

  “Of course,” Michael said and then he introduced himself to Jack. “Michael Donnelly.”

  “Jack Lawson,” Jack said. “I’m sorry for your loss.”

  “I appreciate it,” Michael said. “Is Mom here?” he asked Kevin.

  “Yes, she and your sister are in the sitting room with everyone else.”

  “How’s she holding up?” Michael asked.

  “She hasn’t killed Kimmie yet, if that’s what you’re asking,” Kevin said, his mouth tilted in a smile at one corner.

  “Mom is the least of Kimmie’s worries,” Michael said.

  “True,” Kevin said. “I told her if she’d behave herself I’d send her and Jilly on one of those riverboat cruises they keep talking about. So far, no one has thrown a punch.”

  “That’s probably as good as you can hope for,” Michael said. “Unless Kimmie punches first. Then you’d better just get out of the way.” Michael laughed and threw an arm around his godfather’s shoulder. “I’ll go in and see if I can get things to settle down.”

  “He’s a good kid,” Kevin said, after he’d left. “Jilly and I were never blessed with children, so Michael and his sisters are like our own. We’ve thrown them parties and helped with graduations, showers, and weddings. We’d take them on vacation when they were children. We were there for every Christmas and birthday.”

  “When John never was,” I finished for him.

  “When John never was,” he agreed. “Some men aren’t meant to be fathers. I found it cruel that something I wanted to be so much was given to someone who didn’t want the job. But we play with the cards life deals us and move on.”

  If there wasn’t that underlying level of car salesman, most people would probably think Kevin Fischer was a pretty good guy. But then I thought about his financial dealings and the people he was screwing out of their retirement and investments and was glad I’d learned to trust my instincts.

  “Excuse me,” a soft voice said.

  A thin, tidy-looking woman in a gray suit and excellent shoes stood stiff as a board just outside the doorway. She was blond and her hair was swooped up in a twist on the back of her head, and her makeup was tasteful and subtle. She was somewhere in her late forties or early fifties, and she reminded me of Grace Kelly.

  “Martha,” Kevin said, his smile genuine as he went to greet her. “Come in, come in. It’s always wonderful to see you.”

  Her gaze crossed over us briefly before her attention turned back to Kevin. “I almost didn’t come,” she confessed. “The firm is in an uproar, and I have a million things to do. I don’t see why it’s necessary that I’m here.”

  “It was John’s wish that you would be,” he said. “I promise this shouldn’t take too long. How have you been doing through all of this?”

  “It’s been difficult,” she said. “A shock. I still can’t wrap my mind around the fact that he’s gone. I don’t really know what to do with myself.” The voices in the other room were growing louder again and she looked in that direction. “I really don’t even know what I’m doing here.”

  “You were very important to John,” Kevin said. “Don’t ever doubt that.”

  She laughed then, a tinkling sound that was quite pleasant. I couldn’t place her accent. Not American, but it sounded like she’d tried hard to flatten her speech and sound like everyone else.

  “I don’t know if I was important to John, but I tried my hardest to make him think he could never survive without me,” she said, her smile infectious. “If you only knew how many times he’d threatened to fire me over the last twenty years.”

  “Sounds like a normal day at the office to me,” Kevin said, patting her shoulder gently. “I want to introduce you to Sheriff Lawson and Dr. Graves. They’re investigating John’s murder.”

  “Oh, of course,” she said. “It’s a pleasure to meet you. Have you found anything?”

  “It’s still early in the investigation,” Jack said, “But we’re making progress.”

  “Let me know if I can be of any help,” she said. “I can only think that someone finally made good on their threats. The very nature of his career made him a target.”

  “I’d like to speak with you about that once we’re wrapped up here. We were told you kept any threats he received.”

  “I have a drawer full,” she said. “He would never let me call the police. He said it wasn’t a big deal, and no one would go through with it. But I could tell it was wearing on him over the la
st couple of years. I was worried about him over these last months. He wasn’t looking well.”

  “Why don’t we go ahead and get this over with,” Kevin said. “We’re not expecting anyone else, and then you can get Sheriff Lawson the death threat information.”

  “Of course,” Martha said, nodding to Jack.

  Kevin guided Martha to the living area at the back of the house, and Jack and I trailed behind them. It was as white and sterile as all the other rooms I’d seen, with the exception of a contemporary painting in bright splashes of pinks and reds that hung over the fireplace. It took me a moment to realize it was a portrait of Kimmie. It didn’t do her any favors.

  But it was the view of the outside that almost made up for the sterility of the inside. The pool and lush greenery were an oasis, and then there was the golf course practically in their backyard.

  The security guard came in behind us and then went to stand against the wall where he could see everyone.

  “Who’s he?” Kimmie asked, pointing at the security guard. She poured herself a glass of champagne and added a splash of orange juice to the top.

  “He’s from my firm,” Kevin said. “To make sure everyone is on their best behavior.”

  There was a delicate snort that came from one of the couches, but no one paid it much attention. Jack and I stayed at the back of the room, so we could see everyone.

  There was a glass table at the opposite end of the room that Kevin had made a sort of temporary desk. His briefcase lay on top, and he took a seat in an uncomfortable-looking chair that probably cost a fortune.

  “If I could have everyone’s attention,” he said, “We can get through this quickly and everyone can go about their day.”

  “It’s about time,” Kimmie said, taking a seat on a white leather bench and propping stiletto boots on the glass table in front of it. She’d chosen a black skinsuit that didn’t leave much to the imagination, and she’d adorned it with a sparkling belt that hung at her hips and matching earrings that hung down to her shoulders. I wasn’t sure if she was about to dance backup for Beyoncé or join the Avengers.

  A woman with striking Native American features turned and looked down her nose at Kimmie. I recognized Anna Donnelly from the photograph on our whiteboard at home.

  “Kevin, let’s please continue,” she said. “I don’t know why we had to do this all together.”

  “John insisted,” Kevin said.

  “Of course he did,” Anna said, her lips thinning as she took the hand of the younger version of herself sitting next to her.

  “Enough,” Kimmie said. “I’ve got plans this afternoon and I need everyone out of here. Stop stalling, Kevin. I swear I don’t know why John kept you on after you split the firm.”

  “Maybe someone should hide the booze,” the woman next to Anna said. “I think someone has had enough.”

  None of John’s children looked like him, which they all probably found fortunate every time they looked in the mirror.

  “Stop being a whiny bitch, Abbie,” Kimmie said, downing her glass.

  “Just ignore her, honey,” Christine Donnelly said from the opposite couch. She sat between Michael and Madison, her own children. “She’s just jealous because she was never anything more than a live-in. One of many. If you ask me, it’s Julie who should be here. She was the only person John actually gave a damn about.

  The champagne flute bulleted from Kimmie’s hand and smashed against the wall behind Christine’s head before any of us could anticipate. And the shrieks were toddler tantrum worthy. Jack had his hand on his weapon, but it was Kevin’s voice who cut through the noise.

  “Ms. Kloss, you will be forcibly removed from this house if your behavior doesn’t change, and I’m sure you wouldn’t like to add an assault charge on top of things. Now sit down, and shut up so we can get this over with.”

  Kimmie let loose with a profanity-ridden tirade, but finally took her seat.

  “I know that these aren’t ideal circumstances,” Kevin said. “But my instructions come from John directly, and this is being recorded per John’s instructions.” He hit a remote, and it was then I noticed the video camera set up in the corner. “In attendance are Anna Donnelly, and her two children, Abigail and Charlene. Christine Donnelly, and her two children, Madison and Michael. Kimberly Kloss. José Sosa. And Martha Callum.”

  Martha was standing near us against the wall, and José sat alone near the French doors.

  “Also in attendance are me, attorney for the deceased, Kevin Fischer. Julian Starr, also with my firm, and Sheriff Jack Lawson and Dr. J.J. Graves. We’re missing two individuals who denied the summons to attend this morning. Isabelle Rhodes and her son, Samuel.”

  There were several murmurs as those in attendance tried to discover the identity of the missing party.

  “I’m sorry,” Christine finally said. “But who in the world is Isabelle Rhodes?”

  Kevin sighed and steepled his hands on top of the desk. “A decade or so ago, she was a woman John had a relationship with. The relationship resulted in a child. Samuel.”

  “No way,” I heard several of them say as chaos erupted.

  “I have a brother?” Michael asked. “Why weren’t we ever told?”

  Kevin lifted his hands to try to get everyone to calm down. “Your father and Ms. Rhodes made an arrangement. He paid her a settlement to move and deny him as the father. She took it and moved to Arizona to raise her son.”

  “I really hate that son of a bitch,” Abbie said, her face pale.

  “Can we meet him?” Madison asked. “He should know he has a brother and sisters.”

  “I can certainly make an introduction,” Kevin said. “But just be prepared for Isabelle to deny the request. She didn’t want anything to do with the will reading today or anything John might have left her.”

  “Good for her,” Anna said, nodding her head, and then she looked at Christine. “We will try to reach out. We’ve had each other all these years. She’s had no one.”

  My respect for the Donnelly ex-wives had increased tenfold. They were strong, independent women who’d suffered at the hand of John Donnelly, and they’d somehow managed to make their own family.

  “Martha,” Kevin called out. “You don’t have to stand. There’s a seat here.”

  It was obvious Martha was trying to blend into the walls, but she nodded and walked to the front of the room and took a seat on a chair identical to the one Kevin was sitting in.

  “I’d like to start by saying that I’ve been John’s friend and attorney for a long time, and I advised him against this. But when he has his mind set on something, there’s nothing anyone can do to change it. You all know this, of course. But John came to me last month to get his affairs in order. He didn’t give me the specifics, but he felt he had very little time left. We know now, after his autopsy, that he had several health issues he wouldn’t have been with us much longer.”

  “Are you saying my father changed his will a month ago?” Abbie asked.

  “Yes,” Kevin said. “He wanted to make sure all his affairs were in order. He made the changes, I witnessed them, and then he sealed it in this envelope. He told me not to submit it to probate until after his death.

  “The contents of John’s assets are quite extensive,” he continued. “They include this house, which he owns outright. Three vacation homes, rental property, a stake in a Manhattan apartment complex, vehicles, stocks, bonds, bank accounts, art, and jewelry worth an estimated one hundred million dollars.”

  The room got very still, and there were several exchanged glances. Kimmie’s smile was smug. José didn’t move a muscle.

  “He left instructions that I’m to read a letter he wrote to all of you, and then I’ll read the contents of his will. So…” Kevin unsealed the envelope and pulled out two sheets of paper. He quickly skimmed the first page and then began to read.

  If you’re listening to Kevin read this letter, then you were of some importance to me, either in the pas
t or the present. I always thought I would live forever. Hell, maybe the doctors are wrong about this whole thing and I still might. But the thought of all of you being in a room together gives me some pleasure here at the end. I’ll confess, I wish I could be a fly on the wall.

  Maybe you’re all expecting an apology. I probably owe you one. Who the hell knows. But I don’t have any regrets in my life. I am who I am. Which is why none of you should be surprised with the changes made to my will. It’s time everyone goes and lives the life they deserve to live. I don’t know if you’ll miss me or not. I can’t particularly say I care if you do. But despite your feelings for me, good or bad, I want to say you’re free of me. And try not to be too angry.

  Yours Truly,

  John

  “Without further ado…” Kevin said, flipping to the second page, “…I, John Frances Donnelly, being of sound mind and body, hereby leave all cash assets, including stocks, bonds, and bank accounts in their entirety to my secretary, Martha Callum.”

  The gasps almost drowned out Kevin’s voice, but he kept reading.

  “My ownership in any real estate or developments, I leave in its entirety to Martha Callum. My home and all the contents within, I also leave to Martha Callum. All other assets in my name, I leave in their entirety to Martha Callum.”

  “You can’t be serious,” Madison said, coming to her feet. “That unbelievable bastard. After everything he put us through.”

  “Sit down, Maddie,” Michael said, pulling on his sister’s hand. “We never needed anything of his. We all have our trust funds that can’t be touched. That won’t change anything now.”

  “It’s the principle,” she said, her face white with anger. “What about Mom?”

  Christine started laughing uncontrollably and Anna joined in. “God, it’s just like him, isn’t it?” Christine said. “Don’t worry about us. We’ve both made excellent investments over the years. I guess we should thank Kevin for that.”

  Kevin looked relieved and nodded, and then he said, “There’s more. To my wives, I hope you’re not too disappointed, but you got more than your fair share in the divorces. To my children, you’ve all lived a life of luxury with the best educations money could buy. Go use them. To Kimmie, you’re young, and anything I’ve given to you as a gift is yours. I’m sure you’ll bounce back quickly and find a man who’s dumb enough to marry you. To Martha, I’d advise you to keep José on while you’re trying to decide what to do with the house and its contents. Whether you decide to keep him on after that is up to you. He’s very knowledgeable. To José, I’ve set aside a severance package in case Martha has no need of your services.”