Total pages in book: 106
Estimated words: 100791 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 504(@200wpm)___ 403(@250wpm)___ 336(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 100791 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 504(@200wpm)___ 403(@250wpm)___ 336(@300wpm)
“Then what did you think would happen?” I sliced in, dropping down on the vacant chair and squinting at the screen. A PO box address tucked away at the bottom of the bank accounts taunted me, tickling a memory dancing out of reach. “When the Brotherhood approached you about the trackers, what did they say?”
“He—he said— They needed them to follow you to all of your hideouts and stashes—prove the Merchants were connected to criminal activity. It was all to gather evidence to finally put you on trial, I swear,” he cried. “I didn’t know anything about any bombings!”
“Why would they need to follow us around for evidence if that was your supposed evidence?” Sunny gestured to the computer. “Why didn’t you just turn your proof of embezzling over to the police? Why didn’t that forensic accountant make you?”
“He said there would be a huge scandal!” Vance climbed up on his knees, near pleading with Sunny. “He told me he’d seen a million of these cases play out in court, and even if you ended up in jail, the Caddell name would be forever tainted with the stink of theft and dirty money. We’re buried under too many scandals and lawsuits already. We can’t afford to lose the few clients we still have.”
“Batavia,” I whispered, still staring at that address.
“And let me guess,” Sunny went on. “After feeding you that load of bullshit, he gave you the number of someone who could clean the whole mess up without a scandal coming anywhere near Caddell.”
Vance bobbed his head, spittle coating his cheek. “Yes, I’m sorry. I didn’t know. I swear, I didn’t know anyone would get hurt!”
“How could you not know? Why didn’t you see that this whole thing was shady right off the bat? You got in bed with criminals because you wanted to get out of bed with criminals!” Sunny shouted, seizing his collar. “Tell me how that makes sense in your small little mind!”
“Because they weren’t!” Vance shrieked. “That’s what I’m trying to tell you! I didn’t know they were dirty! I didn’t know! Dwyer didn’t send me to a darkened corner in a back-alley bar! He gave me the number of two detectives who he promised would handle my case discreetly!
“I thought I was working with the cops. I thought they were undercover and—”
“Using you to illegally surveille suspects and ensure their case was kicked out of court as quickly as their asses were out of the police force?” Sunny finished, tone dead.
Vance broke down, wailing on the floor under the force of his immense greed, naivety, and stupidity.
“Batavia... Batavia...”
Scoffing, Sunny turned his back on the sad act soaking his shoes. His gaze sharpened on me. “Sugar Bum? What’s wrong?”
“Sunny, I... I think there’s more to this,” I said slowly. “Much more.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, Vance finds out there’s something not adding up in the accounts and he just happens to hire a forensic accountant that fronts for the Brotherhood, giving them the access they’ve been praying for to build their money-printing machine?”
“Babe, this money-printing-machine thing is an insider you’ve got with someone else,” he said, dropping down next to me. “I don’t know what that means.”
“Oh, right, of course. Basically, it’s when the key to everything you’ve ever wanted just falls into your lap one day. There’s no way that happened here. There’s just no way Vance just happened to them. All of this had to be a setup from the beginning. A setup that’s been years in the making.
“The only question is if this has always been a Brotherhood setup, or it’s a trap someone else set and the Brotherhood jumped in and happily sprung it.” My grip tightened on the mouse. “It makes me sick to say I’m leaning toward the latter.”
“Kenzie, I’m not following this.” Sunny grasped the chair and gently turned me around. “You’re saying someone else embezzled from Caddell House, and the Brotherhood used that to drag us and Vance into it.”
“That’s exactly what I’m saying.” I avoided his gaze, stomach sick with shame. “And even worse... I know who it was. I know who figured out who the Johnsons really are, and used that info to scam millions from innocent suppliers. I know who did such a stupid, clumsy job of leading a fake paper trail to the Merchants, they were found out by an enemy that’s been hunting and fighting to uncover all of your weaknesses. And I know who offered you and Vance up on a silver platter all in the name of keeping his filthy money and seeing someone else go down for his crimes.”
Sunny stiffened, his lips peeling back from his teeth. I saw in his eyes... that he knew too.
GENNY
The darkness spun—twisting, entwining, crashing, and crumpling on itself. I burst out of it and vomited on the floor.